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I just wanted to write a quick note to say thank you for all the prayers & support at the passing of my father. On behalf of my mom, my 2 brothers & me, my dad’s sisters, & our entire family, thank you!

Earlier this week Larry Ploscik, who has served our parish for the past 3 years as our maintenance per- son informed me of his decision to retire at the end of the month. Larry has served our parish so well and so faithfully through KPM, the company that provides us with our maintenance services. Larry, a graduate of St. Vincent de Paul school himself, has served our parish for these past 3 years with dedica- tion and commitment.

 Happy 4th of July! I hope that you are enjoying these summer months and taking advantage of the wonderful weather that we’ve been having! The other day, I read an article about the health benefits of spending time outside. It is so true, spending time outside in nature, whether it be taking a walk in the woods or sitting outside on the back or front deck can have tremendous health effects such as lowering our blood pressure and our stress.

 “Teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1). Those are the words of the disciples to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke right before he taught them the words of the prayer that we know as the Our Father. Prayer is an essential part of our journey of faith and I’ve heard it described, very aptly so, as our relationship with God.

This weekend is Father’s Day Weekend and so I certainly want to take the opportunity to wish all of our fathers, grandfathers, and father figures a Happy and Blessed Father’s Day. We pray too, for all those fathers who have gone to their eternal reward, all those fathers who have lost children, and all those who long to be fathers but can’t.

As you very likely know our parish will be celebrating our 100th Anniversary next year! 100 years ago, on April 17th, 1922, Bishop Joseph Schrembs announced the establishment of a new parish in West Park, Ohio and he placed the parish under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul. 10 days later, Bishop Schrembs appointed Father Michael J. Flanigan as the first pastor of the new parish.

“This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on & on my friends.” For a while, that may have been what it seemed like regarding the pandemic that we found ourselves in the midst of, that this would never end. But hopefully it is & hopefully we are coming out of this.

Last weekend the Ascension reminded us that it is now our mission to build up the Kingdom of God in our parish, our community, and our world. I challenged each of us to look for the ways that we might be able to put our gifts and talents to use here around the parish.

Together, the Bishops of Ohio have decided that the general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (including the Saturday/Vigil Mass) is to be reinstated (CIC, can. 1247). This will take effect in each of the Dioceses of Ohio the weekend of June 5-6, 2021.

 “Help Wanted!” The other day I met a friend for dinner and as we walked into the restaurant, there was a table with a basket of applications. Next to the basket was a sign that bore the message, “Apply today, start tomorrow.” That restaurant is not alone in their search for workers, as these days there are a number of businesses looking for help. So many places are searching for people who are looking for work.

Funeral arrangements have been finalized regarding the Wake and Funeral Mass of former parochial vicar Fr. Dan Redmond. Please click the heading to access the funeral arrangement information.

It is with heavy hearts to announce that Fr. Dan Redmond, pastor of St. Mary's (Chardon) and St. Patrick (Thompson), and former associate at SVdP (1996-2002), passed away unexpectedly Sunday evening, May 9th, 2021. Please pray for the repose of his soul and for his family. Once funeral arrangements are finalized, they will be announced here. Please stay tuned to this page for further updates.

 This weekend, allow me to wish all of our mothers and grandmothers a Happy & Blessed Mother’s Day! There are not enough words to describe all that a mother does and no amount of pay would be enough for what she truly deserves. This weekend we offer special prayers for all of our mother’s living and deceased.

As we enter into the month of May I wanted to share with you and draw your attention to 2 important and exciting events that will be taking place over the course of the month.

Each year, the Gospel that we hear proclaimed on the 4th Sunday of Easter is always taken from the same chapter of the Gospel of John, Chapter 10. This chapter contains what is known as the “Good Shepherd Discourse,” in which Jesus proclaims, “I am the Good Shepherd,” and so this Sunday has come to be known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Good Shepherd Sunday is an opportunity for us to reflect upon how Jesus is the shepherd of our lives and also to pray and reflect upon the call to priesthood in the life of the Church.

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Fr. William Karg. Fr. Karg's first priestly assignment was here at St. Vincent de Paul Parish from 1964-1968. May he live forever in the Joy of the Resurrection. For more info regarding funeral arrangements, please click the title of this article.

 I enjoy watching sports. Though I never was one to play basketball, or baseball, or football on a competitive basis, there are times when I enjoy catching a game on TV or even in person. Every sports team has one goal in mind, to win the championship. Some teams have a better chance than others, but every team starts out the season with that goal in mind of being the last one standing, of being able to engage in that familiar championship tradition of jumping up & down, high
fiving, hugging, pouring champagne over each other’s heads, & hoisting the trophy into the air. We experienced it once here in Cleveland over the past few years & I hope that we’re able to experience it again soon.

First off, let me start by saying that you might not see me this weekend. I am not on vacation, but this Saturday, April 10th, I’m getting the second round of my COVID vaccine & so Fr. Clyde & Fr. Klein are planning on covering all the Masses just in case I happen to have any side effects. If I am able to, I will celebrate a Mass this weekend but at the very least I look forward to celebrating with you once any side effects have passed.

He is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! On behalf of myself & our entire parish staff, please know of our prayers for a most blessed Easter season! Even though we are celebrating & remembering today Jesus’ rising from the tomb, the reality we find ourselves facing is that we are still stuck in the tomb. In fact we have been stuck in the tomb for just over a year now. This pandemic has, in so many ways, disrupted & changed our lives.

As we approach the most sacred time in the life of the Church and prepare to celebrate another Easter Season together, I want to acknowledge the challenges, difficulties and blessings we have experienced during the past year of the pandemic. One year ago, who would have guessed all that we would have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic