Our Lady of Grace Church 1088 Ridge Road Hinckley, Ohio (330) Website:

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1 Our Lady of Grace Church 1088 Ridge Road Hinckley, Ohio (330) Website: Reverend Joseph Mecir, Pastor Reverend William P. O Neill, Pastor Emeritus Reverend John T. McDonough, In Residence Deacon Bruce Dobbins Mission Statement We, the Roman Catholic faith community of Our Lady of Grace, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and dedicated to our Blessed Mother, value our mission to make God s presence visible in today s world. In service to God s will, and with the Holy Spirit s guidance, we manifest God s peace, love and saving presence as we pray, worship, work and live together in His Name. January 3, 2016 The Epiphany of the Lord Sunday Masses: Saturday: 4:00 pm Sunday: 8:00 & 11:00 am Weekday Masses: Monday through Friday 8:00 am Holy Day Masses: As scheduled in the bulletin. Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturday 3:15-3:45 pm Anytime by appointment. Sacrament of Baptism: First & third Sundays at 12 pm Baptism classes required for first child. Sacrament of Marriage: Allow 6 months preparation. Call parish priest to set a date. Catering Call Church Office Bereavement Ministry and Women of Hope Carolyn Zaverl: PSR Dept. ologpsr@gmail.com Music Ministry Mary Gabriel: Home of Triumph of the Two Hearts Shrine Open 24 hours a day all year long Unique statue of Jesus with the Blessed Mother Outdoor Stations of the Cross Beautiful country scenery One of Ohio s newest Shrines

2 Readers MINISTRY SCHEDULE - January 9 & 10 Extra-ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Servers 4 pm 8 am 11 am Ruth Ann Manley Ed Majestic Celeste Cook Pat Lorenc Evan Medwid, John Pesarchick Mason & Jackson Carriero, Shannon & Charles Dobbins Brett & Kevin Kalfas Leo Bures, Hannah Tramonte Church Cleaners Wed. (1-6) Judi Mancini, Flo Russell John Twardzik, Pauline Uebele Sunday, November 30 $5, Envelopes used Thank you for your generosity! EPIPHANY HOME BLESSING Since the Middle Ages there has been a tradition that on (or near) the feast of the Epiphany we pray for God s blessing on our homes, marking the door post with chalk (an incarnational image reminding us of the dust of the earth from which we are made). We mark the main door of our home with the initials of the Magi and the numerals of the new year, connected with crosses: 20 + C + M + B + 16 The initials remind us of the legendary names of the Magi Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar and also stand for the Latin motto: Christus mansionem benedictat, May Christ bless this house. In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this ritual, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God s presence and blessing into our homes. The following prayer may be said while the lintel is marked: The three Wise Men, C Caspar M Melchior B and Balthasar followed the star of God s Son who became man, 20 two thousand 16 sixteen years ago. ++ May Christ bless our home ++ and remain with us throughout the new year. DEPARTMENT FOR FAMILY & MARRIAGE Visit for the latest news, Catholic teaching and practical helps. Perfect for engaged couples, married couples, parents and young adults. Also find and like them on FaceBook MUSIC MINISTRY NOTES As your Music Director here at Our Lady of Grace Church, I am more and more thankful every month for the wonderful people that ARE the Music Ministry. Adult Choir members have been practicing every week for 2 hours on Wednesday evenings, but especially during these last few weeks in December, have practiced for an additional hour between the Sunday Masses. Some adult choir members also sing for both Masses! Everyone in attendance enjoyed our first Christmas Concert ever, on December 18th, presented by the Adult Choir, Youth Choir and Larry Houser. Each Christmas Liturgy here at the parish enjoyed a 1/2 hour Christmas Concert as everyone arrived to celebrate Jesus' birth. The Youth Choir has been practicing weekly for Advent, Christmas and the Family monthly Mass since September. Hours upon hours of rehearsing made this beautiful music possible and there aren't enough words to express my gratitude to members of all the choirs, and to the parents that got their children to practice every week. Thank you all for your dedication to the music ministry and for sharing your time and talent. If you have been considering singing in one of the choirs, come join us during the month of January as the ranks of all the choirs open again to new members...what a great New Year's resolution to get involved in your parish, it's fun and FREE, and joining NOW will allow plenty of time to learn all the Lent and Easter music! SUPER SEATS * SUPER EATS * SUPER PARTY February 7 * 4 pm Hosted by Our Lady of Grace Food Pantry and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Tickets of $15 include beef brisket sliders, chicken wings, hot dogs, fried pickles, cheese & fruit platters and lots of salty snacks. Advance ticket sales only no sales at the door. Join us for Fun, Food, Games!

3 January 3, 2016 Page 3 FAMILY PERSPECTIVES God s mercy is revealed in the face of Jesus. This mercy is for all people as symbolized in the coming of the Magi. We reveal through our families the presence and mercy of God in our lives. Our gift of love, like Christ s, is meant to be shared with everyone. MASQUERADE DINNER DANCE Saturday, February pm You are invited to the Valentine s Day Masquerade Dinner Dance sponsored by Women of Hope and Parish Council. $35 per person includes dinner, drinks and dancing with live music by John the Piano Man Advance ticket sales only no sales at the door. Tickets will be available in the office or after the weekend Masses. PAPER & CARDBOARD RECYCLING River Valley Paper Company is offering a special New Year s Bonus Week on our recycling. From January they will give an extra $5/ton on paper and cardboard picked-up that week. Save all your gift wrap, Christmas cards and gift boxes. Bring it all to the bin with all your regular paper. PLEASE make sure that all cardboard is crushed so there s room for everyone to drop off their cardboard. PANCAKE BREAKFAST St. Colette, Brunswick January 17 * 8 am 1 pm St. Colette Holy Name Society is hosting its semi-annual Pancake Breakfast in the church hall located at 330 West 130th Street, Brunswick, Proceeds help fund the various activities of the Holy Name Society. Breakfast includes all you can eat pancakes, served with sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, juice and coffee. $6 adults; $4 children under 12. Carry-outs available. For more info contact Don at O YEAR TRADITION OF EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE & SPIRITUAL FORMATION Incarnate Word Academy (Kinder-Prep to grade 8) is holding an open house on Sunday, January 10 from noon -3 pm. See their new STEM space and receive a flash drive, meet their teachers, see the beautiful campus and learn why Incarnate Word Academy is a community of learners filled with the Spirit of the Word-made-Flesh. They are a 2013 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence committed to living Gospel values and inspiring academic excellence. Located at 6620 Pearl Rd., Parma Hghts., CHARISMATIC MASS Catholic Renewal Ministries will host a Charismatic Mass on Friday, January 15 at 7 pm at St. Peter Parish, Center Ridge Rd., North Ridgeville. Fr. Bob Franco is the celebrant. Praise and worship begins at 7 pm; the Liturgy starts at 7:30 pm. Healing prayer teams will be available after Mass for individual prayer. For more information call CRM at TV MASS The Diocese of Cleveland offers a Sunday morning TV Mass on Cleveland s FOX8 from 6:30 to 7 am. The purpose of the diocesan TV Mass ministry is to provide a weekly Mass for the homebound who cannot physically attend Mass at their Catholic church. We wish to thank Ms. Vicki Tifft and her company, Clinical RM, for the generous donation they made to our Food Pantry. Their concern will make a difference in helping those families in need. ALUMINUM CAN RECYCLING Please save your aluminum cans. Our Tri-County Marian Society collects cans and the proceeds pay for sending rosaries overseas to the missions. Rinse and crush your cans, place them in a plastic bag. You may drop off your bags on the north side of the free standing garages. PRAYERS WORK WONDERS Please remember the sick and suffering of our parish family especially: Blanche Bieda, Barb Blake, Claudia Bulkowski, Ruth Fredrick, Chris Fuciu, Linda Joseph, Kathleen Klosinski, Betty Kmiecik, Bridget Kovalik, Mary Krulcik, Katie Krymowski, Jane Lemke, Fred Maloney, Mark Pajak, Joe Palmentera, Patricia Pesek, Lois Rhodes, Frank Scheid, Braidyn Schneid, Janet Taranto, Kim Thiessen-Hericks, Michelle Trisk Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave. St. John Chrysostom UPCOMING EVENTS Jan. 4 Liturgy Commission Jan. 5 Women of Hope Noon Jan. 6 Youth Choir 6:00 pm Choir Practice Parish Council Jan. 7 Moms Prayer Group 10:30 am Exercise 3:00 pm Rosary for Peace Women of Hope MMP Cenacle 7:30 pm Jan. 9 Ushers CPR Training 8 am 12

4 January 3, 2016 Page 4 EPIPHANY The word Epiphany comes from the Greek, epiphaneia meaning manifestation or appearance. This feast originated in the Eastern Church and was celebrated on January 6th to commemorate the many instances of God shining forth, including the birth of Christ, the visit of the Magi, and Christ s baptism in the Jordan. It was also considered by many to be a Christian fulfillment of the Jewish Festival of Lights. In the West, the Nativity developed as a separate and specific feast, with official references to the Epiphany not coming until 361. Epiphany concluded a twelve day festival the twelve days of Christmas -that has also been call Christmastide. Catholics in the United States now celebrate epiphany, not on January 6th, but on the second Sunday after Christmas. The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany and marks the end of the Christmas season. Taken from Epiphany God Shining Forth printed by All Saints Press FIVE LESSONS OF THE MAGI The unforgettable story of the journey of the Magi, as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew, is an artful summary of the principal dynamics of the spiritual life. Watching the night sky with scrupulous attention for signs of God s purpose, the Magi evoke the importance of alertness in the spiritual order. We must keep our eyes open to see what God is up to. For far too many people, the spiritual life never gets underway, precisely because they don t pay attention. Once they saw the star, they moved, despite the length of the journey and the dangers of the road. Sometimes people know what God wants them to do, but they don t act, either out of fear or laziness or the influence of bad habits. In their confident journeying forth, the Magi teach us not to miss the propitious moment. They teach us to move. When they entered into Herod s territory, the Magi caught the attention of the king. And when they spoke to him of the birth of a new King of the Jews, Herod became frantic and tried to use them in order to destroy the baby. A third lesson: when you walk the path that God has laid out for you, expect opposition. We live in a sinful, fallen world, and there will always be forces at cross purposes to God. Refusing to cooperate with Herod s game, the wise men came to Bethlehem, found the child, and gave Him their precious gifts. When you come to Christ, don t give Him your second best; break open the very best of yourself and make it a gift for Him. Finally, they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod and so they returned to their home country by another route. As Fulton Sheen commented so magnificently: of course they did; for no one comes to Christ and goes back the same way he came! Written by Very Rev. Robert Barron

5 January 3, 2016 Page 5 MASS INTENTIONS SATURDAY, JANUARY 2 4 pm Geraldine Hadlock / Pat Guzy SUNDAY, JANUARY 3 The Epiphany of the Lord 8 am Ursula Tate & Christine Newmeyer / Bill & Kay Kirchner 11 am Living & Deceased of the Parish Family MONDAY, JANUARY 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 8 am Fred Schrembeck / Kenneth Schrembeck TUESDAY, JANUARY 5 St. John Neumann 8 am Christine Newmeyer / Stephany Mallet WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 St. André Bessette 8 am Frank Niro THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 St. Raymond of Penyafort 8 am Poor Souls in Purgatory FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 8 am Robert Curtain / Family SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 4 pm Living & Deceased of Parish Family The Baptism of the Lord 8 am John Asherl 11 am Mary Sowul / Agnes & Paul Miller SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 SAINT OF THE DAY Saint John Neumann John was born in Bohemia on March 28, At 20 years old John entered the seminary. By 24, he had learned six languages. In 1835 He had completed his studies and applied to be ordained. The bishop had decided that no more ordinations would take place at this time. Bohemia had too many vocations and there was difficulty finding positions for them. John wrote to the bishop of New York. He arrived there with one suit of clothes and one dollar in his pocket. Three weeks later he was ordained. In New York, John was one of 36 priests for 200,000 Catholics. His parish in western New York stretched from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. John spent most of his time traveling from village to village, climbing mountains to visit the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and celebrating the Mass at kitchen tables. Because of the work and the isolation of his parish, John longed for community so he joined the Redemptorist Fathers. John was appointed the fourth bishop of Philadelphia in As bishop, he was the first to organize a diocesan Catholic school system. He increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from two to 200. Under his administration new parish churches were completed at the rate of nearly one per month. John actively invited religious institutes to establish new houses within the diocese to provide necessary social services. While doing errands on January 5, 1860 John collapsed in the street and died of a stroke at the age of 48.