Dear Parishioners,

This Sunday we welcome to the 11:30am Mass Fr. Steven Moran, Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Wooster, Ohio. He is a gifted preacher and an exemplary pastor in our diocese. You may recognize him from the Diocesan Television Mass on Sunday mornings, if you’re up that early, where he celebrates Mass for the Homebound. After serving as his Associate for five years, I am happy to have you meet him this weekend and have him meet some of you. Welcome, Fr. Steve!

As we welcome a visitor, I am sorry to say it is time to say ‘Adios’ to an old-timer of St. Bernard Parish. After ten years of service in the Parish Office, Mrs. Bethsaida “Beth” Lowe, is leaving us to take on the demands of full-time motherhood. With her husband Chris she needs to be home more often to care for the needs of their three beautiful children.

Beth has been a blessing to the Parish Office. Her ability to multi-task is a proven skill in our busy office. Multi-lingual has also been a gift to parishioners in the way she could kindly respond to parishioners in both English and Spanish. And, above all, for these many years she has compiled the bulletin you just love to read before Mass starts!! Responding to ringing phones, to bulletin inserts, to broken down copiers, to people at the door, and to frantic pastors she has been a wonderful part of the history of St. Bernard, and definitely will be missed. If you’d like to jot her a note, please send it to parishsecretary@stbernardstmary.org or the Parish address this week. Dios le bendiga, Beth! And, don’t be a stranger. Let’s keep her, her family and her mother – Ada Gelpi – in our prayers.

This Wednesday is a Holyday of Obligation: The Assumption of the Blessed Mother. Catholics join together at Mass to give thanks for the faith and hope we profess every Sunday: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead”. It is a dogma of our Catholic faith that the resurrection of the body has been privileged to Mary, the Mother of God, even before her Son returns in his glory at the end of time.

Please note that Masses will be celebrated on:

Tuesday, August 14 at 5:10 Vigil Mass

Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00am

11:00am (Children’s hospital)

12:10pm

7:00pm (St. Mary church)

The evening Mass at St. Mary on Wednesday will be the first Mass for the re-established parish. All are invited to attend this celebration and to pray for the future of the parish. I am grateful to the former SB-SM ministers who will assist at this Mass, and other Masses until St. Mary parishioners are trained as readers, servers, Eucharist Ministers, etc.

Next Sunday at our doors will be the Little Sisters of the Poor, who assist the elderly in our diocese. Many of you know their work and are generous to their ministry. Thank you for your support to this biennial request for assistance.

This past week the social concerns group met to discuss how the Sacraments are to have an effect in our lives. You’re most welcome to join in the discussion.

A Book of the Month club is forming and we’ll be reading and blogging on our parish website: www.stbernardakron.com For September we’ll be reading “The Promise: God’s Purpose and Plan for When Life Hurts”. The book can be purchased through Lisa Joyce at Queen of Angels Religious Treasures located at St. Joseph Church in Cuyahoga Falls. The author is a native Clevelander and Fox News commentator, Fr. Jonathan Morris, and now with the Archdiocese of New York.

Also, we will start our Adult Faith Enrichment Course on Wednesday, September 5 at 6:30pm in St. Mary School – the pastor said it would be okay! Something new this year will be a 5:30pm evening Mass in St. Mary church before the session. Bring a bag lunch for after Mass, and then join us for this year’s first offering: Jeff Cavin’s “Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come”. It is a 10-session DVD series on everything you always wanted to know about the book of Revelation. Please call the parish office to register. Total cost is only $5. A study book is $25 but not required. When you register tell us if you want to order a study book. Past attendees of these sessions have found them helpful. Please consider joining this fall at St. Mary School.

As I have mentioned briefly these past weeks, the Daily Mass Schedule will change following Labor Day. Opportunities to attend a Mass in the evening are slim. I am aware of only one Parish, Immaculate Conception in Kenmore, that offers one at 5:30pm on M-W-F. I will ask pastors at other parishes with available priests to consider offering one.

We will have only one Mass daily here at St. Bernard at 12:10 PM, Monday through Friday. Between Labor Day and Memorial Day, there will be a School Mass on Mondays at St. Mary Parish at 8:10am; and a Wednesday 5:30pm Mass followed by Adult Faith Enrichment in the School.

Let’s remember to pray for each other this week, and in a special way at Mass on Wednesday, the Feast of Mary’s Assumption. God bless you all.

Peace, Fr. Dan