We are thrilled to announce that Bishop Edward Malesic has called our parishioner Mark Tomecko to ordination as a deacon for the Diocese of Cleveland. After five long years of preparation and formation, Mark will be ordained Saturday, May 4, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. 

All are invited to attend the ordination of Mark and his five classmates. No tickets are required. Free parking is available in the adjacent garage; it fills up, but street parking is available nearby. (You may want to plan to arrive by 9:30 a.m.) 

During this beautiful Mass, all six diaconal candidates will promise obedience to the bishop, who invites the people to pray that the “Father will mercifully pour out his blessings on these servants whom, in his kindness, he raises to the sacred Order of the diaconate.” In one of the more dramatic moments in the liturgy, the diaconal candidates will lay prostrate on the floor while everyone else kneels in prayer for them and sings the Litany of the Saints.

The bishop will call down the Holy Spirit upon each candidate and consecrate them for this ministry, laying his hands upon them as they are ordained. Then, they will be vested in their first dalmatic and stole, worn by deacons at Mass. Deacon Paul Kipfstuhl will vest Mark.

The next week, on Sunday, May 12, we will celebrate Mark’s Mass of Thanksgiving at our noon Mass. A reception will follow in the church basement social hall. Plan to attend this special Mass (it will also be livestreamed) to pray with Mark as he begins his service to the Church.

Please continue to keep Mark, his wife Denise, and their children Grant and Allison, in your prayers as they reach this new milestone of the journey!