| Week
of June 17, 2007
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Dear
Parishioner,
I
have two announcements to make this weekend. The first concerns
the young people in our parish who are graduating from high school.
Over the years we have watched them develop from children participating
in Religious Education and Vacation Bible School to young adults
involved in many areas of our parish life.
This
year 54 young people from our parish will be finishing their high
school years. As a parish, we wish to show our congratulations and
support.
That
is why we have sent invitations to our graduating seniors to join
us on Sunday, June 24 th for the 11:00 a.m. Mass and for a brunch
afterwards in our Banquet Center. I know this is a busy time of
the year, but I hope many seniors will be able to join us for this
occasion at which our parish can acknowledge this important event
in their lives. Families are invited to join us at the brunch. I
especially invite parents to join us for they deserve affirmation
in the role of guiding their children to this stage of life and
support as they themselves face the transition which graduation
brings.
Graduates,
if you remain in town, I encourage you to stay active at St. Noel.
If you are going away to college,
we
want you to return to St. Noel as you come home for breaks and vacation
and stay in touch with the parish by checking our web site ( www.stnoel.org
) from time to
time.
You are still a part of St. Noel's community and we always want
you to feel at home here.
While
we attempted to send an invitation to all graduating seniors in
the parish, it is possible that our records were inaccurate. If
we missed sending you or someone you know an invitation, please
accept our apology and know that you are most welcome to join us
at the brunch. Simple call Anthony or Marianne at 440-946-1128 to
reserve your spot.
As
our graduates take the next step in their lives, we invite them
to celebrate all the blessings which God has given to them and we
support them with our prayers.
The
second announcement is that the memorial plaques which recognize
those who contributed to our Foundation for the Future Capital Campaign
have been placed in the hallway connecting the narthex to the office
area. These plaques contain the names of those who contributed $5,000
or more to our building project during which we expanded our church
and built the new wing. We have been using our new facilities for
some time now but these plaques are a permanent reminder of the
commitment which permitted our capital campaign to be such a success.
I would like to thank Claire Pattie who worked diligently
to see that the donor's names and their memorials were correctly
expressed on the plaques. Take some time after Mass today to examine
these testimonials to the vitality and generosity of our parish.
Fr. George Smiga
CONGRATULATIONS
AND BEST WISHES to
Donald McCloskey and Kristen Bender, who were united in marriage
on June 9, 2007. May you share a lifetime of many blessings and
may your love always be a reflection of God's love in our midst.
CHILDREN'S
LITURGY OF THE WORD
during the months of JULY & AUGUST will be held at the
11:00 a.m. Mass only.
BECAUSE
OF THE JULY 4 TH HOLIDAY BULLETIN ARTICLES
– for the weekends of June 30 th / July 1 st and July 7 th /8 th
need to be in the parish office by Tuesday, June 26 th .
SOCIAL
JUSTICE/ST. AUGUSTINE- On
June 24 th our volunteers will be serving the meal at the St. Augustine
Hunger Center. There is a sign-up sheet on the kiosk if you are
able to lend a hand. After all the Masses on June 23 rd & June
24 th , we will be collecting for our Social Justice fund. Also,
if anyone would like to bake cookies please bring the cookies with
you when you come to volunteer at the Hunger Center or they can
be dropped off at church before Mass on Saturday. Please put the
cookies in the Nativity Room on the counter and mark them St. Augustine.
SOCIAL
JUSTICE FUND – In May
we collected
$1,339.50.
Our expenses for June were:
Utilities
$1,892.00
Rent
325.00
St.
Augustine Meal
325.98
Total
$2,542.98
We
thank you for your support.
AT
HOME WITH THE WORD
– We will need to place
our order for the At Home with the Word Books in August.
If we ordered for you last year, you are on our list. If you did
not order last year and would like a book(s), please call the church
office (440-946-0887) by July 30 th and we will put your name on
the list. If you have ordered in the past and no longer want one,
please let us know. As long as we order in bulk, books are $5.50
a piece.
WILLOUGHBY
HILLS COMMUNITY DAYS
– Our Mass on Saturday, June 23 rd , will begin at 4:45
p.m. to allow everyone to leave St. Noel before the parade
begins at 6:00 p.m . We encourage
everyone to participate in Community Days, which will be held on
Saturday, June 23 rd , and Sunday, June 24 th .
SUMMER
MASS SCHEDULE – From
June 20 th through August 29 th , there will be no Wednesday
evening 6:45 p.m. Mass . We will, however,
continue to have our monthly Mass with the Anointing of
the Sick on the Second Wednesday of each month
July 11 th and August 8 th .
SAVE
THE DATE! The St. Noel Parish Picnic is scheduled
for Sunday, August 26th, at Campbell Park (located behind Willoughby
Hills City Hall). There will be food, fun and games for all
ages. Contact the parish office at 440-946-0887 if you are
interested in helping us plan this wonderful event.
A
WONDERFUL RESPONSE ! We want to extend a heartfelt
“thank you” for your response to “Project Summer
Stock.” Because of your very generous donations we can assure
our clients of our assistance with food throughout the summer months.
CARING
FOR CREATION
“Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment, people
everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use
the goods of the earth as we have in the past. . .[A} new ecological
awareness is beginning to emerge. . . . The ecological crisis is
a moral issue.” (Pope John Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A
Common Responsibility [December 6, 1989] nos. 1, 15).
WIND
POWER
Global
warming has been in the headlines of late. One of the best
ways we can save our planet is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels
we use as a nation. We depend upon coal as a source of energy
to bring electricity into our homes. While the need for electricity
is evident, there is hope in reducing coal emissions right here
in our backyard—wind power. Ohio generates a mere 7 megawatts
of wind power, “But an alternative energy task force, appointed
by the Cuyahoga County commissioners, is pursuing a wind project
of 5 to 10 turbines, generating up to 20 megawatts three miles off
the shore of downtown Cleveland.” Plain Dealer, May
2007). Bill Mason, the Cuyahoga County prosecutor, is blazing
the trail for regulation of wind turbines and urging state legislators
to adopt a law requiring electric utilities to obtain a percentage
of their power from renewable sources. As a result, a Lake
Erie wind project has the potential both to be the first land wind
project in the U.S., as well as the first fresh water wind project
in the world. Cleveland has a unique opportunity to embrace a new,
effective technology. A wind park on Lake Erie would place Cleveland
among the first major cities in the U.S. committed to this clean
energy source—providing a positive boost for the city. Most importantly,
a wind park would bring important economic and environmental benefits
that few other investments could. To learn more check out
//www.greenenergyohio.org. Contact your state representative
and Governor Strickland and urge the study of wind power using our
natural resource, Lake Erie.
BABY
BOTTLE BOOMERANG:
Please return baby bottles to the parish office by Father's Day.
Thank you for your generous support of Hanna's Home.
LOAVES
AND LETTERS IS BACK! On Friday, July 13 th at 6:30
p.m. the Social Justice Ministry invites you to participate in the
next Loaves and Letters event. It's an evening of a simple
meal, some education and then letter writing on a Social Justice
issue. This time we'll be writing to Federal legislators,
including Ohio's Sherrod Brown regarding the upcoming Farm Bill.
Sen. Brown is a member of the Agricultural Subcommittee working
out the details of this bill. The Ohio Catholic Bishops and
Bread For The World are both urging us to address points in this
legislation which have a direct impact on the poor. Presentations
and letter writing opportunities are both presented for children
or adults. Look for the sign-up sheet on the kiosk, or call
the office.
GIFT
VOLUNTEERS –Hopefully you received an invitation to our
Appreciation Dinner—but just in case we made a clerical error .
. . please join us Wednesday evening, June 20 th at 6:00 p.m. in
the small hall of our Banquet Center. We want to take this opportunity
to thank you and celebrate a great year of GIFT. Please call Marianne
Slattery at 440-946-1228 x 21 to RSVP.
ST.
NOEL FELLOWSHIP – Activities for June
are as follows: – June 21 st socializing,
meeting, and then at 12:30 p.m. we will have our luncheon menu:
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes w/gravy, corn, tossed salad, rolls &
butter and strudel. June 28 th – Bingo,
We will celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Also, please remember
to bring your food donation for the food pantry to this meeting.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Senior Fellowship on Thursdays.
LAKE-GEAUGA
FURNITURE BANK – The
Noel Movers have joined forces with St. John Vianney, St. Mary Magdalene
and Hope Ridge United Methodist Church to form the Lake-Geauga Furniture
Bank. We've hired a part-time worker to handle all calls
for donations. If you have any useable furniture, please
call 946-3448 x 40 to schedule a pickup. The number is still
St. Noel Church but a new extension.
STOCK
OPTIONS - the market
can be a rough ride!! Why not purchase stock in a lasting, worthwhile
commodity - OUR YOUTH!! Coming soon, you can invest
in the youth of our parish who are traveling to Washington, DC and
Kentucky this summer to perform community service and learn about
their faith. Stockholders will receive a stock certificate
and an invitation to our service report once we return. Sure it's
a fundraiser, but this stock will pay big dividends! Shares
sell for $10. Thanks for your support! Sales
begin next week.
YOUNG
ADULTS – Voice Ministries
is a new opportunity for young adults to gather and meet.
Supported by the St. Joseph Christian Life Center and the Youth
& Young Adult Office of the Diocese, Voice Ministries meets
the first Sunday of every month at the Christian Life Center, 18485
Lake Shore Blvd, Cleveland. Scripture study begins at 7:03pm,
Mass at 8:03pm and a social at 9:03pm! Check out Voice Ministries
on Facebook or at http://groups.myspace.com/voiceministries
. For more info, email at voice.ministries@gmail.com
.
St. Noel Endowment Fund Although
we all put off thinking about end of life issues, it is important
to our families and loved ones that we address these issues.
It may seem overwhelming to take that first step but it is important
to consider four basic planning documents to get started:
a Last Will and Testament, Health Care Power of Attorney, Living
Will and a Financial Power of Attorney. You should discuss
which documents fit in with your estate plan with your attorney.
If you would like to include the St. Noel Endowment Fund
in your estate plan, please contact the St. Noel office at 440-946-0887.
BLOOD
DRIVE – The American
Red Cross will be at St. Noel Church on Sunday, July 29 th to conduct
a blood drive. Thanks to all who supported the drive last
month! Further details will be in the bulletin and on the
kiosk. The Northern Ohio Regions supplies 57 local hospitals
and tries to collect 900 units every day to keep the supplies at
adequate levels. High schools and colleges supply 15% of
the blood so summer break is a critical time for other groups to
help. Please consider donating blood on July 29 th . If you're
interested in volunteering to help on the 29 th , please call Anthony.
ARE
YOU SINGLE AND 40 & OVER? Perhaps
never married, divorced, or widowed? A new group has started, Flock
of Friendship , based at St. Paschal Baylon Parish. The
group is being formed as a way to meet for support, social activities,
and service to each other and the community. Various activities
are planned for this summer. For more info call Pam at 440-655-4779,
Information line 216-556-0105, E-mail address: flockfriends@yahoo.com
, Website: www.stpaschalbaylon.org.
GRIEF
SUPPORT GROUP – St. John Vianney
of Mentor hosts a monthly grief support group. The next session
is on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. If you are interested,
please call Rita at 440-942-0336 for required confirmation.
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