We are all called to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth.

         My name is Bob Friedman. Most of you know me as “Deacon Bob”. I have been a member of St. Patrick Church for the past 46 years, ever since I married my wife, the former Sandy Wright, here at St. Pat’s on May 12, 1973.

My concept of “Church” and stewardship has always been to try and see Christ in everyone I meet, and hopefully allow them to see Christ in me.

The early years of our marriage revolved around the raising of our two daughters, their religious upbringing and their involvement with attending St. Patrick School. In the mid-1980’s I attended a “Christ Renews His Parish” here at St. Pat’s, which helped me expand my horizons of Stewardship beyond my immediate family.

Shortly after that weekend I looked into the process of becoming a permanent deacon. After much prayer, and discernment and 4 years of formation and study, I was ordained a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Youngstown, on December 9, 1989.

A song the choir sang at my ordination was “The Prayer of St. Teresa,” whose words say: “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet but yours…”. Over the past almost 30 years as your deacon here at St. Pat’s, I have strived to offer myself in service to others, in the name of Christ—whether that be in carrying groceries to the car for someone at our food pantry, helping someone with their tray of food at our Lenten Soup Suppers, Baptizing a baby, praying with a family at the cemetery, or anywhere I encounter a member of the Body of Christ.

My friends, this is something we are all called to do—to be the hands and feet of Christ here on earth; to reach out in His name to everyone we meet.

May our loving God give each of us the strength and the grace to carry on His mission here on earth.

Love and prayers,

Deacon Bob