The FEST came back better than ever – and in person – on Aug. 8 at a new location, the Brookside Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.
National and local entertainment, food, activities for all ages, informational booths, prizes, giveaways, opportunities for confession, Adoration, prayer, a new seek and find contest and the traditional closing Mass were among the highlights of the daylong event. Thousands of people turned out for the 21st FEST. “Take Courage” was the day’s theme.
Bishop Edward Malesic spent much of the day soaking in The FEST for the first time.
“Last year I was in Greensburg (Pennsylvania) packing and preparing to come to Cleveland,” he recalled. Although he was unable to attend in person last year, he taped and shared a video greeting.
“I am so glad to be here in person this year,” he said. The bishop walked through the grounds chatting with people, sharing information and taking time to pray, hear confessions and spend some time in Adoration before celebrating the closing Mass.
Heavy downpours hit the area just after the gates opened, forcing a delay in some of the scheduled events. But the sun returned by early afternoon and the event went on. The crowd soaked it all in.
“This is just amazing,” one attendee said. “I’m so glad we came,” said another. “We come every year. I missed it last year,” added another. Because of the pandemic, last year’s FEST was conducted virtually and livestreamed into thousands of homes. This year, attendees paid a $10 entrance fee and attendance was limited to about 15,000. Father Bob Stec, event founder and a coordinator, said he hopes in the future, The FEST will be able to return to a free event that welcomes everyone. This year, those who were unable to attend in person were able to watch a livestream of the day’s events.
After the live entertainment concluded, long lines formed as people waited patiently for the fleet of 20 shuttle buses to take them back to their cars.
During this time, informational booths closed and FEST volunteers transformed the stage in preparation for Mass. They set up a large altar, added space for the choir, celebrants and a signer who used American Sign Language throughout the liturgy to assist those with hearing impairments.
“Wow! How good it is to be here tonight,” the bishop said as Mass began. “I know all of you had an amazing day. The music, the food, the inflatables – I had none of that – the entertainment, and especially the time spent in prayer and healing. It all came together to make a good day, a great day to celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ. He is with us, yes?” Bishop Malesic said.
During the homily, he shared the story of a mother who was helping her 5-year-old daughter get ready for church. The girl asked why they go to church, to which her grandmother said, “We go to church to find Jesus.”
Later, in church, the mother noticed her daughter was looking all around and asked what she was doing.
“Mom, I looked all over the church for Jesus and I couldn’t find him anywhere,” the girl said.
“Tonight I see Jesus everywhere,” the bishop told the large crowd gathered for Mass. He told them he saw Jesus in each of them “You are his mystical body, the Church. I hear Jesus in the Scriptures tonight. Jesus is the word of God that we just heard. I know that Jesus is going to feed us tonight in the Eucharist with his body and blood under the signs of bread and wine. Jesus said, ‘I am the living bread come down from heaven.”
He urged those gathered to have faith, reassuring them that Jesus would be with them always, “So, take courage – Jesus will not abandon us.”
But sometimes we fail to see Jesus or don’t look for him, he said, acknowledging that at times, even he gets so concerned about things of this world that he forgets about the things of God. “Yes, even bishops are human. Pray for me,” he asked.
Some people can begin to fall into the lie of this world – that God really doesn’t exist – or that he doesn’t care, the bishop said.
“It’s as if cataracts have grown into our eyes of faith. When that happens, the goodness of God that is all around us becomes an ugly blur. We can begin to get more and more disgusted with life. How best to describe it? We get irritable, crotchety and cantankerous. St. Paul uses words like bitter, fury, shouting, reviling. You get the picture. A life without God is not a happy life. It leads to all kinds of justice and hate,” he said. “Many people in our world have rejected God. It has not made us into a better world.”
The bishop shared another story about a monk whose monastery required a vow of silence. The monks could speak a few words every decade, when invited by the abbot. After the first 10 years, when told he could speak, the monk said, “Food bad.” Ten years later, he said, “Bed hard.” And 10 years after that, “I quit,” he told the abbot, who replied, “I’m not surprised a bit. You’ve done nothing but complain ever since you got here.”
The bishop reflected on the first reading, which told the story of Elijah who was in a crisis and on the run for his life. He was ready to give up and asked the Lord to take his life. An angel appeared and encouraged him to get up, to eat and drink to strengthen himself for his journey. And after the journey, Elijah encountered God. Had he not eaten, he would not have walked and if he had not walked, he would not have seen God, Bishop Malesic said.
“God does not want us to quit on life. He extends his helping hand to us. God urges us to move forward – to have courage, for he is with us. There’s a reason why Jesus had to say over and over again, ‘Be not afraid,’” the bishop added.
“And so, here we are again, tonight at the holy sacrifice of the Mass. But, I ask you, why are we here? Jesus said, ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.’ We are here at the Father’s invitation. God has asked us to gather around the table of this altar. God is smiling on us tonight because we RSVP’d ‘yes’ to The FEST,” he said.
The bishop asked what we brought with us, listing our love of God and our faith in him, as well as our frustrations and burdens. “We bring our life with us, which is often messy,” he added. But like the physical bread that nourished Elijah, the bishop said the sacramental bread we received at the Mass will lead us forward for eternity.
“That is what Jesus said. And that is the faith we must have. Faith that Jesus can do what he promises us,” he added.
“I am asking that we see this Eucharist with eyes of faith. St. Augustine said that we bring our belief in Jesus to this table, but ‘we have still not come through to the end. We are still on the road.’ Stay on the road with Jesus until the end. And at the end, he will make us saints in heaven. This is the bread that gives us the strength to keep walking through this word until we see God face to face in that great day of salvation,” Bishop Malesic said.
In closing, he asked those gathered to imagine a guardian angel tapping them on the shoulder, calling them by name and encouraging them to “Get up and eat, lest the journey be too long for you. Have hope. Take courage. The Lord is setting the table for you. He is about to feed you with his flesh and blood. Let him be your strength on the way. Taste and see that the Lord is good,” the bishop said.
Father Stec announced that next year’s FEST would take place on Aug. 7, 2022.
For more information on this year’s FEST, including raffle prize winners and a recap of some of the day’s events, visit thefest.us.