Dear Parish Family,
This Fifth Sunday of Easter we open our hearts to know Jesus as "the way and the truth and the life." Jesus is not a way to God, or a truth to be believed, or a path of life to follow. He is the way, truth, and life - not merely one among many other options. Our relationship with Christ is necessary for salvation. He is the Good Shepherd who leads us back to life. Because of this, we accept our relationship with Christ on His terms, not on our own. 

I remember reading a testimonial from a non-denominational Christian that gets the relationship with Christ backwards: "I've tried many different churches, and I finally found the one that matches my understanding of God." Our relationship with God is not about finding a church or a Christ that fits into our personal worldview, but rather accepting that our own worldview needs to be redeemed by God's grace so we can live in the truth and live on the path to everlasting life. 

It is possible to misuse our God-given freedom to choose paths that seem preferable or comfortable to us but do not actually lead to life or happiness. Thanks be to God for the gift of our freedom to choose to live according to the truth of Christ! Our Catholic faith and teachings offer us precisely this integral and universal perspective to guide us to live our lives on God's terms as we obediently and faithfully follow Christ the way, the truth, and the life. 

Mental Health Perspective
I invite you to read the introduction in today's bulletin from Luke Brown from Sacred Heart Counseling, LLC, a Catholic counseling center based in Northeast Ohio offering holistic services to integrate faith and healing. I've known Luke for a number of years as a man of deep faith with great concern and compassionate care for others. We will be including his weekly mental health perspective in our bulletin on a regular basis as space permits. At times, other colleagues of his may contribute their perspective in this weekly column. I pray that reading this mental health perspective will help put us in touch with the healing resources available to us. If you find yourself in need of counseling services, I would encourage you to connect with Sacred Heart Counseling. Learn more at https://www.sacredheartcleveland.com.

Our Lady of Kilimanjaro Missionary Co-Op
The Diocese of Cleveland has invited the Sisters of Our Lady of Kilimanjaro to be with us to give an appeal to support the work of their mission. The sisters help children and familied by providing educational, medical, and vocational services to different dioceses in and out of the country. One of the sisters will be speaking at Mass this weekend to share the good news of their mission and ministry, and to invite us to prayerfully and financially support the work of Jesus they are offering to those entrusted to their care. Thank you for your welcome of the sisters and your generosity in your giving.

Finally, please remember our late pastor, Fr. Dan Redmond, in your prayers this week. This Tuesday, May 9 marks the second anniversary of his passing.

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow

Mental Health Perspective: Introducing Luke Brown from Sacred Heart Counseling, LLC
Hello!  My name is Luke Brown and I am a mental health counselor.  I pursued a degree in mental health after a few years in seminary formation studying philosophy and theology.  While I discerned that God was not calling me to love others as a priest, I learned that he was calling me to another important path of helping others find healing and peace as a counselor.  In 2021, I started my own practice, Sacred Heart Counseling, where people can find mental health counseling that is able to incorporate their faith as part of the healing journey.  As part of my ministry, I write a weekly reflection column in the hopes of bringing our faith and mental health together to provide practical steps and insights towards healing and peace.  I regularly discuss topics such as anxiety, depression, parenting, relationship conflicts, communication, and boundaries, to name a few.  One of my biggest goals is to destigmatize the mental health world within our Catholic faith.  Too often I hear people say that counseling is for “crazy” people or that it is essentially “rent-a-buddy.”  Neither of these things are true.  Counseling is for anyone who finds themselves or their relationships in a difficult place and needs some help to find a path forward.  Frankly, I thought these same things about counseling until a priest told me that I should pursue counseling and, when I did, a whole new world opened up before me.  And now I am a counselor.  Life is funny that way.

I hope these reflections are helpful for you and give you food for thought!  If you ever have any questions about my reflections or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at 440-305-6192 or at lukebrown@sacredheartcleveland.com.  

You will be in my prayers!