z A Letter from the Pastor z

CORNERSTONE S T. C H A R L E S B O R R O M E O P A R I S H P A R M A , O H

2 0 1 3 E A S T E R I S S U E

THE

Dear St. Charles Parishioner:

This is the Lent/Easter edition of our parish newsletter, The

Cornerstone. The Catholic Church,

t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d , i s celebrating a Year of Faith as we

mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first session of the Second Vatican

Council. As a parish, we are

studying Matthew Kelly’s book, Rediscover Catholicism. Copies of

that book were given, one to a family, on Christmas day. Just as we

“keep up” in our professions and

our hobbies, so we should “keep up” with our Faith. It is not too

late to p ick up a copy o f Rediscover Catholicism from the

Parish Office.

During January, we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. St. Charles

Borromeo School opened its doors in 1924. Today, in 2013, we offer

eleven years of Catholic education:

t w o y e a r s o f p r e - s c h o o l , kindergarten, and grades one to

eight. Our tuition is one of the lowest in the Diocese and we offer

an excellent educational program.

New registrations are being

accepted until February 23.

Contact the School or Parish Office for additional information

and for registration materials.

Lent begins early this year on Ash Wednesday, February 13.

Inside you will find a copy of the special events and liturgies planned

for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. I

call your attention to our Parish

Lenten Retreat , Sunday to

Tuesday, February 24-26. Father Damian Ference, noted speaker

and author, will conduct this three-

day event. Please make the effort to attend; it will be a blessing in your

life. Our PTU will again offer Lenten Friday Fish Fries, 4:00 till

7:00 pm, in the Corrigan Gym.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish will

celebrate its ninetieth anniversary on Sunday, April 21. Bishop A.

James Quinn will join us for the

Noon Mass on that day. As a parish, we have come a long way

since those thirteen pioneer families of 1923. We owe so very

much to those who have gone

before us. What we use and enjoy today i s a g i f t f rom pr ior

generations. The celebration of our ninetieth anniversary was

intended to be “low-key.” Each

month, we are offering a parish dinner in the Corrigan Gym. Since

1923, many things have changed, in the world and in our Church.

But the work of the Gospel

remains the same: forming and educating a Christ-centered

community, enriched by the Sacraments, and in service to those

around us.

Thank you to those who make this newsletter possible. Peace and

Blessings to all in this New Year 2013, St. Charles Borromeo

Parish’s 90th anniversary year!

Fr. John T. Carlin

This Holy Week marks the Youth Group’s

nineteenth dramatization of the Living Stations of the Cross. Sister Denise Marie began directing the stations

when she first came to St. Charles in 1994 and, over

the years, the production has become unique to the parish. Year after year, there are approximately one

hundred teens that participate in the Living Stations, all of whom follow the script and stage directions

written by Sister Denise. The teens commit to weeks of

practicing and memorizing lines on top of their regular schoolwork, as well as coordinating costumes

and props. This year’s dramatization will be Father Steve Flynn’s first experience with the Living Stations

at St. Charles and Sister Denise is very excited to have

his assistance. In addition to Fr. Steve, Beth Ann Fey and Lena Mekhael, along with other volunteers, will

play active roles in preparing the teens for their performances on Good Friday and Palm Sunday.

The Living Stations’ script allows the audience

to enter Christ’s passion in a way that relates to life today while reliving Christ’s greatest act of love. The

script includes the traditional figures seen in the Stations of the Cross such as Veronica and the Virgin

Mary, but also includes characters such as the wife of

Pontius Pilate and the daughters of Simon of Cyrene. Through all of these characters, the dramatization

allows the audience to imagine themselves experiencing the emotions and struggles of the

characters, which include lack of faith, anger,

frustration over unemployment and the hardships of illness. One of the most powerful aspects of the

dramatization is the audience’s immersion into the death of Christ, where spectators can attempt to

imagine what it was like to be present for Christ’s

passion and witness what He went through because of His love for us.

Sister Denise expresses that it is her hope the

parishioners of St. Charles will make this a part of their prayer and preparation for Holy Week and

Easter. The Living Stations performance will take

place in Church on Palm Sunday, March 24, at 6:30 pm and on Good Friday, March 29, at 12:00

Noon.

The Youth Group’s Living Stations

Photo Courtesy of Tony Salonia

St. Charles Borromeo School:Ninety Years of Catholic Education

St. Charles Borromeo School is in the middle of its

ninetieth year of education. The first “school” was two

classrooms, heated with a pot belly stove, tacked onto the back of the original frame church. Two Ursuline

Sisters of Cleveland, Jane Francis and Charlotte, were the original faculty. They were driven back-and-forth

each day to the Ursuline Motherhouse on East 55th

Street. In the 1930s, a house was rented on Wilber Avenue for the Sisters. Later the Sisters would move to

a home on Ridge Road (where the Marian Garden and Shrine are today). In 1964, the parish built a large

convent at the east end of the Charles Ave parking lot.

In 1927, an eight classroom school was built on Wilber. When the population of Parma exploded after

the Second World War, additional classrooms and a gym were added to the original school in 1949.

In 1958, an additional twenty-four classroom school

building was constructed. The school population peaked at 2,800 students in 1964. As the Parma

population aged, school enrollment declined. Unused

classrooms were converted to new uses: a music room, laboratories, a computer center, state-of-the art library,

expanded offices, and auxiliary aid rooms.

St. Charles School is one of the top 10 largest

school populations in the Diocese. It is also in the

lowest 5% for tuition cost, thanks to our Education Foundation and Gift Certificate Program. St. Charles

School offers eleven years of excellent Catholic education. We are currently enrolling for Pre-school,

kindergarten, and grade one to six. Contact the School

Office for additional information, 440-886-5546.

St. Charles Borromeo’s first school building, constructed in 1927.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish’s Ninetieth Anniversary

After the First World War ended

in 1918, the “first ring” suburbs

around Cleveland experienced t r e m e n d o u s g r o w t h . T h e

populations of Lakewood, Rocky River, Fairview Park, Parma,

Garfield Heights, Maple Heights,

Shaker Heights, and Euclid numbered many Catholics who

had moved from the parishes in the central city. Cleveland’s Catholic

Bishop, Joseph Schrembs, was

quick to respond and, during the early 1920s, he founded parishes in

each of the above-named cities.

St. Charles Borromeo Parish

was founded in April of 1923.

Father Nicholas Monaghan was named pastor. A native of Mother

of Sorrows Parish in Ashtabula, the forty-two year old priest found

only thirteen Catholic families

scattered throughout Parma. With a loan from Pearl Street Bank at

Broadview and Pearl Roads, Father

Monaghan financed the original property: the lots were on Wilber

Avenue, running four hundred feet

east from Ridge Road. A condition attached to the sale of the property

required that the church erect “permanent masonry buildings”

within twenty-five years. Within a

year, the parish had built the brick rectory and a wooden frame

church. The church stood where the Corrigan Gym is today. An

eight classroom brick school was

built in 1927.

The 1920s were a prosperous

time. Within six years, St. Charles Parish grew to several hundred

families. All growth stopped,

however, dur ing the Great Depression of the 1930s. The

parish barely managed to meet the mortgage payments on the land

and buildings. It is estimated that

o n e - t h i r d o f S t . C h a r l e s

breadwinners were out of work. Father Monaghan later stated,

“some days we just barely made

it.”

The demands of World War II

meant full employment. After the war, returning veterans and “baby

b o o m ” f a m i l i e s p l a c e d

unprecedented demands upon the parish. Additional classrooms were

built in 1949 and an entire new school building in 1958. The

“permanent masonry church” was

dedicated in 1955. A new convent was added in 1964. In the early

1960s, school enrollment topped 2,800 s tudents. The par i sh

property was also increased as

frontage was purchased on Ridge Road and then along Charles and

Wilber Avenues.

St. Charles Borromeo’s original church building, constructed in 1923.

Over the years, St. Charles’

original 1923 “territory” had also

been divided up to create several new Parma parishes: St. Francis

de Sales in 1932, Corpus Christi in 1935, S t . Columbki l l e and

St. Brigid in 1956, St. Anthony of

Padua in 1959, and St. John Bosco in 1963.

The founding pastor, Monsignor M o n a g h a n , d i e d i n 1 9 6 7 .

Monsignor Thomas Corrigan was

appointed pastor in January 1968. It was Monsignor Corrigan’s

responsibility to implement the expectations of the Second Vatican

Council, held from 1962 to 1965.

There was a new style of worship, new spiritual programs, new adult

education offerings, and new roles

for the laity to fulfill. Monsignor Corrigan was up to the task. He

skillfully guided the parish through

many changes. Monsignor retired, as required, at the age of seventy

in June of 1987.

Father John Carlin became

pastor in 1987. Father Carlin

established a Parish Council, a Parish Finance Council, and

embarked on a ten-year program to update parish buildings. Energy-

saving windows were installed. The

church, parish halls, gym, and offices were air-conditioned. All

buildings were made handicap-accessible. A six-bedroom home

was purchased for the Sisters and

the 1964 convent was converted to

parish use. Additional property was purchased and a large parking lot

was constructed on the north side

of Wilber Avenue. The Education Foundation was established to

guarantee the future Catholic formation of our young people.

Father Carlin also expanded the

parish pastoral staff to include religious women and lay people.

While much has changed since 1923, the work of the Church

remains the same; preaching and

living the Gospel in imitation of the Lord.

May 2, 1954, the blessing of the Cornerstone of the St. Charles Borromeo church building that stands today.

Special thanks to Brenda Sutton for providing the photographs used.

This year’s three night Lenten Retreat will be led

by Father Damian Ference and will take place February 24 through 26. The general theme of the

retreat deals with discipleship and conversion by

striving to encounter Christ in a new way. “Too often we don’t start with the basics of faith. On this retreat,

we will get back to the heart of the Gospel, the foundation of our Faith,” says Father Damian. While

parishioners are strongly encouraged to attend all

three nights of the retreat, even if one can attend only one or two of the nights it will be well worth the trip.

“You know you did a good job when more people come on the second and third nights. If the third

night is the most crowded, then you can feel good

about the retreat you gave,” says Father Damian. He especially encourages teens and young people to

attend.

Father Damian graduated from Borromeo

Seminary/John Carroll University in 1998 and Saint Mary Seminary in 2003. Ordained a priest for the

diocese of Cleveland, he served as parochial vicar at Saint Mary Parish in Hudson, Ohio from 2003-2007

and earned a licentiate in philosophy at the Catholic

University of America in Washington, DC in 2009. Currently Father Damian is part of the formation

faculty at Borromeo Seminary, where he is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

Father Damian will preach at all the masses on the weekend of February 24 and begin the retreat

following the 5:30pm Mass. On Monday, February 25 and Tuesday, February 26, the retreat will take place

following 7:00 pm Mass.

Lenten RetreatDiscipleship and Conversion

LENT, HOLY WEEK, & EASTER SCHEDULE 2013

FEBRUARY 13, ASH WEDNESDAYAshes blessed and distributed at all Masses

7:00 am, 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 4:00 pm, & 7:00 pm

STATIONS OF THE CROSS Wednesdays of Lent, 1:45 pm

Fridays of Lent, 7:30 pm

CONFESSIONS Lenten Saturdays, 3:00-3:45 pm, 6:45-7:00 pm

& after all Lenten weekend Masses (except Sunday 5:30 pm and Palm Sunday)

Wednesday, March 27 11:00 am-12:00 Noon, 3:00-4:00 pm & 7:30-8:30 pm

“COME HOME THIS LENT”Wednesday, February 20, 5:00-8:00 pm

Confessions heard at all Catholic Churches

PARISH LENTEN RETREAT WITH FR. DAMIAN FERENCEFebruary 24, 25, 26:

Sunday after 5:30 pm Mass, Monday and Tuesday after 7:00 pm Mass

PTU PARISH FISH FRIESFridays of Lent, Corrigan Gym, 4:00-7:00 pm

PALM (PASSION) SUNDAY, MARCH 24Palms blessed and distributed at all Masses

Saturday: 4:00 & 6:00 pmSunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am (Church & Hall), 12:00 Noon & 5:30 pm

Youth Group Dramatized Stations, 6:30 pm

HOLY THURSDAY, MARCH 28Morning Prayer, 8:30 am

Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:30 pmAdoration until Midnight in Upstairs Hall

GOOD FRIDAY, MARCH 29Morning Prayer, 8:30 am

Youth Group Dramatized Stations, 12:00 NoonLord’s Passion & Death Service, 3:00 pm

HOLY SATURDAY, MARCH 30Morning Prayer, 8:30 am

Blessing of Easter Foods, 11:00 amEaster Vigil Mass, 9:00 pm

EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 31Masses at 7:30 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am (Church & Hall), 12:00 Noon

(no afternoon or evening Mass)

Liturgy ScheduleSaturday Vigil: 4:00 pm & 6:00 pm ~ Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:00 am,

10:30 am, 12:00 pm & 5:30 pmWeekday Masses: M-F 7:00 am, 8:30 am & 7:00 pm; Saturday

8:00 am

The Cornerstone Staff

Editor/Writer

Caitlin Palella

Assistant Editor

Nancy Walsh

Pastor/Writer

Fr. John T. Carlin

Writers

Carol Doering

Susan Mlynek

Mailing Staff Coordinators

Gerry Franczak

Pat Liptak

Photography

Cindy Nowak

Tony Salonia

St. Charles Borromeo Church5891 Ridge Road

Parma, Ohio 44129

http://www.stcharlesonline.org

Non-profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDCleveland, OhioPermit No. 568