FINANCE REPORT

     With this bulletin the Finance Council and I are pleased to present our Parish Financial Report covering the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. This report, in greater detail, was submitted to the Finance Office of the Diocese and was accepted.
     This report should remind all of us what a tremendous asset we have and for which we are responsible. It should serve as a reminder of our obligation to support the parish to the best of our ability, and a reminder to be very careful in how we spend the money entrusted to us. If anyone has any questions about any part of this report, please contact me or any member of the Finance Council: Aurelija Jucaitis, Patricia Campbell, Josephine Nampewo, and David Oligny.

ALL SOULS DAY

Wednesday, November 2^nd is the Feast of All Souls, the day we remember our dead. The three traditional All Souls Day Mass will be offered at 7:30 am (English), 12:00 noon (English) and 7:00 pm (Lithuanian). Following the evening Mass we will have the traditional Lithuanian All Souls procession and prayers for the dead. We invite families who have lost a loved one since last November 2^nd, to participate in the commemoration. An All Souls day envelope is included with the offering envelopes with space to include the names of the dead you want remembered in the Masses.

     We also have a special All Souls Day candles available at the Rectory which can be inscribed with the name of the deceased you want remembered. These candles will burn for 5 days beginning on November 2^nd. For your convenience candle order envelopes can be found on the bulletin tables. The donation for the All Souls Day candle is $5. All are invited to remember their loved ones with an All Souls Day candle.

MISSION SUNDAY

Next Sunday is World Mission Sunday, the day all of us are asked to support the missionary efforts of the Church throughout the world. We do this by praying for the success of our missionaries and by contributing to support their work. We invite you to participate in this effort by donating to the Mission Sunday appeal. Please use the envelopes provided for this appeal next weekend.

     In a little over a week, our parish will be seven years old. Bishop Lennon celebrated our opening Mass on Sunday, October 25, 2009, at 10:00 am. I remember a lot from that first day, and reflecting over the past seven years, I see many changes here at St. Casimir.
 

     From that first day, I remember that in planning everything, I forgot to appoint ushers to take up the collection. Now we have ushers at every Mass not only taking up the Sunday Collection, but assisting people when they can. We had a social in the gym after Mass. It was a cool wet day. I remember being in the gym and having water drip on my head. Now our gym is completely renovated and a new roof installed. I remember a crumbling parking lot and today we can look proudly at the extensive work that was completed in our parking lot.
 

     On that first day, we had only 150 families registered in the parish. Today, that number is more than doubled. In those seven years, we made extensive renovations to our buildings and put them to the use they were intended. Children again attend school in our building, the Sisters of Notre Dame live in our convent, tenants occupy our rental houses, and our Church serves the sacramental needs of the community. We have a functioning Pastoral Council that was set up by parishioners, our Finance Council keeps a close eye on our finances, and we have service organizations that raise money and provide volunteers for parish functions, a religious education program for our young people along and our Lithuanian organizations working to promote the Lithuanian culture.

     For all the things we have accomplished, I say thank you to everyone, because without you, none of this could have happened. But, as much as we have done, we still have more to do. We need to continue our renovations, continue our evangelization, and continue to grow as a Parish. To accomplish this, all of us have to listen to each other and work together. We have to commit our time, talent and resources to continue our mission as a parish. 

     Working together, we can accomplish great things as a parish. So let’s all get more involved in the life of St. Casimir’s Parish.

                                                              God Bless! Fr. Joe Bacevice

PRAYING THE ROSARY

During the month of October, we will pray the Rosary on weekday mornings before the 7:30 Mass at 7am. We invite everyone to join in this devotion. If there is sufficient interest, this will continue beyond October.

PASTORAL COUNCIL

This year we will elect four members to the Council. Application forms are in the Book Room and will be accepted until October 30^th. Any member of the parish, age 16 and older, with a few exceptions, is eligible to run for a seat on the Pastoral Council. We invite you to seriously consider serving on this important council in our Parish.

PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY

Catholics across the country will celebrate Priesthood Sunday on October 30. It is a day set aside to celebrate the importance of the gift of priesthood in the life of the Church. It is also a time for us to reflect on the ministry that our priests share with us - when we gather together at the Table of the Lord, and when we call on them in our times of need – and to consider sharing a personal note or a card of thanks with them. Together we pray that many of our young people will be inspired by the ministry and witness of our priests. We also pray that their hearts be open to hearing and responding to God’s call in their lives. More information on priesthood can be found at www.clevelandcatholicpriesthood.com.