Dear Parish Family,

This weekend we celebrate World Marriage Day as a nation and World Day of the Sick as the Church. Marriage is the foundation of the family, and family life is where the call to holiness is formed and the self-gift of love matures. The Church has the indispensable role in today's society to safeguard not just the sacramental meaning of the covenant of marriage as an image of Christ's spousal love for the Church, but perhaps most pressingly the natural meaning of marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman open to the transmission of life and the raising of children. May God bless all married couples this day and give them the strength and grace to faithfully witness to the truth of God's wisdom in their daily lives. 

In 1992, St. John Paul II instituted February 11 as the World Day of the Sick, which is "a special time of prayer and sharing, of offering one's suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding us to see in our sick brother and sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying, and rising, achieved the salvation of humankind" (Letter Instituting the World Day of the Sick, 13 May 1992, #3). The sick have an elevated status in the Church as they reveal the face of the suffering Christ. When I anoint someone, I remind them that in heaven and on earth, wherever the Church is praying for the sick, they are being prayed for. 

As you listen to today's Scriptures, pay attention to how close Jesus is to the sick. There's no malady, whether it be physical, spiritual, or moral, that would make Jesus recoil from us. He listens to our desire to be made clean, then reaches out and touches that place of brokenness once we've given Him permission to heal. Jesus is patient, kind, and gentle with our wounds. His power over sickness and death brings us salvation and life.

I also want to draw your attention to a special insert in today's bulletin from Bishop Malesic introducing parish and school groupings through the Keeping of the Faith strategic plan to strengthen Catholic elementary schools. Bishop Malesic reminds us that every parish is responsible for supporting Catholic education. Not only is St. Mary School supported by St. Mary Parish and St. Patrick Parish, we will also be collaborating with the other parishes and schools listed below to reflect on our local needs and work together to support and strength Catholic education in our region. I will update you on relevant progress being made in our Geauga/Lake region as we formally enter into this association of parishes and schools, but please know at this point that this is a good thing for our parish, school, and diocese!

Bishop Malesic Letter

Our Keeping the Faith Parish/School Association: 

This Wednesday, February 14 marks not only Valentine's Day, but also the beginning of our Lenten season. We begin Lent with Ash Wednesday. St. Mary's Ash Wednesday Masses are 7:30 am, 9:30 am (with the School), 12 pm, and 7 pm, and St. Patrick's has a 7 pm Ash Wednesday Mass. Here are a few Lenten things to put on your radar:

• Pick up a Little Black Book, a 6-minute daily Lent devotional, in the back of church starting this weekend until supplies last.
• The St. Mary Fish Fry's begin this Friday as well. Get your family and friends together and come in for a delicious and affordable meal from 4:30 - 7 pm every Friday of Lent. All proceeds go to our Adopt-a-Student fund to help school families with tuition assistance. 
• Pray Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent at our parish at 7 pm.
• Save the dates for our 3-night St. Mary/St. Patrick Parish Mission from Sunday February 25 - Tuesday February 27 held at St. Mary's! Sister Anna Rose and Sister Sarah Rose from the Franciscan Sisters in Steubenville will be leading our mission with the theme "Walking to Calvary: A Eucharistic Journey." Each night begins at 7 pm and will last an hour. 

Save the date for our parish feast day on Saturday, March 16! We will celebrate our Vigil Mass at 4 pm and dinner at 5 pm. Last year's event was a lot of fun, and I hope many of you can make it again or for the first time this year! Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children 6-12, and children under 6 eat for free! Please sign up in the back of church so we know how much food to prepare. You can pay ahead of time or at the door. More details to come. 

Finally, as we prepare to enter the sacred season of Lent with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, I want to thank you for your generosity in giving of your time, talent, and treasure to our parish. We would not be able to work and pray together as well as we do without your hands and heart invested into our liturgy and community. May God bless you abundantly and make you abound in good works this holy season!

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow