May 3, 2009

Congratulations to Dr. Andrius Kazlauskas, who will be honored on June 5th with a distinguished alumni award from Cleveland State University. Dr. Kazlauskas earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology and a Ph.D. in chemistry from CSU. Currently, he is a senior scientist and associate professor of ophthalmology at the Schepens Eye Research Institute at Harvard Medical School. Andrius Kazlauskas' mother Stase still lives in the Cleveland area.

Parish Merger News
As you are aware, the pastors of St. George and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes have submitted a proposed closing date of October, 2009. The bishop's decision with the specific dates for the closing of our two parishes and the establishment of the new parish is expected by the middle of May.

On Tuesday, April 28th, the Parish Merger Committees from both parishes met to establish the various subcommittees needed to take care of the details of the merger and to outline their responsibilities. During the next two weeks, parishioners will be contacted and asked to serve on these joint committees.

The Parish Merger Committees will meet again on Tuesday, May 12th in order to finalize the formation of the subcommittees and to give them a mandate to begin their work.

The Cleveland Pensininkiu Klubas will hold their monthly lunch meeting this coming Thursday, at 12 noon at Lithuanian Village. Members and guests are invited.

The Knights of Lithuania Council 25 will meet on Friday, May 8, at 1:00 PM in the lower hall at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

APPLE, the American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education will hold their yearly fund raising campaign Our Lady of Perpetual Help on May 3rd and May 10th after the 10:00 Mass in the lower hall. On May 17th, APPLE will ask for your support at St. George church. More information about APPLE is available at applequest.org.

Gintaras at Lithuanian Village will offer a Mother’s Day brunch buffet on Sunday, May 10th, from 11:30 to 1:30. Reservations are required, and you can call Ruta at 440-669-4145 for details.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish invites you stop by the upper hall for a cup of coffee after 4:00 pm mass on Saturday, May 16th, or after 12 noon mass on Sunday, May 17th.

Lithuanians will go to the polls to elect a new president this month, and Lithuanian citizens living in Cleveland can cast their vote from 11:00 am to 12 noon in the lower hall at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sunday May 17th. Contact Honorary Consul Ingrida Bublys at 216-486-8692 for more information.

The Lietuviu Bendromene will hold its annual meeting on Sunday, May 24th at 12 noon in the conference room at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And on May 9th and 10th and May 16th and 17th, the Bendromene's Ohio Apygardos will hold elections, also at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

On Saturday, May 30th, the Lithuanian youth groups Svyturys and Naujoji Intriga will perform a concert entitled "Tree of Life: A Celebration of 1,000 years of Lithuania". The event gets underway at 6:00 pm on May 30th in the auditorium at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

The Lithuanian Cultural Garden Society reminds you that it's time to renew your membership, or to become a member for 2009. The Society will host a get-together at noon on Sunday May 31st in the Pavilion located at the north end of Neff Road, on Lake Erie. The event is free for Cultural Garden Society members, and you can join at the door.

Mark your calendar for Abiturientu Balius or Graduates Spring Fling, coming up on Saturday, June 6th at Lithuanian Village.

The Baltic communities of Greater Cleveland will gather on Sunday June 14th at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church to commemorate the 1941 deportations of Baltic peoples to Siberia. The prayer service begins at 3:00 pm.

A youth baseball team from Kaunas will be visiting Cleveland in late June and early July to play in the Continental Cup Tournament to he held right here at John Carroll University. They are looking for assistance with transportation while in Cleveland, and also lodging for players and coaches. They will arrive on June 24th and depart on July 6th. If you can help make a group of 13 to 15 year old athletes welcome in Cleveland this summer, please contact Algis Gudenas by email at linrik@adelphia.net.