Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross

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2 Living the Word of Christ Together Pastor: Deacons: Office Administrator: Rectory Phone: Office Phone: Fax: website: Father Bruce Riebe Bill Fredrick, Robert Kirschner Michele Wiltshire Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross It was customary to take a zig-zagged route to the site of crucifixion to make a spectacle of the condemned criminal. Jerusalem s streets were narrow and winding and because of Passover, very crowded. Here we see the cross for the first time. Normally, just the crossbeam was carried. The vertical beam was already fixed in a place at the site. An ominous chord is sounded in that Jesus didn t carry his own cross, as was customary. Apparently he had been beaten so badly in the scourging, he was unable to do this. Think about Simon of Cyrene. It wasn t as though the Roman soldiers had asked for a volunteer and Simon had raised his hand saying, I ll do it. He was simply passing by and out of the blue he was pressed into service to carry the cross. A lot of crosses come that way. Why this? Why me? Simon should be the patron saint for those who carry these kinds of crosses. He is given no introduction. No farewell. He is never seen again. He carried the cross, not knowing why, or where he was going. But he wasn t lost. He was following the Lord. Simon of Cyrene Cyrene was in North Africa, in the general area of modern-day Libya. A Jewish settlement was there at that time. Simon may have come to Jerusalem for the Passover. One gets the impression that, until he happened to be passing by, he was an unknown figure with no relationship to Jesus. He was forced to do what he did. Simon of Cyrene is world famous, yet in all of Scripture, there is only this about him: Mark: The soldiers pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cryenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry Jesus cross. Matthew: As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry the cross. Luke: As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. John: (no mention of Simon of Cyrene)

3 March 4, 2018 Glory to Jesus Christ! Liturgy Schedule Monday March 5 8:00 a.m. Lenten Devotions with Supplication to the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday March 6 8:00 a.m. Lenten Devotions with Sermon Wednesday March 7 7:00 p.m. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts ( Rose Nieto by Macik Family) Thursday March 8 8:00 a.m. Lenten Devotions with Sermon Friday March 9 7:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts ( Joseph Klinkovsky by Joseph Klinkovsky) S.O.M.E. Friday Saturday March 10 9:00 a.m. 4th All Souls (Requiem Liturgy, Panachida, Hramoty) Vigil Liturgy 4:00 p.m. Intention of the Parishioners Sunday March 11 10:30 a.m. Members of the Men s Club Altar Servers Lectors Greeters March 10 4:00 p.m. D. Kattler & M. Ebert D. Doane G. & J. Huntz March 11 10:30 a.m. B. Hotaling, G. Karaffa, A. Pinchak K. Strobel & J. Weitzel B. Kirschner & M. Kirschner (Volunteers are needed for Wednesday/Friday Lenten Services and All Souls Saturday.) Let us see this holy season of Lent as a time of spiritual renewal rather than a time of deprivation. Our Lenten Journey We march onward in our Lenten journeys. Some people have yet to miss a Wednesday/Friday Presanctified Liturgy. We have smaller gatherings for the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday half-hour Lenten Devotions. Try and fit something into your schedule this week! The times are listed above. This Friday isn t just any Friday, it s S.O.M.E. (SoOthersMayEat) Friday! Here s how it works. Skip a meal that day. Bring the $$ you saved to church that night. Voila! So Others May Eat You ve just combined all three Lenten pillars into one day! The alms will be delivered to St. Mary Hospitality House (at Holy Spirit Church in Parma) by children/staff from our ECF program. After the evening service we will break the fast with pizza and refreshments in the hall. (The ECF children will be involved in the Presanctified Liturgy. Please meet in the vestibule by 7:15 so that responsibilities can be assigned.) All Night Grave Vigil The poster sign-up board for the Good Friday All Night Vigil will be up next weekend in the vestibule. We re looking for volunteers to watch at the grave in one hour shifts from after the Vesper Service until 3:00 Holy Saturday afternoon. Lenten Program The Ladies Auxiliary is sponsoring a Lenten Program on March 18. David Onysko will speak on The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: Where Science Meets Faith. The multi-media presentation will look at the historical, scientific and theological data contained on the Shroud and how it coincides with the biblical references of the crucifixion of Christ. A light lunch will be served in the hall immediately after the liturgy, followed by the presentation around noon. Please register by contacting Carrie Hotaling at by March 14. (There is no charge for the day but a free will offering will be taken.) Fourth All Souls Saturday This week marks the fourth of five All Souls Saturdays. The Requiem Liturgy starts at 9:00 and will be followed by a Panachida (prayer service for the deceased) and the reading of the Hramoty (names of our deceased family members). You may have noticed that a few different prayers are being taken aloud by Father. That s because the Liturgy of St. Basil is celebrated on the Sundays of Lent.

4 If you re heading out for a Fish Fry on Friday, make sure you put us on your list! Serving is from 11:30-1:00 for lunch and 4-7 for dinner. Carryouts are always available too. Bring a group of friends! If you can t come, tell others about it. Our volunteers work hard to make it one of the best in the area! Men s Club Communion Next Sunday is the Men s Club Quarterly Communion. Members are asked to be in the vestibule by 10:15 in order to process into church as a group. The Week Ahead The BLESS Group and Men s Fellowship/Book Group will meet on Monday, 7:00, in the Education Center. The Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday at 7:00. Sandwich making will take place on Saturday, 9:30, in the hall. Game Night, sponsored by GCU Lodge 302 is March 10 in the Activity Center (5:30). If you re going to attend, bring a snack/dessert to share. The Lodge will provide sub sandwiches and soft drinks. Of course bring your favorite game! ByzanTEEN Forum Group The ByzanTEEN Catholic Forum will be in session next Sunday, 9:00, in the Brides Room. All high school students are encouraged to attend. Choir Practice The choir will practice next Sunday at 9:00 in the loft. We welcome into the Catholic Church and Community of Believers, Charlotte Elizabeth Gupko, third child of Andy and Megan, baptized, confirmed and fully initiated at the Sunday Liturgy. Congratulations! We congratulate Victoria Katter, who competed at the State Swim Tournament on two relay teams. She came in 18th in the 200 Medley and 23rd in the 400 Freestyle. Victoria is a sophomore at Cuyahoga Hts. High School. GCU Lodge 302 is sponsoring an Easter Egg Hunt (for children ages twelve and under) on Palm Sunday right after liturgy. Participants are asked to bring jars of peanut butter or jelly to be given to the St. Joseph Outreach (monetary donations will also be accepted). For more information contact Diana Simpson ( ). Your Weekly Offering February 25, 2018 Sunday: e-giving: 17 Student Envelopes: Cash: Candles: Holy Days: Flowers: Total: $2, $3, Interested in E-Giving??? The wreath on the tetrapod cross was donated in memory of Ron Tirpak. Please Pray Please remember all the sick/suffering in your prayers, especially Betty Moeller (S.W. General, rehab); Pauline Skabar (home, rehab) and Mary LIzanich (home, rehab); and Jeff Cifranic (home, rehab). St. Basil Church in Brecksville will host The Shack on Saturday at 1:00, as sponsored by A.C.E. (Adult Catholic Education). There will be free popcorn and snacks. Blood pressures will be taken by our nurses after both liturgies next weekend. Community News The annual Holy Spirit Spring cemetery clean-up is March All decorations will be removed from gravesites. Anything you wish to save from a plot needs to happen by March 9. The Carpatho-Rusyn Society is sponsoring an afternoon with Bishop Milan Lach SJ, on March 18, 2-4, at the Parma Snow Library. The bishop will talk about his homeland and experience so far in the U.S. St. Matthias Church (Parma) is hosting Tetelestai on March 23 rd (8:00), 24 th (8:00) and 25 th (2:00). Doors open one hour before performances. There is no charge, but free-will offerings will be accepted. Don t forget to change your clocks next Saturday. (Spring ahead one hour.)

5 PARISH INFORMATION St. John the Almsgiver St. John was born of a noble family in Cyprus about 550 A.D. He married and had children, but after his wife s death, John decided to live a simple life, serving God. In the early seventh century, at the urging of the people of Alexandria, Egypt, the emperor appointed John as their patriarch. As a young man, John had a vision of a beautiful maiden who called herself Compassion. Now, as patriarch, he had the opportunity to practice charity without limits among Alexandria s poor. He made a list of nearly 1,000 needy people whom he placed under his care. He called the poor his lord and masters because of their mighty influence with God. Sometimes people who really weren t poor took advantage of his benevolence. When John was told of this, he said: Give unto him; he may be Our Lord in disguise. John faithfully visited hospitals, freed slaves, gave the Church s treasury to hospitals and monasteries, and welcomed refugees. He distributed his own money and possessions to the poor. A story is told of a merchant who gave him a valuable gift. John sold it and gave the proceeds to the poor. The merchant re-bought the item and gave it to John again The same thing happened. John is said to have remarked, We ll see who tires first. John was forced to flee Alexandria when the city was occupied by the Persians. He returned to his homeland of Cyprus where he died in 616. Almsgiving All Year Long How can I give alms to the poor? There are four levels of action for helping the poor: By helping people who are part of my own life (family, friends, neighbors, people at work, etc.). By helping people who are not directly connected to my own life (i.e. the people I help through donations to a food pantry or other people I may never see but want to help). By thinking about the causes of poverty. By addressing the causes of poverty, the systems and structures in society which impoverish people. That fourth point can be difficult. As one bishop noted, We would much rather deal with the poor people who are part of our lives. Almsgiving is so much more. ACTIVITY CENTER & HALL RESERVATIONS: PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: (24 hours) CONFESSIONS: One half hour before liturgies for fifteen minutes and by request MEN S CLUB: 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. LADIES AUXILIARY: 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. A-OK CLUB: 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. COFFEE SOCIAL: Every Sunday after liturgy EASTERN CATHOLIC FORMATION (ECF) CLASSES: Sundays 9:00 a.m. 10:20 a.m. BULLETIN INFORMATION DEADLINE: Tuesday noon