OUR MISSION: Queen of Heaven Parish is a prayerful, vibrant and proactive community sharing Christ's love through numerous ministries.
Good News Letter
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"Bishop Malesic's Visit" Reflection By Father Dave 10.17.21
This month of October we celebrate “Respect Life” and “The Holy Rosary.” And next Sunday we welcome Bishop Edward Malesic to our parish for his official first pastoral visit. We hope you will all want to meet him this coming Sunday at least at one or all of the events planned.
First event – Vocation Breakfast in the Parish Life Center from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Bishop Malesic will share his vocation story of how he felt the call to be a priest.
Second event – 11:00 a.m. Mass (outdoors, weather permitting) in which the bishop will preside and preach.
Third event – Bishop Malesic will bless and dedicate Queen of Heaven’s two newest shrines to St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Francis of Assisi. Afterward we will offer a pasta dinner in the Parish Life Center plus a “Meet and Greet” with the bishop. All events are free; no reservation is needed. Just show up.
We are so grateful for the shrines that the bishop will be blessing. I have written in previous bulletins about the St. Therese Shrine built by our Eagle Scout, Owen Frank, which was finished in November 2020. Our most recent shrine to St. Francis was finished on Thursday, September 30, 2021, just in time for his feast day on Monday, October 4. How grateful we are to the following people/companies: Bill Masters who donated the wiring and installation of the spotlight to light the St. Francis statue up at night; Lenz Concrete for the awesome cement work; Doug Cincurak for the beautiful landscaping and installing the benches, stone wall, and statue; and for the anonymous donor who donated those items. The statue came from Guatemala.
How appropriate and timely the new shrine to the saint who models the importance of respect for all life – from conception to natural death. St. Francis is noted for his seeing God’s presence in all creation, calling the Sun his brother and the moon his sister. Francis heard Jesus speak to him saying “Go rebuild My church, it is falling into ruin.” At first Francis thought Jesus was talking about the buildings but realized the need also for the living stones, to take care especially of living a simple life of service to the lepers.
Francis had a special devotion to Mary, the Eucharist, and the Cross. He received the Stigmata on the Feast Day of the Exaltation of the Cross. St. Francis created the custom of making a creche (a Nativity scene for Christmas), and my most favorite saying is attributed to him – “Preach the gospel always, when necessary, use words.” He also said, “Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received, only what you have given.”
Go check out the new St. Francis Shrine (opposite the northwest corner of the PLC) and say an extra prayer for God’s peace on us all.
Love you in JMJ,
Father Dave -
"A TRUE LIFE-CHANGER!" REFLECTION BY DEACON STEVE 10.10.21
Just for fun, let’s start today’s article with a quiz. What do we as Catholics do each week that takes an hour or less yet permanently changes us? A trip to the barber shop or hair stylist? Nope. How about a visit to the gym for a workout? No again.
The correct answer is the Mass – the Mass is truly life-changing. I had a professor when I was in formation who imparted a visual lesson that’s stuck with me to this day. He wisely counseled that we were to visualize the threshold to the door of the church as we came to Mass. As we enter and cross the threshold, we’re a specific individual formed by thousands of experiences that made us who we were to that point in our lives. As we exit the church and cross that same threshold in the opposite direction, we’re an enhanced version of that previous person somehow mystically changed – formed by the Mass more and more into the image of a “little Christ.”
The Mass, having within it the Eucharist – i.e. the source and summit of the Christian life – is the most important hour of the week for Catholic Christians. The following are a few quotes that attest to this fact:
“Every day Christ humbles Himself just as He did when from His heavenly throne He descended into the Virgin’s womb; every day He comes to us and lets us see Him in lowliness, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.” – St. Francis of Assisi
“Know, O Christian, that the Mass is the holiest act of religion. You cannot do anything to glorify God more, nor profit your soul more, than by devoutly assisting at it, and assisting as often as possible.” – St. Peter Julian Eymard
“Martyrdom is nothing in comparison with the Mass, because martyrdom is the sacrifice of man for God, whereas the Mass is the Sacrifice of God for man!”– St. John Vianney
Even though this hour or so we spend at Mass is the most important time of the week, many of the faithful fail to fully comprehend what takes place in this beautiful and grace-filled time that we spend with our Lord. Sure, we know when to sit or stand and how to throw in a few “amens” at the appropriate times, but do we realize that the Eucharistic Liturgy enables us to make present and offer anew Jesus Christ’s one redemptive sacrifice of Calvary? The Mass is truly a foretaste of heaven, a place where heaven and earth become most profoundly one. It’s a shame that we would fritter away even one moment of this bliss due to our ignorance of what’s going on during this sacred hour.
To help demystify the richness and depth of the various parts of the Mass and to better know how it is we are spending our time with our Lord and Savior we will be publishing over the next several weeks a column in the bulletin entitled “Trouble Understanding the Mass?” I encourage you to spend some time reading this material so that you can come to a better understanding regarding the place where heaven and earth meet.
May God be always our only love and goal!
Deacon Steve -
A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP EDWARD MALESIC ON OCTOBER AS RESPECT LIFE MONTH 10.3.21All human life is precious, fragile, and given directly to us as a gift by God. As such, we are brothers and sisters in our human family, made in the image and likeness of God. We are all called to live out our responsibility to care for, protect and defend the lives of our brothers and sisters.
Sadly, in our great country we focus so much on our individual freedoms that we sometimes forget about our corresponding obligations to be protective of life, respectful and caring to one another. Jesus reminds us to “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Lk 6:27-38) Consequently, we all have the obligation to defend life because it is the fundamental right from which all other rights flow. St. Pope John Paul II stated, “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture – is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.” (Christifideles laici, No. 38)
In our culture today, disrespect for life in the womb has spilled over to a general disrespect for the needs of others outside the womb. If life can be disregarded at its very beginning, why not be dismissive of it the middle and at the end, too? To be truly prolife we must also respect life after a person is born. This includes striving to end all racism, protecting the environment that we all share together, lifting up the poor, helping the addicted, comforting those in prison, etc. In short, we are all called to practice the corporal works of mercy. I am disturbed by images of people shouting at one another on airplanes, the disruptions at public board meetings, shootings in our city streets and the mean-spirited unproductive speech that sometimes comes from people who claim to follow Christ. As we go about our day, do we treat people – all of them – as made in God’s image, even if the image is tainted in them? We should want to help those in our society who are struggling to welcome new life, like moms who are pregnant or parenting in difficult circumstances and seek healing for those parents who are struggling after the loss of a child, including those who regretfully lost their children through abortion. Instead of tearing people down, we must want to raise them up. This begins by praying for them, but it must not end there. Our love of others must be shown in our actions and in how we treat and value all human life. We seek to convert the minds and hearts of those who disregard life by our example of peaceful and steadfast defense of it.
I wish we could recover the unity we all felt as a nation after the events of 9/11. And I believe we can. But as people of faith, we must lead the way in love. We may disagree with each other, but the correction we give must be gentle as well as steadfast in faith. We must take on the mind of Christ who did not come to condemn us, but to save us.
Every October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday, Oct. 3, is observed as Respect Life Sunday. Let us use the month of October to see one another with the eyes of God, as part of his creation. As we focus on the right to life, let us not be neglectful of our obligation to support life in every stage from beginning to end. We can also use the time to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins against life, both personal and corporate.
Because there are so many invaluable life issues, the diocesan Office for Human Life, in collaboration with the diocesan Social Action Office, will be highlighting different aspects of life each week throughout the month of October in order to help build and celebrate the culture of life. I urge you to go to https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/offices/parish-life/office-for-human-life/ resources for resource materials that will help us walk with each other in solidarity in the support and protection of all human life.
Let us pray: We come to you, our God, the author and sustainer of every human life.
Grant us the courage and wisdom to protect your gift of human life from conception to natural death. Help us to defend our brothers and sisters both born and yet to be born with great love. Make us good stewards of every life.
May we live by the example of your Son, Jesus, who was always close to the weakest of the weak. Guided by your Holy Spirit, strengthen us to defend the most vulnerable among us, especially the unborn. Give us the grace to courageously live the Gospel of life with gentleness and joy. May our faithful witness soften the hearts and minds of those who reject the gift of life in any way. We entrust our prayer to you through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. -
"Turning Toward God and Away From Ourselves" Reflection By Steve Dyer 9.26.21
I was at a diocesan youth minister gathering recently speaking with a colleague, and during our conversation the term re-conversion came up. At first, I did not know what they meant by the word, so I tried to put two and two together. “Re” is the prefix meaning again and again, to do repeatedly. Conversion is the process of turning toward God and away from ourselves. Then it clicked - re-conversion is the process of beginning anew with God, and evaluating our beliefs and actions with fresh eyes again and again.
Meditating on today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us about re-conversion in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. When reading through it for the first time it felt like trying to swallow a “horse pill.” You know you need it because it will benefit you, but it is a struggle to get down. According to Bishop Robert Barron, head of the Word on Fire apostolate, Lazarus is named, and the rich man is not, precisely to drive home the opposite of what is typically custom. I think back to when I was in college at Akron U and volunteered with the hot meals group at St. Bernard’s Parish downtown. We served some of the poorest of the poor in the city. One thing they always taught us was to greet and ask each person their name. Such a simple gesture, but so powerful. It was here that I discovered Jesus in a new way, through the face of the poor.
Who is Jesus speaking to in this parable and how does this impact us? Jesus starts out addressing the Pharisees. He does this often in the Gospels. Jesus was sometimes critical of some of them because He felt they were overly concerned about external things rather than internal things. Sound familiar? Jesus is talking to us too. We sometimes see ourselves as the rich man in this parable. The warning Jesus implies is that we ought to be helping the poor here and now. One day it will be too late. And many of us do just that - for instance, the Labre ministry, Green Good Neighbors, Blessings in a Backpack etc…. Others of us struggle to incorporate this principle into our daily actions yet, this is our faith. This is our hope. Let us pray for the strength to keep striving to help the poor among us along the journey to Heaven.
In Christ’s peace,
Steven Dyer -
"Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti" Reflection By Father Dave 9.19.21
Dear Friends,
At all Masses this weekend (September 18 & 19), we will hear about the Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti ministry work and commitment to serve the poor of Haiti.
The second collection is dedicated to this ministry in Haiti. Funds from this collection will support the thousands of families in the poverty-stricken area of Christ the King in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Your gifts can help provide education scholarships, medical care, nutrition and feeding programs, support for orphanages, and efforts to rebuild the medical clinic.
For 40 years, the ministry has been serving some of God’s poorest, faith-filled Haitians, in the values of the Gospel, providing sacramental and spiritual support through its programs and relationships with twins in both the U.S. and Haiti.
Susan Wallace is the Executive Director for the diocesan ministry in Haiti, having first visited Haiti 40 years ago. She worked for the Archdiocese of D.C. and Mobile, Alabama, before the Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti. She comes to share Christ’s mission and invites you to be a part of our diocesan ministry. Our Haitian brothers and sisters are struggling with severe food shortages, political unrest and the uncertainties we are all facing with this virus, but it is more challenging in Haiti where health care is meager. We hope the Holy Spirit will speak to you about prayerfully supporting Outreach to Haiti. We thank you for your generosity. For more information about this ministry please visit www.outreachtohaiti.org.
Of other things…
We hear in the Gospel today the disciples arguing over who is the greatest, and Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be first, must be the last and servant of all.” And He holds up a child and says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in My name, receives Me.” What did He mean by that? Does Jesus mean that we should never grow up - never have any care or responsibility? No, Jesus did not mean we should be childish, but childlike.
Children need a lot of attention, meaning they take our minds off of ourselves and force us to think about others. That is what Jesus’s ministry and life was all about, and that is our call as well.
I thank you in advance for being generous to our Annual Mission Appeal this weekend for Outreach to Haiti, and next weekend the Diocese of Cleveland asks us to take up second collection for Hurricane Ida Relief.
God bless your day and week,
Father Dave -
"Our Catholic Faith Is A Gift Beyond Measure" Reflection By Deacon Steve 9.12.19
I think we all can acknowledge that our God is a good and gracious God – one who is lavish in conferring gifts on His children. But do we always recognize these gifts for what they are, or do we sometimes take them for granted? One grace that we should acknowledge frequently is the gift of our Catholic Faith. And with that acknowledgement, we need to ask ourselves how fervent are we in passing this gift on to those around us.
Jesus is explicit in the Gospels that His followers will do greater works than this! How can this be? After all, our Lord is a pretty hard act to follow. These greater works that Jesus refers to, however, are ones that will continue His efforts in the conversion of the world. Armed with our Catholic Faith, we the children of God, “are the salt of the earth…the light of the world.” Our Lord goes on to tell us that, “A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others...” Does our light shine?
Our Catholic Faith is a gift beyond measure yet at times we can easily get complacent with that fact and let the busyness and distractions of this world drown out the light that this blessing brings to our lives. Have we put this divine “light” of ours under a “bushel basket” where it’s unable to illuminate our lives and the lives of others? If so, we neglect to do what is right – we leave Christ’s work undone.
Ok. Where’s the old Deacon going with all of this? We’ve got the gift of our Catholic Faith—why not share this “light” and pass it on to a family member, neighbor, friend or coworker? We all know good people who could benefit from the graces bestowed by Jesus Christ through His Church. Why not suggest that they explore what it means to be Catholic? Our RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program begins soon. Our laid-back sessions allow participants to safely explore the Faith in a friendly environment and then discern whether it’s the right choice for them. Go ahead – I challenge you! Let your light shine – make a suggestion to someone you know that they explore the richness of the Catholic Faith. Have them get in touch with me by calling the office (330-896-2345) and I’ll be happy to answer any questions. Or they can just show up for our first session on September 20th at 6:30 PM in rooms 3 and 4 in our Parish Life Center.
May God grant you His peace, His grace, His light and His most holy consolations!
Deacon Steve -
"God Shows No Partiality" Reflection By Father Dave 9.5.21Look at our stained-glass window of the Resurrected Christ. Closely check it out. Do you know that over the years that I have pastored here, several people have offered money to pay to have the window doctored? One said that they did not like His mouth…He’s not smiling enough. Another thought His nose was too big and another said His eyebrows needed trimmed. And another thought His hands were too big and He was too robotic looking. Every time, even though I agreed with them, I refused to take their money and change the window.
In fact, why didn’t I change it? Because our second reading today from the book of James says, “My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Sit here, please,’ while you say to the poor one, ‘Stand there,’ or ‘Sit at my feet,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?”
In other words, we are to show no partiality, no favoritism. Our faith is not about distinction; it is not about favoritism. All people matter to God, not just a select few people. Notice who Jesus healed in the Gospel today…a deaf and mute Gentile (a non-Jew).
We are called to recognize Jesus in all people. That is why I think that it is good that Jesus is not that perfectly attractive in our stained-glass window. After all He is not Jesus Christ Super Star, but He is Jesus Christ Super Scar. He still has His scars in Heaven, and we are all called—scars and all, dysfunctions, and all—to recognize the Lord in each other and ourselves.
Note: We will be offering a 8:15 p.m. Sunday Mass starting on Sunday, September 12. This Mass will be for a trial period through October 2021. If a sufficent number of people attend, then we will continue the Mass after October.
Love in JMJ,
Father Dave -
"Master, To Whom Shall We Go?" Reflection By Father Dave 8.22.21
Dear Friends,
This weekend we conclude the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel, the Bread of Life Discourse. We hear these words in the Gospel, “Many of Jesus’s disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard. Who can accept it?’ … ‘The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ … As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him. Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘Do you also want to leave?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
My dear friends, to whom shall we go? We go to Jesus. As St. Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
Jesus alone truly satisfies our hungers. It is a hard saying, that the bread and the wine after the Consecration truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It takes eyes of faith to see beyond the veil of the bread and wine to see Jesus’s Body and Blood, but He is God, and He can do anything! How grateful we are for our faith that brought us here today at Mass. Thank you to all who make the effort to come to Mass every week and those who try to come every day.
Jesus can never be outdone in generosity. Time spent with Him at Mass is time well-spent. Time spent with Him outside of Mass in making a visit to our Adoration Chapel or the church is also time well-spent. People are known by the company they keep.
Just a reminder, access to our Adoration Chapel requires a four-digit code. Call the office if you don’t know it. The church is open daily until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., no need for a code.
God bless your day and week,
Fr. Dave
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October Liturgical Memorials, Feasts & Solemnities
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News
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Click on the title for detailed information.Read More
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As we begin World Mission Month, we can salute St. Thérèse’s dedication to Christ and her earnest desire to draw all people closer to Him by offering the World Mission Rosary. We can regularly pray for missionaries and those to whom they share the Gospel – and all who spread the light of Christ. Envelopes for this collection are in the packet of envelopes mailed to all registered parishioners. Thank you for your generosity!Read More
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All Saints Day is on Monday, November 1, 2021. Mass times for this Holy Day of Obligation are 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on November 1.Read More
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A special commemoration of our deceased relatives and friends, and particularly those deceased in the last year will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 7:00 p.m. If your loved one died this past year (11/1/20 to 11/1/21) but their funeral Mass was not at Queen of Heaven, you can add your loved one by calling the parish office at 330-896-2345.Read More
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Please Join with AM1260 the Rock as we pray and fast for our dear priests who give their lives unselfishly to our Holy Catholic Church and bring us the great gift of Christ in the Sacraments on Friday, October 29, 2021. Queen of Heaven will be participating as a prayer site for this event. Our church and Adoration Chapel (separate building from the church) will be open for all to come and pray before the Blessed Sacrament from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. For more information or a list of all participating churches go to https://am1260therock.com/event/day-of-prayer-and-fasting-for-priests-3.Read More
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Spiritual Life Commission Prayer For Father Dave
Heavenly Father,
Pour forth abundant graces on Your servant, David, on this occasion of his 40 years as a priest.
We are grateful to be able to see Christ in him and, more importantly, his ability to see Christ in others.
May Your Holy Spirit continue to sustain and enlighten him as he witnesses to the Good News.
Thank you for his devotion to the Eucharist and Our Lady which he so beautifully shares with others.
Richly bless him on this day, now and always.
Amen.
~ Composed by the Spiritual Life Commission, June 2005 (modified June 2020) -
Prayer for Father Dave on His 40th Anniversary Of The Priesthood
Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priest, Father David Durkee.
Through him, we experience your presence in the sacraments.
Help Father Dave to be strong in his vocation.
Set his soul on fire with love for your people.
Grant him the wisdom, understanding, and strength he needs to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Inspire him with the vision of your Kingdom.
Give him the words he needs to spread the Gospel.
Allow him to experience joy in his ministry.
Help him to be an instrument of your divine grace.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest.
Amen. -
Prayers During This Time of CrisisPope John Paul II encourages us to “cultivate in our hearts a constant desire for the Sacrament of the Eucharist” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 34). The practice of spiritual Communion, in which you ask the Lord to enter your heart, is an opportunity for union with God at times when you cannot receive Communion. However, it is not a substitute.
When unable to receive Holy Communion, you may use this prayer of St. Francis:
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
I believe that You, O Jesus, are in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You and desire You. Come into my heart. I embrace You. Oh, never leave me. May the burning and most sweet power of Your love, O Lord Jesus Christ I beseech You, absorb my mind that I may die through love of Your love, who were graciously pleased to die through love of my love. Amen. -
Protection Prayer for Pandemic
O Mary,
you always brighten our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the Cross, took part in Jesus’ pain while remaining steadfast in faith.
O loving Mother,
you know what we need,
and we are confident you will provide for us as at Cana in Galilee.
Intercede for us with your Son Jesus,
the Divine Physician,
for those who have fallen ill,
for those who are vulnerable,
and for those who have died.
Intercede also for those charged with
protecting the health and safety of others
and for those who are tending to the sick
and seeking a cure.
Help us, O Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who took upon himself our
sufferings and carried our sorrows,
so as to lead us, through the Cross,
to the glory of the Resurrection. Amen.
Under thy protection we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God.
In our needs, despise not our petitions, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
Adapted from the prayer of Pope Francis
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS -
Coronavirus Prayer
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love. Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace. May victims regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear. Stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow. Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace. Hear our prayer, O Divine Physician. Hear our prayer. Amen.
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