Jun 22, 2021

Greetings,

Do you remember last year St. Sebastian Parish being voted one of the “Best Places to Worship” in Akron by a poll in the Akron Beacon Journal? Well, this year St. Sebastian Parish School was nominated and is in the Top 5 Best Private Schools in the area along with three Catholic high schools and the Lippman school. Congratulations St. Sebastian team, families and parish!

IN OTHER NEWS:

NAMED PASTOR OF ST. SEBASTIAN: On the same day that we found out the above, I received a letter from Bishop Malesic stating, “I am pleased to renew your appointment as pastor of St. Sebastian Parish, Akron effective 1 July 2021.” A priest who was made pastor after 2007 must renew his assignment every six years. It is an opportunity to renew or change assignments depending on circumstances. So, unless something changes, it appears I will be with you at least until June of 2027, the year before our 100th anniversary!

INDEPENDENCE NEWS:  Next Sunday our nation is celebrating Independence Day. Although the fourth of July falls on Sunday, there is still the national observance on Monday. So the parish offices will close about eleven o’clock on Sunday, July 4th remain closed on Monday, the 5th, and reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, July 6th. Also, please mark your calendar that the Mass on July 5th will be at nine o’clock in keeping with our practice on Federal Holidays.

HEART OF A SHEPHERD:  By now, you should be at least somewhat aware of the Heart of the Shepherd Campaign from the diocese and currently taking place at St. Sebastian. This weekend Mass will include the in-pew request. If you will not be at Mass this weekend and you want to participate, you may do so at anytime by stopping by the rectory and requesting a donation card.

SOUND IDEAS:  I have “heard” that our sound system is vastly improved. If you are still having difficulties hearing and you do not have a hearing aid or your hearing aid does not have a coil to connect to our Sound Loop, there is audio assist equipment in the usher’s room. These are small headphones that connect directly to our sound system giving the wearer a clear and filtered presentation of the Mass. If you would like to try one of these devices on a weekend, please see an usher. If you are here during the week, please come a little early and ask in the sacristy.

BANNS:  A couple being prepared here for marriage asked the other day if Catholics had the practice of saying, “Is there anybody here who knows of any reason that this marriage should not take place? Let him speak now or forever hold his peace,” during the wedding ceremony. It makes for a great moment of tension in movies. But as to whether Catholics have this practice, the answer is both no and yes.

There is no dramatic, day-of public asking of this question but, according to canon law, there are to be published “banns” to announce to the general public that a couple is about to be married and that this is the time to step forward if you know of anything that should prevent the ceremony from proceeding. In the United States, this typically takes the form of printing the couple’s names in the bulletin (and now on line) and after the names placing the Roman numerals I, II and finally III over the course of the three weeks leading up to the marriage date. Typically you will find the marriage banns for St. Sebastian in the bulletin on the same page as the Mass intentions, usually on page 4. Interestingly, the same procedure is performed in the home parish of those who are about to be ordained.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck