St. Edward Parish in Ashland is one of eight parishes around the eight-county Diocese of Cleveland that was selected as a sacred site for the Jubilee Year of Hope, which is being observed throughout 2025. One parish in each county and three shrines were designated as sacred sites.
Bishop Edward Malesic visited the parish on Feb. 9 to celebrate Mass and mingle with parishioners. A group from Ashland University Newman Catholic Campus Ministry also attended the liturgy and spent some time afterward chatting with the bishop and posing for photos.
“Thank you for being a sacred site for the jubilee year,” the bishop said. Father Rod Kreidler is pastor of St. Edward, which was established in 1853, just six years after the Diocese of Cleveland was founded.
(See photo gallery above.)
“We’re all on a journey,” Bishop Malesic told the faithful gathered for Mass.
He said the day’s Gospel, which told the story of Peter, who fished unsuccessfully all night until Jesus got into his boat and encouraged him “to put out into the deep,” is one of his favorites. “I can only imagine Peter, the experienced fisherman, rolling his eyes as Jesus, the carpenter, told him what to do,” the bishop said. However, when Peter did as the Lord said, he had a large catch.
“Listen to the Lord. Take direction from him and don’t give up,” he said.
“If Jesus says to welcome the stranger, welcome the stranger. If he tells you to follow him, do it. If he says to put out into the deep, do it … Leave safety behind and trust the Lord. Believe that God will provide, even in a great storm when there is nothing to cling to except God. He will be our rock. Remember, we can’t do it alone,” Bishop Malesic said.
“And if God is your co-pilot, change seats. God is my pilot. He is my captain. He knows how to do it.”
The bishop reminded the faithful that we must care for others and do as the Lord says, then we should “prepare for a big catch.” He admits it isn’t always easy to listen to Jesus because we live in a world filled with distractions such as the devil. “But Jesus accompanies us on our journey of life.”
In his recently released pastoral letter, “A Flourishing Apostolic Church,” Bishop Malesic asks the faithful to try and pray at least 15 minutes each day. He said our core belief is that Jesus was born, suffered and died for us and rose again.
“We see his fingerprints in every act of love when someone does something for another person. He lives with us, he died for us, he speaks to us, he walks with us, he loves us. And after he died for us, what did he do? He came back to us. This world needs people who aren’t afraid to talk about Jesus,” the bishop said, encouraging the congregation to take that message out into the world.
He said we all should strive to be saints so we can enjoy heaven. “Try practicing here so you’ll know what to do when you get to heaven. We want others to know what we’ve come to know … Have faith and put out into the deep.”