Aug 05, 2020

Greetings,

Here is something to celebrate! Starting this coming Tuesday we will resume Tuesday adoration! Thanks to ample volunteers who adopted all of the hours that we need to cover, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on our altar following the morning Mass through till 8:00pm in the evening.

I have immensely enjoyed giving extended homilies on Tuesday nights for adoration while we reduced our adoration to a holy hour. With the return of day long adoration that will come to an end and we will resume our more typical schedule. 7:40 will be compline and benediction. Confessions will return in a couple of weeks at 7:00 to 7:30pm. The reason they are not starting up right away is that I will be unavailable for two weeks and Fr. Anthony is away on Tuesdays. By the end of August, Tuesdays will have been restored to their normal schedule. Deo gratias!

IN OTHER NEWS:

DEACON TERRY:  Deacon Terry had his surgery but there are further complications and his doctors will be advising him soon as to what they will be doing to help him get back at the helm. What a terrible time to be going through something already so difficult. Please keep him in your prayers.

And pray for vocations! Pray for vocations to the deaconate! The diocese sent this to us this week:

The Diaconate Formation Office is accepting inquiries for men interested in the diaconate. To be considered, an applicant must be Roman Catholic at least 30 years of age, who is an active member of his parish with the support of his pastor. He must be in good health, of sound moral character, mature faith, regular practice in the sacramental life of the Church and have a sense of vocation to service. If married, he must be in a valid Catholic marriage for a minimum of five years, have the support of his wife and family and be in a strong, stable marriage. If unmarried, he must be willing and able to commit to celibacy. Although an upper age limit for application has not been established for the Cleveland diocese, the expectation is that ordained deacons will have the health and energy to provide a minimum of ten years of ordained ministry to the Diocese of Cleveland.

The next Diocesan Diaconate Aspirancy Program will begin in September 2021. All men interested in applying to the 2021 program are asked to please write to Deacon David S. Kushner, Director of Diaconate Formation, Center for Pastoral Leadership, 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, Ohio 44092, or telephone the Diaconate Formation Office at 440-943-7651, or email dkushner@dioceseofcleveland.org.

11:00AM MASS:  I was wondering how we would decide when to move the 11:00am Mass back indoors. Since the rain brought us indoors last week, it is as good a reason as any to finally make the move before heading into the heat of August. Going forward, unless things change significantly, the 11:00am Sunday Mass will again be in the church.

NOT A HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION: This year The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Saturday, August 15th, so it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. However, if you would like to attend a Mass that day come to the 8:00am Mass here or you can attend a Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St. Paul Parish located at 1580 Brown Street, Akron. on Saturday, August 15th at 12:00noon with Fr. Pfeiffer.

VACATION:  It is finally time for me to steal away for a little bit. I’ll be taking a couple of days next week and a couple of days the following week to sneak away.

MEETING WITH THE CITY:  St. Sebastian had a couple of meetings with the city this past week to discuss goings on in the neighborhood and to get the skinny on how plans may have changed due to unforeseen circumstances. Keep an eye out for the Angelus Letter for details to long to print in this letter.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck