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.

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.

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.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Our next Pancake Breakfast will be Sunday, November 13^th, in our Lower Hall after all the Masses (8:30 am to1:30 pm. We invite everyone to come enjoy the best pancakes in the area. Beginning next weekend, tickets will be available at the main entrance to the Church after the English Masses, in the Lower Hall after the 10:00 Mass, and at the Rectory during office hours. Adult tickets are $7 and children 6 to 13 are $4 at the door. Save $1 by purchasing your tickets in advance.

LITHUANIAN DAYS

Next weekend, October 29 - 30, the Cleveland Chapter of the Lithuania-American Community invites all Lithuanians and their friends to the traditional Lithuanian Days here at St. Casimir’s. Saturday, at 7:00pm Lithuanian pianist Evelina Puzaite will perform a piano concert; refreshments follow. Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door. They are available from Virginija Motiejunas (216-289-0608) or online: lbcleveland@yahoo.com  Sunday morning everyone is invited to continue the celebration and participate at 10:00 Mass. For more information about Lithuanian Days, the Cleveland Chapter of the Lithuanian-American Community, and how to support them, contact Algis Gudenas (linrik@adelphia.net) or Father Bacevice.

     Each October, all parishes are asked to count attendance at Mass over two weekends and report the numbers to the diocesan offices. Known as the October Count, this information is used for reporting the size of our diocese to Rome and is also used for pastoral planning for the future.
 

     This year we sampled the first and third weekends. We had an average attendance of 255.5 people. An average of 108.5 at the Lithuanian Mass, and 147 average at the English Masses. Last year, we had an average attendance for all the Masses of 304, in 2014, the average was 266, in 2013, the average was 316, in 2012 it was an average of 350, in 2011, the average was 300, and in 2010, the average was 320.
 

     It is obvious that there is a downward trend here at our parish. Some of this can be attributed to deaths, but a substantial number of people have just quit coming to Mass. Since our first year, our attendance has dropped just over 20%. Participation in parish life - fund raisers, cultural events, religious events, has dropped even more.
 

     I believe it is time for all of us to seriously consider our commitment to the parish. There is a lot more that we can do as a parish to reach out to our brothers and sisters who have fallen away from the Church. There are also a lot more things we can do to inspire each other to participate more fully in parish life.
 

     As we get smaller, there are fewer people to serve on the pastoral council, to be a lector at Mass, to serve Mass, to teach religious education, and to help with the fund raisers needed to raise the money we need to pay our expenses.
 

     I don’t have all the answers for what we can do to improve. Nor am I able to do all the work alone. So we need to do a better job of sharing ideas and working together to build up our community. Our Pastoral Council is always ready to listen to your ideas, and now needs your active participation as we prepare to elect new members.
 

     You know, working together, we can become a more vibrant community that will be around for generations to come. 

                                                              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.

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.