PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS! On October 20, 21, and 22 we will hold our annual Solemn Eucharistic Devotions which will begin on Friday, October 20, with a special school Mass at 9:30 AM. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will continue on the main altar throughout the weekend, and we will have our Solemn Closing with Mass and a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, October 22, beginning at 5 PM. Our guest homilist for the closing Mass will be Fr. Jeffrey Liptak, Parochial Vicar at St. Basil the Great Parish in Brecksville. Fr. Liptak was ordained to the priesthood this past May. Those preparing to receive their First Holy Communion and Confirmation will also join in our procession to honor the Eucharistic presence of our Lord. Please make every effort to be a part of this special weekend of praise and prayer as we give thanks to God for the gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
There are still some yard signs available at the doors of the church urging people to vote “NO” on Issue One in November. We received over two hundred signs from Medina Country Right to Life. I am very grateful to all who took signs to display in their yards. As I have said before, this is a very important issue that needs to be defeated for the protection of innocent children born and unborn in the State of Ohio.
Spiritual Direction is the act of walking alongside another person spiritually to increase their awareness of God in their life so as to deepen their relationship with God. Spiritual directors spend 1-3 years in a program studying theology, the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, and the process of directing souls toward God. A typical direction session is an hour once or twice a month where the directee speaks to the director about what is on their heart and what God is saying thru that. If you would like to find out more about this free ministry, contact Theresa Piatt at 330-416-9905.
I had a very beautiful time on my retreat 2 weeks ago. I was able to make the retreat at St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, PA. It is only a two and a half hour drive from here just outside of Pittsburgh, in the Diocese of Greensburg, where Bishop Malesic was the bishop for about 5 years before he came to Cleveland. St. Vincent is the first Benedictine Monastery in the United States which is why it is called an archabbey. It is the largest Benedictine Monastery in the world with over 150 monks. The Archabbot is Martin de Porres Bartel O.S.B. who happens to be from Barberton. It is a beautiful and prayerful place. Living and praying with the monks really helps one to make a great retreat. I prayed for all in our parish both living and deceased. Please keep the monks in your prayers as I know they are praying for us.
ANGEL SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Last year we introduced the Angel Scholarship Fund which helps schools throughout the diocese to offer parents help with tuition. Thanks to the State of Ohio and its support of parents being able to choose the education they want for their children, we are able to use our Ohio State income tax to help with tuition costs. When you donate $750.00 to the parish school of your choice you will get all of that donation through your state income tax. If you normally pay on your tax, you will get a reduction on what you owe or if you usually get a refund your donation will be added to your refund. You cannot lose. You can do up to $750.00 for an individual or $1500.00 for a couple. Last year Sacred Heart received over $100,000.00. You will find all the information you need in the bulletin and on the parish web site. The deadline is December 31. The little bit of time that it takes to fill out the form will be of great help to our parish, our school and to our families that use the school. Do not forget the ANGEL SCHOLARSHIP drive. Be an angel for others, especially our children.
