The 24 Lorain County District parishes came together on Sept. 18 for a Mass and reception with newly installed Cleveland Bishop Nelson Perez. Sacred Heart Chapel Parish in Lorain hosted the districtwide event, which was attended by hundreds of people representing the parishes.
Father William Thaden, Sacred Heart pastor, welcomed all to the liturgy.
?We are thrilled to have the bishop here,? he said. ?We are people of many nationalities and languages,? he added, making a few remarks in Spanish. Father Thaden began his ministry at Sacred Heart Chapel in 1999 after serving at the diocesan mission in El Salvador. Sacred Heart, which was founded in 1952, has about 1,600 families.
?He speaks Spanish pretty well,? the bishop said.
?I have a 45-minute homily prepared, but some people had a problem with that, so I cut it to 40 minutes,? he quipped, drawing a laugh from the congregation.
Bishop Perez used the Gospel, the story of a centurion with an ill slave who felt unworthy to ask Jesus for help, as the basis for his homily.
?His job was to enforce an oppressive government,? the bishop said, adding the centurion was an unlikely person for Jesus to respond to. ?Why did Jesus pick him? He had a loving heart. He cared about his slave and wanted him to be whole. Each of us comes from the heart of God who loves and respects each of us. That?s a message you should take back to your parish communities,? he said.
?In Christ, there is power, a source of miracles. The centurion had heard about Jesus, but felt unworthy to approach him, so he worked through someone,? Bishop Perez said.
He looked downward and told the congregation that if you always look down, ?if you navel gaze, you can?t see anyone else. And while the centurion did this, it wasn?t enough to keep him from sending someone to engage Jesus. He had a heart filled with faith and conviction and we need that today. The centurion teaches us to have a caring heart for those in our households. If you navel gaze a little, you need to get over it,? he said.
?The 24 parishes in this district are 24 powerhouses of grace. Imagine what you can do in your neighborhoods,? the bishop said.
?Two months ago, Nelson and Cleveland had nothing to do with each other. Then the nuncio called and asked if I?d ever been to Cleveland. I said I?d never even been to Ohio,? he said. ?And now, here I am
