Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful opportunity we have this Sunday to be grateful for the gift of our moms. While no one has a 'perfect' mom (except Jesus!), we thank God for giving us a mother who said yes to our, your life and mine. We pray that mothers may rejoice in the gift of motherhood bestowed upon them by our Lord. 

This week we also remember our late pastor, Fr. Dan Redmond, who died unexpectedly last year on May 9, 2021. We hold Fr. Redmond and his family in our prayers, grateful for the years he shared his gift of priesthood for our community, and with compassion for the loss we experience in our hearts.



This Sunday is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please pray for a renewal of vocations to marriage, religious life, and holy orders, that men and women may graciously respond to our Lord's invitations to serve Him faithfully through life in the calling that best fits him.

I would like to pause on publishing the final Listening Session theme of Leadership (subthemes Shepherding, Collaboration, and Presence). We have some very important and exciting events coming up, and I don't want the presentation of the themes to get lost with everything going on. All the themes and comments from the Listening Sessions are available online at www.stmarychardon.org/listening-session-results.

Ohio is the 18th state to implement a tax credit scholarship program for taxpayers to turn their tax dollars into tuition assistance. Donors to the Angel Scholarship Fund receive a tax credit to offset their Ohio income tax liability. Students receive tuition assistance at no net cost to donors! Read more in today's bulletin, on our website at www.stmarychardon.org/asf, and stay tuned for more information. This is a win-win for taxpayers, students, families, Catholic schools, and our parish community. I am so excited about this opportunity and to share more with you at next weekend's Masses.

Ordination and Jubilarian Invites: Mark your calendars for these special celebrations for Fr. David Verbsky, Deacon Larry Boehnlein, and Fr. Steve Spisak in the coming weeks:

1. Sunday, May 22 - 12 Noon - Mass of Thanksgiving for Fr. David Verbsky.  David Verbsky, a son of our parish, will be ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland on Saturday, May 21, and will celebrate his Mass of Thanksgiving at our noon Mass on Sunday, May 22. All are invited to celebrate this Mass and congratulate Fr. Verbsky at a parish reception following the Mass.
2. May 28 – 4:30 p.m. Jubilee Mass and Reception for the 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Diaconate for Deacon Larry Boehnlein. Dc. Larry has faithfully served the Diocese of Cleveland and our parish community as a deacon for the past 25 years. We will celebrate his vocation and service at the 4:30 p.m. Vigil Mass on Saturday, May 28 with a reception following Mass which is open to the whole parish community.
3. June 12 – 12:00 p.m. Jubilee Mass and Reception for the 40th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood for Father Stephen Spisak. Fr. Spisak celebrates 40 years of priesthood on June 12. We are grateful for his service to the Church, the Diocese of Cleveland, and to St. Mary and St. Patrick Parishes. We will celebrate his vocation and service at the 12:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday, June 12 and have a reception following the Mass.

Communion Service and Adoration Wednesday May 11: Please note that we will have a communion service instead of a Mass this Wednesday since no priests were available to celebrate. The Eucharist will be exposed for Adoration at the end of the service as usual.

I will be away Monday through Friday this week at my Spiritual Director Training Program in Mundelein, Illinois with the Institute for Priestly Formation. Please keep me in prayer as I will also pray for you.