Today, we welcome Bishop Lennon to our parish to celebrate Confirmation with our young people. He will be celebrating this at the 11 am Mass this weekend. These young people represent our parish and there are also eight young people from Our Lady of the Lake Parish joining them. Witnessing the Sacrament of Confirmation is a great gift to you and me. First, it reminds us of our connection to our Bishop as the Chief Shepherd of our Diocese. Having the Bishop here to confer this Sacrament is a sign to us of our greater connection to the Roman Catholic Church. He stands in the place of the Apostles who were charged with making disciples. Today, through his conferral of the Sacrament, these young people complete their initiation into the Church and are commissioned by him to be faithful disciples of Christ. Second, it reminds us of our own Confirmation and the special relationship you and I are called to have with the
Holy Spirit. All of us were given the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgment, Courage (Fortitude), Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord (Wonder & Awe). We also receive the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Humility, and Self-Control). Through the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit we have all the graces necessary to live lives worthy of being called disciples of Jesus. It is my
hope that all of us renew our commitment to being good disciples of Jesus Christ. Congratulations to those being confirmed and please keep them in your prayers.

One of the greatest assets we have as a parish is our volunteers. We could not do what we do without so many wonderful parishioners giving their time as volunteers in so many different ministries. Many times when we meet formally and informally as a staff, we talk about how blessed we are with such great volunteers. While I am very aware
that none of you do it for recognition or appreciation; I think it would be nice to celebrate and honor volunteers in the parish and school. Therefore, we will have our first, and hopefully annual, volunteer appreciation Mass and picnic. Ellen Ivory, who is our Director of Stewardship and Development, will be working with all the staff to coordinate this. It will be held on Saturday, June 23 starting with the 4 pm Mass. It will be followed by a picnic. Anyone who volunteers in any capacity at the parish and/or school is welcome to come. Mark your calendars and watch the bulletin for more details and the manner in which to RSVP.

On another note, a few years ago I led a pilgrimage to France and Italy. I had a great time and have wanted to do it again. This time I wanted to hit some of the great Marian sites. Places where our wonderful Blessed Mother has appeared. So, I am leading a pilgrimage to Fatima, Spain & Lourdes, April 1-11, 2013. We will tour Lisbon, Portugal and then spend a day in Fatima where the Blessed Mother appeared to three Shepherd Children in 1917. We will spend a few days in Madrid, then off to Avila (the home of St. Theresa) and then Loyola the home of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Finally we will spend time in Lourdes where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette. The trip is $3,895 and includes breakfast and dinner and all other expenses from Cleveland. If you are interested in the trip, call me in the Parish Office and I will send you a brochure. An informational meeting will be held on Sunday, June 10 at 7 pm in the Church. A representative from the tour company will be there to answer all of your questions. If you have any interest, please plan on attending.

Make is a great week, see you in Church!

Peace,
Fr. John

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms, step-moms, grandmas, aunts, godmothers and all women who play a special motherly role in someone’s life. I know it is a bit cliché to say, but every day should be a day in which we honor women for their motherly influence in our lives and in our world. I know in my own life my mom, grandmas and godmother are very important. I feel so blessed to still have all four in my life. Even in some of my lowest moments, I know they are always there for me. As I watch my sister and sister-in-laws become great moms, I realize this is not an easy role. Moms sure do have a lot of work – physically, emotionally and spiritually. To all “MOMS” be assured of my admiration and prayers. Have a wonderful day!

I am happy to announce that I have chosen Ms. Meg Cosgriff as the next principal of Ss. Robert & William Catholic School. Meg currently holds the position of principal at Communion of Saints School in Cleveland Heights. It was a hard decision as the three candidates I had to choose from were all very qualified and each of them would make an excellent principal. Over the next few months, I will seek a few opportunities to introduce you to her. She will start with us July 1, 2012.

The feast of the Ascension is this Thursday, May 17. As has been the practice for many years now, the feast is transferred to the following Sunday. Therefore, this feast will be celebrated on Sunday, May 20. You need not worry about Mass on Thursday. However, you are always encouraged to come to Mass each and every day.

There are four wonderful celebrations in the next weeks that I would like to inform you about and invite you to participate in.

My ninth anniversary of ordination as a priest is Thursday, May 17. Fr. Joe celebrated his sixty-second anniversary on April 29 and Fr. David will celebrate his thirty-third anniversary on June 9. Together the three of us bring over one hundred years of priestly service to you. Add this to Fr. Baugh’s fifty-five years of service (he will celebrate May 18) and we are certainly blessed. I know that is a true honor and privilege to be able to serve such wonderful people as all of you. Daily, I thank God for the gift of my Vocation to the priesthood and the privilege to be able to serve as a Shepherd of His people. Thank you for that!

Deacon Peter Kovacina will become Fr. Peter Kovacina this coming Saturday, May 19 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Bishop Lennon will ordain him for service to the Diocese of Cleveland. Fr. Peter’s first assignment will be St. John Vianney in Mentor. As you may know, St. John Vianney was my first assignment and I had four absolutely wonderful years there. I know the people out there will be very good to Fr. Peter. It has been great to have him here this past year and to be with him as he spent his final year of preparation. I find him to be a very friendly, warm, welcoming and faithful man. He is a gifted preacher and a very hard worker. His faithfulness to God, the Scriptures and the Church is impeccable. I know he will make a very fine priest. As a parish, we will celebrate with him on Sunday, May 27 at the 11 am Mass. Fr. Peter will preside and preach at that Mass. We will have a reception for him in the Gym after Mass. Please keep Fr. Peter and his two classmates in your prayers as they spend this final week in prayer and retreat to prepare for ordination.

Confirmation will be celebrated next week at the 11 am Mass. Bishop Lennon will be here to celebrate with us. There are a total of 40 people being confirmed. There are a few people from Our Lady of the Lake being confirmed here as well. My future brother-in -law will be confirmed with this group. He is marrying my sister September 1. He was not confirmed as a teen and is now seeking to finish his initiation into the Church with Confirmation. Confirmation is a wonderful opportunity to remind ourselves of our own Confirmation and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that were given to us at our Confirmation. In our Roman tradition, Confirmation is the completion of the Sacraments of Initiation. It allows us to be full members of Christ’s Church. We are called as full members to be faithful disciples and to bring more faithful disciples into the fold. Our faith is not a private matter, it is a very public thing and we should proudly witness to it in our world each and every day. Congratulations to our newly confirmed and please keep them in your prayers. May they and we always be faithful and bring Christ to the world.

This Friday, May 18 we will have a very special presentation and thank you evening in the Church. The celebration is to recognize our participation in the Rooted in Faith, Forward in Hope diocesan campaign. As you may remember last year we did a campaign in which we pledged over 1.1 million dollars towards the parish, Catholic Education and Formation, Clergy Formation Retirement, Evangelization and Catholic Charities capital needs. On the evening of May 18 at 7 pm in the Church we will unveil a plaque that commemorates our participation. In addition I will update you all on the Church roof replacement and HVAC replacement. I will be able to let you know where we are at with that and what challenges we are facing. Please mark your calendars!

Make it a great week! See you in Church!

Peace,

Fr. John

I would like to take this opportunity to announce today the appointment of Ms. Meg Cosgriff to the position of Principal of Ss. Robert & William Catholic School effective July 1, 2012, succeeding Ms. Sue Pohly who has served our school with distinction.  In April I initiated a Principal Search Committee comprised of individuals who are stakeholders in our parish and school.  Upon my review and the recommendation of this excellent committee which conducted an evaluation of many fine applicants, Ms. Cosgriff was the clear choice.  She will bring a strong focus to Catholic identity and academic excellence in her leadership. The formal introduction of the new Principal will take place at the back-to-school “Prayer and Picnic” event scheduled for Monday, August 27, 2012 at 6:00 P.M.  Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.

Ms. Cosgriff is currently the principal of Communion of Saints School in Cleveland Heights (formerly St. Ann School).  A faith and academic leader in her work, Ms. Cosgriff also lives out her spirituality in her personal life as a member of our parish and a proud alumna of St. William School.  She has taught and been Principal of a number of schools in the Diocese of Cleveland in her career.  Under her leadership at Communion of Saints Catholic School, the school was awarded the prestigious Blue Ribbon of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.  She was also part of the cluster team that helped St. Ann, St. Louis, St. Philomena and Christ the King merge into Communion of Saints Parish, so she is very aware of the blessings and challenges that come with being a new parish and school entity.  I feel she has the best experience and skill to lead our school well into the future.

In April when it was announced that Ms. Pohly would be leaving us I could not imagine finding someone to fill her shoes.  It is our belief that we have selected the best candidate who will continue the great things that have been happening at our school.  Ms. Cosgriff told me, “It is my belief that the integration of 21^st century skills: collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking, are essential for both the faculty and student body.”  I would say she has summed up perfectly what Ms. Pohly and I have worked to instill.  Ms. Pohly will be sorely missed; but I know she joins me in saying that Ms. Cosgriff is up for the challenge.  Thankfully, Ms. Pohly and Ms. Cosgriff have worked together in several professional situations and will be able to make the transition as seamless as possible.

I look forward to a strong completion to the 2011-12 school year.  Please continue to keep the school community in your prayers during this time of transition.  Know that you are always in my prayers.

Peace,

Fr. John D Betters
Pastor

May greetings! May is such wonderful month with the celebration of First Communions, Mother’s Day, Ordination, Confirmation and Graduations. It is just such a great time to enjoy good things. Hopefully, we will have great weather.

This weekend at the 11 am Mass I will be giving First Holy Communion to 34 second graders. I am so proud of these young people. They have been working hard all year to prepare for this very special day. We have helped them to know that Jesus loves them so much and He desires to give them His Body and Blood as nourishment and Grace for their lives. One of the most important truths that we have helped them to understand is that they are really receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. It may look and taste like bread and wine, but it is truly the Body and Blood. Jesus wants only the best for us. Watching the reverence and excitement of these young people is a good reminder for us to approach the Eucharist in the same way. Please keep these young people in your prayers and ask Jesus to help them always stay close to Him.

I will be away next weekend (May 11 – 13) with my entire family in Cincinnati to celebrate my youngest brother’s graduation from Xavier University. Mark is my youngest brother and Godchild. There is 15 years difference between us and when he was born my Mom & Dad wanted a way for us to stay close; so they asked me to be his Godfather. So Mark and I have always had a special connection. I think my parents are pretty excited to see their last child graduate!

We will also celebrate Mother’s Day with my Mom, Grandma, sister and sister-in-laws. It should be a great time for all of us. All together there are 19 of us now! I will miss all of you, but I know you are in good hands. Congratulation to all people who are graduating this year from various schools!

Another huge celebration that will be happening is that Deacon Peter Kovacina, who has been with us this last year, will be ordained a priest on May 19. He will be ordained by Bishop Lennon at St. John Cathedral for service to the Diocese of Cleveland. His first assignment will be at St. John Vianney in Mentor, Ohio. Deacon Peter, who will then be Fr. Peter, will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving here at Ss. Robert & William on May 27 at 11 am. You are all invited to celebrate with him. We will have a reception in the Gym afterwards. Also, if you would like to go to the Ordination, you are more than welcome to. It is Saturday, May 19 at St. John Cathedral. There are two other men being ordained. Please pray for all three men as they become priests. I have really enjoyed having Deacon Peter with us this year. This is his last official weekend with us. I will miss him. I think his homilies have been great, his work with our 7th & 8th graders, his presence with us at various parish groups and especially RCIA has been wonderful. He will be a great priest and the people of St. John Vianney are so very lucky!

Finally, believe it or not, our Parish Festival is just under four months away. It will be here before you know it! The raffle tickets are available this weekend and next. This year we are trying to get as many people as we can to pick them up after Mass. This way we can save money on postage. We ask that you only take your tickets. Please do not take anyone else’s tickets. I am asking that each registered family in the parish sell at least $60 worth of tickets. In all honesty, who could not use $10,000 these days! I appreciate your support. The Festival is August 24 – 26 and will be bigger and better than ever. Watch the bulletin for more details!

Make it a great week!

Peace,

Fr. John