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Administrator’s Column

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Fr. Michael Gurnick, Administrator, St. Malachi Parish

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

 

We celebrate the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption into Heaven this Thursday, August 15, a holyday of obligation for Catholics in the United States.  There will be three liturgies celebrated between St. Patrick and St. Malachi parishes. St. Patrick: 5:30pm Vigil   (8/14)   and 8:00am (8/15) St. Malachi:  12:00noon (8/15)  What is the Assumption and why do we celebrate this special day?  For many Christians, this feast finds its roots in scripture and is very relevant for our daily lives.  It is a celebration that focuses on many aspects of our deeply held beliefs. Through Mary, Mother of the Church, this occasion holds what we believe about the gift of eternal life won for us by Christ.  Mary exemplifies this through her own passing from her own earthly life into Heaven.  Here’s a few brief specifics:  We all share in Christ’s resurrection (our human nature is restored);

  1. Our hope is in a physical resurrection (body and soul); 2. Heaven is for Saints (Mary leads the way by virtue of her nature); 3. Mary’s assumption, the New Eve, signifies a reversal of The Fall; 4. We’re not meant to be alone (even death will not separate us from God); 4. Marian belief is always Christ-centered (Mary’s life always is about Christ’s grace and redemptive power);  5. In the Incarnation, God took Mary’s flesh when Jesus was conceived (Mary shares in this “divine flesh”) which could never be corrupted. This is worthy of our veneration.

Let us gather on this holy feast as we raise our hearts, minds, and eyes toward Heaven, rejoicing that what was promised to Mary is now our very hope!

Joyfully yours in Mary,

Fr. Gurnick

 

Theology on the Rocks West Calendar of Events

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AUGUST 12 – The time of our Lives! The Inter-section of the Resurrection & The Eucharist with Fr. Jerry Bednar.
SEPTEMBER 9 – Field trip to the Islamic Center of Cleveland in Parma where we will learn about the Islamic faith.
OCTOBER 14 – “I was in prison & you visited me”. Prison Ministry with Fr. Neil Walters, Pas-tor at St. Vincent de Paul/Elyria & St. Frances Xavier Cabrini/Lorain.
NOVEMBER 11 – The Eucharist & the Eucharis-tic Revival with Fr. Damian Ference, Vicar for Evangelization.
DECEMBER 9 – The similarities & differences of the Judeo Christian faith and ours with Bill Toler, Director of Liturgy at St. Raphael’s.
Please visit our website at www.theologyontherockswest.com or call Anita Simko at 216-696-6525 Ext.1309 Email: asim-ko@catholiccommunity.org for additional infor-mation

Administrator’s Column

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
While most council and committee groups take a hiatus during July at Saint Patrick and St. Malachi parishes, life on both campuses is active! I am pleased to report that the Saint Vincent de Paul hot meals continue to be served on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as does the Food Pantry on the first and third Wednesdays. St. Malachi’s Monday Night Meal and Saturday Morning Breakfast programs, in addition to the Back Door Ministry operat-ing Monday through Friday, continue to provide for our neighbors. When adding them all up, approximately 1300 meals are served every week. That’s nearly 68, 000 meals each year between both parishes. We thank the many parishes and organizations who contribute to our efforts! Both campuses are seeing physical transfor-mation as St. Pat continues the extensive tuck-pointing project on the church’s west side and the new office space in the former St. Malachi school building is nearing com-pletion as we prepare to vacate the rectory when the sale to Stella Maris closes. Staff members and other parish leaders have been using this month to plan calendars and review events for the 2024-2025 season. This in-cludes preparation for OCIA (formally known as RCIA) and our Children’s Faith Formation program, as well as mapping out our liturgical celebrations for the upcoming year. Young Adult Ministry and other adult faith for-mation opportunities are being planned, as well. We also welcomed our new Administrative Manager, Bob Knopf, who is serving both parishes and St. Malachi’s new Campus Operations Coordinator, Frank Budziak. They will be working with Scott Menningen until his re-tirement in October. Parish leaders also continue to re-flect on the many recommendations made by our Collab-oration Initiative’s Working Groups who collectively in-vested over 1200 hours of their time since March. These conversations are assisting the Collaboration Steering Committee in shaping final decisions next month. Most importantly, an average of 350 parishioners and guests gather for the celebration of Mass each weekend, receiv-ing our Eucharistic Lord who is truly the source of all grace and joy. And we look forward to hearing about the experiences of our parishioners who recently returned from the National Eucharistic Congress! As we turn to August, please be sure to continue reviewing our parish bulletins for important updates and information. And please be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, August 25, for St. Pat’s annual picnic with 11am Mass followed by delicious food and fun. Great time to mingle! pray that all of you are enjoying these beautiful summer days with loved ones and friends. Gratefully yours in Christ, Fr. Gurnick

National Eucharistic Conference

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Please keep in prayer all of those from the Diocese of Cleveland (and our two parishes) who are attending the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN!  We pray for them as they represent us back home in Cleveland and look forward to hearing about this spiritual adventure when they return.  May this event not only deepen their relationship with our Eucharistic Lord but may they each return with messages of hope for all of us!

 

Administrator’s Column

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A few special intentions have been on my heart and I would ask you to join me in lifting them up in prayer.

 

First of all, may we continue to pray for peace, especially in light of the tragic loss of life at the Trump rally last weekend. May the death of an innocent bystander and those others who were injured along with former President Trump not be in vain but bring our discourse and rhetoric back to reason. Like President Biden stated in response to the tragedy, “there is no place in America for this kind of violence – for any violence…we can’t allow this violence to be normalized.” The president is correct and we Catholics, as faithful citizens, have an opportunity to lead by example over the next few months as we participate in the political discourse and as we discern the best candidate to reflect our values as a people called to follow Jesus in all things. May we do so by using our well-formed intellectual and spiritual faculties with peaceful hearts.

 

Second, I ask you to remember the nearly 250 Catholics from our diocese (four from our parishes) who are attending the National Eucharistic Congress in Indiana. As our ambassadors, they represent all of us and we look forward to their safe return to share their experiences with us. May this truly be an opportunity for all to grow closer together through the grace of our Eucharistic Lord!

 

Finally, as you know, our Collaboration Initiative continues. These past couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting on the many recommendations each of the Working Groups offered for consideration. Over the next few weeks, I will turn to our parishes’ leadership for their input and consultation. My hope is to make some decisions by the end of August as to what ways we can work together and what next steps are required. I thank everyone who has participated in our Working Groups and those who have offered valuable input.

 

Please continue to pray for the success of this work as we strengthen our mission on Cleveland’s near west side.

 

Prayerfully yours,

 

Fr. Gurnick

 

WEEK 4: MISSION STATEMENT (OUR VALUES)

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The Values that the CSC identified as part of our Organizational Strategic Alignment Values define how we want to live and act as disciples of Jesus Christ. Each of these phrases carries a great deal of weight and meaning in our call to Discipleship. Here are some beginning reflections on how we might live out these values- please add your own! Revitalizing our Church– How do I give new life to my Parish? Do I convey positive energy and hope to others? Renewing our Faith– Do I nurture my own life in the Spirit? Do I ask for and practice the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Welcoming All– What would it be like for me to walk into St. Pat’s or St. Malachi’s for the first time? How would that feel? What would I want/need? Respecting All– In this Age of “Erasing” people who think differently than I do, how do we create a culture that gives due regard to others’ feelings, rights, wishes? Do I realize that I can learn a great deal from people who think differently from us? Serving All– Following Jesus’ example at the Last Supper, do we offer a smile to a stranger, speak a consoling word to a distraught person, offer to help a person who seems lost or confused? The Washing of the Feet can take many forms. We just need to be open and alert to the many needs we see around us. These are the Values that we aspire to live out in our daily lives. If we ACT with these Values in our hearts and minds, others will hopefully say, “WOW! Look at those Disciples!!!”

 

2-Day Town Hall Meeting – 6/12/24 & 6/19/24

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JUNE 12

6:30 -8:30PM

COME HEAR ALL 8 WORK GROUPS PRESENT THEIR DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS TO PARISHIONERS

 

ACTIVE PRAYER-GUIDED LISTENING SESSION FOR HOME-BASED REFLECTION

 

THIS SESSION WILL BE RECORDED AND SHARED FOR FURTHER VIEWING

JUNE 19

6:30 -8:30PM

HAVING VIEWED THE MEETING ON THE 12TH (IN PERSON OR FROM THE RECORDING)

BRING YOUR QUESTIONS TO ADDRESS EACH WORK GROUP INDIVIDUALLY

 

GROUPS WILL HAVE A TABLE READY TO LISTEN TO PARISHIONER QUESTIONS

 

OPEN HOUSE FORMAT

BOTH MEETINGS WILLBE HELD AT THE ST. MALACHI LOWER HALL DUE TO AVAILABILITY OF AIR CONDITIONED SPACE

Annual Meeting & Brunch – 04/14/2024

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The St Malachi Annual Meeting will be held next Sunday, April 14th after the 10AM Mass in the church. All are welcome to learn and ask questions about the Oratory status, plans for the Rectory, finance report, and much more! Brunch follows  in the Hall afterwards.

 

St. Malachi Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes-April 2, 2024

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Attendance: Fr. Gurnick, Judy Slivka, Cathy Graham, Jan Durkalski, Margaret Armstead, Sharon Lowe-Chapman, Mike Pellegrino, Peter Toomey, Jeff Walters, Jeanette Shemo

*Jan Durkalski- Report on the work of the Collaborative Steering Committee
Work Groups began individual meetings in March. Work groups consist of parishioners from both parishes, a Staff member and a Collaborative Steering Committee member. Each Work Groups is following a uniform method to research and determine the best possible recommendations to proceed with transitioning to an Oratory Church affiliated with St. Patrick Parish. The Work Groups will work together at times when an overlap of purpose will occur. All Work Group members will meet on Saturday, May 11 to update the Collaborative Steering Committee and discuss the status of their proposed plans. There will be Listening Sessions scheduled at the beginning of June for all parishioners and interested parties to hear the Work Group reports and solicit input and feedback on the proposals.
*Judy Slivka- Technology/Communication
Judy discussed the need for accessing and streamlining the process for exchanging documents among the Parish Council members. A few solutions were presented and will be researched.

*Cathy Graham- Nominating Committee for openings on Parish Pastoral Council
Cathy reported we have three candidates running for the Parish Pastoral Council and we need more. The nominating process is continuing. Nominees are still needed, and contact information for the committee is in the bulletin. The Nominees will be introduced at the Annual Meeting. There are 5-6 open seats on the Council this year.

*Judy Slivka- Annual St. Malachi Parish Meeting
The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday April 14, 2024 in the church following 10:00 AM Mass. The meeting will be recorded and live streamed on the Parish YouTube channel. The Annual Meeting is an opportunity to inform and report to our parishioners regarding our finances, ministries, properties and progress towards the collaboration with St. Patrick Parish. Hospitality committee is serving a delicious brunch in the Hall immediately following the meeting.
*Father Gurnick- Fr. Tony Schuerger Masses and celebrations
Fr. Tony will be at St. Malachi on April 20 and 21 to preside at two Masses prior to assuming his new assignment from the Diocese. The Masses are Saturday, April 20 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, April 21 at 10:00 AM. Both Masses will be followed by a special celebration with guests, music, food and fellowship provided by the Hospitality committee in the Hall.

*Sharon Lowe Chapman- Malachi Run Update

Registration was up 36% and the two races had 3,300 participants. The sponsorship increased by 20% this year. The 8:00 AM Mass was well attended, runners were served delicious post race snacks and awards were presented. The Malachi Run is a huge event every spring that brings attention to St. Malachi Church and raises an abundance of funds for our ministries on the Near West Side.

*Father Gurnick- Administrator’s Report
– Rectory process is still ongoing and will be finalized soon. More information will be available at the Annual Meeting on April 14.
–  All Parish buildings including the Malachi Center are being evaluated for usage, viability and need as we move forward with our plan to form a collaboration with St. Patrick Church.

NEXT PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING: Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 6:30 PM in St. Malachi Meeting Room

 

Respectfully submitted,

Jan Durkalski
St. Malachi Parish Pastoral Council Secretary

 

 

A Sincere Thank You!!

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There is not nearly enough room in the bulletin to thank ALL the wonderful people by name who gave of their presence, time and talent in preparation for our beautiful Holy Week services. On Good Friday afternoon alone there were at least 24 people who helped decorate for Easter, not to mention the ironing, rearranging furniture, risking life and limb on ladders and sacristy work for each celebration. There were millions of notes rehearsed, played and sung in lamentation, adoration, praise, and in joyful Alleluias (which will continue for 50 days)! Our readers proclaimed the Word with expressive clarity and our presiders lead us through each service with so much grace, joy and reverence. ALLELUIA! We are truly overcome with paschal joy!  Thank you for making Holy Week so special for us at St. Malachi!

About St. Malachi Parish

The St. Malachi Parish Mission: We are a Eucharistic People, United in Prayer, Welcoming to All and Serving the Poor.

Celebrating Over 150 Years of Faithful Service in the Old Angle!

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