A Word from Your Pastor November 25 - Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Thanksgiving weekend is a special time for families.  It is often a poignant time as well, especially for those who have lost loved ones recently.  Holidays are an annual reminder to all of us of the importance of relationships.  As many of you know, since 1988, I have been the host for Thanksgiving for my family.  That year, I was in a house that I noticed was larger than our family home and volunteered to my mother to take it on.  I did not realize that it would be a lifetime commitment.

Apart from one year when I was away for studies, I have worked to prepare a place for the family and extended family to gather.  I also learned from my grandmother how to cook the turkey (with stuffing) and I do it Grandma’s way each year, starting it in the oven at midnight the night before Thanksgiving.  We have had four different settings, but have made it work wherever I happened to live.  This year, our count was a bit down, only 24 at table.  We have memories of years with 50 or more, including family from Pittsburgh, in-laws and guests.

Rituals are a way that a family keeps together.  This is the reason why the Church calls us to gather each week and on days of special importance for Mass (Sundays and “Holy Days of obligation”).  The rituals we experience tell us who we are and form us as a community.  As a priest, I have been able to offer a special family Mass before we share the Thanksgiving meal.  We all take a turn sharing what we are thankful for in the year past.

As you have heard many times, Eucharist means Thanksgiving.  Gathering to give God thanks, hearing His Word and being fed and nourished by the Risen Lord, we are given the strength to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to an often hostile world.

God’s Love has been shown to us in so many ways.  We are grateful.  May we continue to show our gratitude by coming together as a family and by sharing our Faith so that Jesus may truly be the Savior for all.

A Word from Your Pastor November 18

Dear Parishioners:

My fellow pilgrims and I have returned from our journey to the Holy Land.  It was a remarkable experience in so many ways.  More than 60 pilgrims, including four priests from the Diocese of Columbus, traveled throughout the holy sites we hear about in our Scriptures every day.  This was my fourth time in the Holy Land.  Every visit brings to light new things and allows for a deeper understanding of the Gospel.  Some call the Holy Land “the Fifth Gospel” because the land itself speaks of the relationship between God and His people.

On our journey, we also met a priest from the Diocese of Cleveland who had a group of pilgrims similar in size to ours.  We kept encountering them throughout the visit.  Many also joined us in spirit through Facebook.  Since our bus had WiFi, I was able to upload a glimpse of each site right after our stop.  Masses were shared by the priests, each of us having a couple of turns.  The pilgrims reported that this added a special richness to the experience.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to go to the Holy Land, you may want to add this to your “bucket list.”  It will change how you understand some things about the Scriptures and the world.  Our group was one that had many who were using canes or walking sticks and who needed to go slowly.  This was not always easy due to the press of the crowd, but we managed to work it out together.

Be sure that you were with me along the whole pilgrimage.  I carried a printout of our Parish and our School Rosters to all the holy places we visited and kept you in my prayers and Masses.

Soon we will begin a journey through a new Liturgical Year.  Advent will begin Sunday, December 1.  Let us journey well as we seek to open our hearts to the Lord Who is born for us at Christmas.

A Word from Your Pastor November 4 & 11

My pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins this week.  Some of our pilgrims are already en route.  There are a group of 67 people who will be on this journey together.  We carry all of you with us as well.  So that you can follow our trek day by day, I offer you the itinerary planned for the next couple of weeks.  You can follow us in spirit.  It may be that our schedule changes a bit, but we’ll be covering everything at one time or another, so you can follow more or less what we do each day.

Tuesday November 6   Tel Aviv
Arrive Ben Gurion Airport. Our representative will help you through customs and take you to the bus where you will meet your guide. Transfer to your hotel in Netanya or Nazareth (depending on flight arrival time) for dinner and overnight.

Wednesday November 7    Caesarea/Haifa/Mt. Tabor/Nazareth /Cana
After breakfast, explore the Mediterranean coast. Drive along the Via Maris to Caesarea Maritima and visit the Roman Theater with the 2000 years old Aqueduct and view the Crusader fortifications. Continue to Haifa and Mount Carmel, visit the Church of Stella Maris and Elijah's cave. Take in the magnificent view of Haifa Bay. Enjoy the famous Falafel - a typical Israeli lunch. Drive to Mount Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration, which dominates the Jesreel Valley, Biblical known as Armageddon. On to Nazareth for a visit to the Church of Annunciation - the biggest in the Middle East, see Mary’s Well and visit the Old Synagogue. On to Cana of Galilee - the site of Jesus’s First Miracle at the wedding. Drive to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (Mass in Nazareth)

Thursday November 8    Sea of Galilee/Capernaum/Tabgha/Mt. of Beatitudes/Caesarea Philipi
After breakfast explore the surroundings of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began his ministry. Start the day with a cruise in the lake on board a "Biblical boat". Visit Capernaum, "the Town of Jesus", and see the synagogue and St. Peter's house. Continue to Tabgha, site of the miracle of the Fishes and Loaves. On to Mount of Beatitudes for a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee. Lunch will be at a typical restaurant, serving the famous St. Peter's Fish.  After lunch drive up the Golan Heights to Caesarea Philipi (Banias), which is one of the sources of the Jordan River. Back to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (Mass in Capernaum or Mount of Beatitudes)

Friday November 9   Jordan Valley/Jerusalem/Bethlehem
After breakfast begin your journey to Jerusalem. Start with a visit to the 2000 years old wooden fishermen boat that is hosted at Kibbutz Nof Ginossar – The St. Peter’s Boat. Drive south along the Jordan Valley. On the way view Jericho, the most ancient town in the world and Mount of Temptation. Drive on the Biblical old road to Jerusalem. Enter the Holy City with a special ceremony. Drive to Bethlehem, visit the Church of Nativity and view the Shepherds' Field. Free time for shopping. On the way back to Jerusalem, stop for a visit to the Herodium – King Herod’s fortress and tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Bethlehem)

Saturday November 10   Mt. of Olives/Garden of Gethsemane/Pool of Bethesda/Via Dolorosa/Holy Sepulcher/Mt. Zion
After breakfast we will dedicate the day to exploring the Holy City. Visit Mount of Olives with its breathtaking view over the Old City of Jerusalem. Here you can see the ancient Jewish cemetery and Oscar Shindler’s grave. Visit the Chapel of Ascension and Pater Noster Church, where we find the "Lord's Prayer" in over 50 languages. Walk down Palm Sunday road to the Church of Dominus Flevit - "the Lord wept". On to the Garden of Gethsemane with the ancient olive trees and visit the Church of All Nations. Nearby we can stop for a short visit at the Garden Tomb. Enter the Old City from the Lions' Gate. Visit St. Anne's Church and the Pools of Bethesda. Continue along the stations of the Via Dolorosa (carrying a wooden cross, if available) to the Holy Sepulcher, where the last Stations of the Cross are located. On to the Jewish Quarter and Mount Zion to visit David's Tomb, the Room of the Last Supper, the Church of the Dormition and the St. Peter in Galicantu Church. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Jerusalem)

Sunday November 11   Day 7 - Ein Karem/Yad Vashem/Israel Museum-Model
After breakfast discover the New City. Drive to Ein Karem, the hometown of St. John the Baptist. Visit the Churches of Visitation and St. John's the Baptists. Continue to Yad Vashem the Holocaust memorial. Drive to the Israel Museum to visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are exhibited and visit the Holyland Model of the Holy City as it was 2,000 years ago, in Jesus' times. Conclude the day returning to the Old City to visit the Wailing Wall, the holiest place for the Jewish people. View the Temple Mount with the El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (Mass in Jerusalem)

Monday November 12   Day 8 - Free Day in Jerusalem (Optional Bethany/Dead Sea/Qumran/Masada)
(Early morning Mass in Jerusalem) After breakfast free day for personal activities or take an optional tour to Masada at an additional cost ($110 per person):

Drive to Bethany, visit the Tomb of Lazarus and the House of Mary and Martha. Continue to the Good Samaritan Inn. Drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Visit Qumran, where John the Baptist may have lived with the Essenes and where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls where written and found. Continue along the Dead Sea shore to Masada. Ascend and descend by cable car. Visit the amazing fortress built by King Herod. Walk along the remains of the palaces, bath-house, walls, the synagogue and the Byzantine Church. Hear the tragic story of the last stronghold of the Zealots fighters. Drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest point and the saltiest body of water on earth. Enjoy a dip in these salty waters, where you can float on this amazing lake.

Special Farewell dinner at the hotel with Pilgrimage Certificates and overnight in Jerusalem.

Tuesday November 13   Day 9 - Transfer and prepare to fly back to USA

(Morning Mass in Jerusalem) After breakfast pack your suitcase and check out of the hotel. Visit Hadassah Hospital and see the famous Chagall Windows, stop at the Knesset – the Israel Parliament, to see the famous Menorah and the Eternal Flame. On to visit Yad Kennedy and the Kennedy forest, which is a memorial for President JF Kennedy. Drive to Old Jaffa where we can see the house of John the tanner. Transfer to the airport for our different flights back home.

Wednesday/Thursday November 14/15   Day 10/11 - Arrive back home

Arrive back home

No doubt when I arrive back home, I will be under jet lag for several weeks.  It always bothers me more coming East to West.  Forgive me if I am bleary eyed.  But know too that I will be grateful to be home and will be glad that you have journeyed with me in spirit.  We will have much to be thankful for as Thanksgiving rolls around once more.

Be sure that I am praying for you and your families and all who are dear to you.