The Community of St. Malachi Newsletter  

“Therefore, I will be resigning as council president effective at the end of our council’s February meeting.  In accordance with our charter, Luis Gutierrez will serve out the remainder of this council year as president and council will appoint a new vice-president. I will serve out the remainder of my term as an at-large member of council.

“Please join me in supporting Luis as he assumes these new responsibilities.  Sincerely, Michael Pellegrino.”  (Ed. Note:  Mike is now principal of Lakewood’s Horace Mann Middle School.  Best wishes both to him and to Luis.)

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 PRAYER WALK FOR PEACE

Since Jan. 8, the St. Malachi Social Action Commission has been sponsoring a “Prayer Walk for Peace” every Wednesday.  Participants meet at 7 p.m. in the parking lot on the south side of the church, then with candles and lanterns walk to Public Square for prayer at 7:30 p.m. near the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on the southeast quadrangle. All are welcome, including members of other area churches.  For information call Fred Leonard, 440-331-8325.

CSM SYMPATHY AND PRAYERS for the families and friends of Richard Gibbons and Fr. William Karath, uncle and nephew, respectively, of  Marge Gibbons; and of Thomas O’Donnell, uncle of Pat Forkas and Dorothy Sinclair.

CSM HEALTH DEPARTMENT – Please keep in your prayers Mary Dickerson, Walter Culkowski, Irene Gomez, Dave Starre, Carol Rolfes, Anthony Ayers, Bea Donofrio, Nancy Eliason, Loretta Mohar, Florence Dick, Judie Flynn, Jan VanLier, Lucy Balser, Ray Centa, Matthew Forkas, Maureen Cooney Flanagan, Dennis Stramel, Mary Beth Gibbons, Jim Schwartz, Maureen Miller, Sheri Glassman, C.J. Finohr, Megan Reilly Torres, William Reiser, Jim Harrison, Bernadette Bluett, Nancy Smith, Marilyn Bohn, Mark Tejchman, Charles Russo.

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CSM CONGRATULATIONS to Conor Cronin and Kevin Bringman, who have made the honor roll at St. Edward High School.  And WELCOME to the two infants baptized during our 11 o’clock Liturgy last Sunday: Luca Giancarlo Diomede, son of Lisa and Dominic Diomede; and Aidan Charles McNamara, son of Denise and Kevin McNamara, and baby brother of Ella Marie and Thomas Patrick McNamara.

CSM COMPLIMENTS AND THANKS:  In our last CSM Newsletter, these were extended to Lois Dingman and Pat Forkas for the beautiful new Bethlehem scene adorning our balcony.  It has since been learned that Teresa Andreani and Susan Knize also had a part in its production. Hooray for them, too!

(And borrowing language from the St. Malachi Parish Bulletin…)

“SPECIAL THANKS to the many people who made our Christmas celebration at St. Malachi so special: cleaners and decorators, including the faithful people who helped take everything down, musicians and singers, liturgy planners and coordinators and all participants!”

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CSM Council – Meeting, 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2; regular meeting and formation of nominating committee.  All welcome. 

St. Malachi Center – is requesting donated home furnishings.  Please call Kim, 216-771-3036. Also, third annual Soup for the Soul benefit, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Apr. 3, Windows on the River in the Flats.  Tickets: $35.  Needed are gifts and services for the silent auction and raffle, as well as volunteers before and during the event.  Call Peggy Cooney (440-835-1959) or Barb Parkowski (440-734-5822).

CSM Spiritual Development Committee -  Meeting, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, Stephanie Pritts’ home, 1568 Northland Ave., Lakewood.  Anyone interested in joining the committee, or learning more about it, is welcome to attend.  For details or directions, call Miriam Robinson, 440-234-0977. Also, presentation on Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” by Kim Langley, 7-9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, Langley-Fichter home, 1599 Lakeland Ave., Lakewood; call Miriam Robinson, 440-234-0977. Also, second monthly meeting of women to read, study and pray around the book “May I Have This Dance?” by Joyce Rupp, 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, home of Carol Kuegeler, 26611 E. Oviatt Rd., Bay Village.  Details:  440-871-0871.

St. Malachi Book Club – Meeting, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, home of Ellen McIntyre, (440-777-7724).  Book: “Wounded Prophet,” a biography of Henry Nouwen, authored by Michael Ford.  February read: the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor.  Info:  Casey Stangel, 440-234-8766.

HIGHLIGHTS – JANUARY 7 CSM COUNCIL MEETING

(Thanks to Luis Gutierrez and Joe Pulizzi)

Decision/Discussion Items:  At the November council meeting it was decided that each council member would bring to our next meeting a concrete idea that would move us closer to achieving the 2002-2003 CSM Council goals.  The goals were:

    To improve the community’s ability to identify, welcome and embrace new people to the Community of St. Malachi.

    To adapt and/or adopt procedures to improve the continuity between the workings of council and the community as a whole.

    To expand opportunities for community social gatherings, and to facilitate interactions across the various groups of people who make up the Community of St. Malachi.

    To increase our ability as a community to facilitate volunteerism and service that is central to our purpose and mission as a lay-directed, Catholic Christian community.

    To listen and respond to the many voices of the Community of St. Malachi.

Here are some of the ideas we’ll be implementing and/or working on:

*** Find those at coffee hour who are by themselves and go up and introduce yourself.

*** Wear ID badges at coffee hour and Mass.

***Council table at coffee hour.

***Quarterly forum to address community members.

***Support “Call to Service” – Jan. 19^th from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

***”Prayer Walk for Peace” to protest the military buildup for the war in Iraq.

***Poetry night with the community.

***Party/fund raiser for National Catholic Youth Conference -- given by kids for CSM adults.

***Actively follow up with those people who volunteer on commitment form

***After all community announcements, end statements with “Open to Everyone.”

***Process for getting volunteers involved.

Socially Responsible Coffee Hour:  Council voted to serve “fairly-traded” coffee at coffee hour starting ASAP.  A sign will be made encouraging more donations to cover the higher cost of coffee.

Vibrant Parish Life:  A group of about a dozen people continues to input data from the surveys filled out in November.  Several people continue to report problems with the website the Diocese of Cleveland set up for this to be done.  Still, it is expected that all surveys will have been entered in the next 10 days or so, at which point we can start looking at what the data is telling us.  A detailed  presentation to both St. Malachi Parish and the Community of St. Malachi is planned for early April.

New Business:  Al Mancuso and family are not going on their Franciscan missionary trip because they are expecting a second child.  Council voted to have the Mancusos keep all the funds given for their missionary efforts.  Al hopes he and his family will go to Bolivia in two to three years.

Mary Englert passed out an update regarding the Ohio Prescription Drug Fair Pricing Petition.  So far 143,031 signatures have been collected throughout the state.  If the legislature does not act on it within four months, another petition will be circulated to get it on the November 2003 ballot to allow Ohio voters to decide on the initiative.  Close to 300 signatures were collected at St. Malachi.

Spiritual Development Committee:  The Advent Wreath making project with CeCe Miller went very well; 39 people participated and a total of 30 wreaths were made.  The “Praying the Psalms” experience led by Carole Dlouhy was more than a success.  Participants in this experience have decided to continue it with a monthly gathering.  Kim Langley is currently scheduled to present “Spirituality and the Tolkien Trilogy” January 27.  Carol Kuegeler will be facilitating an ongoing book study of Joyce Rupp’s “May I Have This Dance?”  It will begin in January; (see CSM Newsletter for details.)  We are in the process of finalizing dates and places for talks by Jim Pelican (February), Chris Schenk (Lent), Pat Masterson (April).  We have already begun to talk with people about possible offerings for Fall, 2003.  Jacqui Welker has agreed to consider a presentation/experience of Native American Spirituality and Christianity.  Under the direction of Stephanie Pritts, the SDC obtained 20 “Pray for Peace” signs which were sold to CSM members at cost.  The signs sold out immediately and we are waiting for another shipment.  The SDC remains open to input from others.  

Membership Committee:  The Fall Welcome Series was a big success.  A big “thank you” to all who participated.  A supplemental roster was attached to the last CSM Newsletter allowing the new members to be officially announced.  We are looking for some additional people to hold down the membership table at coffee hour.  Let us know is you’re interested in greeting prospective members.

Pastor’s Report:  During the Christmas season, a business contacted St. Malachi and offered to donate something to benefit all of the ministries of St. Malachi.  They agreed to install a new sound system in the hall.  Stan Kozak has helped plan the system and by the time you read this it will have been installed.  I ask for your support for the upcoming “We Are the Church” renewal weekends:  Feb. 8-9 for women, Mar. 8-9 for men.  This is a direct response to the call for renewal weekends identified in “St. Malachi Looks to the Future: Rejoice and Renew.”  St. Malachi Center’s “Soup for the Soul” benefit will be from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Thursday, Apr. 3, at Windows on the River in the Flats. Tickets are $35.  The center needs volunteers to prepare for the event.  Call Barb Parkowski at 440-734-5722, or Peggy Cooney at 440-835-1959.  The center is also seeking donations of gifts and services for the silent auction and raffle.

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Programs with CeCe Miller, Certified Pastoral Minister:  “The Enneagram, Women and  Relationships,” a three-week series for women, 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. ll,  Angel House Center for Creative Life Changes, 14217 Mill Hollow Ln., Strongsville; cost: $60. Also, “Growing Up Again” course for women and men to learn to give nurture and structure to themselves, their children, grandchildren and others they influence,  7-9 p.m. five Thursdays,  Jan. 30-Feb. 27, same location as above; cost: $100.  Details, or to register: 440-846-1789.

John Carroll University – Lecture by Prof. Jean Elshtain, of University of Chicago Divinity School, on “The Citizen-Pilgrim: St. Augustine and Political Identity, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, St. Francis Chapel; open and admission-free; sponsor: JCU Institute of Catholic Studies; details: 216-397-4558.  Also,  talk by Jacques Dupuis, SJ, of the Gregorian University in Rome,  on “Is Jesus Everyone’s Savior?”- 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, LSC Conference Room; open and admission-free; sponsor: JCU Cardinal Suenens Center.  Details: 216-397-4991.