Dear Parish Family,
I am excited to welcome Deacon Duckhyun (Fabian) Han as our next parochial vicar! Deacon Fabian will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, May 20 and begin his four-year assignment with us starting in late June at St. Mary Chardon and St. Patrick Thompson. Deacon Fabian is from the Archdiocese of Daegu, South Korea, studied at St. Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, and is serving his deacon year at Immaculate Conception Parish in Willoughby. St. Andrew Kim Parish in Cleveland is his parish here in the United States. Receiving a newly ordained priest is a great privilege for a parish. Our parish will become a blessing for him as he gives himself in priestly ministry, and he will also bless and enrich us in many ways through the exercise of his priestly ministry.
 
I remember my first parish assignment at Ss. Robert & William back in 2014 with Fr. John Betters and how he, the staff, and the parishioners shaped my priestly heart in my first four years of ministry. Like all newly ordained priests, I came with many ideas, hopes and dreams that the pastor, staff, and parishioners helped me to explore. Some things worked, other things flopped! That's all part of our growth as disciples (and certainly we will continue to experience that with me as well as a first-time pastor!). We will pray for Deacon Fabian as he will be navigating some important transitions in his life in the coming weeks. In our pastor/newly ordained orientation session at the cathedral chancery last week, we talked about the transition from being a private person to a public person, of being a student living in the institution of the seminary to a diocesan priest living at a rectory within a parish community, and of utilizing known skills to learning new skills by engaging in pastoral ministry and administration for the very first time. Please pray for our soon-to-be “Father” Fabian as he prepares for ordination and his priestly ministry with us later in June.
 
First Communion Saturday, May 6
Please pray for our First Communicants as they receive Jesus for the very first time in the Holy Eucharist this coming Saturday. The Eucharist is the pledge of our Lord's faithfulness to us and our corresponding faithfulness to Him. May Jesus abundantly bless these children with His mercy and love and keep them faithful to Him throughout their lives.
 
Catholic Charities Annual Appeal Update
Thank you to all our parishioners who pledged to this year's Catholic Charities Annual Appeal. Throughout our diocese, $11.9 million has been pledged towards the $14 million goal. Households that have not yet made a pledge should have received a follow-up appeal letter this week. I want to update you on our goals and next steps.

• Congratulations to St. Patrick Parish for raising $118,662 in pledges for the Catholic Charities Annual Appeal! This greatly surpassed the parish goal of $46,170. St. Patrick Parish will not need to conduct a second in-pew appeal weekend.
• St. Mary Parish has currently raised $99,781 in pledges towards the $131,701 goal. We will conduct a second in-pew appeal the weekend of May 27-28. This will be less intensive than the first in-pew appeal weekend, and will focus on a specific ministry of Catholic Charities towards which we will make a pledge.

With your support, we will continue to show the presence of Christ to all those in need throughout our Diocese of Cleveland.

I am yours in Christ, 
Father Scott Goodfellow