“Then He led them out as far as Bethany, raised His hands, and blessed them. As He blessed them, He parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did Him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.” (Lk 24:50-53)
When I hear this gospel for the celebration of the Ascension, I cannot help but think of our children and teachers as school is off for the summer. I am sure they too are filled with great joy and praise to God for the summer ahead. There is great joy in what the summer brings…cookouts…vacations…golfing…a more relaxed schedule. We have been blessed by God for so many things. Do we take time to praise God for all the good He has done in our lives?
Thanks. A word of thanks for all the affirmations you gave me for my 10-year anniversary. Thanks for making me feel loved and supported here. It is a great privilege to serve you here. Another person nearing a 10-year milestone is our school principal, Mrs. Kathryn Dougherty. 10 years ago in the middle of June, Fr. Bline hired her. She has helped to shape the school into what it is today. This coming fall, we will be close to having 400 students in the school. On September 5, it will be the 75th anniversary of the first day of our parish school in 1950. What an exciting time!
Seminarians in residence. This past week, we welcomed seminarians Christopher Villareal and Simon Park to St. Francis de Sales. They will be staying at the rectory while on summer break. They plan to work in various ways, whether it be maintenance, office work, serving at liturgies, or other tasks around the parish. Their presence here this summer will be a great blessing. Christopher is entering 1st Theology at St. Mary Seminary and is from St. Sebastian Parish in Akron. Simon Park is entering 2nd Theology at St. Mary Seminary and is from the Archdiocese of Daegu, South Korea. Thank you for keeping them in prayer this summer and always.
Phishing scams. It seems like phishing scams have been on the rise lately. Some people have received messages claiming to be from me requesting gift cards. As much as we at the parish enjoy gift cards, we have never and will never ask for them by text, email, or any way ever. Please pay attention to the email sender. If it does not come from an email address listed in the parish bulletin directory, it is a scam. Thanks for being aware of this and acting appropriately.
God bless you abundantly,
Fr. Jeremy