Weekly Bulletin

Weekly Bulletins

Week of May 2, 2010

Weekly Readings

Quick View of Meetings for the Week

Archive of Weekly Bulletins

Dear Parishioner,

Spring is a time when we regroup after a long winter and address some basic details of household living such as spring cleaning. What is true of our personal households is also true of our parish household. So today I would like to address a few details of decorum at our parish liturgies.

The time we come together to worship God is the high point of our life together as a believing community. I know we do this well. I continually receive many comments from visitors about the active participation of our parish in the prayers and music of our liturgies.

We do, however, pray together and in that effort we should be committed to make our presence an enhancement to, rather than a distraction from, the prayers of others. I would like to thank parents for the conscientious way they supervise their children at our liturgies. The presence of small children is a positive sign of the growth of our community and our hope for the future. When children become restless, I thank parents for their willingness to use our narthex as a place where children can unwind.

If children require even more diversion I want to remind parents that we have a playroom with a variety of toys available on the lower level of the new wing. There parents can supervise their children and at the same time follow the Mass through an audio connection. During the 9 a.m. Mass children can be left with playroom volunteers. At the other Masses the playroom is open for children as long as a parent is present.

If you feel that treats for your children (such as cereal or cookies) are necessary during the liturgy, I respectfully ask parents to clean up whenever a mess has been created as best as possible. We do have a cleaning staff for the church but it takes a few days for them to cover the entire space. When I entered the church last Monday morning there were several places where food was scattered on the floor in significant amounts. Were we to have a funeral early in the week this would prove an embarrassment to our community.

Finally, we are fortunate to have a church configured in a way that allows people to leave to use the lavatory without disrupting the prayer. Nonetheless, the number of people who leave and return during the liturgy is significant. This is especially true of young people who sometimes choose to use the facilities more than once during the liturgy. I encourage you to limit leaving and returning to the church to those times which are truly necessary. This will remove the distraction which unnecessary movement can cause for others.

These are only a few small details of housekeeping. But, I bring them to your attention in the hope that they will enhance and simplify our worship together. Thank you for all the energy and commitment that you bring to our worship of God together.

Fr. George Smiga

REMINDER - There will be no 6:45 p.m. Liturgy on Wednesday, May 5, 2010. Plan to attend the GIFT program that evening.

BON VOYAGE – Our Music Director, Aga Bieniek left this past Wednesday for Poland together with her husband, Andrzej and her daughter, Kasia in order to activate her religious worker VISA. Aga will return at the end of May to assume responsibility for our music ministry. Please keep the Bieniek family in your prayers for a safe and successful journey.

MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH – will be held on Sunday, May 9, 2010. Reservations are required. There will be two seatings (10:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.). Adults are $15, children 6-12 years are $7, and children 5 years and younger are free. For more information or
reservations, please call the Banquet Center (440-946-6635).

PARISH DAYTIME RETREAT – On Wednesday, May 12 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. we will have our parish daytime retreat facilitated by Eleanor Reilly. The topic is “Fulfillment in Our Senior Years.” It is the second in a series of topics on aging well. Sign up on the kiosk or call the parish office for more information (440-946-0887). Suggested donation for expenses, including lunch is $6.00.

THANKS FOR ALL THE CEREAL BOXES – We now have enough to complete our project at least two or three times! Don’t bring any more boxes, but bring yourself to GIFT on May 5 and see what we’ve done with them.

MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP will meet next on Tuesday, May 11th, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the St. Noel Banquet Center Large Hall. Bring your bible and binder.

HELP THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP - Give preschoolers a "head start." Donate gently used or new picture books appropriate for three, four and five year olds. We're putting together Summer Readiness Backpacks for 96 children who are part of the Lake/Geauga Head Start program. You can drop off books in the box in the narthex until May 9th.

PRIME TIME NEWS – All high school teens, please clear your schedules for a worthy service project. Come join us for the “Great Strides Walk” at the Cleveland Zoo on Saturday, May 15th. Help raise funds for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and enjoy a fun day with friends and animals! We will leave Kirtland about 8:00 a.m. and return about 1:30 p.m. Parents are needed for driving, and siblings are welcome!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS - Get ready for SonQuest Rainforest where kids discover how much God loves them (John 3:16). Join us for a fun-packed week daily from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. July 12-16. You can help St. Noel kids grow in their faith and learn about God’s love. We invite teachers and staff volunteers to sign up in the Narthex after mass on the weekend of May 1/2nd or May 15/16th. Volunteers should plan to register their own children on these two weekends. You can download the registration form at www.stnoel.org and bring it already filled out!

THANK YOU for all of the wonderful donations that came in throughout the Lenten season! Our Lenten Bags and the collection for the Women’s Re-entry Network spearheaded by Matt Jarkewicz were very successful. There are several letters posted on the Social Justice section of the Kiosk expressing gratitude for your generosity.

VOTE ON TUESDAY – Tuesday, May 4, 2010 is primary election day. Our ballots will also have several issues on them. We encourage you to exercise the very important right and responsibility we have to study the candidates and issues and then go to the polls and vote!

THANK YOU! - Our Social Justice Committee would like to thank everyone who donated their lovely jewelry items to make our first Jewelry Re-sale a huge success. Thanks also to those who made purchases and/or made cash donations. An impressive figure of $817.25 was realized from the sale and will be sent to our Cleveland Latin American Mission in Chiltuipan, El Salvador. Their gratitude will be immense!

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – Bishop Lennon will celebrate the annual Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration this year at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. Registrations are now being accepted for couples married 50 years (married in 1959). Deadline for registration is June 27, 2010. Please call the parish office (440-946-0887) for a registration form.

LOOSE CHANGE FOR WOMANKIND - Help us change the lives of an expectant mom and her baby by participating in our Womankind Baby Bottle Fundraiser. The weekend of May 8th and 9th (Mother’s Day) we will have baby bottles available in the Narthex. We’re asking you to take one home, fill it with your loose change, and return it to the church office on or before the weekend of June 19th and 20th (Father’s Day). The funds generated will help Womankind provide free prenatal care and a full range of support services to pregnant women in need. For more information about Womankind, check out their website at www.womankindcleveland.com.

YOUNG ADULTS - Do you want to meet MORE young adults? Do you wish there was something MORE for you now that you're too old for high school youth group or college campus ministry? Are you looking to do something MORE to deepen your relationship with God? We are MORE! We are a group of young adults who gather to build relationships with each other and grow in faith together. Most of us are in the low twenties to mid thirties, and all young adults, single or married, are welcome to join us for our next gathering, a bonfire at Brian Myers' house at 7:00pm on Saturday, May 8. We'd love to have MORE young adults join our community! To get MORE information, please call the parish office (440-946-0887)..

Something to think about from the St. Noel Endowment Board… When is the last time you looked at who the beneficiaries are on your life insurance, IRA or other accounts? It’s time to take a look, update if necessary. When updating beneficiaries, know that a charity like the St. Noel Endowment fund can be a beneficiary of all or part of one of these assets.

ST. NOEL FELLOWSHIP – All meetings are held on Thursdays at 12:00 noon in the St. Noel Banquet Center Small Hall. Activities for May are: May 6th, Horse racing; May 13th, Bingo; May 20th, 12:00 noon, socializing, meeting, then at 12:30 p.m. we will have our luncheon of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, french toast/syrup, fresh fruit, and danish. For more information, please call the parish office (440-946-0887). The cost is $6. The deadline for tickets and payment is May 17th. On May 27th, we will have a reverse raffle, birthday and anniversary celebrations. Please bring something for the food pantry to this meeting. Everyone is welcome. Please join us; everyone is welcome.

CATHOLIC UPDATE is available in the kiosk. The theme of the current issue is “Mary, Mother of God and Our Mother.”

CATHOLIC ECUMENICAL INSTITUTE FOR RELIGIOUS STUDIES will present “Emerging Christianity: Reframing our Beliefs for the New Millennium”. The course will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26th at First Baptist Church in Cleveland Heights. There is also a 7:30 p.m. evening lecture on the same day. For more information, please call Bernadette LaGuardia (216-283-1507). Use the registration form in the CEIRS brochure, or send your name, address, phone, e-mail, check made out to CEIRS, and the name of the course(s) to The Cleveland Ecumenical Institute, 2747 Fairmount Boulevard, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106-3696. You may also check the web (www.ceirs.org).

COMING ATTRACTION “Women & Spirit: Catholic sisters in America” is coming to Cleveland to the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage May 8 – August 28, 2010, 2929 Richmond Rd. The exhibit is a chronicle of the brave and innovative women who walked before us, establishing schools, hospitals, other enduring institutions and who today continue to work in ministries of education, health, spirituality, and peace and justice. For more information, please visit www.womenandspirit.org. There are also information cards in the kiosk.

WEEKEND HEALING RETREAT for women who are suffering after an abortion will be held at Loyola of the Lakes in Akron, May 14-16, 2010. For more information please call The Community of Jesus, the Living Mercy (440-471-4356).

BIRTHRIGHT will have a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser on Sunday, May 16 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stadium Grill in Mentor. There will be a Chinese Auction and 50/50 raffle. Please phone 440-975-9055 or 440-354-0444 for information and tickets.

HILLCREST JOB SEARCHERS: If you (or someone you know) has recently lost your job or has been in the job market for a while and is looking for support during this difficult situation - you are invited to come participate in the Hillcrest Job Searchers on Wednesday, May 5th at St. Paschal Baylon Parish (5384 Wilson Mills Road, Highland Heights-enter in back next to church) at 7:30pm. Reservations are not necessary and there is no cost. Please contact us with any questions. Call Gail at 440-442-2854 or Kay at 440-473-7936 or email spb_employment_gp@sbcglobal.net

Quick View of Meetings for the Week

If you have questions concerning any information contained on the Saint Noel Church Web site, contact us.