Deacon John’s Stewardship Blog

Being an altar server is a great way to introduce the stewardship of spirituality to your children. I can remember serving Mass as a young child. The Mass had just changed from Latin to English. Boy, was I ever thankful for that! We have high school and college students that have been altar servers since their grade school years, as well as adults who experience a great reward in this ministry.

I would like to invite all the parents of our school age children to encourage your child to become an altar server. It will be a great lesson of service that they will remember and carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Deacon Bob, along with experienced adult servers, will help train and continue to mentor your child during the Mass. I hope and pray that our next training class will be full of our wonderful young stewards. Contact Deacon Bob, Annmarie Pesa, or myself for more information. (330)534-1928 (parish office).

Thank you and God bless,
Deacon John

I was blessed to have two wonderful parents. My dad was a hard worker, a great athlete, and my role model. He was quick-witted and was a kind and gentle man. My mother was the matriarch of our family. She was an excellent cook and baker and a person that I could discuss anything with. I quite often got teased about being a mama’s boy and that I was. Until this day, I have been proud of that. I often say that the closest you get to the love of God is that of a mother’s love.

In 1982 my mother was diagnosed with serious breast cancer and the prognosis was not very promising. My mother was not negative in any way with her prognosis. She often said, “With God, anything is possible and without hope, we have nothing.”  My mother lived for twenty more years to enjoy each day of her life with hope for the future.

I believe that part of being a good steward is to be hopeful of our future and to believe that with God all things are possible. No matter what we experience throughout our lives, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel and that light is Jesus Christ and the new hope he brings to each of us.

May we continue to give our time, talent, and treasure with both a joyful and a hopeful heart.

Love,
Deacon John

One of my fondest memories growing up was our St. Elizabeth‘s Parish Picnic. This was a great time we shared together.  Monsignor Adamko would be the steady pitcher for the softball game. The ladies would bring covered dishes with their favorite recipes and the children played and their laughter rang through Roosevelt Park. As I reminisce about those days, I have come to realize the picnic was much more than the food and the softball game. It was really about the love we shared with one another.

On Sunday, October 20 at 4:30 PM is our parish hayride. The food will be great. The children will have many games to play, and the tractor will be pulling the big hay wagon. I promise it will be a lot of fun. We have another great opportunity to share our love for each other and create memories that our children will cherish for a lifetime. Please plan to attend. “We are family.”

Love,
Deacon John

As young members of the parish participate in stewardship opportunities, they learn, first-hand, what it means to be Jesus to others and they experience the joy of giving of oneself. By working together and sharing in acts of kindness, a sense of belonging to a community–our parish family–is nurtured, which is an important part of faith development. We know that faith is not meant to be kept inside the walls of a church, a classroom or a home. Faith is meant to be lived!

This past Saturday, the youth participants of SHiNE lived their faith, and shared their enthusiasm and time as they helped fill a Hubbard Police cruiser with donations for the St. Patrick Food Pantry at Devine’s Shop ‘n Save. The kids happily greeted customers and shared information about the event, placed groceries in the cruiser, and helped push grocery carts back into the store. Because of their hard work and the generosity of store patrons, the back hatch and back seat of the cruiser and part of another car were filled, and over $500 was raised. All donations will be used to help serve those in need.
These youngest stewards are an inspiration to all. They are the Light of Christ that breaks through the darkness. They are the good in the world. Let us all strive to follow their examples of selfless giving, joyful serving, and community building, uniting as one to share God’s love.

May God bless all of our children as they shine, share and serve.
Peace and Joy~
Lisa Love