Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Yes, We Still Believe in That! When we hear the word “relic” we probably think of something old, some ancient artifact that Indiana Jones would set out on an adventure to find. In Catholicism we use the word “relic” to refer to the remains of saints.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Yes, We Still Believe in That! When burying the remains of the dead. This is a practice that Catholics must do; it is one of the corporal works of mercy. As Christians we believe our bodies are good because God created them. He meant for them to be part of who we are forever. Due to original sin, death entered the world thus leaving our bodies to corruption. Keep that in mind if tempted to think that sin is not that bad.

Yes, We Still Believe in That! Last week I wrote about the reality and importance of angels. There are many examples in Scripture of angels, and the Church’s teaching is clear on their existence. The same can be said of demons, which are fallen angels. Demons retain their natural abilities but are fallen and thus deprived of God’s sanctifying grace.

Yes, We Still Believe That! - Angels and Demons In the Creed we pray our belief in God the Creator of “all things visible and invisible.” Being humans who rely on sense experience we can tend to forget the invisible realm, but it does exist. Angels are very real; they are not figments of our imagination nor are they mere literary devices used by authors of Scripture.

Make a Joyful Noise!-There will be an organizational meeting for those past and future members of the St. Paul Ringers handbell choir and for any other interested students at least 12-years of age or adults on September 9th @ 1:00 p.m. in the church. 

Yes, We Still Believe in That!! This week let us gives thanks to God for His mercy and grace, because without it we will end up in Hell. The reality of Hell is part of what Catholics must believe. This teaching is not morbid or unhealthy; it is recognizing the truth of the consequences of our freewill.

A new hymn to St. Paul is here! Look for this new hymn in the pews very soon. The hymn tune is "O God Beyond All Praising" and is familiar to all. 

Yes, we still believe that! It is still a wonderful Catholic custom to offer prayers for the faithful departed. A few weeks ago I wrote here about our continued belief in Purgatory and the efficacy of our prayers for those who have died. This week I focus on how we do this specifically by offering Masses for people. After all, if we want to pray for people, why not offer the most perfect prayer there is - the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Yes, we still believe that! This year is the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae. An encyclical is a particular letter written by a pope to address pastoral issues in the church. Pope Paul wrote Humanae Vitae to uphold the constant teaching of the church regarding the use of artificial contraception.

Yes! We still believe that! Last week a parishioner mentioned to me that my bulletin column about our continuing belief in the doctrine of Purgatory was helpful, so I figured I would write another - this time on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

A new Mass setting will be coming in August. Take time to listen and sing along. Practice videos have been provided. The new mass is called "Missa Pacem" which is in our Gather Book beginning with #271. Please note that we will sing the Gloria refrain at the beginning only, not between the verses.

The St. Paul Adult Choir will have their first rehearsal on September 5th, Wednesday evening @ 6:30 p.m.  Membership is open to all adults as well as youth in at least grade 5. 

A person told me that she recently brought up the truth of Purgatory with a group of people. Someone else in the group said something to the effect of, “oh we don’t believe in Purgatory anymore.” This was a catholic person who said this!

Thank you to all who all participated in the Masses of Thanksgiving for the 92 years of St. Paul Parish Day School Ministry last weekend.  We had many visitors return to pray, share stories, walk the halls of the school, and give thanks to God for His boundless care. 

We offer our thanks to God for the 92 years of our parish day school. We focus on thanking God because in His great Providence all things work toward the Good and will give Him glory. For 92 years, students were educated in the light of Christ at our school.

Be sure to check out our updated parish website at stpaulakron.org.  List it as one of your favorites.  We are still adding content and hoping it becomes a useful resource for our parishioners but also for new folks who may be looking to join or even non-Catholics who are interested in the Church. 

Hopefully this summer is a time of true recreation.  Have you ever looked more closely at the word, “recreation.”  It is really meant to “re-create” us.  Since we were created by God, true recreation time is a privileged time to be re-created in the Lord.  In fact this is why Sunday is such a privileged day.

We will have a special choir practice on June 27th in preparation for the Celebration of 92 year of St. Paul School Weekend Liturgy. Be there in the church ready to go @ 6:30 p.m. - doors open at 6:15 p.m.

St. Paul Parish Stewards of the Land Ministry is working to beautify our campus. Our point person for this ministry is Andrea Reddest. We are in need of people for a variety of outdoor work: mulching, trimming, watering. Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. is an organizational meeting. If interested, please stop by. Questions, call the Rectory 330-724-1263.

Thank you to all our school students, families, teachers, and all parishioners for a grace-filled last day of school on June 1.  While there was sadness and some tears, there was also the recognition of God continuing to be at work in our lives.