Jun 08, 2023

Greetings,

This is Corpus Christi weekend, when we joyfully celebrate Christ among us as the Blessed Sacrament. He established this great gift when He took common bread and wine, pronounced it to be His Body and Blood and gave us the instruction, Do this in memory of me.” Christ is still among His people in His Holy Catholic Church and on this day, we give homage to Him and celebrate Him in our lives.

To help us celebrate this great mystery, Fr. Ian Kelly will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving at the 9am Sunday Mass after which there will be a procession of the Blessed Sacrament around St. Sebastian Square followed by benediction and then, of course, donuts! Father will be on hand for you to greet him and for you to receive the blessing of a newly ordained priest.

IN OTHER NEWS:

ROAD CONSTRUCTION: The tear up of the road deck of Mull Avenue is in full swing. It is rather amazing how quickly it went once it was started. Almost all of the bricks were gone by this past Monday. Of course, this makes navigating around the parish a bit more of a challenge. Please give yourself an extra minute or two when coming to Mass and be aware that crossing Mull where the construction is may become more difficult and at times impossible. If you are coming down Mull from Exchange, I recommend turning south on Mineola and circling Schneider Park and approaching the parish from either Roslyn or Orlando.

FOUNTAIN: The fountain in the cutting garden has been painted and returned to it’s spot. The garden is really starting to come to life and last weekend for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, we had beautiful arrangements on our altars that came from our grounds and were arranged by fellow parishioners. If you get the chance, stop back in the garden for a visit or for a quiet moment to contemplate. Thank you to our hard workers for all that you do there and across our entire property!

CONCERN: If you pay attention at all to the news, you are aware of an increase in anti-Catholic behavior in our nation. In the Diocese of Cleveland, there has been a recent rash of rectory break ins. On Pentecost Sunday at St. Raphael, after the homily, someone took over the microphone and chided the priest and the Church over Catholic teachings. Particularly during this month of the Sacred Heart, it seems a good idea to prepare for the possibility of this happening at other parishes.

Should there be such an event here, if the Mass is being live-streamed, the stream should be shut down immediately. Congregants are encouraged to be aware that anything they say or do is likely to be recorded and posted on line. If such a thing should ever happen here, it will be handled and you will be called upon to pray. My hope is that we will not encounter such an event (maybe there are more blessings to being surrounded by construction than was first thought) but in case it does, we should be prepared, remain calm and handle it well.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck