…”Thomas said to him, ‘Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Last weekend’s Gospel ended by Jesus promising to give us life – life to the fullest – life more abundant – forever. This weekend we hear the path to that fuller, more abundant life. Jesus says clearly that He is the way…the truth…and our life. He is the path that leads us to abundant life and joy – grace and peace. We need to use this weekend to renew our commitment to walk the path of the Lord. If we follow His way, we will be on the path of truth and fullness of life.
…Earlier this evening (Tuesday) we had our monthly Parish Pastoral Council meeting. There were 20 of us gathered together in prayer, discussion and reflection about our community. It was humbling and inspiring to listen to each of our PPC members reflect on our parish community. “We take care of lots of people.” “There is such a welcoming spirit.” “This is my family – my second home.” Eighth grader Daniel, “I like that there is something here for everyone .” It took the better part of 40 minutes to circle the table as each shared deeply on the abundant life they and their loved ones find here. As a parish community we are a well-spring of Christ’s mercy, hope and peace to so many in our community and across our region. God bless you for your goodness.
…God bless all of our mothers, grandmothers and godmothers on this Mother’s Day. The Gospel this weekend speaks powerfully to the blessing of moms. They give us life and love. They keep us focused on the truth. For most of us, they set the example of walking in the ways of the Lord. We thank God for the gift and blessing of those who have mothered us into life and love – faith and service to the Lord. May this Mother’s Day be a time of God’s grace and blessing for you and your loved ones.
…This is a very special time of year for 162 of our young members as they come to the Lord’s Table for their First Communion. We ask God’s blessing on them and their families. May they always hunger for Jesus the Bread of Life, the Cup of Salvation. Special thanks to Janet Majka and all who have helped prepare for this special celebration.
…Lori Betz is going on our Mission Trip in June to serve some of the poorest of the poor. She’s not going for one week – she is going for both weeks of the mission. She has a heart to care for those most in need. She’s also a nurse at Metrohealth. She sent me an email last week about the power of vitamins. Both in CLE and in our mission she sees what happens without proper nutrition. She asked if we could invite our members to simply drop off a bottle of children’s vitamins (non-chewable) and she will personally pass them out to the families in our mission. We guess that there are about 400 children. If we could collect 400 bottles of children’s multi-vitamin (non-chewable)….we could really help these children on a path to a healthier life.
…This coming week we are blessed to welcome Robby’s Voice to our community. They will be with us on Wednesday, May 17 to share both information and personal experiences of the heroin epidemic. It’s one more way that our community can learn about this crisis and ways we can offer help, hope and support both to those addicted and especially to their families. Please join us.
…On this Mother’s Day weekend, it’s a special moment to celebrate and give thanks to God for our Women’s Guild. They are an amazing group. These strong women of faith share friendship and work hard for the glory of God and the good of our community. They are hosting a Spring Tea on Saturday, May 20. Please join them.
…Also on Saturday, May 20, our parish is blessed to host a Healing Mass at 6:30 pm. Jesus is the Divine Healer. We come together to renew our faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His love. Come and experience God’s healing grace and peace. Spread the word. As I told our PPC earlier this week, we are getting calls from all over the State of Ohio with people looking for information. It’s a clear testimony of our desire for God’s grace.
…This past week our Saint Ambrose School students participated in their first ever Boosterthon Color Run. Thanks to our students and their family/friends, we met our goal to raise enough funds to renovate and improve our school bathrooms. What a great blessing for our students and entire school community.
…Please keep Deacon Matt and his classmates in your prayers as they prepare for their Ordination to the Priesthood this Friday at Saint John Cathedral. All are welcome to join in the celebration which begins at 7:00 pm. The soon to be Father Matt Jordan will be returning to Saint Ambrose on Sunday, May 28 at 12 noon for a Mass of Thanksgiving. Please join us for the Mass and reception.
…Some have asked when we are finding out which priest will be coming to Saint Ambrose to join our parish community. Good question. The Diocese is hoping to have the appointments made by May 19. I will keep you posted.
…As Deacon Matt shared last week in his thank you comments at Mass, please pray that God will call forth some from our parish community to consider serving the Church as a Priest, Deacon or Consecrated Religious Sister or Brother.
…David Hoover is our bulletin editor. I think you will agree that he has been doing a great job over the past couple of years. He’s been working part-time at Saint Ambrose and part-time at Saint Ignatius High School. The other day he accepted a full-time role to be a part of the Ignatius faculty next fall. It’s a great blessing for David and his wife. While we celebrate with him and for him, it also means that we are looking for someone who can edit and layout the weekly bulletin. If you are interested in learning more, please send me an email (FrBob@StAmbrose.us).
…BTW….David accepting the job at Ignatius may cause a bit of a bump in the road with his uncle, Abbot Gary Hoover – head of Benedictine High School!!! All fun!!!!
…Many thanks for the outpouring of cards and thoughts for Father Rob on his 30th birthday. He and I often share with each other how blessed we are to be here at Saint Ambrose with all of you. You are truly wonderful people. WE are blessed.
…Have a great week. Enjoy the beauty of spring. The signs of life around us are a glimpse of the fullness of life Christ has in mind for each of us. God bless you.
