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EUCLID, Ohio — St. Stephen Parish feted the 60th anniversary of its church on Pentecost, June 9. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma celebrated a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and preached the homily. Father Robert Jager, the assistant to the parish administrator, Father Bruce Riebe, concelebrated.
About 150 people attended the Divine Liturgy, which was followed by mirovanije, a flag ceremony on the grounds in the front of the church, and a free luncheon in the parish hall, which included the screening of the Horizons Media documentary, “From Mariapoch to Mariapoch.”
In a written message for the occasion, Father Riebe recalled when he was parochial vicar at St. Stephen’s in the 1980s. Then, the parish “school was still open, there were five liturgies on a weekend and the parish numbered over 600 families,” he said. While numbers have diminished and the school has closed, “I still sense a strong feeling of community and pride. The ‘spirit’ of what made St. Stephen’s, ‘St. Stephen’s’ is still hanging around, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Father Riebe mentioned the pending “transition.” According to the parish bulletin, St. Stephen Parish and Holy Transfiguration Parish in Mentor-on-the-Lake are expected to merge. Bishop Lach has already met with parishioners to discuss the merger, and Father Riebe has assured parishioners of transparency throughout the process. Both parishes have already begun publishing a common parish bulletin.
“Sometimes it is scary to glance into the crystal ball not knowing precisely what the future holds. The founders of this parish did exactly the same thing! They pushed ahead with courage and trust,” said Father Riebe in his message. “On this celebratory day let us be reminded of what they accomplished and look ahead with the same optimism and faith.”
Caption: Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma, accompanied by Father Robert Jager, presides at the flag ceremony on the front lawn of St. Stephen Parish in Euclid, Ohio, following the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the church June 9. The Knights of Columbus Color Corps provide the Honor Guard. (Photo: David Bratnick)
As published in Horizons, June 23, 2019.
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