Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Freedom in Christ This Thursday is Independence Day. Please note the Mass time is changed to 9am. It is a day we celebrate Freedom and thank God for the gift of freedom. We thank Him also for our country, this great experiment in republican democracy. The second reading for this weekend is apropos. St. Paul writes to the Galatians, “For freedom Christ set us free, so stand firm and do not submit again to the yolk of slavery. For you were called for freedom ... but do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather serve one another through love.”

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Happy Pentecost! As I write this I am in Assisi, Italy on retreat with Bishop Perez and twenty-five other priests of the Diocese of Cleveland. The hometown of St. Francis is a beautiful and blessed place. It is as if the whole town is the retreat house. The landscape is wonderful and the people charming. Think rustic old town country and then add one thousand years. Thankfully there are modern amenities and of course the food is awesome!

Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Diabolical Weather and God’s Grace How about that crazy weather last Saturday night! Right as the 4:30 Mass began it became very loud in the church from the hail hitting the church roof. Even the lights seemed to dim ever so slightly and our electric organ’s volume wavered just a little bit. Interestingly this was during the blessing of water to prepare for the sprinkling rite.