Bishop-Elect Earl Fernandes and Staying Strong in the Midst of Transition

With joy and anticipation, I would like to invite the parishioners of Holy Angels to a special Mass of thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop-Elect Earl Fernandes. This special Mass will be on Tuesday, June 28, at 7:00 p.m. in the church. He has stated that he wants to thank the people of Holy Angels, as this was his first assignment after being ordained a priest. So, please, come and give thanks to God for having chosen this wonderful man to serve in the episcopate and shepherd of the Diocese of Columbus. Congratulations to the bishop-elect who will be consecrated this coming week!

I know that as we approach Beacons D-Day on July 1st, some are concerned about the ways in which Holy Angels, or their parish, may “lose” or diminish. But I think it is important to be reminded that we have an obligation to seek our own salvation first. Meaning that each of us has a limited amount of power over the situation at hand (myself included). However, we do have it in our control to begin seeking to live lives of holiness. Are you consistently falling into a state of mortal sin? Ask yourself: What are the near occasions of sin that keep leading me into a state of grave sin? Then from there proceed to remove those near occasions. And of course, begin building a robust spiritual life that makes daily prayer a consistent and serious part of your life. Start small, saying a morning offering when you first wake up. (You can Google “morning offering” and find one quickly.) Say a decade of the Rosary, truly reflecting upon and entering into the mystery you pray upon. Finally, close your evening by examining your day. (An easy way to do this is to remember the 3, 2, 1: Name three things you are thankful for, identify two sins from your day, and finally, make one resolution to either overcome sin or to grow in a particular virtue.) This simple plan of life is a good place to start if you currently do not have a steady prayer routine. From this simple plan of life, you can grow from there. If you already have a daily prayer routine, keep it up and find out how to keep entering more deeply into conversation with God.

Also, please note that we will have a series of three Days of Grace throughout the summer within our Family of Parishes. This means that Confession will be available from 6:00 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. at one of our parish campuses. Our first Day of Grace will be at Sacred Heart on Thursday, June 23. We will have one at Holy Angels on Tuesday, July 19. We will then have a Day of Grace at St. Michael’s in August. We will have “Morning Mercy” at Ss. Peter & Paul at some point later in the Summer as well. What is “Morning Mercy”? It will be where we have Confession from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning to give individuals another opportunity to go to Confession.

Speaking of Confession, we will also be adding another Confession time to the weekly schedule for our Family of Parishes. Following the 6:30 a.m. Friday Mass at Sacred Heart, we will have Confessions until everyone who would like to go has gone to Confession. So, if you are not at the 6:30 a.m. Mass and would like to go to Confession, show up by 7:00 a.m. to be safe. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to many opportunities to bring God’s grace to many people! The parish picnic is on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 at Lehman Catholic High School, behind the school. Please remember that you can sign up to volunteer at the back of church on the gray table in front of the Pieta statue and statue of St. Therese. Also, you can find more information and purchase raffle tickets at https://www.holyangelsparishpicnic.org/. Come out for all the fun!

Thank you to all the parents who bring their children to Mass. I know that sometimes children can be unruly and seem to be a distraction for their parents and others. But know that I want your children at Mass and that for your children to see you praying at Mass is an invaluable way to pass on the Faith to them. Know that you and your children are always welcome.

Peace in Christ,

Fr. Jarred Kohn