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Why Catholic? Meet Bishop Edward C. Malesic
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St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass

News of the Diocese

February 7, 2022

St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass
St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish welcomes bishop as he celebrates Mass

Thanks to a boiler problem, the temperature inside St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Church in Cleveland was chilly on Feb. 6 when Bishop Edward Malesic visited the parish to celebrate Mass. But the welcome was warm and friendly.

The bishop said he was honored to be with the community of faith to worship in their stunning church. (See photo gallery above.)

“You parishioners of St. Aloysius-St. Agatha Parish have answered God’s call to be of service to our neighbor, seeking peace in the midst of so much hatred and violence,” he said. The bishop mentioned the parish hunger center, which serves the needs of those seeking help and advocacy from the Church.

“Justice, doing the right thing by one another, is central to the teaching of our Church,” he added, urging the faithful to continue seeking justice for all. “There is still unfinished business that needs to be done in order to turn Martin Luther King’s dream into a reality. This is the way to peace – when we have a right relationship with God and a right relationship with each other. Then we begin to see the kingdom of God present in our midst, he said, noting that gathering to celebrate the goodness of God at Mass provides another opportunity to recommit ourselves to the Gospel message of love, mutual respect and to see the dignity of every human person.

“I am also honored to be here during Black History Month and to experience firsthand the rich culture that you bring to the body of Christ,” Bishop Malesic said. Referring to the banners hanging in the church and displaying heaven’s faces of color, he said, “May we be inspired to follow the call of Jesus without fear – and to make him known,” something he said the parish evangelization committee is working toward. The banners honor people who answered Jesus’ call to follow him without fear, he added.

The day’s Gospel, which tells the story of how Jesus – the carpenter – teaches Peter – the fisherman – how to fish, is one of his favorites, the bishop said. Even though he’d been fishing all night with no success, Jesus said to try again, so Peter did. And he had success.

“Maybe that’s a good lesson from today’s Gospel. When all is going badly, don’t give up. We should listen for the Lord and take our direction from him,” he said.

“If he tells us to love our neighbor as yourself, don’t question him,” the bishop said. Likewise, if he tells us to forgive as we’ve been forgiven, that’s good advice, especially in an age of merciless people. And if he tells us to welcome the stranger, we should do so. If he says to follow him, don’t hesitate, the bishop added.

“And if Jesus says to “put out into the deep, then go out into the deep,” he said.

That phrase was a favorite of St. John Paul II, the bishop noted, adding it means to get away from the safety of the shore and learn to trust in God. It means not to stay on the surface of things, including our relationship with God. We need to go deeper with the Lord and to pray persistently to Jesus, believe in him and listen to the voice of Jesus that calls each of us by name.

The bishop also reminded the congregation that Peter didn’t head out into the deep alone and neither are we alone. “We must let Jesus into the boat with us, too. In fact, let Jesus take the lead in our lives and give us direction,” he said.

Paul reminds us of the core that we need to know: Jesus died for our sins, he was buried, he rose on the third day, appeared to the disciples and then to 500, and now he has appeared to us. His presence is in every Eucharist we celebrate. We hear his voice in every Scripture we read and we see his fingerprints in every act of love a person shows toward another, the bishop said. This faith, the center of our faith, gives us the energy to listen to Jesus, he added. “He died for us. He lives for us. He speaks to us. He forgives us. He summons us. He provides for us. He loves us.”

The bishop said once we hear Jesus’ voice and realize just how alive he is and how close he is to us, we must tell him we will do his command – whatever he asks of us.

“The world needs people who are not afraid to talk about Jesus,” the bishop said. “Every man, woman and child who has met the Lord is asked by him to tell others. This is the way the Church has survived for 2,000 years – others telling others about Jesus. And it is the only way the Church survives in the future. But we must not be afraid, talking about Jesus does have its risks,” he added.

The bishop referenced a letter written in 1980 by a young man in Zimbabwe who was told to deny his faith or face death. He refused to deny it. The night before he was martyred, he wrote a letter talking about how his future was secure and his goal was heaven. “I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know and work until he comes. And when he does come for his own, he’ll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear,” the young man wrote.

The bishop said we should put out into the deep with Jesus in our boat and do what he asks, then say “yes,” as Isaiah did, saying, “Here I am, Lord, send me. Have no fear.”

After Mass, two parishioners shared the stories of two of the people featured in the banners hanging in the church. This week’s featured sainthood candidates were Sister Thea Bowman and Blessed Pierre Toussaint.

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