Feb 06, 2020

Greetings,

This is Catholic Charities weekend at all parishes in the Diocese of Cleveland. This is your opportunity to help those truly in need in the eight counties of our diocese. Thank you for your time, attention and patience as Fr. Simone presents our annual appeal this year. Being that he will become a pastor probably sooner than later, it seems a fitting opportunity for him to try making this appeal. I told him to see if he can be more persuasive than I! Thank you to Mr. Bernie Smith for once again being our committee chair.

IN OTHER NEWS:

FR. JACQUES PHILIPPE:  Internationally known author Fr. Jacques Philippe will be speaking at St. Sebastian next Sunday, February 16th, at 7:00pm in the church followed by a book signing in Zwisler Hall.

RETREAT:  All of our confirmandi candidates will be on retreat next weekend from Friday until the Saturday 4:30 Mass. Please keep them in your prayers.

CITY MEETING:  Last week there was a meeting between the city of Akron and the parish of St. Sebastian, the aim of which was helping to create a better West Akron. Here are some of the things about which we spoke that you might find interesting:

FLAGS:  You may have noted an abundance of utility flags and markings along Elmdale and Hawkins as well as other streets south of the church. Dominion has been replacing gas lines in our area and this is the beginning of a new phase.

MULL:  Funds for planning the fixing of our road are in this year’s budget. Work, if state funding comes through, should begin, not this, but late next summer. The scope of the project may expand to include the traffic circle.

HAWKINS:  ODOT plans on resurfacing Hawkins Avenue from East Avenue to Walhaven (skipping over the Mull Traffic Circle) this summer. There are hopes to make some sort of change at the intersection of Elmdale and Hawkins to make crossing safer.

PERKINS HOUSING:  It is thought that “dirt should start moving” in the fall of 2020.

ELMDALE PARK:  (The triangle.)  Plans for landscaping this park are in the works.

PARK USE:  Just a reminder to all sports teams and other groups:  A permit is required for using all city parks for group activities. (Renting the Forest Lodge building does not include a permit to use the rest of the park.) For more information or for a permit (for which there is no charge), please contact Mr. Melvin Blake, Sports and Athletics Coordinator for the City of Akron at 330-375-2855 or mblake@akronohio.org.

PARISH COUNCIL NOMINATION:  You will notice at the end of your pew a nomination form for Parish Council. Please prayerfully consider nominating yourself or someone you think would advance the mission of our parish by serving on this council. Thank you and pray for the members of your Parish Council, Parish Finance Council and Parish Foundation Board.

ST. SEBASTIAN ON THE RADIO:  Lynn Steward, our director of music, Linda Berringer and I were interviewed on AM 1260, the Rock radio in honor of the 90th anniversary of our parish and school. The air times will be:

                          Sunday, March 15th, at 11:00am

                          Saturday, March 21st, at 4:30pm

If the signal does not reach you, the program may also be heard anytime after this date on their website.

ALSO ON THE RADIO:  14-year-old organist Daniel Colaner who has played often at St. Sebastian and taken lessons from our own Lynn Steward has won “From the Top’s” Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, a national scholarship of up to $10,000 for extraordinary young musicians, and will appear on an upcoming broadcast of NPR’s “From the Top,” airing Saturday, February 8th, at Noon on WCLV 104.9 FM and by podcast at fromthetop.org. The broadcast was taped before a live audience on November 2nd, 2019.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck