“You are a welcoming community,” Bishop Edward Malesic told parishioners of St. Paschal Baylon Parish as he celebrated Mass to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the parish.
The bishop was joined by concelebrants Father John Thomas Lane, SSS, who is provincial superior, the parish pastor and a son of the parish, and two Blessed Sacrament priests. He offered a brief history of the parish, which was established Sept. 2, 1953 by Archbishop Edward Hoban. The archbishop purchased several acres of what had been farmland, used primarily strawberries and raspberries. He asked the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, which had been in the Diocese of Cleveland since 1931 and had a seminary nearby on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, to administer the parish.
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Over the years, as the parish grew, a church and school building were built. Ground was broken on July 20, 1969 for the current church, which was designed by local architect Richard Fleishman. Construction took nearly two years.
The Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament also relocated its seminary to a new building on the parish grounds in 1963, but it closed after five years due to a decrease in vocations. The additional space was used for parish offices and eventually, the congregation’s United States headquarters and development office. St. Ann Shrine also is located in the building.
Bishop Malesic asked all who were founding members of the parish to stand and be recognized.
“Thank you for planting the seeds of faith for this parish,” he said to them. “This is a special place.”
He noted the parish theme for its 70thanniversary year is “The Eucharist is our Light and Life,” which is appropriate because of the Blessed Sacrament priests who staff the parish and the national Eucharistic Revival.
The bishop said in the readings used at Mass, there was talk of the temple, God’s building and a house. In the first reading, he said water flowed and gave life to the plants and animals. Something similar happens in the parish, he explained. St. Paschal Baylon began as a trickle that now is flowing. He said the two words used most commonly by Jesus – “come” and “go” – are evident in the parish. “You come here, are fed and go to share that faith with all nations.”
The prophet Ezekiel talked about the temple, which became an analogy for something much larger – the universal Church. The bishop told the faithful they are the foundation of Christ’s Church.
“When we lock the doors of the church building at night, the word must continue to spread,” he said. “We are the body of Christ. We receive it at this altar and we must become what we receive.”
In the Gospel, he said Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus and was eager to see him. However, since he was short, that was difficult so he climbed a tree. “It was more important that Jesus see him than for Zacchaeus to see Jesus,” the bishop said. “Jesus saw into his heart. He saw a man who was ready to change and told Zacchaeus he must come to his house. That day, salvation came to his house.”
The bishop said we all are sinners and come to Church because of that. “It’s what we do,” he added.
At home, we eat at the table and the same is true in the church. “In the church, that table is the altar. It is the table of the parish where Jesus gives himself to us over and over. The priest, in the person of Christ (persona Christi), stands at the altar and Jesus gives his very life to us. We, in turn, sacrifice ourselves to him -- all our joys and our sorrows –we give them all to Jesus. The altar is the point where heaven and earth meet,” the bishop said.
He told the faithful Jesus came to lift us to eternal life and our goal is to be saints in heaven.
“You are the body of Christ. You believe. You were baptized by a trickle of water. Take what you’ve received as a gift and give that gift to others,” he said.
After Mass, the bishop spent some time visiting with parishioners at the parish picnic that was moved indoors by the rainy weather. Members of the Knights of Columbus staffed the grill and kitchen, providing burgers for the hungry crowd.
Father Lane also took the bishop next door to visit St. Ann Shrine and the congregation’s offices.
Click here for more information on St. Paschal Baylon Parish. Find more information about the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament here.