Oct 26, 2023

Greetings,

This weekend is Priesthood Sunday. We welcome home our own seminarian Mr. Christopher Villarreal who will be speaking at all of the Masses. Please keep all of our seminarians and those of the parish who are contemplating a vocation in your prayers.

IN OTHER NEWS:

EXTRAORDINARY FORM: This weekend will also mark the fnal celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass at St. Sebastian Parish. Thirteen years ago, it appeared that St. Mary Parish was going to close, which is where the Extraordinary Mass had been celebrated for many years. St. Sebastian Parish was able to open her doors at that time to welcome them into our community. However, our history goes back even further than that. The Mass was occasionally celebrated here when scheduling conficts on holy days made it impossible for the Mass to be celebrated at St. Mary.

Now, due to changes in the regulations from Rome, the Extraordinary Form Mass will cease to be celebrated at St. Sebastian and, with the permission from the Holy See, will return to St. Mary. It is a dificult and confusing occurrence not unlike the original closing of St. Mary, and I am equally in the dark as to the whys and wherefores of the situation, but I do thank our Bishop for working so hard at keeping the Mass available for those who desire it.

A survey was given to those who attend Mass at 1pm to help determine how St. Sebastian should respond to this latest situation. About 50% said that they would remain at St. Sebastian, 25% said that they would go to St. Mary, and 25% said they would go to St. Elizabeth or a closer parish. Also considered with this survey was adding another Mass to the St. Sebastian schedule. Since the Mass at St. Mary will be at 1pm, it does not seem necessary to add another 1pm Mass in the Akron area. Further, the diocese, with an eye on a great number of priests about to retire, has requested that parishes not add Masses unless absolutely necessary. There is the very real possibility that it won’t be possible for Fr. Bozek to be replaced when his term is up here (I’ve heard similar things since we had Fr. Pfeifer here!) and the interest in a 7:30am Mass did not appear to be great enough to warrant adding another Mass, although the parish will remain open to the idea if there is a growing desire.

To those who will be moving on, thank you for your dedication and generosity over the years. I will miss you all, and my Benedictine brothers who have been such a help to us. Know of my prayer for you. To those who remain, please continue to be active members of the parish, involved in our councils, activities and especially worship. I especially wish to thank the servers, ushers, musicians, schedulers and trainers, sacristans and donut Sunday volunteers for your dedication and service. May you continue to be a blessing wherever you may go.

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION: Wednesday, November 1, All Saints Day, is a holy day of obligation. There will be a vigil Mass on Tuesday at 7pm and Masses on the feast day at 9am and 7pm.

FAMILY FUN: Today (Sunday) at 7pm, you and your family and friends are invited to an "An Evening of Haunting Music" organ concert. It will last approximately one hour and there will be treats aferwards. As attending Mass rounds out a child’s formation, in a diferent way so does introduction to classical music and learning how to attend concerts. This is a fun opportunity, free and open to the public..

ST. JUDE RELIC: A signifcant relic of St. Jude will be visiting the parish this coming Thursday, November 2 from 1pm until 10pm. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered already. We can still use more! Sign-up sheets are on the altar rail by the Blessed Virgin Mary statue. Come early to avoid too much of a crowd. There will be a Mass for the Poor Souls at 7pm.

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck