M essenger. St. Mary s. St. Mary s School PreK Class Makes Snowflakes. Fr. Redmond Celebrates Mass at the Grotto of Lourdes

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1 St. Mary s M essenger St. Mary Parish Chardon, OH (440) March 2018 We, the Roman Catholic community of St. Mary Parish under the patronage of our Blessed Mother, will proclaim, celebrate, and live out faith in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and who sanctifies us in word and sacrament. Families Make Wreathes on the First Sunday of Advent St. Mary s School Grandparents Day Fr. Redmond Celebrates Mass at the Grotto of Lourdes Knights of Columbus Organize Christmas Gifts Donated by St. Mary Parishioners St. Mary s School PreK Class Makes Snowflakes Faith and Fellowship at the Ladies Advent Day of Prayer Sunday 10am Mass Music Ministry

2 From the Pastor The Gift of Prayer: A Gift for All Seasons By Father Dan Redmond When a person prays, he or she enters into a living relationship with God. Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick June 2 and 3 During all Masses During the season of Lent, Catholics around the world will be making decisions about what they will abstain from during this holy, penitential season. Indeed, prayer, fasting and almsgiving are three, essential elements of Lenten spirituality. Charitable giving and a renewed emphasis on prayer are as equally important as abstaining from certain things. Prayer is turning the heart toward God. When a person prays, he or she enters into a living relationship with God (Catechism of the Catholic Church, ). Prayer can be seen as the great gate leading into faith. A person who prays does not live on their own or for themselves. They know that they cannot merely live by their own strength. A person who prays knows that there is a God to whom he or she can talk. A person of prayer entrusts themselves more and more to God. Even now, one who prays desires union with the one, true God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The effort to pray each day is part of the Christian life. Prayer, in fact, is a gift that one obtains through prayer. People can pray for all different kinds of reasons. Ultimately, we pray because we are full of an infinite longing and God has created us for Himself. St. Augustine once said, Our hearts are restless until they rest in you. We pray because we need to. St. Theresa of Calcutta said, Because I cannot rely on myself, I rely on Him, twenty-four hours a day (CCC, , 2591). St. Therese of Lisieux ( ) once said, For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. During the season of Lent, my prayer for you and your loved ones is both simple and profound. I pray that you and your loved ones will come to know, love and serve our Lord more deeply through a renewed dedication to daily prayer throughout the season of Lent. In turn, may God grant each one of us hearts and minds that are more in tune with His. Let s allow the gift of prayer to purify us and be as natural to our lives as each breath we take. As St. Augustine reminds us, Do what you can, and pray for what you cannot, and so God will grant you the ability to do it. (Quotes and excerpts taken from YouCat, p 258 Ignatius Press) God bless you. Fr. Dan Redmond 2 All You Can Eat Fish Fry Fridays of Lent 4:30-7:00pm Dine In or Carry Out Baked or Fried Fish, Shrimp, Pierogis, French Fries, Salad Bar, Green Beans, Cabbage and Noodles, Clam Chowder, Soup of the Week, Pizza Macaroni and Cheese, Homemade Desserts Dine In: Adults $13 and Children $6 Carry Out: Adults $12 and Children $5 Join us for fellowship and great food! All proceeds benefit St. Mary School Tuition Assistance.

3 Praying Igniting the Light of Christ By Deacon Larry and Mike Boehnlein St. Mary Catholic Church will be having a Parish Mission March 5,6, and 7, featuring Catholic speaker Paul Koleske. Paul is a contemporary Catholic Christian inspirational speaker, musician, composer and recording artist from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His theme is Igniting the Light of Christ Within You. Paul Koleske offers a unique combination of fresh, uplifting contemporary Christian music and inspirational spoken word for the Catholic Church. Paul s music is personally composed and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Paul s ministry teaches the listeners why and how they are already wired to succeed in building themselves and the church while discovering God s purpose for their lives. He shares practical techniques people can use to increase their connection with the presence of the Holy Spirit, the risen Christ s gift to His disciples. On Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, Paul will share his inspired music at all Masses. Monday March 5 Connecting with the Light of Christ Paul will tell us his story, about his conversion from lukewarm-ness as a Catholic to a believer in miracles. He ll discuss the true presence. He ll teach you about the miracle of you! Family dinner will begin at 5:30pm in the Banquet room. The presentation will be from 6:15 7:30. PSR will be held from 6:15-7:30. An additional children s program will also be held for kids in Kindergarten through grade 5, for those kids who do not attend PSR. RSVP is requested for people attending the dinner. Registration is requested for the kids programs. Check the bulletin and parish website for more information or contact Judi Parker at jparker@stmarychardon.org. Tuesday March 6 Experiencing the Light of Christ Paul will teach us as Catholics to trust in God. He ll share practical ideas on what we can do to break the mental cycles of anxiety, fear, doubt, worry, and guilt once and for all! The presentation will start at 7:00pm in the church and finish at approx. 8:30pm. Wednesday March 7 Living the Light of Christ What are the warning signs that show we are imprisoned, all those things and attitudes that limit our willingness and energy to fully live our Catholic faith the Light of Christ within you, no matter what happens to you! The presentation will start at 7:00pm. We can all grow in our relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. This mission will empower you to live a more successful spiritual life. Please join us for this Lenten Mission. Paul Koleske, Catholic Christian musician, composer, recording artist and inspirational speaker. Kids learn about Jesus during the Kid s Lent Event. 3

4 Celebrating Music and Worship By Joseph Trivisonno Music, specifically singing at Mass, becomes a unique and intimate expression of our loving relationship with our God. St. Mary music ministers: Sunday 8am Mass (top left) Saturday 4:30pm Mass (top right) Sunday 10am (bottom left) and Sunday 12noon (bottom right) 4 Have you ever picked up the hymnal and read through the lyrics of a hymn? It doesn t matter which one. If you were to do this you would find a powerful theology there. Also it will shine a light on the faith, worship and community perspectives of past generations. We come to see our struggles in life as common to all believers, past and present. Our faith is strengthened when we sense our unity in Christ connecting us through time. Music, specifically singing at Mass, becomes a unique and intimate expression of our love relationship with our God. Our vocal abilities are unimportant when we are fully engaged in worship. Our loving God waits tenderly to hear the cries of our heart through our unique song. Much like a fingerprint, our connection to the words and melody and vocal expressions are one of a kind. No one who approaches sacred music in this way remains unchanged. What would be dull and mundane becomes rich, colorful and precious as we desire more with each musical encounter. We know today through medical research that music effects our brain differently than all other stimuli. The entire brain is stimulated. Memories are imprinted much deeper. The same effects apply in our participation in music in liturgy. Our connection with our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, are strengthened with each hymn. If our worship at Mass is as important as this, no hymnal should be left in the rack when there s music playing! Let us make a JOYFUL noise!! After our Christmas season comes to a close, we turn our attention to the Lenten season. This season usually catches people by surprise since there are only about five weeks separating them. It is at this time that we would like to ask everyone (age 12 and older) to consider joining the 10:00 am Mass choir. A desire to sing is all that s needed. Teaching singing skills is provided. By participating in the music ministry you deepen your own worship experience. It is more blessed to give than to receive. It also becomes a shared experience with others in the ministry. I would like to take this opportunity to especially reach out to our Life Teen members who were singers with Amanda Baker. Please continue your involvement with music ministry in any way you can. You DO make a difference. And you ARE needed! This is a powerful method of evangelization. Even though you may sing with the choir, your song is an expression of your faith when sung with conviction. We are doubly blessed!!! Please feel free to contact me at with any questions or to become involved.

5 Celebrating What Are Spirit Days? By Jeannette Stone Each spring when Spirit Days come around, someone invariably asks, What are Spirit Days? To put it simply, Spirit Days is our annual retreat for all St. Mary Parish Confirmation candidates. However, that alone does not portray the true essence of Spirit Days. We ask our teens to plan and conduct our Confirmation retreat as they exemplify what being a Confirmed Catholic is all about. They embrace their faith and witness each day to not only their friends and family, but their school, church, and local communities. They relate to our Confirmation candidates in a special way, since not so long ago they received this final sacrament of initiation. By building this bond with our older teens, we hope our newly confirmed will continue their faith formation via our wonderful Life Teen program. Participation in Life Teen provides opportunities for teens to grow in their faith, build community and have fun! Each year, in addition to their regular activities, our Life Teen Youth Ministry Program organizes Spirit Days. The teens, under the guidance of adult leadership, plan and direct each day-long retreat. They begin planning about three months prior to Spirit Days to make sure everything is ready for the big day. After selecting a song and corresponding theme, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Life Teen discerns specific roles within the retreat based on each teen s unique gifts and talents. Some teens are called to be table leaders, some are called to give witness, and some will assist more behind the scenes with skits, food, crafts, etc., while others may be called to direct the day. Each role is a vital component of the retreat. Finally, after all the preparation, procrastination, and decoration, Spirit Days are here! Decorating late into Friday night, the team arrives bright and early Saturday morning for breakfast and final retreat preparation. At 9:00 a.m. the doors to the Banquet Room are opened to enthusiastically welcome half of the Confirmation candidates to an entire day focused on the Holy Spirit, Confirmation, prayer, Eucharist, and personal reflection. Although the Confirmation candidates are free to go home following the retreat, the team remains behind to clean-up and set-up everything for the following day s retreat. What seems to be the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, the team is in place ready to joyfully welcome the second group of candidates. This year our Spirit Days Confirmation Retreats are Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4. Please keep both the team and our Confirmation candidates in your prayers during this very important final step in Confirmation preparation. St. Mary Parish Sacrament Dates Spirit Day Confirmation Retreats: March 3 and 4 Confirmation: March 12 Grade 7 Confirmation Parent and Teen Meeting: March 15 First Communion Retreat: April 14 First Communion: May 5 Confirmation students enjoy Spirit Days with Life Teen members. 5

6 Teaching St. Mary Chardon STEM By Maureen Intihar 7th grade teacher Mrs. Allin, displays a prototype of 2 liter bottles used for building. 6 4th graders follow scientific method to predict and test which ball bounces highest. This past May, St. Mary School Chardon became the first Ohio Department of Education STEM Designated School in Geauga County and one of only 44 in the state. The state recognized the school to be continually working toward integrating STEM ideals into teaching across all disciplines and striving to teach students new ways to approach learning. Last year the school gained top honors in a variety of ways including being recognized as a Cleveland Clinic Banner School, a Thomas Edison STEM school of excellence for the third consecutive year, earning grants from the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center and sending five students to the State Science Fair at The Ohio State University to name a few. Recently the school s STEM Board members convened to discuss new ways the school can continue to grow and embrace STEM learning. Board members represent professionals and businesses in the community from a variety of disciplines including medicine, technology, architecture and design, engineering, and teaching and learning. St. Mary Chardon teachers shared new program discoveries they will be bringing back to the students this year from the Ohio STEM Convene and the Cleveland Catholic Diocese Initiative. We look forward to competing in the Xtreme Games held in April. St. Mary students will compete against other local Catholic Schools in STEM related games. The most exciting new project by far is a Greenhouse Design Challenge. Students have proposed the idea of growing their own vegetables at the school to be used for a salad bar during lunch. This amazing new project has backing from both the Ohio Catholic Credit Union and received the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center s Alstein Award and Grant. In addition, 6th grade teacher, Julie Fedak has been asked to join the curriculum board at CVEEC. The Greenhouse Design Challenge has started with collecting plastic two liter bottles that will be used to construct the structure. The students have begun research on the use of rain runoff to irrigate plants and will work with the city to gain permits and zoning approval. The school will look to it s current partnerships to help facilitate this project for the remainder of the year. The school and board members are working hard to brain storm other ways the students can learn more about STEM careers and utilize their partnerships at a high level. Partners will be invited to the annual Career Fair and are opening their doors for students to shadow in their workplaces. The school is investigating expansion of their lab spaces to have a larger area for a Makerspace where students can store on-going projects and work on them as time permits throughout the day. With so many ventures taking place at one time across the entire school, the lab is overflowing with rollercoasters, Science Fair boards, and other projects. Watch for new projects to unfold and for news to come as the year progresses and the school, students, and STEM board work to continue expansion of STEM throughout the school. How Can You Help and Be Involved? 1). Collect and send in 2 liter plastic bottles to the school office. We need many to build a greenhouse! Collect anywhere you can! 2). Do you know a STEM related business or individual who would like to be involved with our school? We are always looking for new partners! Please Mrs. Petelin to share the details: mpetelin@stmaryschoolchardon.org. 3). Continue to support PTU and school based fundraisers! These help fund our amazing programs! Watch for more to come on the spring fundraiser!

7 Teaching From the Desk of the Principal By Mary Petelin A new year brings new goals, endeavors, and many times- changes. St. Mary School has been an integral part of my life for almost six years. It is and always will be very close to my heart! The students, staff, and families have certainly become an important part of my life. After prayer and careful consideration, I have informed Father Redmond that I will be retiring at the end of this academic school year. I am both excited to begin a new chapter of my life and sad to say good-bye to both a career and school that I deeply love. This school community will remain in my thoughts and prayers for as long as I am living. Thank you each and every one for welcoming me, supporting me, and being committed to Catholic education! I am so humbled by your generosity The school is an asset to the parish and community at large. I am proud to have been a part of it for the last six years. May it continue to grow and excel in nurturing faith and academics for many future generations! May God s blessings be with you and yours, Mary Petelin Principal School Tours Interested in learning more about our STEM award winning school? Call the office and set up your own private tour today Register Now for the School Year! Learning Fair Thursday April 19 Come and see student created art work, Science Fair projects, young authors books and more at this celebration of learning accomplished throughout the year. All are welcome! Students enjoy lunch and book club with Mrs. Petelin Teachers and STEM Board partners plan new STEM learning activities St. Mary PTU presents Late Nite Catechism Sister Rolls the Dice April 21 Save the date and plan to attend PTU s largest fundraiser! 7

8 Reaching Out Society of St. Vincent de Paul By Bob Ryan Bundle Weekend April The St. Mary s Conference of St. Vincent de Paul has been in our parish since the last century, 1982, doing the work for which it was established. SVdP maintains resources used to aid anyone, but especially those in our parish and community. The aid we give is primarily on an emergency or one time basis. This may involve issues caused by unemployment, illness, or other factors. Our SVdP maintains a food pantry, and we have lists of the other caregivers with food and aid available. We maintain a cash reserve to assist with groceries, housing, and utilities. There are normally several gift cards available for food purchases and gasoline purchases. On Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, we provide entire meals for families in need. In the bulletin are noted the weekend when clothing is collected, and a truck will be in the parking lot for your donations at that time. When you see an SVdP envelope, please remember that is your generosity that allows us to serve the needy. Those who are served are known only to the society. Names are withheld from those members not directly in contact with each client. Anonymity is a valued commodity. There are several collection envelopes for each year along with other special collections, such as Blanket Sunday. For most requests, we have found money, cash or check, is the most efficient and effective way to help our neighbors who are struggling with life s demands. Please remember that 100% of goods and monies donated are passed on to our clients. We believe that we are doing Christ s work here on Earth, for we recall His admonition When you serve one of these, you serve Me. SVdP volunteers pack food to be distributed to those in need. Thank you to all our parishioners for your donations! Knights of Columbus Thank You to parishioners for donating hundreds of Christmas gifts for those in need during the annual sharing tree! Pancake Breakfast March 18 and April 29 8 Knights organize, pack and deliver hundreds of gifts.

9 Reaching Out A Lesson from Nicaragua By Teri Merkle During the last mission trip to Chacraseca, Nicaragua, our main purpose was to bring a children s Bible study to the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish and its satellite churches. Due to the large 50 square mile area of the parish, poor road conditions, and lack of transportation to get to Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus church, there are three satellite chapels that help serve the needs of the faithful in Chacraseca. The newest satellite is called Divino Nino, Divine Child. The small plot of land on which Divino Nino sits was donated by a local farmer for erecting a chapel in which the pastor, then Padre Thomas, and now, Padre Harold, could come to celebrate Mass with the local parishioners. Divino Nino is located about 35 minutes, by car, away from Sacred Heart of Jesus. The roads traveled to get there are very rough and appear as though they are merely washes carved out by running water. When we arrived at the location, we were greeted with what looked like a lean-to made of plastic and shredded tarps attached to nearby trees. There was an altar table and a few small seats built from reclaimed wood. The chapel was surrounded by farm land and the silence was profound. This was the site of our fourth and final children s Bible study. We set up our supplies and waited for the children to come. After about 30 minutes, they began to arrive, some on bikes, most on foot. The children s ages ranged from preschool to about 12 years. The catechists came too, to learn how to continue Bible studies. With the help of our translator, we read and discussed the story of creation and then sang and danced our praises together. The joyful noise created by our laughter and singing rose out of that tarped lean-to and seemed to expand well beyond those farm fields. In that moment, it was more breathtakingly clear than it had ever been before, that Church is we, the faithful, gathered together in His name. The languages we spoke did not matter, nor did the materials that made up the chapel walls. We were truly one body in Christ, sharing the joy of His love. I will forever be grateful to have had such a profound spiritual experience. Today, the Chapel of Divino Nino is still made of plastic attached to trees. Mass is celebrated under those tarps as often as Padre Harold can get there. The faithful parishioners walk the dusty roads to their chapel carrying their own plastic chairs. The Children s Bible study continues under the tarps as well. The next mission trip to Nicaragua is being planned for November of this year with the tentative goal of helping the parishioners of Divino Nino to build a more permanent chapel. Our hope is that several St. Mary parishioners will join Marie and Dale George and a several members of St. John of the Cross on this trip. If you are interested in more information, please contact Dale George at maridalegeo@msn.com or Teri Merkle at tmerkle8@gmail.com. For where two or more are gathered in My name, I am there in their midst. Matthew 18:20 Children enjoyed learning about God s creation during a Bible study presented by the mission team. The Chapel of Divino Nino is made of plastic tarps attached to trees. Advent Mass is celebrated at the Chapel of Divino Nino 9

10 Participating Join Us for Youth Ministry By Sherry and Chris Loxterman Our theme for Life Teen this year is Heart of God and it is meant for Christ to take a hold of our hearts, so we can learn more about him through the Holy Spirit and Sacred Scripture. We ended the Fall semester with learning more about sacred scripture and how we need to allow scripture to resonate within our lives. Thank you to everyone who supported the Life Teen fundraiser and to our Core team who helped make it a success! As we move into the second semester, these upcoming Sundays will consist of Spirit Days planning. Spirit Day is a retreat for the 8th grader Confirmation students that Life Teen plans for them. The dates are March 3 and 4, so please keep the 8th graders and Life Teen members in your prayers. Lastly, we participated in the March for Life in Washington DC on Friday January 19. We had 14 teens and 5 adults, from St. Mary Chardon Life Teen and St. Francis of Assisi in Mayfield. We had a wonderful time and it was great that we were able to go and show our support of the importance of respecting life from the moment of conception until natural death. To our High School Teens, we hope you can make it to Sunday night Life Nights, which is every Sunday from 6:00-8:15pm, to continue the Heart of God journey. If you have any questions, please contact us at lifeteen@stmarychardon.org. Thank you and God bless! Chris and Sherry Loxterman and the entire Life Teen Core Team LifeTeen members present a skit of the story of Zaccheus. Shipwrecked: Rescued by Jesus! June 25 - June 29 St. Mary s Catholic Vacation Bible School Bible Adventures + Crafts + Saints + Games + Music + Snacks + Friends + Fun! Information, Registration and Volunteers: Judi Parker jparker@stmarychardon.org St. Mary s 5th Annual Parish Festival July 6th July 8th Mark your calendars and join us for an amazing summer festival, featuring homemade foods, beverages, rides, live entertainment, music, dancing, fireworks, children s games and casino! 10 Like us on Facebook for details on this year s festival. Contact smcfestival1@gmail.com or Fr. Redmond at

11 Celebrating Lent and Easter Calendar Lent Mission: Igniting the Light of Christ Within You Monday, March 5 Dinner at 5:30pm, Speaker 6:15-7:30pm PSR will be held 6:15-7:30pm Tuesday, March 6 Speaker at 7:00pm Wednesday, March 7 Speaker at 7:00pm Fish Fry: Fridays of Lent 4:30-7:00pm Mass: Fridays of Lent 7:30am and 9:20am Stations of the Cross: Fridays of Lent 7:00pm March 16 stations led by St. Mary School 5th Grade March 23 stations led by St. Mary School 2nd Grade Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturdays (all year) 3:00-4:00pm Sundays in Lent after 8:00am, 10:00am, and 12:00noon Masses Wednesday, February 28 5:00-8:00pm, in every church in the Diocese Monday, March 26 7:00-8:00pm Tuesday, March 27 10:00-11:00am Wednesday, March 28 11:00am-12:00noon and 4:00-5:00pm Holy Week and Easter Services: Wednesday, March 28 Eucharistic Adoration 12:00noon-7:00pm Tenebrae 8:00pm Thursday, March 29 Morning Prayer 7:30am Mass of the Lord s Supper 8:00pm Eucharistic Adoration 9:00pm-11:00pm Friday, March 30 Morning Prayer 7:30am The Passion of the Lord 3:00pm Family Stations of the Cross 8:00pm Saturday, March 31 Morning Prayer 8:30am Blessing of Easter Foods 12:00noon Easter Vigil 7:30pm Sunday, April 1 Easter Sunday Masses 8:00am, 10:00, and 12:00 11

12 St. Mary s Messenger Church of St. Mary Chardon Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 401 North Street Chardon, OH NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OH PERMIT NO. 688 St. Mary s Life Teen Participate in the March for Life Washington DC January 19 It was great that we were able to go and show our support of the importance of respecting life from the moment of conception until natural death.