Dear Parishioners,

   On Friday, June 26 the parish staff members of St. Julie and St. Peter Parishes participated in a parish staff enrichment day at St. Basil Parish in Brecksville entitled From First Contact to Belonging: Creating Pathways into Parish Life. Over one hundred staff members from a variety of parishes participated in this workshop.

    Kenn DeMoll, Director of Formation and Innovation at St. John Parish in Westminster, Maryland, presented on the theme, Shoot for the Moon: The Importance of Innovation in Ministry. His energetic presentation encouraged innovation in pastoral work. As Catholic Christians, we do not “innovate” regarding our beliefs or the liturgy. We seek to faithfully hand on what we have received from the Church. However, as St. John Paul II has encouraged us, our evangelization is to be done with new ardor, new methods and new means of expression. Part of our time was spent trying to think creatively about engaging the Catholic population who is not attending Mass regularly.

    Tommy Dome, a pastoral minister from St. Basil Parish, entitled his presentation:  Location…Location…Location. The final location is heaven. The immediate location is the parish. However, the first “location” that many people first look at is our digital footprint. What does our website look like? How do parishes harness social media? The parishes present reviewed each other’s websites to begin a process of updating our digital outreach.

     Our parishes will be reviewing the information shared at this meeting. It is my desire that we effectively reach out with the best of news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, in every way possible.

    Last Saturday, I witnessed the marriage of Zack Koberna and Ashely Watson and then participated in the reception, which was at their home, west of Amherst. Being at a home with a larger yard, they were able to invite families. Besides, food and drink, music, and a “photo booth”, they had a swimming pool (with hired lifeguards). Not everyone can have a reception like this. However, it was great to see families and children enjoying themselves at a wedding reception.

     In our gospel reading this week, Jesus invites us to take up his yoke, learn from him and find true rest. In a world that tries to push us 24/7, the invitation of Jesus Christ is appealing. However, this invitation from the Lord is not simply about getting physical and psychological rest. Like the peace that Jesus promises, “peace, not as the world gives”, the rest that the Lord gives is with us amid the duties of life. We are “yoked” to Christ. He shares our burdens and gives us purpose. He teaches us how to love and forgive. Our relationship with Christ brings us joy, for he is “meek and humble of heart.”

     With this description of our Lord, we need to guard against presumption. Our first reading from the book of Zechariah describes the Lord as a “just savior…meek.” It goes on to say, “His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

In Christ,

Fr. Bob Franco