5^th ANNUAL “SOUP FOR THE SOUL”

Mark your calendars for February 11-12. That weekend, after all of the Masses, the Altar Society invites you to warm up your body (and soul) with a hearty bowl of soup - your choice of two kinds - at its 5^th annual “Soup for the Soul.” Come to the lower hall for a sit down meal or pick up a take-out container in the church lobby after Mass.

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
 

The Catholic University of America is the national University of the Catholic Church in the United States, located in Washington, D.C. It provides an academically rigorous education guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition to nearly 7,000 students every year. This weekend, we are taking up the National Collection for the Catholic University of America. Your support will enable Catholic University to expand its impact in preparing the next generation of leadership for our Church and nation.  Please be generous.
 

MASS FOR LIFE
 

All are invited to participate in a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, remembering the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, next Sunday, January 22^nd, at 10:30am, at St. John Cathedral. Individuals, schools and parish groups are encouraged to join us and stay after Mass to participate in a Rosary for Life. For more information, or to register a group, call 216-334-2965.

CATHOLIC COUPLE CHECK-UP
 

Take the Catholic Couple Checkup to recharge your relationship! Discover your couple strengths, growth areas and personality profiles. Surveys are available for dating and married couples. Couples receive a personalized report and discussion guide – a great value. Go online to www.ccdocle.org/mfm and click on the Couple Checkup graphic at the bottom of the page.
 

CATHOLIC CHARITIES
 

In a few weeks, we will begin the 2017 Catholic Charities Annual Parish Appeal. This is a reminder to everyone who pledged in 2016, to complete your pledge payments as soon as possible. Letters will be mailed to most of you in the coming weeks to invite your support to this year’s appeal. Please be generous.
 

GET CATHOLIC NEWS E-MAILED TO YOU
 

Do you want to stay connected to Catholic news from Northeast Ohio? Sign up for the Northeast Ohio Catholic eNewsletter. Visit the website:  www.dioceseofcleveland.org to sign up to receive our weekly diocesan eNewsletter and stay connected to timely news and information from the Vatican and our Catholic community.

        This weekend, we gather to celebrate my 40^th Anniversary of my Ordination to the priesthood. Looking back over 40 years, the first thing that comes to mind is: “where did the time go?” I can remember my ordination day almost like it was yesterday. There was a lot of snow and the temperature outside was 10 degrees. The ceremony of ordination itself, with the bishops and priests welcoming me to their fraternity, was truly moving and memorable, something I will never forget.

     Since then, I have had wonderful assignments here in Cleveland and in Rome. During the 39½ years out of my 40 as a priest, I have been assigned in the city of Cleveland - three months at Ss. Philip and James on the West Side, two years at St. Jerome, 29 years at St. George’s, and almost 7½ years here at St. Casimir’s.

     What has made and continues to make my life as a priest truly memorable is all of the wonderful people I have served as a priest. Today, those wonderful people are all of you, the parishioners of St. Casimir’s! Some of you have been my parishioners since I was first ordained. Others have been my parishioners since my days serving at St. George’s and came here when the parishes merged in 2009. My parishioners are all of you who belonged to OLPH, and all of you who have joined our parish as other parishes closed and merged. And my very newest parishioner was born on November 2, 2016, and was baptized just last week.

     Since we came together as St. Casimir Parish, I believe we have worked together to build our Parish community. We have all come from different parishes and we have so many different backgrounds. But we all have a lot in common. All of us were displaced when our parishes closed, and we all dealt with a sense of loss and pain and, in some cases, anger. Yet, all of us came here as committed, Catholic Christians, with a deep sense of hope, looking for a spiritual home where we can worship together, celebrate our ethnicity, and grow together as a new worshiping community. All of us came here to continue our journey of faith.

     As we continue that journey, let us joyfully celebrate our faith, let us continue invite others to join us, and let us thank God for all the gifts He has given us. Today, you join me in celebrating my 40 years as a priest, and I join with you in celebrating who we are -  all members of the Catholic Christian Community of Saint Casimir in Cleveland, Ohio.

God Bless!   Fr. Joe Bacevice

CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS

Parishioner contribution statements for 2016 will be sent out on request. To request a statement, drop a note with your name and envelope number in the collection basket or call us during office hours (Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 6:00pm). Statements will be sent in the mail.