Living the Word of Christ Together Pastor: Deacons: Office Administrator: Rectory Phone: Office Phone: Fax: e-mail: website: Father Bruce Riebe Bill Fredrick, Robert Kirschner Michele Wiltshire 440-526-1818 440-526-0016 440-526-6464 stjoebyz@sbcglobal.net www.stjoebyz.com Dear Parishioners: Nowhere in Scripture is there a factual account of Christ s Resurrection. The Gospels mention that the women arrived at the tomb, found it empty and were greeted by an angel who proclaimed, He has risen, just as He promised. (Matthew) Byzantine iconography is faithful to this and never attempts to portray the event. Instead the Easter icon depicts Christ trampling the gates of Hades, taking Adam and Eve by the hands and drawing them to new life. This image is a reflection of Resurrection Matins when we sing You have descended into the realm of death, O Christ, and have broken the ancient bonds which held the captives, and on the third day you rose from the tomb, like Jonah from the whale. The icon makes the event present in our day. Through it, our minds are lifted to the spiritual effects that Christ s Resurrection bestows upon us. We experience and know that we are freed from sin/death and have also been given new life! Let us be glad and rejoice in it! Christ is Risen! Christos Voskrese! Fr. Bruce Riebe It s called Bright Week. The Octave of Easter lasts a full forty days, but this week we celebrate as if it were still Easter. The Royal Doors remain open and the hymns of liturgy fully reflect that which was commemorated on Sunday. You can keep the momentum going with evening liturgies on Monday (a Solemn Holyday) and Tuesday (a Simple Holyday) as well as at morning services Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Monday night a procession around the church will take place. A Gospel from each of the Evangelists will be chanted at the four corners, symbolic of Christ s command to the Apostles to spread the Good News of the Resurrection all over the earth. (This is typically done outdoors, but our building configuration makes this prohibitive.) The tomb will remain up until Ascension Thursday (when the Shroud will be taken off the altar). Our posture for prayer is standing symbolic of the Resurrection (until the kneeling prayers on Pentecost).
April 1, 2018 Christ is Risen! Bright Week Monday April 2 Solemn Holyday: Easter Monday 7:00 p.m. Michael Lechko by Virginia Lechko Tuesday April 3 Simple Holyday: Easter Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Michael Karaffa by Serbin Family Wednesday April 4 8:00 a.m. Nick Solay by M/M Steve Bandura Thursday April 5 8:00 a.m. Frank Matyas by Deacon Bill/Nancy Fredrick Friday April 6 8:00 a.m. Charlotte Picha by Bea Chrustic Saturday April 7 4:00 p.m. Jerry/Marguerite Metzger by Family Sunday April 8 10:30 a.m. Intention of the Parishioners Altar Servers Lectors Greeters April 2 7:00 pm. J.P. Masters, N. Masters, K. Ulrich M. Ebert & N. Armbrust April 3 7:00 p.m. J. Loya & A. Loya B. Fortlage April 7 4:00 p.m. G. & C. Lupia J. Pinchot J. Pinchot & L. Greb April 8 10:30 a.m. B. Dirda, B. Hallis, M. Waski K. Lambourne & M. Cohn J. Hallis & W. Hallis Easter is a time when you realize you are truly loved. Another round of Lenten Fish Frys are in the books! Attendance was a little lower than we ve experienced in past years, but we still turned a re-cap profit of $13,240.84. We made a ten percent tithe to the Outreach ($1,324.08). Many thanks to our staff of volunteers, most of whom worked every week. Thanks also to the parishioners who patronized the meals. We also appreciate anyone who was a good advertiser! In terms of numbers, we averaged 60 at lunch with a high of 66 on the 5 th week and a low of 55 on week four. At dinner time the average was 350 with a high of 386 on week two and a low of 303 on week four. We start right up with a First Fry Day Fish Fry this week. Serving will be from 4:00-6:30. Volunteers are needed from 1:30 on through clean-up. Contact Pat or Jim Lesnick (216-973-1430) if you are interested in helping. (The proceeds from these events go directly to the Outreach to support feeding the homeless every Sunday morning at the Men s Shelter on Lakeside in Downtown Cleveland.) It s photo time for our next pictorial directory. We d like everyone to take part. For your time and effort, you ll receive a free book as well as a complimentary 8 x 10 picture, a percentage off a package or a page of wallet-sized photos. You can sign up for a session after liturgy for the next two weekends, or by going to the Lifetouch link found on our website (stjoebyz.com) Monday through Friday. (Come the weekend, online appointments are locked out.) You will also receive automated phone messages from Father encouraging your participation. Professional photographers from Lifetouch will be in the Education Center on the following days/times. April 18, 19, 20 (2:00-9:00) April 21 (9:00-3:00) May 18 (2:00-9:00) May 19 (9:00-3:00) Thomas Sunday Potluck Next Sunday after liturgy we ll hold our annual Thomas Sunday Potluck. If you plan on attending and haven t signed the sheet in the vestibule, call Father by tomorrow evening to indicate how many are coming and what side dish you ll bring. (The Men s Club and Ladies Auxiliary will provide the meats.) The A-OK Club selected John Carrig to be honored as a volunteer.
Tickets are available for the Men s Club Reverse Raffle on April 27. The last number drawn wins $4,000.00. Two hundred tickets are sold. The price is $100 per couple or $70 for singles. The cost includes a number on the board, dinner, open bar and music for dancing following the raffle. Contact any member of the Men s Club for tickets or Chairman Joe Csornok (216-524-6344). Nat l ByzanTEEN Youth Rally Every other year the Metropolitan Youth Commission (of which Father is a member) sponsors a National ByzanTEEN Youth Rally. In the past we have had excellent participation. We re hoping for that again. This year s event will be held July 5-8 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. Since it s the birthplace of Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood fame, the theme is Who is my Neighbor. Highlights of the rally include a packing event in conjunction with Rise Against Hunger, talks based on the parable of the Good Samaritan, prayer segments, a liturgy with all the Byzantine bishops, sports/recreation, a dance and the opportunity to mingle with ByzanTEENS from across the country. The cost is $300 plus a $50 bus fee. (We ll be leaving on the 5 th at 1:00 from St. Joe s.) We re fortunate at St. Joe s that a few of the organizations (Men s Club, Ladies Auxiliary, GCU) provide some monetary assistance to the attendees. We expect that to happen in varying degrees again this year. The rally is open to those who are ages 13-17 (18-year-olds are welcome but would need safe environment training). Registration forms need to be obtained from Father or Deacon Robert. We re looking at a deadline of the end of this month, so time is of the essence. The Week Ahead The Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday at 8:00 (following the Holyday Liturgy). The Finance Commission will meet on Wednesday at 7:00. The Building Commission will meet on Thursday at 6:00. The sandwich making assembly line starts up again on Saturday, 9:30, in the hall. The Garfield Hts. Knights of Columbus is graciously holding a Pancake Breakfast after liturgy on April 15 to benefit our ECF Program. The menu includes pancakes (all you can eat), scrambled eggs, sausage, juice and coffee/tea. The cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children. Make plans to attend! Your Weekly Offering March 25, 2018 Sunday: e-giving: 15 Student Envelopes: Cash: Candles: Holy Days: Initial Envelope Donation: Flowers: Building Fund: Total: Mirovanije $$ The mirovanije $$ from today will be used for rectory almsgiving. Last weekend s mirovanije collection of $296.00 was handed over to the Shrine of Mariapoch in conjunction with their upcoming Gala on April 14 at the Cathedral in Parma. Communion Visits Communion will be taken to the sick/suffering on Friday between the hours of 9-2. Sanctuary Lamp The sanctuary lamp will burn during the month of April in memory of Mickey and Jim Pinchot. ECF Next Sunday ECF classes resume on Sunday at 9:00. $3,865.00 50.00 14.50 88.00 159.05 191.00 15.00 463.00 20.00 $4,865.55 Interested in E-Giving??? Congratulations, Johathan! Jonathan Cohn recently received the Service Before Self award from the Solon Rotary Club for his work with special needs students at his school. A monetary donation in his name was made to Autism Research. Check out the showcase in the Education for the complete story. Someone you know may need this information: Alternatives to Abortion 1-800-712-HELP (4357) Accessible 24 hours a day. Serviced by a live person at all times.
XtáàxÜ exyäxvà ÉÇ In our church services, we often hear this phrase, that Christ trampled or destroyed death by death. What does this mean? It means that He took the most unpleasant, the most difficult part of our existence, which is death, and walked right through it. He didn t avoid it. Just like He didn t avoid the other parts of being human, like feeling hunger, enduring poverty, grief, fatigue, and so on. Death is destroyed by Him walking through it, because it can t hold Him, Who is not only human, but also divine. And He takes away the sting of death for all of us, who share in His victory, through communion with Him. The difficult parts of our existence, including death, are now life-giving, in Him. The previously dark and difficult now leads to growth and new life. This is not a merely abstract dogmatic concept; it is something we see at work every day, when we walk through difficulties in Him and with Him, rather than avoiding them. So our Lord shows us the path of the cross, which leads to victory, in Him. It is not through avoidance or escape from our human existence, which includes hardship, difficulty, and ultimately death. The light-filled path of the cross is about walking through it all; walking through life on life s terms, in Christ and with Christ. He brings new light to the whole picture of our human journey, on which we no longer walk in darkness. Through the Cross, joy has come into all the world. Let us ever bless the Lord, praising His Resurrection. PARISH INFORMATION ACTIVITY CENTER & HALL RESERVATIONS: 440-526-0016 PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: 440-526-6464 (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