May 01, 2026

Greetings,

Congratulations to all our Second Graders who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 2.  Welcome to all their friends and family members who are visiting for this special event.  This is truly a blessed day for the whole Church as these young people are introduced to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus.

Thank you to Mr. Keith Johnson, our Parish Catechetical Leader, to our faculty, catechists and volunteers for all your faithful work in this endeavor to bring us to this joyous day!  And, of course, thank you to our parents who took their role at your child’s baptism to help them remain close to Christ, loving God and neighbor, and fulfilling our calling to be sons and daughters of our Father.

IN OTHER NEWS:

FR. VALENCHECK AWAY:  I will be gone all this week for my final classes held at Mundelein Seminary.  These two years have gone by quickly.  These classes will make it possible for St. Sebastian to continue to be a parish where seminarians and young clergy are sent to continue their formation.  

UP & COMING EVENTS:  Here are some things that will be happening of which you might want to be aware:

ORDINATION:  Priest ordination will take place at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland on Saturday, May 16 at 10am.  If you have never attended an ordination and always thought that you might like to, this would be an opportunity one to go since our next parochial vicar will be ordained at this Mass. Deacon Joseph Ho will become Father Joseph Ho and be coming to St. Sebastian on, or about, June 9.

TOR:  Fr. Matthew Pfeiffer, former parochial vicar at St. Sebastian Parish and pastor of St. Paul in Akron, will be speaking on church architecture at the next Theology on the Rocks on Monday, May 18.  This will be a nice complement to the talk I gave concerning the symbolism of Church architecture.  Doors open at 6:30pm.  See the website or elsewhere in the bulletin for more details.

POTLUCK BREAKFAST:  Our Annual Potluck Breakfast will be held on the morning of Monday, May 25, following the 9am morning Mass on Memorial Day. Parish Offices will be closed.

ST. CHRISTINA:  On Sunday May 31, St. Christina, a full body relic, will be visiting St. Sebastian Parish, beginning at the 9am Mass, which will be celebrated by Bishop Woost, Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland.  She will be welcomed at this Mass and then carried to the location where she will remain at the parish for the next six months while the crypt at our Cathedral is being renovated.  

CORPUS CHRISTI & FR. MARCELLI:  Fr. Marcelli’s final Sunday Mass with us will be on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 7 at the 9am Mass.  There will be a procession of the Blessed Sacrament at the end of this Mass.  There will also be a simple reception for Father following each of the Sunday Masses.  

FR. JOSEPH HO:  The following weekend will be Fr. Joseph Ho’s first weekend Masses at St. Sebastian Parish.  

God bless,

Fr. Valencheck