The Church of Saint Rita
March 5, 2021 eBulletin
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Celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Lent |
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Each Friday throughout Lent, we will host Stations of the Cross at 2:00pm. Please join us in-person or watch via live-stream on the parish website, YouTube, or on Facebook Live.
This weekend's Masses will be live-streamed at 5:00pm on Saturday and 9:30am on Sunday.
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Please Share Your Feedback with this 5-minute Survey |
The Cleveland Diocese has prepared a Disciple Maker Index (DMI), an anonymous survey of parishioners. Your input is valuable to the parish staff and Fr. Behrend. It'll help us:
- identify how we presently support growth and discipleship
- look for opportunities to support future growth
- provide input to help pastors and parish leaders make decisions and plan effectively
- help pastors and parish leaders determine where to focus evangelization efforts
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Please select "St. Rita Parish" from the list. |
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Saint Rita Parish Ministry Updates |
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Renovations in Saint Mark Chapel, Summer 2021 |
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Improvements are set to begin on Saint Mark Chapel this summer. Ground floor, handicap-accessible meeting rooms will be built. Although we have used Saint Mark primarily as a chapel, its original design was intended to be a multipurpose area with separate rooms and entrances. Now, our plan is to enhance that design. These rooms will have retractable walls which will provide flexibility to revert to the original chapel space if the need arises. This project is made possible by a generous contribution from Don and Pam Washkewicz and bountiful donations from other parish families as part of the Building Tomorrow Today initiative. This initiative was set forth by Fr. Burchell a little over two years ago. To learn more about this initiative, we welcome you to reach out to Rick Santangelo at rsantangelo@stritaparish.com.
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Each year, Saint Rita Parish will award a $500 scholarship to an 8th grade student. To be considered for the Rev. Richard K. Burchell Scholarship, an applicant must be a parishioner or Saint Rita School student, a current 8th grader, and must be committed to continuing his/her education at a Catholic high school in the fall of 2021. Click the image to learn more.
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Please note these changes to the parish calendar!
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The COVID-edited Stations of the Cross for Teens will be hosted on Tuesday, March 23 at 5:30pm - 8:00pm in the Church. This will be filmed and shared with the parish on Good Friday at noon. Click here to sign up.
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A Mass for Families and Children is scheduled for Sunday, March 21 at 4:00pm (please note the time change). An overwhelming majority in our survey responded that a 4:00pm Mass time was ideal. Thank you to all who responded!
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PSR families may stop at the Family Room between 9:00am and 12:00pm on Sunday, March 14, 2021 to pick up their materials for the March cases. 8th and 9th graders may also pick up their teen journals at this time.
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Mass for Families and Children
Please join us for a Family Mass on Sunday, March 21 at 4:00pm. After Mass, families are invited to participate in a Lenten Scavenger Hunt around the Saint Rita campus and enjoy pre-packaged doughnuts to go!
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Save the Date for the Family Fellowship Easter Egg hunt. More information will be shared next week! |
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Wow! A BIG thank you for all that donated items for the annual Family Promise Easter Baskets! In just over a week, all donation slots were filled!
If you signed up to donate items, please bring your items to the Saint Rita Family Room 20 minutes prior or 20 minutes following all Masses on March 20 – 21. Donations will also be collected on Tuesday, March 23 between 5:00pm - 6:00pm in the Family Room. To make other donations or to arrange a separate drop-off, email familypromise@stritaparish.com
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Almsgiving During Lent
Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It’s a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
During Lent, Catholics focus on three practices: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. But what is Almsgiving?
We are asked to focus more intently on donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. Almsgiving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and "a work of justice pleasing to God."
Here are some creative ways to give alms:
- Calculate what it would cost to take your family out to dinner at your favorite restaurant on a Friday evening and make a simple, inexpensive dinner at home and donate the rest!
- Deliver bags of dog food to an animal shelter.
- Mail a gift card for food or gas to a relative who is struggling with bills.
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Donate to a charity such as Catholic Charities or Catholic Relief Services.
Shhhh...Share in Secret - When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." (Mt 6:3-4). The Gospel of Matthew reminds us that we are not supposed to seek glory for these things.
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PRAYER. As a Saint Rita parishioner, you have a complimentary account with Formed! Click the image to access Lenten Resources for the whole family.
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FAST. Many parishes throughout the diocese are hosting a Lenten Fish Fry! Click the image to get a list of these parishes.
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GIVE. Consider a donation to the annual Catholic Relief Service Rice Bowl. Click the image to donate on behalf of Saint Rita Parish.
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Meet our RCIA Candidates!
Meet Mark! Mark grew up in a Protestant family. His family moved around a lot and so Mark was a part of various church communities. Mark's wife is a long-time parishioner of Saint Rita, and he attends Mass with his wife and 6 year-old son. His son began asking a lot of questions about his faith, which prompted Dad to explore the Catholicism a little more. Mark loves that there is lots of symbolism and lots of traditions in our faith, and he's very excited to become more involved. Mark's wife is his sponsor!
It's oftentimes said how we are to have "child-like faith." We especially love when children are the catalysts of change. So many of our RCIA brothers and sisters have been led to this process because of their children's questions, curiosity, and appetite for more. We're so fortunate to bear witness to this and we welcome Mark to our Saint Rita community! God Bless you, Mark.
RCIA is the process through which adults who have not been baptized or catechized hear the message of Christ and enter into the Catholic faith. This year, we are so fortunate to have five RCIA candidates who are preparing to join our Saint Rita community!
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Saint Rita Students Explore the Lenten Season |
During Lent, Saint Rita School students have participated in many projects to serve those in the community. The National Junior Honor Society hosted a school-wide sock drive for homeless men and women at the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries. Over 500 pairs were collected! The third graders were recently featured in Solon Times for making homemade crosses to be delivered to their friends at Anna Maria Nursing Home. Click the image to read the full article.
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Registration is now open for spring sports. Saint Rita parishioners in grades K-8 or school students are welcome to participate. Click image to learn more. Sports include: Rugrat Track (grades K-2), CYO Track (grades 3-8), Boys and Girls Lacrosse (grades 3-8), instructional golf (grades 2-8). |
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Judges are needed for the annual Saint Rita Science Fair on Thursday, March 11 from 8:30am to 12:00pm. If you are interested in volunteering as a judge, please reach out to Mrs. Barb Wilson at bwilson@stritaschool.com. Thank you!
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Mass Times and Stewardship |
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