Living the Word of Christ Together Dear Parishioners: Pastor: Deacons: Office Administrator: Rectory Phone: Office Phone: Fax: e-mail: website: Even though we know the outcome of the story, the empty tomb is a symbol of power, magnificence and glory! Upon entering the church after the procession during Resurrection Matins there ideally is a felt sense of the splendor of what took place that first Easter morning when the women went to anoint the body of Jesus at tomb and found it unoccupied. The women were fearful, until reassured by the angel that Jesus had risen just as He had promised. For us, because we are familiar with the ending, it should stir within us that which is the foundation of our faith His resurrection, and by virtue of this, His conquering death, granting life to all those in the tombs. We know the outcome of our story too. No, not the day or the hour, just the fact that someday, we too will pass from this earth. We hopefully also hold fast with confidence that those who believe in Him will not die but have life everlasting! In the Risen Lord, Fr. Bruce S. Riebe Father Bruce Riebe Bill Fredrick, Robert Kirschner Kenneth Malley Michele Wiltshire 440-526-1818 440-526-0016 440-526-6464 (24 hrs.) stjoebyz@sbcglobal.net www.stjoebyz.com We keep the Spirit of the Resurrection going for the next few days. Liturgically it s called Bright Week. The Royal Doors on the icon screen will remain open, symbolic of the gates of heaven being unbarred. We ll continue to sing the Easter Anthem ( Christ is Risen ) for the next forty days. The tomb will remain aglow until Ascension Thursday. The posture for prayer should be standing again a sign of the Resurrection. Monday is a Solemn Holyday. At the close of the service, a Gospel of the account of the resurrection from each of the four Evangelists will be chanted at the four corners of the church. This symbolizes the Good News being spread to all parts of the earth. Tuesday is a Simple Holyday. Services each night begin at 7:00. Consider attending!
Bright Week April 5, 2015 Christ is Risen! Monday April 6 Solemn Holyday: Easter Monday 7:00 p.m. Michael Zemba by Lorraine Owens Tuesday April 7 Simple Holyday: Easter Tuesday 7:00 p.m. Joan Sidor by Elsie Marchak Wednesday April 8 8:00 a.m. Beverly Price by Bob Karges Thursday April 9 8:00 a.m. Nate Bisesi by Jerry Hoffman Family Friday April 10 8:00 a.m. Health of Dorothy Tyburski by Bea Chrustic Saturday April 11 4:00 p.m. William Babin by Family Sunday April 12 10:30 a.m. Intention of the Parishioners Altar Servers Lectors Greeters April 6 7:00 p.m. A. Steen, B. Dirda, A. Pinchak J. & J. Kodek April 7 7:00 p.m. B. & G. Hotaling K. Ulrich April 11 4:00 p.m. Z. & J. Fekete K. Krasnicki D. & S. LaFleur April 12 10:30 a.m. B. Dirda, A. Percic A. Pinchak S. Lambourne & M. Cohn J. & A. Loya Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness, weakness and despair to strength, beauty and happiness. One component of our Pastoral Plan is the resumption of a choir. The Advisory Board feels the voices are there. It has been ten years since a choir has sung. In upcoming weeks you may hear choral renderings of some of the hymns from a handful of parishioners capable of doing so. Over the next few months the goals would be to find a choir director and then have a call-out for interested persons. This is in anticipation of Bishop John approving our Pastoral Plan (forthcoming by April 15). For Your Information... Bishop John shares an update on the Pastoral P l a n a t t h e e p a r c h y w e b s i t e. Visit www.parma.org to view the video and to learn more about all that is being done throughout the Eparchy of Parma to Advance in Life, Faith and Spiritual Understanding. A decision will be made at the April Building Commission meeting in regard to the resurfacing of the parking lot. This major project has been waiting in the wings for a number of years. This might be the time we have to take it on. If you have not signed up for next Sunday s Potluck, please contact the rectory by tomorrow (Monday) night. Those attending are asked to bring a side dish. The Men s Club and Ladies Auxiliary will be providing the meats. The A-OK Club selected Laddie Trattar and Bob Renner to be honored for their many years of decorating the church for Christmas and Easter. Old man winter was not so kind to us for this year s Lenten Fish Frys. Attributed to the weather, attendance was noticeably down, but we still managed a nice profit of $16,362.95. A ten percent tithe was made to our St. Joseph Outreach. Huge thanks to our fine crew of volunteers, many of whom worked every Friday. Thanks also to those who patronized the meals and to those who told others about it. The next First Fry Day Fish Fry will be May 1. For those interested in numbers we present the following: We served a total of 372 lunches, with an average of 62. Our high was week number two (101) and our low week number three (44). Dinners numbered 2,426. That averages out to 404 per night. We had a high for week three (468) and a low for week six (318).
About ten tickets remain for the April 24 Reverse Raffle sponsored by the Men s Club. Contact Joe Csornok if you are interested (216-524-6344). The cost is $90 a couple or $65 for an individual. It includes a number on the $4,000.00 board (highest in the area for the price), banquet meal, open bar and dancing. George Lezan was buried this past week at the age of 84. He has been on our shut-in list, and, for the past few years, has been residing at the V.A. Home in Sandusky. Parish sympathies are extended to Anne his wife of 58 years. In blessed repose grant O Lord eternal rest to Your Servant George and remember him forever! ECF classes resume next week at 9:00. There s only three weeks left. Let s shoot for perfect attendance from everyone. Sandwich making is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 in the Education Center. We once again will be joining with churches around the world in celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday on April 12 with prayers scheduled for 3:00. Contact Judy Churavy with any questions (440-526-2274). Please remember all of the sick/suffering in your prayers, especially Dorothy Tyburski (Altenheim; rehab); Charlotte Picha (Regina Healthcare; rehab); and Mary Jane Dietz (Greenbriar Healthcare; rehab). Since the first Friday of the month occurred on Good Friday, Communion will be taken to the sick/shut-in this week by Father, Deacon Bill and Deacon Kenneth. A phone call will precede the visit (except in healthcare facilities). If you re interested in helping to cut the grass, contact Father. Last year we had three teams and we re expecting at least that this time around. Each crew includes riders and trimmers. The time is flexible in accord with each grouping, but would normally occur on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Father is the organizer and also serves on one of the crews. 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. Your Weekly Offering March 29, 2015 Sunday: E-Giving: 34 Student Envelopes: Cash: Candles: Holy Days: Initial Envelope Offering: Flowers: Easter: Total: $4,485.00 50.00 32.41 116.00 197.00 135.00 3.00 171.00 150.00 $5,339.41 Last week s mirovanije collection of $276.00 was sent to Holy Transfiguration Byzantine Monastery in Eagle Harbor, Michigan, by request, to help in an ambitious building project. (Pat Bickel s nephew is a monk there.) Mirovanije $$ from today will be used for rectory almsgiving. The Lenten Alms banks will be given to the St. Joseph Outreach to assist in feeding the homeless at the Men s Shelter in Cleveland on Sunday mornings. Blood Pressures Taken Next Weekend April was first declared Autism Awareness Month in 1970 by the Autism Society to educate the public about Autism, a complex mental condition/developmental disability. It consists of communication difficulties and interactions with people. It may start at birth through three years of age with no single known cause. ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autism are used to classify the wide spectrum of symptoms seen unique to each person. Some characteristics may include difficulty with social skills, empathy, physical contact, speech and sudden changes. Repetitive behaviors, unpredictable learning rate, obsessions and physical tics may also surface. Autism is widespread in the U.S., affecting one in every 110 children. About one in 150 people in the U.S. are autistic, therefore the public needs to be informed to be supportive towards these people. There are many activities that support this cause during April to increase awareness. The Puzzle Ribbon is the symbol promoted for supportive awareness. More info can be found on the Autism Society s website (autism-society.org).
The Hopeful Message of Bright Week The joyful singing of the special Troparian at Pascha ( Christ is risen from the dead ) ushers in Bright Week, so called because everything is truly bright with the dawning on Easter morning of the radiant, glorious and holy resurrection of the crucified and buried Christ from His tomb. All creation is thereby made new. Humankind is restored to its pristine state as Adam and Eve are released from the bonds of death, the consequence of their sinful disobedience in Paradise. St. Paul, writing to the Church at Corinth for the second time, tells them (and us), If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the former things have passed away. Behold they are made new! (5:17) Writing to the Romans, he declares that...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (6:4) Earlier in his first epistle to the Corinthians, he instructs them Purge out the old leaven that you may be a new dough, as you really are without leaven. For Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the feast not with old leaven, not with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (5:7-8) The resurrection of our Savior fittingly coincides with the threshold of Spring. Just as His holy birth is celebrated with the victory of sunlight when the days begin to lengthen in Winter s darkness, so Easter coincides with the re-birth of nature itself when the earth comes alive again with greenery and flowers. Nature itself is a grand and stirring symbol of the cycle of life what seemingly dies, lies dormant, rests and emerges again alive, healthy, strong and vibrant. Our world becomes a living symbol of spiritual realities. We cannot help but be aware of renewal. As we joyously celebrate these forty days between Easter Sunday and the Thursday of Ascension, fifty between Easter and holy Pentecost, may we sincerely and profoundly renew our faith in Christ s victory over death, His opening again for us the gates of Paradise, and the sending of the Spirit to enliven and renew us by grace here in this life through the hope and promise of life everlasting with Him in heaven s blessedness. 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