…”Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?” Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” This weekend we return to Ordinary Time. Having completed the season of Lent and Easter, we enter these ‘ordinary’ days of God’s grace and blessing. The Gospel quickly reminds us that there is nothing ordinary, however, about the depth and breadth of God’s care and love for each of us. Talk about God’s attention to detail – “every hair on your head is counted.” We are so blessed! In these summer days, how can we be so attentive to God in our lives. In each day, how can we be aware of God’s presence and action in our lives? How can we make sure we are attentive to prayer and Mass this summer as God is so attentive to us and our needs?
…As we were preparing for our summer festival, I observed a most inspiring thing happening all over our campus. Imagine if you were having a wedding or First Communion in your family. Most would make sure the house was cleaned, painted and everything was in good order. In the very same way, you could see so many of our members coming around, making sure every flower was watered, tree trimmed, door glass cleaned and so much more….as we welcome so many to our parish campus for our summer festival. The sense of ownership and pride – the attention to all the details – was inspiring – a blessing beyond words. My prayer is that as so many are so attentive to our community and the House of God – even more – will God attend to your every need.
…And more detail…..in fine stitches. The other day a member of the Quilting Ministry brought to the parish a beautiful anniversary quilt that was made to ‘raffle off’ at the Basket Booth of the festival. It was beautiful beyond words… containing phrases and songs familiar to our parish community. Beautiful in every way – as so many in our community attend to all the details of our community – and for the success of our parish festival.
…BTW….the Baskets in the Basket Booth are beyond amazing. They are all donated by members and groups of our parish. One more expression of so many caring so much about our parish and the work we do for the Lord at Saint Ambrose.
…I could keep going…as you know. It’s beautiful to see and experience the goodness of our community and the love we share for God and one another. May our summer festival bring many to visit our community and experience the warmth and welcome of the Lord at Saint Ambrose.
…May God bless the Building and Grounds Team and our Festival Committee for their efforts. They have worked tirelessly all week to attend to every detail. Even amid the busy week, God bless Jim Nowak and Ken Kukarola for making sure that the 60th Anniversary banner made its way to the side of Hilkert Hall. Praise be God.
…God has blessed our parish community abundantly in so many ways. As you have read/heard, Tom Bonezzi (our wonderful music minister for nine years) is leaving the piano/organ bench to discern a deeper call in service to the Lord and the Church. This is a great blessing for the Church and for Tom. It’s also a great privilege for us to share in his discernment of Gods’ call in his life. While no one can replace another person, God has sent to our parish a wonderful person who can build off of the great spirit of our parish and the strong and vibrant music ministry which is so important. It’s with great joy that I share that Matthew Fodor will be our new music minister. He comes to us with 14 years of experience, having served at Saint John of the Cross (Euclid) and for the past seven years at Our Lady of Peace in Shaker Heights. He will be stopping by as soon as next week and will work side by side with Tom until August 13. God has blessed our community!!!
…BTW….we will be having a Mass of Thanksgiving to thank Tom on Sunday, August 13 at 12 noon. Watch for details.
…Our Mission Teams are doing well in the Dominican Republic. Many of you have been receiving the daily updates via Email and Facebook. The first group of 41 had a full week hosting a health and wellness fair, medical clinics, completing homes and repairing tired tin roofs. Group two began on Friday and will continue the efforts to complete five new homes and move families into them. Please keep our mission teams in your prayers. Their theme – never forget – reminds them and us to always be mindful of the Lord and God’s blessings in our lives.
…Many thanks to Bob and Lisa Hicks for helping us all stay focused on our Festival Raffle. Even more, thanks to so many of you who have been turning in your raffle tickets. One of the packets contained a great note – “amazing raffle prizes. God bless those who are helping our parish. Happy to help.” All the raffle and festival proceeds will be used to maintain our parish campus and help us develop a comprehensive plan to address the needs of our Church. Special thanks to those who have provided ‘amazing’ prizes: Brunswick AutoMart, Encompass the World, Universal Windows Direct, Brunswick Power Equipment and Marc’s. You can still purchase tickets at the Festival…come and enjoy…come and maybe be a winner!!!
…If you have some time on Monday, we could use some extra hands to clean up and take down the Festival. Many hands make for light work. We will start at 9:00 am until 8:00 pm. Thank you.
…18!! Over the past two months, 18 couples have come forward and asked to have their marriage recognized in the Church. This is an amazing blessing. We are thrilled beyond words to help. In order to help these couples (and perhaps you), we are hosting a Gathering on Monday night at 6:30 pm to help these couples prepare and plan for God’s blessing on their married love. If you would like to have your marriage recognized in the Church and/or need more information, please join us on Monday in the Mother Teresa room or give me a call (330.460.7333).
…God is amazing – attentive to every detail – and all our needs. May we use these summer days to be so attentive of God’s grace and presence in our lives. THANK YOU for all you do for our parish community. We are so blessed. I pray for you every day. See you at the festival!
