PLEASE PRAY

We ask you to remember in your prayers the souls of Michael Kuznik and Trina Tomola who tragically lost their lives and were buried from our Parish. May they rest in the peace of our Risen Lord.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES UPDATE

The 2017 February In-Pew Appeal at our parish brought in $2,290.00 in pledges from 28 donors. Last year, it brought in $3,660.00 from 40 donors. The weekend of May 20-21 we will have another In-Pew appeal. We ask those who have not yet pledged or donated to the 2017 Appeal to seriously consider a generous donation to help the hungry and homeless throughout our diocese.

CATHOLIC WAR VETERANS

On Memorial Day weekend, our Catholic War Veterans Post 613 will have their annual Poppy Distribution. This activity enables the Post to continue their welfare programs for our veterans and their families. They will be distributing poppies and accepting donations after all the Masses the weekend of May 27-28. Please be generous in supporting their work.

HELP WANTED

We need a few more good cooks who know how to read a recipe, to proofread some of them so we can publish a revised edition of the classic “Perpetual Help in the Kitchen” cookbook. Yes, we will have it done this year. There will be some additions, including recipes more recently submitted. If interested, please call Mary Ann Pecek at 216-486-3836.

LITHUANIAN CULTURAL GARDENS:

The Lithuanian Cultural Gardens Committee cordially invites Lithuanian Cultural Gardens members and donors to their annual picnic which will be held on Sunday, May 21, at 12:00 noon at the pavilion at the end of East Park Road on Lake Erie. New members are invited to attend.

HOLY WEEK/EASTER QUESTIONNAIRE:

Last week we distributed a questionnaire with the bulletin regarding our Holy Week/Easter schedule. Kindly return them in the collection basket or to the rectory in the next few weeks. If you did not receive a questionnaire, additional copies are available at the entrances to the Church where the bulletins are. Your opinions are important and will help us plan Holy Week and Easter next year.

HOLY NAME SOCIETY:

Our Holy Name Society appreciates your support. Each summer the Holy Name Society sponsors and hosts an annual summer picnic for all parishioners They provide the main dishes and many attendees bring side dishes and desserts. Everyone has a good time. The Holy Name Society also sponsors our monthly Eucharistic Adoration, and raises money for various Parish projects. Most recently, they donated over half the cost of our new Resurrection of Christ statue now on display. The Holy Name is always looking for new members. Consider using the May Holy Name Society offering envelope to become an active or supporting member. Dues are only $5 for the year.

     Every week when I write the bulletin, I have announcements that come in from organizations, activities going on in the parish that need to be publicized, announcements from the diocese, and other messages that should be of interest to you. It seems that so many things become a priority that we sometimes forget what is really important. This also happens in our personal lives. When I get together with other priests, often our conversations turn to what our immediate concerns are: how many people come to Mass, the amount of the Sunday offering, the number of funerals compared to the number of baptisms and weddings, how will we afford to keep our doors open in the future, and how are we going to find priests to serve parishes in the future when we can’t find a priest to be available to cover a vacation. It seems that we get so caught up in the immediate issues that we lose sight of the “big picture.”

     This week I thought about the “big picture” as I put in the bulletin announcement about our First Friday Holy Hour and our Second Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration. In the midst of our busy lives, we are called to take some time, be it 10 or 15 minutes, or an hour or more, to just be with Our Lord in quiet prayer, meditation, or just sit in Our Lord’s presence.

     All of us need to step back periodically and focus on our faith. We have our cultural activities, our social activities, our work activities and our leisure activities. If we don’t spend more time fostering our religious activities, we may find ourselves giving up our precious gift of faith. And without faith, why do we need to be here?

God Bless!   Fr. Joe Bacevice

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION:

Friday, May 5^th is the First Friday of the Month. Eucharistic Holy Hour will take place after the 7:30am Mass until 9:00am. All are invited to spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. On Wednesday, May 10^th, we will have our monthly evening adoration from 6-9pm. If you are able to make a commitment to be present for adoration at a specific time in May, please sign up at the main entrance to the Church.

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