From the Pastor

Dear People of St. Bernard-St. Mary,

Do you make New Year resolutions? Have you made one? Statistic show that by June less than half of us will succeed. However, by the end of January most will still be making their desired change. Since people like to be successful at what they do, let’s make a change for just January! Do it for just today, this week, or this first month.

Consider making a spiritual or religious change. We are often more successful with the Lord’s grace at work in us. The seven virtues are for positive changes to the soul. Try strengthening your spirit with one of these: temperance, diligence, charity, chastity, kindness, patience, or humility. These are timeless resolutions.

The year 2010, an eventful year for us all in this new Parish, now enters the history books. In the move from St. Mary’s many pictures and records were brought to the new parish office and stored with archival files of St. Bernard’s.

Over the years the St. Bernard baptistery had been converted into a history room, with photos of the former pastors, renovation donors, and a replica of the church. Some have noticed that the replica is no longer there. At this time of merged histories, we are in the process of creating a new History/Meeting Room off the Social Hall in which the replica, beautifully crafted and donated by Timothy Shuber of Cuyahoga Falls, will be on view along with two other showcases containing artifacts from both former parishes. When completed we would like to have a dedication ceremony and blessing.

Many of the meetings and events that go on at the parish throughout the year are ‘our history’ in the making. I encourage you to keep record of your events and consider contributing materials to the archives for future generations. We owe a debt of gratitude to the archivists of both parishes who had the desire to keep a record of the parochial life and faith of those on whom we now stand and build.

On behalf of the staff, Deacon Ray, and Fr. Norm I wish you a grace-filled New Year. Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

I pray that your celebration of the Christ Mass (Christmas) was merry, joyful, and peaceful. You are in my prayers this Christmas Season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and then gather again this Sunday, to reflect on the mystery of the Holy Family – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I hope the time you spend with family and those you consider family is memorable and peaceful.

We welcome to the parish many who have been away from home – students, military, and families that have relocated. May your time with loved ones at home and here in the Church renew your love and faith.

It is amazing to me all that goes on in the parish at this time of the year: the Bethlehem giving Tree, our school Christmas Concert, the Summit Choral Concert, the special Hot Meals Program with Santa, Church decorating, Choir Practices (adults and children). And, it isn’t over, as I learn about First Night next weekend. There is much celebration at the parish and in Akron to ponder the Incarnation of Christ into our world and lives as we move into 2011.

There were a number of parishioners and volunteers who helped to make this Season bright. Without naming everyone because I’m certain to miss a few, I simply ask that you pray for those who gave of their time, talents, and treasures to bring a little joy to others. Also, please extend a prayerful remembrance to those who were memorialized in this year’s Poinsettias and were listed in last week’s bulletin.

My thanks to Mary Ann Boland, Tony Crookston, Karen Kapes, and Gary Geis who shared with us a deeper meaning of the Eucharist. As we celebrate God-with-us, may we grow in appreciation of Christ’s Real Presence with us always in Eucharist. With the church being open every day and with two daily masses, know you are always welcome to visit and pray.

As we begin a new year together I want to thank you for your patience as we continue to merge two spiritually rich parishes into one vibrant Catholic family. It has not been easy for many, but with faith and prayer we can glean the best from both to strengthen our devotion to Jesus Christ and our charity to those in need. I hope that Twenty Eleven is a touch of Heaven. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

Advent comes to a close this week with the celebration of Christmas. I want to thank all the people who have given their time, talents, and treasures to the parish community. Many spent extra hours preparing music for the choirs (children and adults). Our thanks to those who came to decorate the church. And our thanks to those who helped with our hunger and Bethlehem/Giving Tree Programs. Your sacrifice helped not only the parish but the people we try to serve at this time of the year, the needy of Akron. Giving to others is a wonderful way of preparing our hearts for the Season of Christmas. As Christ gave completely of himself for us, so we share with others.

I hope this final week of Advent is blessed as you prepare your home for the Christmas Season. Often digging through the boxes of lights and ornaments bring back many memories of Christmases past. Here in the church you will find a mixture of decorations from the former parishes: the stately trees of St. Bernard and the nativity crèche of St. Mary.

A warm welcome to our visitors this coming week. Know you all are in my prayers. Continue to pray for one another. A Blessed Christmas, Fr. Dan

As I write to you our first full day of snow has fallen on the city. It was beautiful to see when we took a break from shoveling it!! Our thanks to Scott Graham, who gave extra hours to see that everything was plowed and clear for the school and parish to function.

This weekend a Summit County tradition takes place here. This Saturday the 5pm Mass is in Spanish and English to commemorate the Apparition of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego on mount Tepeyac in Mexico. The tilma (cape) of St. Juan, made of material that lasts 20 years, has miraculously portrayed the image of the Blessed Mother now for 479 years. Scientists still don’t know what’s made the image. It’s not paint or a dye. A few decades ago, they discovered the reflection of Juan Diego in the iris of the Madonna’s eye. Amazing!

People from all over Summit Co. will come here to celebrate. A century ago, our immigrant ancestors were often greeted with bigotry and isolationism in our nation and sadly, our Church. As a result, Italians or Germans built their own church a few blocks down from the Irish or Hungarian church. In part it was to meet their own cultural needs and because often their priests came over too. Today however, Hispanics are not building churches – which would probably have to be painfully closed a century from now – nor are they sending priests. The Spanish speaking population is quickly being integrated into existing parishes. For decades the former St. Bernard parish welcomed our fellow Catholics who settled in Summit County. And it will continue today as we try to understand why so many people are fleeing their homelands, like our ancestors, to seek a better life for their families in America.

Another Summit County tradition is the Summit Choral Society. For almost two decades the Choral has chosen the beautiful and sacred setting of our parish church for its Christmas Program. We welcome back the SCS under the direction of Dr. Frank Jacobs on December 17, 18, and 19 at 7:30 pm. A reminder there is no 8pm Mass next Sunday, December 19.

Please post the Schedule for Advent Confessions and Christmas Masses found in today’s bulletin. And please support the advertisers who provide our bulletin.

After Mass last weekend I learned that leaflets were put on car windshields from a group calling itself “Endangered Catholics”. A parishioner was very upset by this activity. Please know that this group took it upon themselves and did not consult anyone here beforehand. The placing of leaflets, political material, or commercial advertisements on parishioner’s vehicles – although difficult to control – is discouraged, if not prohibited.

See you on Wednesday to decorate some trees! A blessed Advent week – Gaudete! Rejoice! Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus said to his disciples “I sent you to reap what you have not sown; others have sown, and you are reaping the fruits of their work”. As this new liturgical year begins in our new parish, we see these words become flesh as we welcome the members of the RCIA.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is the formation process for adults called to the Christian Faith in the Church. By the Lord’s own doing these men and women have entered a nearly year-long process to learn more about Christ and his teachings. They attend the 9:30am Mass and depart after the Homily to reflect and study more closely the Gospels in light of the teachings in the Church. Our Catechumens are: John Perault, Joseph Singleton, and Zephinia Nimon.

Joining them are 11 people who were baptized into Christ but have lived their Christian commitment in other Communities. They are considering living their faith with us in the fullness of Christ’s teachings in the Church. We also welcome our Candidates: Tami Pentek-George, Joe Givens, Kalie Sarmiento, Anna Thornton, Autumn Goffinet, Karina Maitland, Amber Cericola-Woods, Leslie Kunkel, Christopher Reed, Dorothy Scott, and Stephanie Swinehart.

This process of discernment is not easy. It is probably easier to give up because so much of faith is a mystery that calls for acceptance. For this reason we welcome them with our prayers this Sunday. Often it is not easy to move beyond our comfort zone. We need prayer too in order to have the courage to reach out in welcome. RCIA members join us for Mass, Coffee and Donuts. As we work to meet one another as a merging parish, please extend a welcome to these newcomers as well. Let us see and appreciate the Lord’s work in them.

Be sure to read Mr. Tony Crookston’s reflection on the Eucharist in this week’s Advent series.

A reminder that free parking is available to us at the southside parking garage. If you are here for a religious event (e.g. Mass, wedding, funeral), please just tell the attendant you are here for Church. Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King marks the final week of the 2010 Liturgical Year. Royalty fascinates many. In the news this week was the announcement that Prince William of Wales is engaged to marry. The British look to the continuation of the royal line. And many want to know about his fiancée Kate Middleton who will be united to the royal family.

But, the Kingship of Jesus Christ is not a reign over nations but over hearts. Jesus’ reign began out of love and mercy from a cross. In our response to Him in faith, love and service we continue His reign on earth. And, by our Communion in the Blood of Christ we are members of a royal family and heirs of eternal life.

Coincidentally, we welcome the Knights to our parish Masses. The Knights of Columbus are actively involved in our parish and meet here weekly. This fraternal society, formed in 1882 in Connecticut, is now worldwide. They strive to defend their nation, family, and the Catholic Faith. The K of C strives to maintain strong, secure, and stable families by providing benefits to its members. It extends its mission by many charitable works, and in this age of media co-sponsors the telecast of many papal events. Please stop for more information from a Knight with us, or at www.kofc.org

The Bethlehem Giving Trees are set up. Please read further instructions in today’s bulletin if you want to participate. Our thanks to Tom Maximovich for heading up this annual event.

Envelopes are at our doors if you would like to purchase a poinsettia in memory of a loved one. Just follow the instructions on the envelope. We will purchase the plant to place in the church for Christmas.

We have much to be thankful for when we stop to count our blessings. Let us give thanks together at 9:30am Mass–a Blessed Thanksgiving Day! Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

This week Parent-Teacher conferences were held at the school. The parish assisted by putting on a dinner and clothing drive. Our thanks to Patty and Mike Ayers, their crew of volunteers, and everyone who donated. It was a wonderful sign of our solidarity with our St. Bernard-St. Mary School Families.

We have lector training this month for all St. Mary or St. Bernard Lectors. It is also an opportunity to see if this is a ministry for you. Come and see if being a reader at Mass on Sundays or weekdays is for you. Students from UA are encouraged to attend as well.

Some folks have asked if Parish Council is open to parishioners to attend or observe. The Council welcomes your suggestions and encourages you to pass them on to council members. But, if you would like to sit in on a council meeting, they are held the second Monday of the month at 7pm. Parish Council members are: Patty Ayers, Trish Bozsik (secretary), Tony Crookston (Chair), Paul Jaeger, Mike Kulig (UA rep), Dan Mernagh, Ramon Pinzon, Ruth and Dick Reinhart,

At Council last Monday, one of the agenda items was Christmas Decorations. Holy Cow! Already? Yes! We need some youthful assistance to transport Christmas decorations from St. Mary’s attic and down from St. Bernard’s attic. Then we will need to set up on Wednesday, Dec. 15 (four hours) and complete the church on Thursday, Dec. 23. Please call the office to add your name to the list of volunteers. This year, as at Easter, we will make available envelopes to purchase a Poinsettia Plant for the church in memory of a loved one

When I first came to the parish I had to stop and ask, “Where’s the Office?” It wasn’t easy to find. The big white and blue sign that hung on the church corner to announce the new parish now hangs on our office building located behind the old school building. Hopefully you can find us when visiting.

Little by little we are seeing more and more people stopping by the church to pray during the day. What a wonderful place to rest and reflect with Christ in the Eucharist. The church is open every morning at 9:30 until 6:00pm (Thursdays from 6:30am until 4:00pm). Please pass the word. And, by all means, use our parking lot when you are here for the Church.

Jesus speaks of how transitory life is. Even this temple of worship, as beautiful as it is, will one day be gone. It takes many resources to keep it, but it won’t remain without YOU. Thank you for being here to worship and to build this new community. Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

This past week I participated in a panel discussion for medical professionals about the Catholic rituals at the time of illness and death. It was interesting to hear the beliefs and practices of Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Amish. Most people had heard of our “Last Rites”, and so I gave a further explanation on them.

The Rites are actually three separate Sacraments. They ritualize or begin a process toward peace with God and one another. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick helps us with the grace of the Holy Spirit and to open us to the ‘anointing’ we will receive from doctors, nurses, hospice workers, the Church, family and others working to bring spiritual and physical healing. The Sacrament of Penance (confession) is given to help us be reconciled with God, the Church, and people with whom forgiveness needs to be given or received. Then, the Sacrament of the Eucharist places us in communion with Christ, and leads us to celebrate and give thanks to God for those with whom I have been in communion of spirit and love during my life: relatives, friends, parishioners, and even the faithful departed. The Last Rites are a process of graced moments, and I encourage Catholics to be open to God’s mercy in that time of life.

Like a census, the Diocese estimates the number of active parishioners in each parish by taking a head count for two weekends at all the masses. Here is the “average weekend Mass attendance” from two recent October weekends in comparison to past years:

2007 2008 2009 2010

St. Bernard 1582 1459 1331 merged

St. Mary 514 554 523 parish

2096 2013 1854 1146

This year we dropped one Sunday afternoon mass that averaged 150 people. But despite the decrease in attendance we are managing and hope to grow.

Some have asked about that pink envelope in your offering packet marked “Monthly Parish Expenses”. I had to do some homework. In July, there were three expense envelopes: Major Parish Expenses, Monthly Parish Expenses, and the Memorial Trust. Major Parish and Memorial Trust were earmarked for capital improvements on the church. The Monthly Parish Expense envelope was earmarked for unseen needs that were not budgeted.

Contributions to these envelopes were also exempt from the Annual Diocesan Assessment based on the regular Mass collection. I discontinued the Major Parish Expense because contributions were being deposited in the Memorial Trust anyway. I continued the Monthly Parish Expense envelope because we run into unforeseen needs not in the maintenance budget.

We are able to use the pink envelopes this month to purchase new vacuum cleaners. With John Regan’s help we gathered the barely workable vacuums from around the parish, salvaged what we could, and will purchase two new ones with attachments. They are not cheap. So please, continue to use the Monthly expense envelope for our unexpected repairs and equipment, and the green Memorial Trust envelope for capital improvements on the church building. Currently we are looking into a new sound system for the church.

Pray for our Vets this week, Fr. Dan

With All Souls Day coming soon, it seems a good time to clarify Mass intentions and stipends. Let me say that the Church is very clear regarding the acceptance of Mass intentions and any monetary offering (stipend) the faithful wishes to “contribute to the good of the Church and…to support its ministers and works” (canon 946).

At every Mass the priest prays for many intentions and you hear them named in the Eucharistic Prayer. In addition, priests are often asked to remember a relative who is ill, a neighbor

who died suddenly, a deceased relative, the end to war, as well as other specific intentions. Although priests are not obligated to pray for requests made informally, such requests are respected and most often remembered in the priest’s daily prayers or during Masses when no specific intention has been requested. However, when a person extends to the priest a monetary sacrificial offering with their intention, and it is accepted, priests are obligated to pray for that intention at a Mass.

The monetary offering (or stipend) has two purposes: 1) that the person unites their intention to the Sacrifice of the Mass with a sacrifice – like the collection at weekend Masses, and herein lays the obligation, and 2) to provide support to the priest, who even today in some countries, depend upon the offerings alone for their livelihood.

Canon Law also states that “Any appearance of trafficking or trading is to be excluded entirely from the offering for Masses” (canon 947). A priest cannot accept more than one intention and offering per mass, for the obvious reason that he is not praying the Mass to make a lot of money with multiple intentions. And, if the priest says more than one Mass a day, he can only keep one stipend for himself; the other stipends are to be distributed elsewhere based on diocesan policy.

Likewise, the appearance of trading, also known as simony, is to be avoided. That is, an appearance or a notion that a person has given a donation and has now ‘bought a Mass’, ‘paid for a Mass’ or has ownership to a Mass is to be excluded entirely.

On November 2, All Souls Day, we will make available the 2011 Mass Intention Book. If

you would like to have a loved one or a particular

intention offered during a Mass in the coming year at the parish, we can accept your intention and offering following these guidelines:

• We accept Mass intentions and offerings at the Parish Office or through the mail, as long as a contact phone is provided in case your requested date(s) is already taken. No phone or email requests will be accepted.

• We accept only ONE intention per Mass; be it for an individual, couple, family, or cause. (Please have an alternative date if your first choice is taken, or we can suggest one.)

• We will repeat an intention up to 12 times per year at the same Mass hour. (e.g. If you want 24 Masses offered for your father this year at 8pm Mass, he will be remembered at 12 of them, and the other 12 will be at another Mass time or day of your choosing or our availability.)

• We will publish your intention in the parish bulletin and/or announce it during the Mass for the faithful to include in their prayer, and to record that the obligation was fulfilled.

• We will not publish the name of the donor nor the amount of the offering.

• We will provide a Mass card in the parish office that includes the Mass date and time for you to mail to the person or family informing them of the spiritual gift you made on their behalf.

• We will leave the amount of the offering to the donor. (In our Diocese, a person will offer around $10 per mass intention, if that indeed is a sacrifice to God for that donor.)

• Once the 2011 Mass Intention Book is full, any intentions and offerings received at the Parish Office will be sent to our Diocese to be offered by available priests.

I hope this insert sheds some light on the practice of Mass intentions and offerings (stipends). I hope too that these guidelines provide a fair and simple way for us to pray for one another at Mass knowing one’s intention is being lifted to God with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Peace and Good,

Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

Please welcome James Miller, a 3rd year student in our diocesan seminary. Jim will share a few words with us on his consideration of priesthood.

It’s good to be back home after a week in Greece tracing the steps of St. Paul. The eldest member of the pilgrimage was 98 years young, another was a youthful 85. Keeping up with them wore me out! Fr. Norm is also back after a week of prayer and renewal with the priests of our diocese. Thanks to Deacon Ray, Fr. McCafferty, and Abbot Clement for their assistance.

Maybe you had a chance to rummage through our Rummage Sale this weekend. All the proceeds go toward parish and school expenses. A big thank you to Mary Ann Boland and her crew of volunteers who did so much of the work for this sale.

In the midst of our closings and merging this past July an award was presented. Mrs. Ada Gelpi, our Director of Hispanic Ministry, was given an Award of Appreciation for her active participation in the 2010 U.S. Census. Thanks Ada for making sure we all count!

Monday is All Saints Day; a holyday but not of obligation this year. Please note the masses are the regular daily hours. There will be a 6:30pm Mass at St. Mary Church that day for the PSR children and parents.

On Tuesday All Souls Day, we will make available the 2011 Mass Book for anyone wishing to request intentions with an offering. Also, any envelopes for All Souls Day will be placed near the altar this month for our prayerful remembrance. Our thanks to the men and women who gave a hand cleaning the cemetery this month. Their effort is a Work of Mercy that reflects the respect to be shown to the deceased.

In November we will have training sessions for men and women interested in serving as Lectors. If you read at Mass at St. Mary’s or St. Bernard’s and would like to continue this ministry, please attend ONE session from the following opportunities. We do need you.

Saturday, Nov. 6 or 13, at 10am

Monday, Nov. 15 or 22, at 7pm

Sessions will be in the church. If you cannot make a training session, please call me for another time.

Did you know that the church is open from 9:30am to about 6pm on weekdays? You are most welcome to stop and pray. The inner swinging doors are propped closed now to cut down on the outside noise, especially at Mass times, and to save a little on heat.

All the negative campaigning we have heard this election season can be very discouraging. I hope you will still go out to vote. This Tuesday is the day.

The Lord keep you in His Peace this week. Saint Mary and Saint Bernard – Pray for us!