During this coming week, the third week of Easter, each day we will continue to read from the Acts of the Apostles. We will read stories of courage, of denial, of conversion and complete transformation.

The SVDP donation truck will be at St. Mary this Saturday afternoon until early Monday April 19. We’re collecting household items, dishes, clothing, toys, sporting equipment, books, small furniture and appliances...

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina.

On behalf of our Parish Staff, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very blessed Easter. Christ has risen! He is truly risen! Once again the Church can cry out in prayer and song, “Alleluia!”

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week. It is a week that truly changed the world. It is the week in which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fulfilled His mission to redeem the world by His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

 This Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Lent. For the readings from Cycle B, the Gospel from John (12:20-33) tells us that “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

Anyone who would like to make the Consecration to St. Joseph on Friday, March 19th, please join us immediately after the parish Stations of the Cross. Women and men of any age are most welcome to join us. St. Joseph, pray for us!

Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —, raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Today marks the 3rd Sunday of the season of Lent. We are half way to the beginning of Holy Week and, perhaps, this is a good time to reflect on how we have or have not embraced this holy season. If we have been faithful to our resolutions and experienced a deepening of our prayer life, let’s give thanks and praise to God! If we have struggled with prayer, fasting and almsgiving, let’s not get discouraged or be tempted to give up on this sacred time!

The Diocese of Cleveland has instructed all of its parishes to participate in “The Called For More Pilot” program from the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). CLI received a grant from the Lilly Endowment to pilot a new process for supporting priests and parishes in thriving in ministry. By gathering information about each priest and each parish, the pilot seeks to give parishioners more awareness about the needs and opportunities of their local community...

This weekend, February 20-21, is the Parish Appeal Weekend for the Annual Catholic Appeal for the Diocese of Cleveland. The Theme for this year’s Appeal is “Love Your Neighbor.” Each parish has been given a specific goal.

Our friends from Holy Land Gifts will be here at the parish next weekend, February 27-28 at all the Masses. There will be a display of handmade articles for sale such as Nativity Scenes, Crucifixes, Rosaries and many other beautiful religious items. Because of conflict in the region, many Christian families in Bethlehem are struggling to make ends meet...

Dear Parish Family, I would like to congratulate all of the children of our parish who recently celebrated the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation for the first time. I am grateful for their families, their teachers and catechists as well as our Religious Education staff and volunteers. Let’s keep them in our prayers as they prepare for their First Holy Communion...

Anyone who would like to make the Consecration to St. Joseph on March 19th, please join us in that prayer immediately after the Stations of the Cross. You may purchase the Consecration to St. Joseph book by Fr. Donald Calloway online or at Catholic book stores, or at consecrationtostjoseph.org, which also offers more information. Begin reading on Feb.15th for a Mar. 19th consecration date. You'll spend about 20-30 minutes a day on this 33 day journey. If you miss a day, you simply make it up and continue. Women and men of any age are most welcome to join us in this venture. St. Joseph, pray for us!

In the the Garden of Gethsemane, our Lord asked the apostles this same question right before he was handed over. And now, we ask you: "Could you spend one hour with Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament?" Be sure to the view the attached flyer for more info, and to select an hour. It may be returned to the Parish Office.

The Gospel for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary time is from Mark 1:21-28. Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Jonah (Jonah 3:1-5, 10) was a reluctant prophet.  He was called by God to preach against the city of Nineveh because, “their wickedness has come up before me.”  Instead, Jonah attempted to run away from his divine commission.  He boarded a ship, was cast overboard and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and sent on his way to Nineveh, the traditional enemy of Israel.

I am pleased to announce that St. Mary Parish in Chardon will be hosting its annual Lenten Parish Mission on Monday, February 22nd, Tuesday, February 23rd and Wednesday, February 24th from 7:00-8:15 p.m. each evening. “The Faith and Real Life Parish Mission” will be presented by Mr. Greg Wasinski, an internationally known Catholic speaker.

  This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. By our baptism, we are all called to be holy. We are called to share our time, talent and treasure to make Christ known, loved and served in our world. Ultimately, we are made by God and for God to know, love and serve him in this life so as to be with God forever in the heavenly kingdom.

As we begin a New Year, the Solemnity of the Epiphany calls us to be people of hope. Certainly, that theological virtue has been tested over the last 10 months with the Coronavirus. Still, today’s readings emphasize the need to embrace that virtue perhaps more than ever.