Dear Lord,
With thanksgiving we entrust our year to You: whatever it holds, whoever we encounter, wherever we traverse. What You supply is a gift. May our comings and goings be aligned with Your will.
by Ed Shemo
Dear Lord,
With thanksgiving we entrust our year to You: whatever it holds, whoever we encounter, wherever we traverse. What You supply is a gift. May our comings and goings be aligned with Your will.
by Ed Shemo
Because the Solemnity of Mary IS NOT a Holy Day of Obligation, there will be NO Vigil Mass on Dec. 31 at either St. Malachi or St. Patrick’s Parish. Join us at 10AM on January 1st for the Solemnity of Mary Partner Parish Mass at St. Patrick’s.
by Nadge Herceg
The Steering Committee for Parish Collaboration consists of six members from St. Patrick and six members from St. Malachi. They are currently in the “data gathering phase” of the process of changing the canonical status of St. Malachi to an oratory connected to the parish of St. Patrick. The Steering Committee members toured both campuses and met twice in December with our consultant Rosie Dolan Baker.
Next steps for the committee include interviewing staff members at both parishes and researching other Oratories in the Cleveland Diocese as well as one in Chicago which will greatly inform this process. They will also be meeting with diocesan clergy regarding the implications in Canon Law regarding oratories, and they will attend a two-day work retreat in January. Following the retreat, Working Groups will be formed regarding several specific parish issues such as finances, ministries, worship, staffing, etc.. If you’d like to serve on one of the work groups, please email mgurnick@dioceseofcleveland.org.
by Ed Shemo
Join us Monday, January 8, at Copper Cup (Ironwood Café) 688 Dover Center in Westlake. Join us and kick-off the New Year with Deacon Dave Pecot, Deacon at St. Basil the Great as he will speak to us about Finding God in the Ordinary! Cost is $15.00 per person which includes light appetizers & refreshments. Cash Bar is also available. Advance tickets highly recommended as space is limited & this will sell out. Register in advance: www.theologyontherockswest. com. Doors open at 6:30PM. Program begins at 7PM.
by Ed Shemo
“It is my prayer at the start of the New Year that Christian believers, ….. followers of various religions and men and women of good will work together in harmony …… and thus hand on to future generations a world of greater solidarity, justice and peace.” From the Vatican, 8 December 2023
by Ed Shemo
Dear Friends and Parishioners,
As we jump from this Fourth Sunday of Advent right into Christmas celebrations, may I take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very blessed and merry Christmas!
The celebration of our Lord’s holy birth reminds us of a promise fulfilled and a promise filled with hope. As God’s promise was fulfilled with the birth of a savior, we always celebrate Christmas with the hope of His glorious return. May the joy of this season rekindle and reinvigorate our Christian hope as we strive for peace in our own hearts, our relationships, and in our world. Let the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, reign in each of us as we proclaim to the world that He is in our midst every single day.
We certainly have had a full year of activity and I find myself very grateful for the many fruits that are so evident and for our many parishioners who continue to offer their time and talent. Also, many thanks to those who participated in the various outreach activities and as we provide for those in need. We are known to be a generous community – I am reminded of this often through these outward signs of kindness and charity.
Wherever you find yourselves at Christmas, may you and your family be filled with every grace and blessing.
Merry Christmas,
Fr. Gurnick
by Ed Shemo
Due to a production issue (not associated with McGorray-Hanna Funeral Home) the calendars will be arriving later than expected. Hopes are that they will be here within a few weeks. Thanks for your patience.
by Ed Shemo
In order to promote the spiritual renewal of the faithful and increase the life of grace, the Holy See has granted a plenary indulgence from 8 December 2023, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to 2 February 2024, Feast of the Presentation in the Temple of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which may be obtained by visiting the churches run by Franciscan families and stopping in prayer in front of the Nativity scenes set up there. The Churches participating are run by Franciscan communities in the Diocese of Cleveland:
Holy Spirit Parish 4341 E. 131st St., Garfield Hts.
St. Peter Parish 1533 E. 17th St., Cleveland
Transfiguration Parish 12608 Madison, Lakewood
St. Paul Shrine 4120 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
St. Agnes/Our Lady of Fatima Parish 6800 Lexington Ave. Cleveland
Poor Clare Colettines, 3501 Rocky River Dr. Cleve.
In addition to the prayer before the Nativity scene, to receive a plenary indulgence, the faithful must have an interior disposition of detachment from all sin, even venial; sacramentally confess their sins; receive Holy Communion; and pray for the intentions of the Pope. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the same day as the prayer before the Nativity scene; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after. Prayer for the Pope’s intentions is left to the choice of the faithful, but an “Our Father” and a “Hail Mary” are suggested. Since not all of the above churches may have their Nativity scenes in place during Advent, those choosing to seek the plenary indulgence by visiting any of the Franciscan churches should check the community’s website or contact the community to learn when the church will be open to visitors for prayer before their Nativity scene.
by Ed Shemo
Let’s give our January 6th Saturday Morning Breakfast guests some goodies on the Feast of the Epiphany. Cookies or wrapped candies can be put in baskets at the side altars on Dec 23,24,25,30, and 31st We’ll package 140 small containers after Mass at Coffee Hour on December 31st, They will distributed at the Jan 6th Saturday Morning Breakfast. Any help is appreciated! Make time to create a special treat for our breakfast guests.
by Ed Shemo
“Before any Nativity display, even those we make in our own homes, we relive what happened in Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago; and this should reawaken in us a longing for silence and prayer, in our often so hectic daily lives. Silence, so as to be able to listen to what Jesus tells us from the unique “cathedra” of the manger. Prayer, to express grateful wonder, tenderness, perhaps the tears that the Nativity scene stirs in us.”
The St. Malachi Parish Mission: We are a Eucharistic People, United in Prayer, Welcoming to All and Serving the Poor.
Celebrating Over 150 Years of Faithful Service in the Old Angle!