April 11, 2010

We send our condolences to the family of Vincent P. Taraska, who passed away on April 5th at Hospice House in Cleveland. He was 94 years old.

Vincent P. Taraska was born in Lithuania, lived in Alberta, Canada and Cleveland before moving to Wickliffe 43 years ago.

Funeral services were held yesterday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Wickliffe.

As you've no doubt read or heard, Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, along with most of the country's top military leaders were killed in a plane crash in Russia on Saturday. We also send our sympathies to the Polish people, including Poles and those of Polish heritage here in northeast Ohio. This is a national and international tragedy of unimaginable proportions.

On a brighter note, Father Joseph Bacevicius celebrated a milestone birthday this past Thursday. It's one of those birthdays that ends in a zero, and I'll leave to your imagination as to which one. In any event, we send our best birthday wishes to the pastor of St. Casimir church, Father Joseph Bacevicius.

Last night's planned concert by soprano Virginija Bruozyte Muliolis has been postponed until June 5th due to illness. We wish Virginija a speedy recovery.

This morning Vaiko Vartai i Moksla invites everyone to lunch, served immediately after 10 o'clock Mass in St. Casimir’s Parish lower hall. “Child’s Gate to Learning” works with neglected and abused children in Lithuania. It has established 10 after school centers, where children can come and spend a few hours each day. Proceeds from lunch today will benefit these after-school centers.

Also today, the traditional Children's Easter will be held after 10:00 am mass in the lower at St. Casimir. All pre-school age children are invited to this fun event.

The St. Casimir Parish Steering Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 20th at 7:30 pm in the rectory conference room. Minutes from the last meeting will be sent to committee members this week.

Juventus is only a few weeks away, on April 24th. This event will feature 168 dancers from Toronto, Chicago, Lemont, and of course our own Svyturys from right here in Cleveland, performing both traditional and new Lithuanian folk dances. The dance performance will be followed by dinner catered by Europa. The evening concludes with an opportunity for you to get out on the dance floor. Tickets and information are available by calling Ricardas Sirvinskas at 440-749-2121.

Romas Dambrauskas will perform at Lithuanian Village on Saturday, May 1st, as part of the LAUNA Games which will be going on in Cleveland that weekend.

Two members of the Vaitkus family will be exhibiting their photographs in area shows this spring. Dr. Linas Vaitkus is showing his black and white photography in the Physician Art Show at Southwest General Health Center in Middleburgh Heights. That show runs now through May 1st.

Linas Petras Vaitkus, a senior at Cleveland State University, has had his photographs accepted to the 39th Annual Student Art Show. The show is at the CSU Art Gallery, located at 2307 Chester Avenue, and runs now through May 8th.