October 18, 2009

I want to take a moment to thank Donato Cristillo, co-host of Memories from Italy, on WJCU, for his assistance last Sunday morning, which allowed me to be in two places at once.

And we thank Fred Taub of Jewish Community Radio, also heard on WJCU for his invaluable assistance this morning, and next Sunday morning, again allowing me to defy the space-time continuum.

Father Bacevicius would like to thank everyone who attended the St. George parish closing banquet last Saturday. A wonderful spirit of family and friendship was the theme of the evening, and fond memories, good wishes, and good humor all served to confirm that St. George’s people are a very special group. Thanks to Ruta Degutis and the staff of the Lithuanian Village for an outstanding job catering the banquet and also for the wonderful display of St. George archival material. Thanks to all who worked behind the scenes to make the evening a success.

There is still time to call the St. George Memory Line at 440-364-5650 to record your special memory about St. George parish. The voicemails will be transferred to CD and become part of the St. George Parish archives, and you can reserve your copy of the CD by contacting Zivile Vaitkus. Once again, today is the final day to call 440-364-5650 and share your special St. George memory.

Well, we’ve been talking about parish clustering and merging for several months now, and this morning, the reality of all that talk finally comes into sharp focus.

Today the members of St.George and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes, along with their pastors, Father Bacevicius and Father Kijauskas, and Bishop Richard Lennon draw to a close the tenure of the two churches service Catholic Lithuanians in Cleveland.

St. George and Our Lady of Perpetual Help have a combined 194 years of proud, dedicated service not only to their members, but to the larger community of Lithuanians living in Cleveland and to the respective neighborhoods in which they are located. All parishioners, priests and religious who have been associated with these two churches over the past 114 years can be proud of the legacy they leave behind here in Cleveland, and equally proud that Cleveland will continue to have a place for Lithuanian Catholics to gather and worship.

This morning at 9:00 am, the final mass will be celebrated at St. George, and at 12 noon, the final mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Bishop Richard Lennon will officiate at both closing masses.

Tomorrow morning, representatives of the diocese and Henninger’s Religious Goods will gather at St. George’s and begin removing the contents of the church and placing them in storage. By late afternoon, the church will be empty, the doors will be locked, the building secured.. This coming week, the church at 18022 Neff Rd will stand mostly empty and quiet, as preparations are made for next Sunday’s opening mass of St. Casimir parish, celebrated by Bishop Richard Lennon and the new pastor, Father Joseph Bacevicius.

Please note that closing services at both churches are expected to be extremely well-attended. If you’re planning to be present for either of these historic events, make sure to get there early. Both parishes will gather for food and fellowship after the respective closing masses. However, the breakfast after mass at St. George today is completely full at this point, but all are welcome to attend the final mass.

Looking ahead to next week and beyond, the opening mass at St. Casimir will be next Sunday, October 25th, at 10:00 am, at the new home of Catholic Lithuanians in Cleveland, 18022 Neff Road.

The regular Sunday mass schedule at St. Casimir begins on Saturday, October 31st, with vigil mass at 5:30pm, and on Sunday, November 1st with masses in English at 8:00 and 12 noon, and mass in Lithuanian at 10:00 am.

I think we'll just leave it right there this morning. There may be other news that would seem important enough to mention on any other Sunday, but today we should just pause and consider the personal and historical significance of the events we are witnessing this morning. Please be safe this week, and be sure to tune in next Sunday morning as you prepare to celebrate the opening of the new, united Lithuanian Catholic parish here in Cleveland.