Immaculate Conception

Birthdays at the rectory are always special, especially when it’s Fr. Mike’s!  Happy birthday to our pastor!

Our church property was not safe from the digging that has taken over 18th St., 17th St. and Kenmore Blvd.  It was decided by the gas company that our old, antiquated gas meter needed to be replaced and so the adventure began.  They needed to dig to connect the new gas lines to the church and the rectory and then they removed the old meter.  Unfortunately, the new meter they brought was the wrong kind so we await the new one.  Here are some pictures of the work.

On Saturday, March 7th, the plan was to partner, once again, with parishioners from St. Albert the Great Parish to paint the vestibule of the church as part of a Lenten service day. Unfortunately, no one from St. Albert the Great Parish was able to come, but as you can see, our parishioners stepped forward to get the job done!  Thank you to our Head of Maintenance, John Hughes, for getting us organized and keeping us on track, to Beth and Joe Langton for providing a delicious lunch for our hungry workers and to all who came to share their stewardship of talent. More stewardship days are in the works, so stay posted!

On June 8th, 1974, the Church of Cleveland celebrated as Bishop Clarence G. Issenmann ordained 26 young men to the priesthood, one of whom was our own Fr. Michael B. Smith!  It seems like just yesterday, but 40 years of ministry have passed for these dedicated servants.  How does one mark a milestone like 40 years of ordination to the priesthood?  With a celebration, of course!  On June 8th, 2014, Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Mike celebrated the happy occasion with family, friends and the parish at the 11:00 am Mass followed by a reception in Waldeisen Hall.  It was a wonderful day as you can see.

Our preschool/daycare center recently welcomed some local heroes – human and canine.  Lenny, Bronson and Riggs, along with their human partners, came by to say hello and teach the children a thing or two about being a police officer.  We discovered that Bronson is the brother of the dog who plays “Bear” on the TV show “Person of Interest.”  We also discovered that Riggs’ partner, Officer Dan Metztger, is a son of the parish!  His grandfather owned Metgzer Pharmacy which was located on Kenmore Blvd. back in the day.  Dan was baptized, received his First Communion and was Confirmed at I.C.  The dogs and their owners live and work together and when the dogs retire, they live out their lives with their partner and his family.

If someone came up to you on April Fool’s Day and told you they saw a wild turkey on the the front porch of the rectory, you’d probably think they were playing a trick on you, BUT it’s true!  Our secretary opened the front door to check the mail and low and behold, there was a great big bird sitting on the steps.  She screamed in surprise, the bird jumped off the porch and began to stroll down 17th St.  Fortunately, we had a camera handy and captured these pictures as it walked 17th St. and then into the fenced in area at the far end of the property.  A check on the internet identified it as a wild turkey.  Every day brings new surprises!