July 20, 2008

Dear friends in life and in ministry . . .

Yesterday was a full day of ministry: Rosa Fiordo whose 99th birthday we celebrated just weeks ago, went home to the Lord on Wednesday. We celebrated her life on Saturday morning. That afternoon, I witnessed the marriage vows of a parish couple then deaconed the 4 p.m. Mass. Following Mass, I returned to Chautauqua and Catholic House for my weekly visit with Pat.

It is a very special day for my beloved partner of 41 years. Today, Pat celebrated her 65 birthday with beauty, grace and the enthusiasm of a 7 year old. So for the next 4 months or so, I am married to a woman who is chronologically much older that me while years younger in spirit.

This morning, as Pat sang with the 150 voice Chautauqua choir at the morning ecumenical service, I proclaimed the Word. It is not often that I've experienced proclaiming to nearly 4000 people and it was really cool. The readings selected by the week's Chautauqua Chaplain Rev. Doctor Kenneth Chalker, senior pastor of First United Methodist in Cleveland were the Genesis story of Jacob's Ladder and Luke's Emmaus story. Powerful stuff and also powerful to be in the presence of perhaps one of the finest preachers I've ever experienced. God is good!

Have a great week.

This Week's Column: July 20, 2008 - Unexpected Blessings

Former White House spokesperson and Fox News commentator Tony Snow died last Saturday.

Although much too conservative politically for my blood, I admired the man since hearing him speak at Chautauqua about four years ago. As White House spokesman, Snow had the difficult job of moving to the other side of the podium and facing difficult questions from his friends in the media. Although these encounters are sometimes testy, Snow’ sharp intellect and engaging humor served him well and won the respect of both those who agreed and disagreed with his political stances.

This week, I received an email from a friend who, like Snow is suffering from a serious illness. The email included a wonderful essay that Snow had written about his cancer and the role that faith was playing in his embracing its reality. The essay is too long for even this column, so I’ll be sharing it in sections over the next few weeks.

UNFAIR a Huge Success!

My sincere thanks to all who supported our St. Mary’s UNFAIR. By all accounts, it was a huge success. Not only did it equal the amount raised at last year’s International Food Festival, but it gave a well deserved year off to the many folks who are our core volunteers. They deserved a break - and generously gave to allow us to raise the money we need to support our ministries - so they could enjoy a break. Perhaps this is the way to go until a new generation of parish volunteers say “Hey, let’s have a parish festival!”

Sy Holzer was a multiple winner of our UNFAIR Raffle. Tickets bearing his name were drawn for both the $1,000 and $250 prize raffles. Helen Opila’s ticket was drawn for $500 in food or gas certificates and Rita Dwyer will enjoy a dinner at the Rectory prepared by Fr. Jaeger.

Within the next few week’s donors will be invited to a Wine and Cheese Reception to celebrate the work that they avoided by generously supporting the UNFAIR.

Have a restful mid-summer week. Serve one another well.

Deacon Ray

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Bulletin: July 20th, 2008