Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
One of our regional parishioners, Chris Komoroski, was ordained a priest this weekend, on Saturday, May 16, at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral. Thinking about Fr. Chris and his ordination day reminds me of my own. It was 16 years ago. Fr. Jacob’s ordination was two years ago. Msgr. Lane’s day of ordination was over 53 years ago. For each of those anniversaries, a priest can say a Mass commemorating the day of his ordination. Of course, this often makes me think joyously of the day I was ordained by Archbishop Pilarczyk. The cathedral was full as eight men were ordained that day. I can remember Sarah Schmid, now the music director at SMSJ, singing in the cathedral choir.
Fr. Chris, of course will have had a different experience at the cathedral, as well as at his Mass of Thanksgiving. With COVID-19 there will be no crowds of people at the cathedral or at St. Cecilia; nonetheless, something incredible will happen on the day of his ordination and at his first Mass that will be the same as it was for me and every other new priest. Fr. Chris will now offer on behalf of the people of God the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. He will do that for us at St. Cecilia live-streamed on the day of his first Mass, and then daily to the people for whom he will be sent to minister. It will be as great a day for the people of God as when any other priest is ordained, makes a miracle happen through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist, and brings resurrection into the lives of people through the power given to him to forgive sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
On behalf of the parishioners of St. Anthony, St. Cecilia, and St. Margaret-St. John Parishes, congratulations, Fr. Chris. Despite all the hardships on the journey to priesthood, a battle has been won through your willingness to open yourself up to God’s grace that makes the impossible possible. God bless you, Fr. Chris. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Priests and know that you will remain in our region’s prayers. If anyone would like to send a card, note or gift of congratulations, mail it to Fr. Chris Komoroski, 3600 Section Rd., Cincinnati, OH, 45237.
Amen? Amen!
Fr. Jamie
Masses Resume. For those that have not heard, we will resume public Masses on Monday, May 25. While Masses will resume, the obligation to go to Mass continues to be dispensed. If you are not comfortable attending Mass or if you do not feel well, we encourage you to go to Mass via live-streaming. Another option if you are well but prefer not to attend a weekend Mass is to go to a daily Mass. Daily Masses, at both St. Cecilia and SMSJ, will resume, as will all devotions, such as daily Rosary, Stations of the Cross on Friday, and the Holy Hours at all the churches. If you are planning to attend Masses and devotions, we ask that you please wear a mask. Stay tuned for how we will handle the weekend Mass schedule in the region.
Father’s Day Picnic and Summer Celebration. Unfortunately, the regional Father’s Day Picnic and the annual Summer Celebration held at SMSJ parish have been cancelled. The ownership of Stricker's Grove Amusement Park said that they plan to be closed all of June. We hope to reschedule the SMSJ Summer Celebration for later in the fall.
1. Spring Clean-Up. For the second time this spring, parishioners of St. Anthony worked to freshen up their grounds. Pictured are some of the tasks that were undertaken last weekend. Special thanks to all that came and distanced themselves to get the work done.
2, 3. Donut Sunday. Despite the fact that we cannot gather to enjoy donuts together, many made their way to the drive-thru Donut Sunday at St. Cecilia. Over three hundred donuts and fifty pounds of Easter candy were consumed, courtesy of CVS’s poor Easter candy sales. Special thanks to the Young Adult Coordinator, Sarah Rose Bort, and her husband, John Paul, for coordinating the event.
4. Goodbye. During the restricted days of COVID-19, the seminarians from Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary were furloughed to differing parishes. We were blessed to have three seminarians throughout Holy Week and through Easter. One seminarian that came to us, Tony Sanatano, will not be staying with us this summer. He will be stationed in Wapakoneta for the summer. Special thanks to Tony for all his efforts making all the live-streamed Masses a reality. On behalf of all the parishes, we are grateful. We were blessed by his efforts.
5, 6, 7. Blessed Virgin Mary Shrines. May is the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church. To accentuate that fact, all three churches in the region decorated shrines in honor of our Blessed Mother. Thanks to all who contributed their efforts to making beautiful shrines.
8. Rest in Peace. Longtime parishioner of St. Cecilia Dominic Cipollone, 75, passed from this life. Dominic immigrated to Oakley from Naples, Italy, in 1969 with his wife. Dominic is survived by his wife, Marie.
Not Pictured - New Assignment. Fr. Craig Best, son of St. Margaret-St. John Parish, was given a new assignment as a priest. Fr. Best was assigned as pastor to the parishes of Holy Trinity in Adams County and St. Mary Queen of Heaven in Peebles. Congratulations, Fr. Craig, on your new assignment.
