Jan 17, 2025

Happy St. Sebastian Day!

Today we celebrate our patronal feast day of Saint Sebastian. In addition to being our patron saint, he is patron saint of athletes, particularly archers, of those near death,
police, soldiers, the Pontifical Swiss Guard and he is invoked against those who try to suppress or pervert the faith. He is also called upon during times of plague. The small
painting of St. Sebastian that typically hangs in the narthex of the church was specifically commissioned in 2020 from the artist Eric Armusic as an act of petition to our patron to help us through the time of the pandemic. You will notice it is not a nice painting. It is rather stark and cold with the only thing bringing warmth to the picture is the body of St. Sebastian himself: our hope in time of illness.

I have personally found St. Sebastian to be a responsive saint of intercession particularly when facing what seems to be unscalable difficulties or dead ends. As we enter our 97th year, we can look back on the faith of Sebastianites and the guidance of our patron forming us as a people for our God, willing to sacrifice, and placing our hope in our future with Our Father.

Please keep your parish in your prayers. I ask for St. Sebastian’s intercession at least daily. Below is a prayer for your consideration:

Dear Commander at the Roman Emperor’s court, You chose to be also a soldier of Christ and dared to spread faith in the King of Kings, for which you were condemned to die. Your body, however, proved athletically strong and the executing arrows extremely weak. So, another means to kill you was chosen and you gave your life to the Lord. May (N./our parish/youth/athletes) be always as strong in their faith astheir Patron Saint so clearly has been.

IN OTHER NEWS:

SPAGHETTI DINNER SOLD OUT: For those reading this bulletin early; Our Annual St. Sebastian Day Family and Friends Dinner is SOLD OUT. There will be no tickets available at the door. Thank you to everybody who helps make this day a success!

POSTPONED - THEOLOGY ON THE ROCKS: Fr. Marcelli was supposed to speak this Monday, January 20 at our TOR. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it turns out that there is going to be a Notre Dame vs Ohio State football game that day and it seemed unfair to pit Fr. Marcelli alone against about 200 football players. Fr. Marcelli’s talk will be rescheduled for February 17. I am rather happy about this because . . .

FR. VALENCHECK AWAY: . . . I will not be here this week. I am being sent away by the diocese for further training so that this parish can become a place where transitional deacons are sent for further formation. I should return Friday night. Please be aware that confession lines may be long this week.

THANK YOU: A great big thank you to everyone who showed up last Sunday to help move out Christmas from our parish grounds. All across the grounds, the church, the rectory, the school, wreathes were taken down, flowers removed, trees disassembled, decorations put back in boxes, and lights were wound up so that when St. Sebastian gathered next for Mass, the change in seasons would be apparent.

I think I get this from when I was the assistant manager of the West Theater in Barberton. During the last screening of the movie, every trace of that movie was removed while the audience enjoyed it. By the time they left, it was all about the next movie that would start tomorrow. For us, Christmas is finished, and we began ordinary time. (Although, this year, Monday was the feast of St. Hilary, the name sake of our sister parish, and so we celebrated that!)

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck