Sunday, November 29, 2009

November 29, 2009

Our sincere condolences to the family of Regina Ciuberkis, who died this week here in Cleveland at the age of 81. Regina was a board member of the Cleveland Lithuanian newspaper Dirva, and an officer of the Lithuanian American Community. She is survived by daughters Danute Grigaliunas and Ilone Schmid, her son Arunas and sister Lilija Ramonis. The funeral mass for Regina Ciuberkis was held yesterday at St. Casimir.

The Cleveland Lithuanian Pensininkiu Klubas will hold their monthly lunch meeting and Christmas party this Thursday, December 3rd at 12 noon at Lithuanian Village.

The Lithuanian Scouts will hold their annual Christmas Fair next Sunday, December 6th
in the lower hall at St. Casimir, beginning after 8:00 am mass in the lower hall at St. Casimir, and continuing throughout the morning.

Korp Giedra will sponsor a jewelry show and sale on Sunday December 13th at St. Casimir. The show will feature works by Lina Palubinskas, Dr. Roma Jasinevicius-Degesys and Dr. Birute Balciunaite-Penkiuniene.


St. Casimir will be the host parish for an Advent Penance Service on Monday, December 14th at 7:00 pm. Six priests from St. Jerome, St. Mary, Holy Redeemer and St. Casimir will be on hand to hear confessions in English, Lithuanian, Slovenian and Italian.

Here’s a liturgical heads up for you if you’re heading to mass at St. Casimir this morning. Beginning with the Advent season, and continuing on as a regular practice, St. Casimir will be making some changes to reflect the General Instructions of the Roman Missal. The congregation is invited to stand from the end of the Eucharistic Prayer until everyone has received communion.

The world travel photography of Henrikas Stasas is available for purchase at the St. Casimir parish bookstore, in addition to all the books, CDs and Lithuanian foods.

Traditional Christmas wafers are now available at the St. Casimir rectory during business hours, and in Church after masses.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

November 22, 2009

Congratulations to the Cleveland Bendromene, on a very successful and entertaining Lithuanian Days concert last night. Virgis Stakenas put on a great show, and although we always wish for a larger audience, the lucky folks who were there enjoyed it very much. Ponas Stakenas is traveling to Detroit for a concert in Southfield this afternoon.

Lithuanian Days continues today with an exhibit at St. Casimir entitled Neregeta Lietuva, or Unseen Lithuania. The opening of Neregeta Lietuva will be immediately after 10:00 am mass at St. Casimir. A second exhibition at is open starting today through Gintaras on the First Wave of Lithuanian immigration to America.


Korp Giedra will sponsor a jewelry show and sale on Sunday December 12th at St. Casimir. The show will feature works by made by Lina Palubinskas, Dr. Roma Jasinevicius and Dr. Birute Balciunaite-Penkiuniene.

The world travel photography of Henrikas Stasas is available for purchase at the St. Casimir parish bookstore, in addition to all the books, CDs and Lithuanian foods.

The new phone numbers at St. Casimir are now working. The telephone number at the St. Casimir rectory is 216-481-3157, and the fax number is 216-481-3724.

St. Casimir parish is looking for volunteers to be lectors, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, and to host the coffee hour during 2010. If you are interested in helping with any of these functions, please contact Fr. Bacevice.

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, the St. Casimir parish offices will close at 1:00 pm this Wednesday, November 25 th, and re-open on Monday, November 30th at 10:00 am.

WJCU will present Blizzard Bash 09, a benefit for the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, tonight at the Brothers Lounge. Doors open at 6:00 and the show starts at 7:00. Entertainment features the Jack Fords and the 609ers. Details available at wjcu.org.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we all have many things to be thankful for. Here’s hoping you and your family have a wonderful holiday, and as you’re enjoying your turkey and the football games, be sure to take some time to pause and consider all the good things in our lives for which we should be grateful.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

St. Casimir in the Collinwood Observer

Vilija Nasvytis-Klimas wrote a very nice article for the Collinwood Observer, summarizing the recent opening of St. Casimir parish in the North Collinwood neighborhood.

I know some folks took issue with Vilija's use of the term "community", preferring to think of St. Casimir as a "Lithuanian" parish. Here's a news flash for you: St. Casimir's needs the neighborhood as much, if not more than the neighborhood needs St. Casimir's.

There aren't enough Lithuanians in Cleveland to make this parish viable as a "Lithuanian" parish. It's going to have to be a two-way street, both literally and figuratively, on the north end of Neff Road in the days ahead.

Santa Claus is coming to Lithuanian Village!

Breaking news from Northeast Shores, Inc.

November 15, 2009

Lithuanian Days kicks off with the Virgis Stakenas concert at 8:00 pm this coming Saturday, November 21st at Lithuanian Village, and continues on Sunday, November 22nd with an exhibit at St. Casimir entitled Neregeta Lietuva, or Unseen Lithuania, and a second exhibition at Gintaras on the First Wave of Lithuanian immigration to America.

Tickets for the Stakenas concert can be reserved by calling Zita Macinskiene at 216-235-5212 or at St. Casimir parish after weekend masses. Lithuanian Days is sponsored by the Lithuanian Community of Cleveland, Inc.

Good news from St. Casimir, the new phone numbers are now working. The telephone number at the St. Casimir rectory is 216-481-3157, and the fax number is 216-481-3724. Regular office hours are from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday, with emergencies handled at any time.

St. Casimir church is now accepting Mass intentions for 2010. Individuals and organizations who want specific dates for their Mass should send their list to the Rectory or place the request in the collection basket.


Last week, a new heating system was installed in the St. Casimir rectory, and new heating units for the Church are on order. These improvements were long overdue. When completed, both buildings should be more comfortable in the winter and, most importantly, more energy efficient. However, they were very expensive. The heating systems together cost just under $40,000. Please be generous in your offerings to help recover the cost for this needed work.

Father Bacevicius would like you to know about four employees serving St. Casimir parish. Janet Verbyla is the office and facilities manager. Rita Kliorys is the director of Liturgical music. Maria Bartkus takes care of the church sacristy, sanctuary and the lower hall. And Michael Jackiewicz is in charge of maintaining the parish buildings and grounds.

If anyone would like to serve on a committee to plan and decorate St. Casimir church for Christmas, please contact Father Bacevicius.

Today’s Plain Dealer features an article about the closing of Chagrin Boulevard grocer Chandler and Rudd, which had been in business in Cleveland for 145 years. Owners Ruta Butkute Marino and her husband Sam Marino have decided to call it quits due to the changing nature of the retail grocery market in Cleveland. The article is also available on Cleveland.com, and I’ll have a link on the blog this morning.

WJCU will present Blizzard Bash 09, a benefit for the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, next Sunday at the Brothers Lounge. Entertainment features the Jack Fords and the 609s. Details available at wjcu.org.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Special St. Casimir Update for 11/8/2009

[Editor's Note: Aldona and I had a pair of 'senior moments' this morning, and misplaced the news from St. Casimir, so we were not able to read it on the air. If you didn't get a bulletin in church this morning, please see below for all the news from the new parish. -Greg]

Parish Joining Committee members Terese Kalvaitis, Maria Hoffman, Ingrid Civinskas, and and Anthony Bacevice wish to thank all who helped with the preparations for the St. Casimir Parish Opening Mass Coffee Hour, and so generously contributed baked goods. We truly appreciated the volunteer efforts of so many who helped clean up the halls and kitchen after the event.

St. Casimir Parish continues to welcome visitors and new members. Anyone who is interested in becoming a member is asked to fill out a registration and volunteer form which can be found by the entrances of the Church. These can be returned in the collection basket, dropped off at the Rectory or in the mail. Fr. Bacevice also wants to hear your thoughts and ideas for our new parish. These can be sent to the parish office or e-mailed to Father Bacevice (joebacevice@sbcglobal.net). St. Casimir Parish is striving to be responsive to your spiritual needs so that all members can feel at home.

As of now, the telephones at St. Casimir are not working properly because of a wiring problem. Until everything is straightened out, please use the old Our Lady of Perpetual Help (216-531-4263) or St. George (216-431-5794) telephone numbers. Regular business hours at the parish office are Monday through Friday, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

St. Casimir is looking for volunteers to serve as altar servers, Mass readers, Communion ministers, and musicians for our English Masses. As St. Casimir expands in these areas with our English speaking community, additional volunteers will be needed. Those who are interested are asked to contact Father Bacevice at the rectory. Training will be provided.

There was a mailing problem with the November-December offering envelopes to members of the former St. George parish. Eeveryone should have their envelopes by this weekend, but you did not, please place your Church offering in a plain envelope with your name and, if you know it, your envelope number.

St. Casimir church is now accepting Mass intentions for 2010. Individuals and organizations who want specific dates for their Mass should send their list to the Rectory or place the request in the collection basket.

This week, a new heating system was installed in the St. Casimir rectory, and new heating units for the Church are on order. These improvements were long overdue. When completed, both buildings should be more comfortable in the winter and, most importantly, more energy efficient. However, they were very expensive. The heating systems together cost just under $40,000. Please be generous in your offerings to help recover the cost for this needed work.

November 8, 2009

Taupa, the Lithuanian Credit Union in Cleveland invites you to help celebrate their 25th anniversary with Wing Night, this Wednesday, November 11th, from 6:00 to 9:00 at Lithuanian Village.

In the better late than never department, Lithuanian Days is coming up on November 21st and 22 nd. Normally Lithuanian Days is held in October, but the activities surrounding the parish merger caused it to be postponed this year.

Lithuanian Days kicks off with the Virgis Stakenas concert at 8:00 pm on Saturday, November 21st at Lithuanian Village, and continues on Sunday, November 22nd with an exhibit at St. Casimir entitled Unseen Lithuania, and a second exhibition at Gintaras on the First Wave of Lithuanian immigration to America.

Tickets for the Stakenas concert can be reserved by calling Zita Macinskiene at 21-235-5212 or at St. Casimir parish after weekend masses. Lithuanian Days is sponsored by the Lithuanian Community of Cleveland, Inc.