LITHUANIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

Our Parish celebration of Lithuanian Independence Day will take place at the 10:00am Mass next weekend. The celebration will begin at 9:50am, when the children from our Lithuanian School will raise the flags outside and release balloons. They will then process into the Church with three flags. The children will make up the Offertory procession and offer a Communion reflection. The Lithuanian School will also host the Sunday coffee after Mass. We invite everyone in the parish to join with our children as we celebrate Lithuanian Independence.

     The civic celebration will take place on Saturday, February 20^th beginning at 7:00pm at the Lithuanian Hall. Ginte Damusyte, a member of the Lithuanian Diplomatic Corps will be the featured speaker followed by a program of music and dancing. Advance tickets can be purchased for $20 by calling Zita Mascinskas (216-235-5212) orVirginija Motiejunas (216-526-5609). Tickets at the door cost $25.

     All are invited to celebrate our faith and culture as Lithuanians on February 14^th and February 20^th.

ROOTED IN FAITH

We are pleased to report that we received our quarterly distribution of $2,537.00 from the Rooted in Faith Campaign. 30% of the money we raised for this campaign is given back to us. So far, our parish has received $44,761.00 from the campaign. This is also a reminder to those who have made pledges to send a payment on your pledge. (Your pastor mailed his check last week.) If anyone, who was unable to donate during the campaign, would now want to pledge to this campaign, contact Father Bacevice.

TALK ABOUT ST. FAUSTINA AND THE YEAR OF MERCY

Sunday, February 14, at 11:30am in the school conference room, guest speaker Gintautas Gaska will present a power point presentation about St. Faustina, the Apostle of Mercy, and the Year of Mercy. The talk will be in Lithuanian. The event is hosted by the Cleveland senior chapter of the Catholic Youth Organization Ateitininkai.

CLEVELAND TRIBUNAL

Under the guidance of Bishop Richard Lennon, the Tribunal of the Diocese during the Year of Mercy seeks to embrace in a wider manner those who feel themselves estranged from the Church. Therefore, using webnar technology, six parishes have been designated to host the First Step Program at 7:00pm on Tuesday, February 16. The six parishes are: St. Christopher Parish (Rocky River), Holy Family Parish (Stow), St. Mary Parish (Wooster), St. Gabriel Parish (Concord Twp.), and St. Jerome (Cleveland). The sessions will take place in each parish school. Trained personnel will be at each site to facilitate the session. There is no need to pre-register. For more information, contact Father Bacevice.

    The 2016 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal is underway with an in-pew commitment process taking place this weekend. This is not a special collection. Rather, the Catholic Charities Annual Appeal represents the chance for all Catholics to make a significant pledge, payable in installments, to Catholic Charities in order to support its mission in a society that stands united in its support of the “least among us.”

     Many parishioners have received a letter from Bishop Lennon requesting their support. If you have received the mailing, please respond to it. There is a box on the in-pew envelope to indicate that you have responded by mail. If you have not received this letter, please respond to the in -pew commitment process today!

     Love Powers Our Mission! Your support of the 2016 Catholic Charities Annual Appeal is an act of mercy that will change the lives of over 400,000 of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Please consider a generous gift to the Catholic Charities Annual Appeal. Please pray for the success of this Appeal which provides essential programs and services to those in need throughout all eight counties of the Diocese of Cleveland.

                                                                          God Bless! Fr. Joe Bacevice