“Thank you, Father Terry (Grachanin), for saying yes – first to the Church and then to this assignment,” said Bishop Nelson Perez.
The bishop celebrated Mass at 11 a.m. on June 30 at St. Noel Parish in Willoughby Hills. It was standing-room only in the church. During the liturgy, Bishop Perez installed Father Grachanin as the parish’s new pastor. He replaced Father George Smiga, who accepted a new assignment after 28 years as pastor at St. Noel’s. The parish, which was established in 1980, has about 1,500 families. Father Andy Turner, a staff member at Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries, will continue to assist with weekend Masses.
Concelebrants included two of Father Grachanin’s friends from the seminary, Father Lou Thomas, parochial vicar at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma, and Father Ryan Mann, parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Parish in Strongsville. Also concelebrating were Father John Carlin, St. Charles Borromeo Parish pastor (Father Grachanin’s first assignment after ordination); Father Tom Woost, pastor, St. Brendan Parish, North Olmsted (where Father Grachanin was assigned until being appointed St. Noel pastor) and Father G. David Bline, pastor, St. Francis De Sales Parish in Akron. Father Mike Woost was emcee and Deacon David Nethery assisted.
Bishop Perez said he wouldn’t be there installing Father Grachanin as pastor if it weren’t for his parents. He thanked them for sharing their son and he thanked Father’s sisters for sharing their brother with the Church.
During the Mass, the new pastor was introduced formally by the bishop and he was greeted by members of the parish clergy and staff and the finance and parish councils. He led the congregation in the profession of faith and took an oath promising to follow the teaching of the Church. He and Bishop Perez signed documents formalizing his new pastorate.
The bishop shared some thoughts from Pope Francis about a parish. The parish is not an outdated institution, the Holy Father said. In fact, “it possesses great flexibility and can assume various contours. It is capable of self-renewal,” the bishop said. A parish also is described as the Church living in the midst of the homes of its sons and daughters. “It’s the presence of the Church in a given territory,” Bishop Perez said.
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel, the bishop noted that it was not one of the “easy, feel-good Gospels. If you were really listening, you should have squirmed in your seat. And if you didn’t, read it again.”
In the Gospel, Jesus and some of his disciples were journeying to Jerusalem. Along the way, he encountered some people who he invited to follow him. However, they had excuses and wanted to take care of personal business before accepting his call. The bishop explained that between Jesus’ work and theirs, all that really mattered was Jesus’ word.
“He had some harsh words for them,” Bishop Perez said. He used an analogy of birth, explaining that it’s not an easy process and it’s painful. However, if we didn’t leave that special place (life in the womb) behind, we wouldn’t be here today.
He also shared an anecdote about a high-powered executive who got bumped from a flight and made a commotion, approaching an airline ticket agent and asking if the agent knew who he was.
“He studied the man, then took the microphone and asked the other passengers if they could help him because the man didn’t know who he was,” the bishop said, eliciting laughter from the packed church.
The bishop encouraged Father Grachanin to be a kind, gentle leader to his new flock and he asked the parishioners to be good to their new pastor and to be willing to accept change.
After Mass, Father Grachanin thanked his family, friends and others for attending the Mass. He also had kind words for Father Carlin and Father Tom Woost, expressing appreciation for how they helped prepare him for his new role as a pastor.
There was a reception in the parish banquet center after Mass.