Dear Friends,
 
Next weekend, we will be celebrating Priesthood Sunday. Usually that Sunday we have a guest priest or religious give a talk on vocations at a special breakfast. This year we have chose to have two married couples, Terry & Sue Smith, and Dan & Shannon Quinn, highlighting the vocation of Marriage. We cannot have religious and priestly vocations without good marriages.
 
I recall this true story about the life of St. Pius X. When he became the Bishop of Milan, he received the bishop’s ring. His mother was seated in the first pew at the ceremony. As he processed out of the cathedral, he went over to his mother and held out his new bishop’s ring for her to have the privilege of being the first to kiss it. She took one look at his ring and then held out her worn wedding ring, she said, “Kiss this ring first, for it were not for this ring, you would not have that ring!”
 
We need to encourage all vocations: marriage, single, priesthood, and religious. I am very grateful that our diocese has one of the largest numbers in the United States for men studying to become a priest. I thought you might like to hear from one of the nine young men Bishop Perez ordained priests this past May 18, 2019. I believe his testimony will inspire all of us to continue to be pro-active in encouraging young men from Queen of Heaven to consider a call from the priesthood.
 
Fr. Gonzalez admits that for years, he was satisfied being a cradle Catholic who attended Mass on Sundays but didn’t delve much further into his faith. “When I was 29, I was challenged by someone close to me about how I was living my life as a Catholic, I started looking into it more deeply, and I found that I was falling in love with everything about the Church,” he recalls. “I was learning about the truth and the beauty of the Church.” Fr. Gonzalez began to forge a new relationship, one that would dramatically change his future.
 
Entering Saint Mary Seminary in the fall of 2013, Fr. Gonzalez was “overwhelmed by the brotherhood of the seminarians. Here you have 90 guys all taking the same step to grow in their relationship with Christ and to see if He might be calling them to be priests.”  The friendships he forged continued to grow throughout his six years in the seminary, he adds. “Being together is such a bonding experience. As we walk together, we are learning, looking out for each other and holding each other accountable.”
 
Fr. Gonzalez also found that he had to hold himself accountable if he was to grow with Christ. “One of the biggest challenges I had to tackle was not always tackling things,” he admits. “I tend to be a perfectionist and a control freak, and I realized how that limits the movement of the Holy Spirt in me. I had to let go and trust God because he has my best interests in mind.”
 
Now, as he begins his work as a diocesan priest, Fr. Gonzalez has advice for other men who might be wondering if their desire to grow closer to God is a calling to the priesthood. “Don’t ignore those thoughts,” he says. “Continue going deeper. Talk to God directly and express what’s inside of you. Let go of the idea of a vocation, and concentrate on your relationship with Jesus,” he concludes. “Let that be your focus.”
 
Peace in JMJ,
 
Father Dave
 
P.S. Upcoming events…

• Hope to see you at the Donut Social this Sunday, October 20th, after the 8:15 a.m. Mass in the Church Basement, and at the Vocation Breakfast next Sunday, October 27th. The breakfast is free, but reservations are highly encouraged.
• Today is World-wide Mission Sunday. Please be generous in the second collection today.

There will be a parish Rosary this coming Tuesday, October 22, at 7:00 pm in the Entrance of the Parish Life Center. It is going to be videotaped by Living Bread Radio station and shown on their on-line YouTube station. To see the last taping on October 1^st in our Marian Garden go to: https://youtu.be/zpYZeYXt--U.

Who are we most like? The Samaritan in today’s Gospel passage who returned to Jesus and thanked him for healing him of leprosy? Or do we most resemble the other nine lepers who were cleansed but failed to express any sense of gratitude to the Divine Miracle Worker? But even if we always say “thank you” like we were taught as children, is this phrase merely uttered mechanically without loving (or at least kindly), heartfelt gratitude?
 
The Catechism speaks of the virtue of gratitude:
 
“Gratitude is love that has been acknowledged. Someone who is grateful turns freely to the giver of the good and enters into a new, deeper relationship with him. God wishes us to acknowledge his love and even now to live our whole life in relation with him. This relationship lasts forever.”
 
As I did a bit of research on the virtue of gratitude, I came across the following quote from Fr. Romano Guardini (a 20^th century German Catholic priest, author, and academic) that dives deeper into what freely given thanksgiving and gratitude are all about:
 
“We can be grateful only to a person. Gratitude is possible only between an ‘I’ and a ‘you.’ We cannot thank a law, a board, or a company. We may do so out of mere politeness when the proper sum is handed to us in order to keep everything in the domain of good manners, but real gratitude does not enter into the matter, for gratitude is the expression of a personal encounter in human need.
 
But two persons, one of whom is situated so that he has something or can do something, while the other has not or cannot – these stand face to face. The one asks and the other is ready; the one gives and the other thanks; and the two are united by a human tie. Here gratitude is possible, and it becomes a basis for community.”
 
Having hoped for the blossoming of ten eternal relationships, how sad our Lord must have been that day when only one cleansed person returned to stand face to face with him. Sure, the other nine must have been elated with the results of their healings, happy to return to their loved ones from whom they had been separated by their former disease. But their joy and excitement led them to distraction and thus they missed even greater graces than the healing – the potential for ongoing, eternal relationship with the one who loved them – the one who always will.
 
So, the question for us remains. Do we have an “attitude of gratitude” regarding all the good that God graciously gives us by means of his benevolent providence? If we take the time to think about it, our Father God has pulled out all the stops in providing for both our material wellbeing as well as for the graces needed for our spiritual walk – graces that ensure that we will embrace him one day in heaven. Yet, how often, like the nine, we take these graces for granted, getting distracted and hardly giving the giver of these gifts – the one who longs for relationship with us – any real consideration.
 
Are you ready for a little homework assignment? Think about ten blessings you’ve received then return to Jesus, fall at his feet and thank him for them in a way that acknowledges his love.
 
May God continue to bless your soul with his great blessings and make it all his!
 
Deacon Steve

Dear Friends,
 
Today is Respect Life Sunday and the first weekend of the month of Respect Life…we know the call is out every day (not just the 31 days of October) to respect life in all of its stages, from womb to tomb.  Yes, all lives matter!
 
Today, the most vulnerable is the child in the womb.  One million lives a year are being snuffed out by abortion in the USA alone.  When one segment of life is considered expendable, all stages of life are more vulnerable and cheapened.  No wonder we have so many acts of senseless violence on our streets.  Since 1973 it has been legal to terminate the life of an innocent child in the womb.  Let’s pray that someday soon our country will get back to our Judeo-Christian heritage of keeping the 10 commandments—one of which is, “Thou shalt not kill.” 
 
I would like to end with one paragraph from Pope Francis’ Evangelical letter “The Joy of the Gospel” paragraph 213…
 
Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the defenseless and innocent among us.  Nowadays efforts are made to deny them their human dignity and to do with them whatever one pleases, taking their lives and passing laws preventing anyone from standing in the way of this.  Frequently, as a way of ridiculing the Church’s effort to defend their lives, attempts are made to present her position as ideological, obscurantist and conservative.  Yet this defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right.  It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development.  Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems.  Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.  Reason alone is sufficient to recognize the inviolable value of each single human life, but if we also look at the issue from the standpoint of faith, “every violation of the personal dignity of the human being cries out in vengeance to God and is an offence against the creator of the individual.”
 
Please see the bulletin for all the Queen of Heaven Pro-Life Ministry Respect Life activities during the month of October. I hope you will participate in at least one of these activities.
 
Also, remember October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. We are giving you the opportunity to pray the Rosary with the parish four times during the month. Living Bread Radio will also be here on Tuesday, October 22^nd, video-recording the Rosary for their new show called “Power of the Bead” (which will be played on Facebook and YouTube on Thursdays at 3:00 pm). Please see bulletin ad for more information on the Rosary dates.
 
I will be leading a Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lebanon Basilica and National Shrine in North Jackson, Ohio, on Tuesday, October 22^nd. I hope you can come. See the ad and registration form in this bulletin.
 
Have a Blessed October and keep praying the Rosary!
 
Fr. Dave

The past several weeks of Luke’s Gospel (and whatever I have been reading personally) has awaken me to a central point about walking in faith.  There are many opposites in our world, and a lot of the tension we experience in the Christian journey is because we can’t reconcile them.  We are given example after example about this fundamental truth; Jesus came to divide families but also unite them, the prodigal son vs. his faithful brother, and this week a parable highlighting salvation for the poor man and damnation for the rich man.  Let‘s examine a bit further. 
                As you hear these stories you may find where you fit in as one or all the characters at various points in your own story.  Meditating on these characters inevitably calls to mind a whole set of questions about our life and life after death.  If I have a successful career and make a lot of money will I go to hell?  If I am faithful to my parents needs will I be blind to what they provide me?  Should I argue with my in-laws about taking my children to Mass?   These are of course hypothetical, but certainly play out in everyday life.  So, what can we glean from the dialogue in today’s story and how does it form our Catholic perspective?
                I believe the Lord is trying to tell us something very profound through the conversation between Abraham and the rich man.  For one, the rich man gave zero attention to Lazarus when he needed it most.  Obviously, we are called to reach out to the poor and to lessen their burden as best we can.  Yet, we are also called to help alleviate the poverty in ourselves, in our marriages, in our workplace, in our homes, in our Church, and beyond.  Every day is a new opportunity to respond to the spiritual needs of others through the gifts God has given us. 
              The more subtle but significant lesson is that those who are blind to the needs of the poor will also be blind to the Resurrection of Christ.  This is the point Abraham makes to the rich man who desperately wanted to warn his brothers before they met the same fate as him.  It is a call to action for us who realize we can tune God in or tune God out. 
                The Good News is Queen of Heaven has heard God’s call!  This summer we were blessed to have led a mission trip of 16 from our parish to San Lucas, Guatemala to help build the home we funded.  I am happy to update you that the construction of the home has been completed and the family is now living inside their new home.  It will serve them for generations to come!  The director of the “charity with dignity” part of the Mission is quoted (translated) saying:  “It was very emotional and comforting the day of the end of construction, the happy children and the mother, cried, cried and laughed and did not know how to express their emotion and gratitude, Father John (American missionary priest) was also present to bless, much miracle for my poor heart and eyes.” 
                You can see how much this meant and was an overwhelming blessing for the family and those involved in the project.  Thank you always for your charitable hearts. 
 
God bless you all,
Steve Dyer

I would like to share with you a little flier that I found in one Cleveland Diocese church. I thought you might like it, I know I did. What it says also holds true for our parish…we love children!

 Parents relax:  we welcome children!

•  God put the wiggles in children. Don’t feel you have to suppress it in God’s house. All are welcome!
• Sit towards the front where it is easier for your Little ones to see and hear what is going on at the altar. They tire of seeing the backs of others!
• Quietly explain the parts of the Mass and actions of the priest, choir, and other ministries.
• Help them find the hymns and prayers in the hymnal or booklets. Sing the hymns, participate in the liturgy and pray. Children learn about worship and liturgical behavior by copying you.
• If you need to leave Mass with your child, feel free to do so, but please come back.
• As Jesus said, “Let the children come to me . . .” Remember that the way we welcome children in Church directly affects the way they respond to the Church, to God and to one another. Let them know that they are at home in His house of worship.

To the members of the parish…
A smile of encouragement is always welcome to parents with small active children. We are glad they are here!
“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”  ~ St. Pope John Paul II

I remember when I was at St. Charles parish in Parma on Ridge Road in the 1980’s (Ridge was the main road to Parma Town Mall and over one thousand cars passed every hour). One of those cars that often passed by the church was driven by a parishioner with a 1 ½ year-old child in the back seat of their car. She told me that every time she passed St. Charles church her child would point out the church and say, “Chu, Chu,…”

Never underestimate the power of your good example coming to church with your young ones.
 
Peace in JMJ,
Father Dave
 
P.S. Remember to bring your pets (all kinds) to our annual Pet Blessing Mass next weekend on Sunday, September 29^th at 11:00 am Mass outdoors (inside if raining).

Have you ever wondered where Jesus came up with such great stories like the one about a father and his sons that we hear today in Luke’s Gospel? Perhaps our Lord stayed up late the night before he taught. Perhaps he adapted versions of stories he heard that had been passed down through the generations to him from his earthly father and grandfathers. Or maybe his storytelling was just “off the cuff.”
 
Regardless of where the stories originated, our Lord’s parables have the power to transform his listeners. Just as the best of the Jewish teachers of his day did, the parables of Jesus were intended to convey some great truth that lies beyond mere human logic and understanding. And parables did that by revealing the mysterious truth using images and experiences that all who heard them could easily relate to.
 
Today’s Gospel is somewhat unique in that we hear proclaimed the entire 15^th chapter of Luke’s Gospel. This chapter includes the parables of the “Lost Sheep,” the “Lost Coin,” and my favorite, the parable of the “Lost Son.”
 
The story of the prodigal son contains many great truths, but I’d like to focus on just one; it’s contained in verse 15 which reads, “So he (the son) got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.”
 
What a beautiful image! The father “caught sight of him” – here the story implies that this seemingly dignified, well-known and respected nobleman stood outside, perhaps day after day, on his terrace which overlooked the road that led to his estate longing for the presence of his lost son. And when the son is spotted in the distance, this nobleman, who was first and foremost a father, dropped all airs of propriety and ran to his son.
 
The great truth that Jesus teaches in this verse is that we have a Father God – who is just that – a father who always longs for our presence. Imagine that! The God of the universe, completely and perfectly happy in the bliss of Heaven, longs to just be with us! And note, too, that God’s the one who does the “running,” the “embracing” and the “kissing” once we’ve made even the slightest effort to turn toward him.
 
Yes, our God is not a disinterested Creator who just started the earth spinning and then stays detached, indifferent and distant from it and its inhabitants. The Good News is we have a true father for a God and we are his beloved sons and daughters!
 
May God, our Father, be always in the midst of your heart!
 
Deacon Steve

Today’s Gospel reading says, …“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
 
Jesus really challenges us in this Sunday’s Gospel. He says we must turn our backs on our own family if we wish to be his disciple. He reminds us that we must be willing to take up our cross when we follow Him. Jesus is speaking using a common literary technique used in His culture. He exaggerates in order to make a point. Obviously, He does not want us to hate our parents in order to follow Him. But He does want us to love Him even more than them. And if we realize God desires us to do something that our parents don’t want us to do (such as a religious vocation), it is necessary to turn our backs on our family in order to be faithful to God’s will.
 
Examples of this happened often in the lives of the saints:  St. Francis de Sales’ father was irate when he learned his eldest son, who had a promising political career, wanted to become a priest (he became a little less angry years later when Francis became a Bishop); and also, St. Perpetua’s father pleaded with her to deny Christ so that she would not become a martyr. Her father even took her baby boy who was still nursing away from her to shake some sense into her, but Perpetua was firm in her love for Christ.
 
We, too, are called to be saints. When we pray, we will sometimes feel God calling us to do things that are not always popular or understood by others. Jesus calls us to be strong and love Him enough to listen to Him before our family and friends.
 
Of other things…
 
This weekend all the catechetical classes are beginning. I want to thank all the parents who have signed up their children for our Parish School of Religion or Upper Room High School Ministry. I also want to thank all the teachers as well as Donna White, Coordinator of PSR, Susan Mattingly, Co-Coordinator of PSR, and Steve Dyer, Youth Minister, for their leadership in our catechetical programs. Please continue to pray for all the youth in our parish as they continue their faith journey.
 
Remember to join our parish community this Tuesday, September 10^th, on the vigil of Patriot’s Day, to pray the Patriotic Rosary together for the Consecration of Our Nation. We will lift up all people of each state as well as our church and our government leaders, to God in prayer for guidance.
 
Lastly, one of our parishioners sent me this message that was on a sign at a church where they were visiting when they were out of town; I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you:
 
“When you enter this church, it may be possible that you hear ‘The Call of God.’ However, it is unlikely that He will call you on your mobile. Thank you for turning off your phones. If you want to talk to God, enter, choose a quiet place and talk to Him. If you want to see Him send Him a text while driving.”
 
Love in JMJ,
 
Father Dave
 
PS. A daily Mass has been added at 1:30 pm at the Gables of Green on the second Monday of each month. All are welcome to attend.

In this weekend’s Gospel passage, Jesus uses a dinner date at the home of one of the leading Pharisees as a springboard to teach about a critical virtue that’s foundational to every Christian’s life – and that virtue is humility. In the Gospel we hear one of Christ’s most memorable teachings: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
 
Unfortunately, our present-day society and culture paint a rather negative image of the word “humility.” The secular world wants to turn this virtue into a vice by making the humble person overly docile, submissive and compliant or spiritless and tame. This definition seemingly turns the person who practices this virtue into some kind of human doormat. But Christ wants no such thing! So, from a Catholic perspective, what’s being “humble” all about?
 
First let’s set before us a model of this virtue. Jesus is the perfect example of humility. The Second Person of the Trinity, in a perfect act of humility, became human. In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul tells us that “Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…and found human in appearance he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” By humbly coming into this world as a human Jesus had nothing to gain for himself. But by his humbly going out, in his Passion, Death, Resurrection and Glorification, our Lord finds himself exalted above all things.
 
If we dig still deeper into this parable, we hear Christ teaching us that, with the virtue of humility, it’s more important why we do something rather than what we do. The desire to be humble must precede any truly humble act. This is how Jesus lived – longing and willing to come and die for us.
 
And we need to remember, too, that a truly humble person doesn’t allow false humility to keep them from using their gifts. God wants us to fully exercise the talents he’s blessed us with. True humility finds the humble person gratefully acknowledging his or her gifts and thus by using them he or she gives praise to the giver of their gifts.
 
So, what are some other practical ways to actually live this virtue of humility and thus be “exalted” in God’s eyes? First, it’s important to know that the words “humble” and “humus” share the same Latin root; thus, we can see a humble person as being real, earthy or down-to-earth. And secondly, humble people know where they stand – they, the creatures, being in right relationship with their Creator with God as the superior and they as the subordinates. And, with that, the humble person finds peace in that creator/creature order of things.
 
Our Blessed Mother, the Queen of Heaven, the second most perfect example of humility, can also serve as a faultless role model for us. Mary saw herself as the “handmaid of the Lord.” In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for “handmaid” meant “female slave.” Mary embraced this wonderful divine “slavery.” We see this as she lived her “handmaid” role with humility and respectful self-depreciation in the presence of her great King.
 
As I normally say as I dismiss the assembly at the end of Mass: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life!” Go humbly – be exalted!
 
May God bless your soul with his greatest blessings and make it all his!
 
Deacon Steve

              There are many great things happening at Queen of Heaven Parish all thanks to your involvement and support!  The mission most dear to my heart is passing on the beautiful truths of our Catholic faith.  Sunday, September 8th we will begin a new catechetical year – the parish school of religion (PSR), high school youth ministry (Upper Room), and Sacramental prep programs for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. 
            These are more than just “programs.”  I really dislike the term because it sounds blah and worn out.  Truly they are one of the most important ways we live and achieve the mission of Jesus Christ and His Church.  Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.”  He wants us to do the very thing He instructed his closest followers to do: go therefore and make disciples of all the nations!  No easy task for sure.  Particularly when our own nation is in need of deep conversion and re-evangelization. 
            Nevertheless, it is our hope that rich faith formation at our parish will help our youth draw closer to God.  My prayer is that they come to know the Church as a place where they are received in genuine love and are shown God’s healing power.  This is key to evangelizing future generations that will inevitably be starved for Truth!
            Thank you in advance to Donna White who directs our PSR program, and to all the many catechists who sacrifice their time each week.  On Behalf of Father Durkee, Deacon Steve, and all the staff, may our parish be abundantly blessed with an awesome year ahead.  Please pick up a registration from the bulletin boards or download from the parish website and turn in either at the main office or in the collection baskets at mass. 
 
In Christ’s Peace,
Steven Dyer