April 2022
oncept Monthly
Newsletter
I m m a c u l a t e C o n c e p t i o n C a t h o l i c C h u rc h
Parishioners
Lorie Ceremuga and Patricia Flynn
Reflect on their Shared Faith Journey
F
Honoring Christ in Friendship
riendship plays an important church, Pat initially came to Immacrole in our lives. Some friendulate Conception to see Lorie serve ships are forged based on shared as a lector at Mass. They say that values, while others happen as a remoment was “a seed God planted” sult of mutual interests. Sometimes, for Pat to eventually be brought into we find ourselves connected on both the Church. levels. Parishioners Lorie Ceremuga Pat desired to learn more about and Patricia Flynn have been friends the faith, which Lorie began to for over 30 years. Lorie and Pat met offer her. Pat then attended a Bible while working at the same company, study with Lorie led by Deacon Paul having discovered many mutual inHlabse. Pat and Lorie attended the terests including faith, traveling, and Lorie Ceremuga and Patricia Flynn have been National Catholic Bible Conference friends for over 30 years. They enjoy serving our where Deacon Paul and his wife, watching football. parish in many ways, including as Extraordinary To Pat, their friendship means, Ministers, volunteering for Oktoberfest, and as Joanna, were attending. There, Pat “someone you can trust in, have asked Deacon Paul if she could auxiliary members for the Legion of Mary. fun with, confide in, travel with.” become a candidate for RCIA. She Lorie agrees, adding that the two of them are “sisters was confirmed in 2014. in Christ.” Pat and Lorie support each other spiritually in their Lorie has been a parishioner at Immaculate Confriendship in a variety of ways. When Pat needed surception for many years, while Pat entered into the gery last year, Lorie was the one to bring her Holy ComCatholic faith in 2014. A member of the Lutheran munion, for example. continued on page 5
37940 Euclid Avenue
Willoughby, OH 44094
440-942-4500
www.immaculate.net
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
Palm Sunday
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CHURCH
Will You Carry Christ on the Journey?
s we continue our Lenten journey this month, we celebrate Passion Sunday, also known as Palm Sunday, on April 10. The readings will focus our attention on two major events in our salvation history. In our Palm Sunday reading, we hear of Christ’s triumphant journey into Jerusalem where He is joyfully greeted by the crowds, and the people threw down palms and cloaks in His path — “As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road... the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen” (Luke 19:36-37). Yet, Christ does not come with the splendor often surrounding royalty. Christ chose to make His glorious entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem riding a donkey — Christ
calls this humble animal into service on his bittersweet journey that by the week’s end will lead to the cross on Calvary. Likewise, Christ has chosen each of us to carry Him during our life on earth. Like the donkey, we often don’t feel fit to carry out the work of the King of Kings. We often think our gifts are not good enough for the King or that they are not needed. Nevertheless, He calls us and He eagerly waits for our response. Christ’s journey into the Holy City continues today. We are walking with Christ now and He asks us to humbly offer ourselves in service to Him. This journey with Christ will not always be easy. Remember how the shouts of approval greeting Christ on Palm Sunday are quickly replaced with jeering mockery on Good Friday.
Christ’s journey into the Holy City continues today. We are walking with Christ now and He asks us to humbly offer ourselves in service to Him. This journey with Christ will not always be easy. Remember how the shouts of approval greeting Christ on Palm Sunday are quickly replaced with jeering mockery on Good Friday.
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A Letter From Our Pastor
All Things and All People
Are Made New
Dear Parishioners,
W
e associate the Easter season with springtime — a time of new life and new beginnings — and Holy Scripture addresses this idea of newness many times. The Lord declares, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). This idea of being “new” is important to us as Catholics, and it is important to our parish. We need to strive to do this on a regular basis — even on a daily basis. Think of the fact that all was once new. Regardless of how you view the development of this earth and those of us who occupy it, all was once new. During this Easter season, we need to retain that idea of being “new.” And being “new” means conversion, and we have often pointed out that conversion is at the heart of a life of stewardship. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it, “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life” (654). In other words, Christ’s Resurrection is the source of our new life — our own future resurrection. St. Paul wrote about it to the Romans (Rom 6:5) — “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” Hope for a new life beginning now and extending on into heaven is the result of Jesus’ Resurrection. What greater grounds for thanksgiving can there be
than this Easter hope? We should sing with joy about God’s promise to us, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). St. Paul also wrote (Col 3:1-2), “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Jesus’ Resurrection and His promise of a new life for us mean that we need to live in conformity with our status as adopted children of God. How do we show our joy and our gratitude to God for this amazing gift He has given us? We join in worship and praise God by word and song. We share the Good News of Jesus’ victory over death with our family, friends, and neighbors. And we offer back to the Lord a portion of the time, talent, and treasure He has entrusted to us. Yes, the Easter message that we share in the benefits of Christ’s Resurrection indeed makes all things new — the ultimate foundation for all Christian stewardship. The Lord is risen, alleluia. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Michael Troha
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
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CHURCH
The Garden Club:
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Members Lovingly Ensure the Good Stewardship of Our Parish Grounds
f you’ve walked around our parish grounds and noticed the beautiful flower beds, you can thank the parish’s Garden Club. Bringing a love for gardening and a desire to make the parish beautiful and inviting, dedicated parishioners have offered their time and their talent to cultivate the garden beds around the church. Lawrence Gradwell, who has been a lifelong gardener, coordinates the volunteers who work the flower beds. The Garden Club has been around for as long as he can remember, but Lawrence got involved about five years ago. “Our parish is a stewardship parish,” Lawrence says. “We want people to feel welcome here and one way we can make things welcoming is if the grounds look nice and inviting and are a nice place to walk around.” For the most part, each volunteer comes in on their own time to care for their flower beds. They
take some time to clear away the detritus from the old season, care for the perennials, and plant new flowers. In the spring, Lawrence coordinates a large load of mulch, and the volunteers come to distribute it among the flower beds. Before Easter, the volunteers got together to clean up the parish grounds and ensure that things look welcoming for Easter weekend. On those big workdays, more volunteers often join to help spread mulch and trim bushes. “We have some really highly motivated people,” Lawrence says. “It’s pretty much selfdirected and people take ownership of the areas they take care of.” The Garden Club has at least a dozen regular members and five or six more who come out to help on group workdays. However, the Garden Club is expanding — some areas have been an afterthought in the past that Lawrence and the
volunteers hope to start cultivating with more flowers. The parishioners who volunteer, in conjunction with the dedicated maintenance staff who continued on page 5
“If you like to garden, take care of plants, or even trim bushes, and you have some time to do it, please get involved. We have something to do for just about anyone who wants to be involved.” — Lawrence Gradwell
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The Garden Club keep the grass neatly cut, have made our parish grounds beautiful and welcoming. Each volunteer has given their time and hard work to the community, along with a passion for gardening and an eye for a beautiful flowerbed. Simply walking onto the parish grounds is a witness to the love and care our parish family has. By working together, they’ve made a big task achievable. “It doesn’t take a whole lot of time,” Lawrence says. “If you like to garden, take care of plants, or even trim bushes, and you have some time to do it, please get involved. We have something to do for just about anyone who wants to be involved.”
continued from page 4
If you would like to help care for the parish gardens, whether on group workdays or on your own time, please contact Lawrence Gradwell at 440-942-6196 or gradwelll@asme-member.org.
Lorie Ceremuga and Patricia Flynn Reflect on their Shared Faith Journey continued from front cover “We pray together, we attend Mass together as much as we can, and attend adoration together at times,” Pat says. “We have traveled on many Catholic pilgrimages visiting places such as the Holy Land, Fatima, Lourdes, the Vatican, Greece, and Ireland.” “We are members of the Padre Pio prayer group of Cleveland,” Lorie adds. “We travel from the Northfield area each week to attend Mass at Immaculate Conception, and look forward to the day of moving closer to the church.” Both Lorie and Pat are very involved in our parish community. Both are Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Legion of Mary auxiliary members, and
Oktoberfest volunteers. Lorie continues to serve as a lector. “Lectoring is a joy,” Lorie says. “As I am honored to proclaim the Word of the Lord.” For Pat, the highlight of volunteering in the parish is the joy of getting to serve many parishioners, while Lorie’s highlight is being in the presence of the Lord and getting to serve our church family. “God is our Father that gave us the church, and as children of God we are called to honor and support the church,” Pat says. “Our parish is our church family and, like our biological families, our responsibility is to care for them with the gifts God has given us.”
Immaculate Conception CATHOLIC
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CHURCH
Steadfast in Faith and Devotion:
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St. Catherine of Siena
n April 29, we celebrate the feast day of a doctor of the Church — one who remained absolutely devoted to living her life for Christ, even in the face of familial misunderstanding in her youth, and through societal opposition and turmoil during her later years. As stewards in our fast-paced, highly technical — and often fractured — world, we can always look to the life and example of St. Catherine of Siena, and strive to remain steadfast in our faith while facing our own modern-day challenges. Born in mid-14th-century Italy to a large family, and in the midst of a plague outbreak, St. Catherine of Siena was her parents’ 25th child, although half of her siblings did not survive through childhood. Young Catherine resisted her family’s desire for her to marry — she even went so far as to begin fasting and cutting her hair short in protest. Her parents eventually relented, as Catherine strived to humbly serve her own family, treating her own father as Jesus, her mother as Mary, and her brothers as the apostles. Such was Catherine’s desire to remain in service to her own family that instead of entering a convent, she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic at age 18. This enabled her to continue serving her family at home, even as she was part of a religious society. In time, she learned to read and began giving her family’s own possessions to those in need — even though her parents didn’t necessarily approve of her entirely altruistic approach to service. Continuing with her faithful devotion as part of the Third Order of St. Dominic, Catherine developed a following of her own, as she wrote letters offering
spiritual encouragement and instruction. Controversy would ensue, as her writings began to comment on public matters through her firm lens of faith. In the midst of these spiritual developments, at age 21, Catherine underwent a profound change, as she experienced what she called her “mystical marriage to Christ.” Through this experience, she was directed to help the poor and the sick. Catherine began serving those in need in hospitals and homes, which inspired followers to assist in these important missions of service, love and mercy. Furthermore, she continued to comment on public matters, petitioning for peace in the midst of political fracture and strife. This continued through the Great Schism, beginning in 1378, as Catherine spent two years — the last years of her life — in Rome, praying and pleading for unity in the Church, and for the cause of Pope Urban VI. By January 1380, Catherine was gravely ill, unable to eat or drink — shortly thereafter, she lost the use of her legs. At only 33 years old, she would pass away on April 29, 1380. She was canonized nearly a century later, in 1461. Despite her short life, St. Catherine of Siena made a profound impact on the Church through her spiritually direct writings, her work serving those in need, and in preserving the unity of the Church in the face of great societal upheavals — all while being singularly devoted to living a life for Christ. Her status led her to be declared a co-patron of Italy (alongside St. Francis of Assisi) in 1939. And in 1970, Pope Paul VI declared St. Catherine of Siena a doctor of the Church.
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Catholics Returning Home:
Providing a Joyful and Prayerful “Welcome Back” to Our Faith
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hroughout the United States, seemingly in every family, some Catholics have fallen away from the faith for one reason or another. We may even have some in our own families. We want them to come back and practice the faith, but it’s hard to know where to start or what to say. Here at Immaculate Conception, we can offer them participation in the Catholics Returning Home sessions. The six-week program will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on April 20, 21, 27, and 28 and May 4 and 5 in St. Joseph’s Hall. Lee Jarocki helped to bring the nationwide program Catholics Returning Home to Immaculate Conception in 2012. Due to COVID-19, the program hasn’t been conducted for the past two years. However, Lee is ready to bring the program back, knowing the impact it can have. Many people who have gone through Catholics Returning Home are now practicing Catholics at Immaculate Conception or other area churches. Having fallen away from the faith for a time himself, Lee loves that he can now share the Catholic faith with others who have fallen away. “There is a real need for this,” he says. “Every family has at least one person who is no longer practicing the faith.
There’s no silver bullet to get them back. It involves prayer, leading by example, and being joyful in the faith.” Lee says bringing people back starts with prayer and an invitation to Catholics Returning Home. He loves this program
because it helps bring people back to the faith through the sessions and support of the facilitators and participants. “Sometimes, people think they are not welcome because they are divorced or somehow excommunicated,” Lee says. “We continued on back cover
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Catholics Returning Home always tell them that they are always welcome back, no matter what or how old.” Many of the past participants have been 60 or older. But there have also been some in their 20s or 30s. “If we aren’t joyful in the faith, no one will want what we have,” Lee says. “We have to be joyful and make people feel welcome.” Most sessions have had five to 10 participants. Attendees are never required to share their stories on why they left the faith. “We want Catholics to be able to tell two stories — their faith story and the story of the Church,” Lee says. Three of the classes are led by a priest. Attendees learn some baseline Catholic history, hear stories of
APRIL 2022 continued from page 7
“If we aren’t joyful in the faith, no one will want what we have. We have to be joyful and make people feel welcome.” — Lee Jarocki
other Catholics who have come back, and discuss Reconciliation. There is also a tour of the church, which is always a neat session. Some attendees have even gone through the session twice. “We really want to get our Catholics back to the regular practice of the faith,” Lee says.
Please consider inviting fallen-away Catholics to Catholics Returning Home at 6:30 p.m. on April 20.
