Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We continue our journey through the Easter season, and this Sunday we are reminded that we are being pruned to produce more fruit. This fruit is the potential that each one of us has to grow and encourage growth in faith and witness of the risen Lord within others. Although producing this fruit could have its challenges, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can rely on the vine grower to prune us according to His will. Our openness to this pruning keeps us connected to the vine that supplies us with the nourishment to produce good fruit.
As we begin a new month, we are reminded about the dignity of work. May 1st is the Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. The Church calls to our attention the value of using our gifts and talents to provide services for the common good. Work gives us the opportunity to produce the fruit that helps our society to flourish and supports human growth. Realizing that this pandemic has brought great stress on so many areas of labor, from frontline and essential workers to hospitality workers and every worker in between, our support of them is essential in emerging from this pandemic stronger than before. Let us also pray for those struggling to find meaningful work and/or are in difficult working situations, that they will soon be able to produce fruit that gives them a sense of dignity and purpose.
I am excited to announce that Bishop Malesic will be visiting Saint James Church for the celebration of 10:30 am Mass on May 30th. This Mass will be livestreamed, so more people can prayerfully welcome our new bishop to the Diocese of Cleveland and the Lakewood community.
As our schools begin to bring their year to a conclusion, let us pray in gratitude for the hard work that our school administrators, teachers, and other school volunteers have done to make our schools safe for students. Through virtual and in-person classes, our students should also be commended for their perseverance through the many safety measures. May their hard work produce great fruit.
Once again, I thank you for your prayerful and financial support of our parish communities. Your support continues to inspire the spread of our faith in our community.
Easter Joy!
Fr. Workman