Dear Parishioners,

 

Shortly before Noon this Saturday, May 4, Mr. Del Sherman was ordained a deacon for the service of the Diocese of Cleveland. As was mentioned last week during the announcement time at our Masses, Deacon Del has been assigned to serve both St. Peter and St. Julie Parishes.

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Deacon Del and I will be meeting over the next week or so to discuss specific duties as he begins his ordained ministry. As a parish, we will be joining him in a special concelebrated Mass next Sunday, May 12 at 8:00 a.m. There will be a reception in our gym immediately after the Mass. (Deacon Del chose this time in consultation with the other four men who were ordained with him on Saturday, May 4. They will be visiting each other’s parishes to celebrate their ordinations.) Let us keep Deacon Del and his classmates in our prayers as they begin their ministry to the church.

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I congratulate our fifty or so students and adult who were Confirmed by Bp. Michael Woost this past Wednesday, May 1. May they always keep this gift of God stirred into a flame, living in the power, love, and self-control that the Holy Spirit brings. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

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This Monday, May 6, the parish councils of St. Peter and St. Julie Parishes will be meeting at St. Julie Church for our second joint parish council meeting. We will spend some time reviewing the past fiscal calendar year as well as looking forward to further cooperation for the 2024-2025 year. Over the next few months, we will be praying and working together in these ways:

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1. The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Procession on Sunday, June 2. We will process the Blessed Sacrament from St. Peter to St. Julie Parish immediately after the Noon Mass at St. Peter Parish. Last year we arrived at St. Julie Parish shortly after 2:00 p.m. Once at St. Julie Parish we will conclude with a brief period of adoration, prayer, and Benediction. A social will follow.

2. Home Visits to each registered household in St. Julie and St. Peter Parishes. This will take place during the late summer. This is an ambitious undertaking! We will be visiting over 2500 households. The goal will simply be to distribute information about each parish and especially about the Eucharist, inviting parishioners back to Mass and giving them information about the Eucharist. Home visitors will be needed. Training will be provided. And like the gospel, we will go two by two.

3. Parish Council Formation and Visioning Retreat: The Parish Councils of both parishes normally have a mini formation retreat each year. St. Peter and St. Julie will do this together later this summer. We will work at developing a common vision. Then each council will discern its officers.

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Please keep our councils in your prayers.​

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Finally, I participated in a highly informative webinar last week dealing with wills. I learned that around two out of every three adults do not have a will. And only a total of 7% of people have included charitable giving in their plan. And perhaps the most astounding statistic was that approximately in the United States $84 trillion will transfer from one generation to the next over the next 20 years. The Catholic Community Foundation (A Diocese of Cleveland entity) has partnered with Free Will to assist people in preparing a will. Also, if you would be more comfortable with an attorney, there are a number of attorneys from St. Peter Parish that specialize in wills and estate planning. I would be glad to share that information with you. See the bulletin article for more information about the Diocese of Cleveland and freewill.

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In Christ,

Fr. Bob Franco

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