Every inch of St. Colman Church in Cleveland was packed with people on March 17 for the 48th annual St. Patrick?s Day Mass that preceded the 176th annual parade through downtown Cleveland. The Mass was presented by the West Side Irish American Club and was attended by parade honorees, marching units, club members, St. Colman parishioners and others.
Bishop Nelson Perez, the main celebrant, and nearly two dozen concelebrants passed under a specially constructed entranceway that straddled the front steps of the church as they processed in before Mass. The words ?Bienvenido Bishop O?Perez? were painted on the structure.
?Good morning. I?m your bishop, Bishop O?Perez,? he said, as the congregation applauded. ?Never forget who you are,? he reminded the crowd, encouraging them to cherish and pass on their Irish culture.
The bishop also asked the congregation to do him a favor.
?Please don?t tell the bishop of Cleveland that I?m wearing green vestments today. It?s Lent and we?re supposed to be wearing purple,? he said.
Bishop Perez began his homily with a short story about an Irish woman who recently was widowed and went to the local newspaper office to place a death notice in the paper. She had only $2 and learned that the cost was $1 per word, so she wrote two words: ?Pete died.?
The bishop said the newspaper employee was so moved that he offered her three additional words at no charge, so she revised the death notice to read: ?Pete died. Boat for sale.?
He acknowledged the large crowd that gathered for Mass to celebrate St. Patrick, a humble man. ?He showed the world how God writes straight with crooked lines,? the bishop said, as
