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Friday
is the Fourth of July, American Independence Day. As
we prepare to celebrate this holiday, we are
reminded that our most precious gift as citizens is
our freedom, and we need to remember that this
freedom has come at a tremendous price.
All of us need to
take time during this holiday to thank God for the
gift of our freedom and pray for those who lost
their lives that we can live in freedom. We are also
reminded that we need to continue to be vigilant to
protect our freedom. Technology exists to monitor
just about every aspect of our lives and political
expediency threatens our religious freedom. If we
ignore these signs in our society, we will see our
freedom eroded and possibly lost.
Let us pray and
use our influence to assure that the freedoms we
have will never be compromised.
God Bless! Fr. Joe
Bacevice
REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
We ask you to remember in your prayers the soul of
Harold Hofstetter who recently died and was buried from
our parish. May he have Eternal Rest in the peace of
God’s Kingdom.
OFFERINGS FOR THE HOLY FATHER
This weekend we are accepting donations for our Holy
Father. The annual Peter’s Pence Collection supports the
charitable work of the Pope Francis supplying assistance
to those in the world who are suffering from war, famine
and natural disasters. Please be generous.
FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM
 The
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is encouraging
Catholics across our country to enter into the two weeks leading
up to the Fourth of July (June 21 to
July 4), with a strong focus
on prayer, education and reflection on our freedom of religion,
There have been many threats to this First Amendment right over
the history of our country and it continues today. The
Conference of Bishops offers many resources and reflections
about this freedom and the threats against it. These resources
can be found on our diocesan website:
www.dioceseofcleveland.org/freedom
Finally,
in concluding the Fortnight For Freedom, we invite everyone to
participate at Mass with Bishop Lennon on
Friday, July 4, at
10:00am
at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
CATHOLIC FAMILY FESTIVAL
 Looking
for a great family day this summer? Join us for the FEST
on Sunday, August 3rd
on the seminary grounds in Wickliffe. The 56 acre campus
becomes the home of our 14th Annual Catholic
Family Festival. It is a day that celebrates faith and
family. It’s fun and it’s free. Join thousands from
across the region for national Christian bands along
with great faith-based activities and displays for the
whole family. The day ends with an outdoor Mass at
8:00pm
followed by fireworks. For information, go to their
website:
www.theFest.us.
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 THANK
YOU
In last Sunday’s Church Offerings,
we received an envelope with $500 in cash with a brief note:
"Please accept this donation to be used however you see fit for
the parish. Thank you!" We thank the anonymous donor and after
some reflection, decided to put it into our Bell Fund. With this
donation we have collected $17,335.00 toward our goal. We need
to raise $2,665.00 to reach our goal of $20,000 for our Church
bells.
DAY OF RECOLLECTION
The First Catholic Slovak Ladies
Association, Anna Hurban Cleveland District will hold their
Annual Day of Recollection on Friday, July 25 at
Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, 21281 Chardon Rd., Euclid. Bishop
Roger Gries will celebrate the 11:00am
Mass, Fr. Gerard Gonda, OSB will preside at the Benediction and
Rosary at 2:00pm.
Luncheon reservations are limited and must be requested in
advance byJuly 19th. Tickets cost $15. For
reservations, call Johanna Oros
(440-845-0282)
or Catherine Ruzinok
(440-406-9310).
OFFICES CLOSED
 Due
to the Fourth of July holiday, the parish office will be closed
on Friday of this week.
Regular office hours will resume on Monday, July 7th.
SUMMER REMINDERS
Summer is the time of year that
many are involved in outdoor activities and travel. We wish
everyone a safe and relaxing summer, but we remind everyone to
participate at Mass each weekend, even when traveling. We also
remind everyone of their obligation to support our parish. As we
continue to struggle financially, we need everyone’s support. So
on the weekends you are not here for any reason, I ask you to
make up for your missed offerings.
PARKING
 Over the next several weeks, there will be some construction
equipment in our parking lots, especially our Neff Road lot.
This will present some challenges to those using our lots.
Remember to park only in marked parking spaces, leave the
handicapped spaces for those who truly need them, do not park on
the sidewalks or block the tunnel to the Marcella Road lot. For
those using the Marcella Road lot, do not park in the spaces by
the convent as they are reserved for the Sisters living and
visiting there, do not park in front of the garage doors or
block them in any way. Finally, keep the aisles open so cars can
get in and out of the lots.
OUR MARCELLA HOUSE NEEDS
A NAME
Now that we are beginning to move organizations out of the
school building to their new home at 18031 Marcella, we need to
give the house a name. We will have a contest to name the house.
The name should reflect who we are as a parish and the use we
are giving to the house. The name should also be easily adapted
to both English and Lithuanian usage. (Diocesan restrictions do not
allow us to name the house after a person.) The contest is open
to any parishioner. Names may be sub-mitted to Father Bacevice
through mail, e-mail, or placed in the collection basket
on Sunday.
Be sure to include your name and address with your submission.
The prize for the winning name will be a $100 donation to the
parish organization of the winner’s choice, and a $50 prize to
the winner. The Parish Pastoral Council will decide the winning
entry at their September meeting. All entries must be received
by September 1st.
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Lietuvi