St. Francis de Sales Church in Akron was filled to capacity on Feb. 2 as parishioners welcomed Bishop Nelson Perez to celebrate the 70thanniversary of the parish and school. The parish and school choirs participated in the celebration. Deacon David Stavarz, a transitional deacon assigned to St. Raphael Parish in Bay Village, returned to his home parish to assist at the Mass.
Based on the love of the church, school and each other that was evident, Bishop Perez said it was fitting that the second reading was the well-known First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 13: 1-13. He even quipped that this reading is used by couples at nine and a half out of ten weddings. It is so popular because all couples would like their love to look like this: “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not become angry,” the bishop added.
He said St. Paul is challenging us to see what the love that we proclaim looks like. We tend to use the word “love” without hesitation, Bishop Perez said, explaining that we say we “love” pizza, pictures that we see on social media, sports teams, etc. As he pointed to Jesus on the cross, the bishop said what St. Paul was trying to say is that ultimately does our love look like that? He said we often see the signs at sporting events calling attention to John 3:16: “God so loved the world that He gave his only son.” God’s son and his death become a symbol of hope for us, he added.
The bishop said that those who built St. Francis de Sales Parish and School a little more than 70 years ago did so out of love and a future love for those sitting in the pews. And 70 years from now, although many of us will be gone, the parish will remain, he said.
“A parish is the most immediate expression of the Church in two forms,” the bishop said. He explained that there are two types of church: one that is the administration, those who come and go over time and one that is the mystical body of Christ. That Church transcends and perseveres over time.
The school allows children to encounter Christ, to encounter his love and then hope. “It is here that the children will learn how to love the way God loves the world and in many ways then become Paul’s letter,” the bishop added.
While he joked that there must be something in the water at St. Francis de Sales because four parishioners are in the seminary, including two who were serving at the altar, and others from the Akron area, he told the congregation to “protect, work and strive for that.” Continuing strong teen programs helps to encourage religious vocations, he added.
Father David Bline, St. Francis de Sales’ pastor, echoed the bishop’s remarks. He said it was the love he learned from his parents and family that made him the priest he is today. Father Bline also thanked those who attended the liturgy and the parents for providing their children with a Catholic education. “It is a tough world and you choose to be here to be formed,” he added.