Jan 24, 2025

Greetings!
This weekend we kick off Catholic Schools Week! We honor and celebrate Catholic schools and their impact on the lives of our students, communities, and nation. We are blessed to be surrounded by Catholic schools in our area and have so much to be thankful for.

Your parish school is recognized as one of the finest schools in the nation. But academics of the highest caliber is not all that your school does. In fact, it is not even the most important thing that it strives to do. We are first and foremost a Catholic school, forming our students into young Catholic ladies and gentlemen who recognize their adoption as sons and daughters of their Heavenly Father, who seek out all, and recognize that, which is True and Good and Beautiful. And as an extension of that, that they are responsible for and capable of making this world a better place for their brothers and sisters, no matter what the challenge.

To accomplish this mighty task we need an excellent, faith-filled faculty and a strong, steady hand at the rudder. I would like to thank Mr. Rohr, our principal, and his faculty, staff, the parish staff, and volunteers for their outstanding work of making this one of the best schools available anywhere. Also, thank you to our parents and families, donors, and of course our outstanding students, all who keep the parish and her school in your prayers.

IN OTHER NEWS:

OPEN HOUSE: There is a Parish School Open House Sunday, January 26 from 10am - 12pm. All are invited to see the school and visit with our teachers. If you haven’t been in a while, it might be nice to stop by and see how good your nearly one hundred-year-old school building looks.

You might notice the floor treatment on the main floor of the school is in poor condition. We have had it replaced twice in the past few years and it is not holding up to the demands of the building. Fortunately, we are in good communication with the company and at an appropriate time we will be attempting to beautify this floor once again.

PRIESTS VS SEMINARIANS BASKETBALL GAME: This Sunday is also the charity basketball game. Tip off at Holy Name High School in Parma Heights is at 6pm. Tickets are $2. Our own Fr. Marcelli will be putting on a jersey and representing the priests of the Diocese of Cleveland and St. Sebastian Parish. I hope you can make it to cheer him on!

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL & A CONCERT: Next weekend we will have two exciting events: The first is our annual International Festival on Saturday, February 1 from 5:30-8:30pm with food and entertainment from around the world and games for kids. This is put on by our Sanctuary Society and it is always a HUGE undertaking and so I thank them so much for their efforts in this long-standing tradition in our parish. Funds from this event help fund all the costs of the sanctuary in the church.

The next day, Sunday, February 2 there will be an organ concert by Kelsey Berg and Davis Badaszewski in the church at 4pm. The concert is free and open to the public.

God bless,
Fr. Valencheck