News

Apr 06, 2025

Greetings,

It is catching me somewhat by surprise that next week is already Palm Sunday.  Sometimes Lent seems to drag on endlessly through eternity and other years it zips by. In any event, we are just a couple of weeks away from Easter, so stay strong (or become strong) in your Lenten resolves!  We can tough out two weeks for our love of God.

EVENTS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT ON YOUR CALENDAR: 

DEACONATE ORDINATION: Next Saturday, April 12 will be ordination to the transitional diaconate. Two of the men being ordained spent some considerable time here at St. Sebastian: Mr. Cameron Ferrell and Mr. Joseph Ho. You are invited to come to the Cathedral to witness the event which begins at 10am that morning or you may livestream it from the diocesan website.

LAST CONFESSIONS:  The Saturday before Easter is typically our last day of confessions.  However, Fr. Marcelli and I will be at the diaconate ordination.  There will be two priests here to take our place form the Order of the Apostles of Jesus. 

Also, we typically do not have Confessions, Night Prayer and Benediction on Tuesday of Holy Week since your priests are participating in the Chrism Mass with our Bishop.  However, there is a visiting priest in the area and he will provide the parish services on that day.  He will only be able to hear a very limited number of confessions, so I do not recommend waiting for that night to have your confession heard. Thank you Fr. Buzbuzian for filling in for us that night!

BLESSING OF THE FOODS:  Blessing of the foods will take place on Saturday, April 19 at 1pm.  It is not a long service, so I recommend not showing up late!

RANKIN SCHOOL: If you have been following the reports, Rankin Elementary School is well on its way to being nothing more than a field. Demolition crews are busy turning it into a pile of rubble. The Akron Beacon Journal ran an article last week showing the building as it originally stood before all the various additions were built. It also mentioned that St. Sebastian Parish began having Masses there when it was first established in 1928. They continued to hold services there until our first church (now Zwisler Hall) was completed in 1929. Mr. Joe Thomas who went to kindergarten at Rankin School and then spent the next eight years at St. Sebastian Parish School wrote the article.

HERE’S AN EARLY HEADS UP FOR GARDENERS! Volunteers are always needed to help this ministry.  Our volunteers are awesome and keep this parish and her grounds looking like a jewel for West Akron.  Typically, the Grounds Crew meets on Thursday mornings and occasionally on Saturdays (watch for announcements) during the warmer months to plant, trim and pull weeds among other duties.  They will be kicking off their season on Thursday, April 24 at 8:00am.  Come for the whole time or as much as you are able.  There is no need to contact anybody beforehand and if you do not have tools, they will be provided.  Just show up in the Courtyard behind the school or find someone already hard at work and they will joyfully welcome you into the group.

Heavy lifters!  Please consider putting Saturday, May 10 on your calendar.  It is MULCH DAY!  Many hands make light work.  Perfect for those looking for service hours or who are trying to lose weight quickly for the summer season!

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck