Sep 30, 2021

Greetings,

This is the month to do something extra that is pro-life. Anything. Say extra prayers, sign a petition, bring it up in conversation, write a legislator, put up a sign, join a rally, volunteer, write a blog post, wear a T-shirt, make a donation or anything, but do something special. You might be cheered or you might be harassed, but you will be able to say, “I did something.” As a nation right now, we like to look back in time and blame people who didn’t seem to do anything in situations that we now find abhorrent. Let us not be counted among that number in the future. Let this parish in particular be noted for having stood up for the dignity of every human being and for the right to life.

IN OTHER NEWS:

LIFE CHAIN:  Our parish will be participating in Life Chain this Sunday, October 3, after the 11:00am and after the 1:00pm Masses. Signs will be provided. All that is necessary is to stand on the sidewalk around St. Sebastian Square, pray and witness. Most people will just drive by. A surprising number of people will honk horns and give the thumbs up. And there are a few who will make obscene gestures. But in the end, it will be known that there are those who respect and uphold the dignity of every human being and who believe that the words “coexist” and “tolerance” extend particularly to those our culture blindly wants so desperately to be able to do away with.

BEAUTIFUL:  St. Sebastian Parish has been awarded the 2021 Beautification Award from Keep Akron Beautiful and the City of Akron. Keep Akron Beautiful, celebrating 40 years of service, presents this award to properties that are litter free, have well maintained flowers, shrubs and trees, is free of weeds and stands out from its neighbors. Congratulations to all of the volunteers who keep St. Sebastian beautiful and THANK YOU! You are a blessing to the parish and to this community.

STATE OF THE PARISH:  Next weekend at all Masses there will be a short State of the Parish address as is required by the diocese. You are the life of this parish and make everything happen from prayer to education to paying electric bills. This address is to help all be aware of how we stand as a body and what the prospects for the future look like.

OCTOBER COUNTS:  You may notice ushers walking down the aisles of the church during Masses this weekend and next. Every year the diocese asks us to count the number of people in attendance during the first two weekends in October. This year they are particularly interested since we will see what has happened since we passed through the worst of COVID.

VISITING CLERGY:  Last Saturday, the Rev. Peter McCormick, CSC, was here from Notre Dame to celebrate a wedding. Here is a dedicated priest. He had to miss the Notre Dame game that weekend when they smashed Wisconsin 41 - 13. The Rev. Thomas Mosher celebrated the 4:30 Mass, returning to his home parish of St. Sebastian to celebrate his 40th ordination anniversary. Congratulations! Both were highly complementary to our parish, especially our dedicated and capable servers!

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck