A Fine Sermon by Father Mark Latcovich--at Euclid's Lourdes Shrine

 

Thoughts on Fr. Mark Latcovich’s Homily at Lourdes Shrine on July 18, 2021

(as remembered by Bob Coughlin)

The readings at yesterday’s mass weren’t bad: Jeremiah 23: 1-6, a Pauline epistle (Ephesians 2:13-18), a responsorial based on Psalm 23, and a gospel from Mark (Mark 6: 30-34) of Jeus preaching to a large crowd. In the Gospel, Jesus's disciples try to get him a break from his ministry, but the people needing his words and actions follow him. There's no getting away from the interruptions and demands, even for needed rest and prayer.

Our homilist was Fr. Mark. I had seen him several times before but what I didn’t know is that he is the current president and rector of Borromeo Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio, the seminary of the Diocese of Cleveland.

Fr. Mark began by remarking on the beauty of the summer day (about 70 degrees and sunny) and the beauty of the place, the hundred-year-old Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid, Ohio. It would be hard to find a more beautiful and more holy place in this town, the place where I grew up. Father Mark briefly referred to the Jeremiah reading warning against “bad” shepherds, who mislead and scatter the flock. Father said, “You know about good and bad leaders, both in our country and in our Church.” Yes indeed!

Early in the homily Father Mark began talking about a young priest he had mentored through seminary. He called him Fr. Bill, but noted that is not his real name. Fr. Bill talked to Fr. Mark one day soon after ordination and told him of his big plans for a transformative Bible study program he wished to lead at his parish. It would change people's lives and energize the people and the church.

So as Fr. Bill began to make his plans for this program, a woman who worked in the parish office knocked on Father’s office door and said, rather desperately, “Father, the toilets in the parish center don’t work! They have to be fixed right away.” Fr. Bill went over to the Parish Center and looked at at the toilets, decided he needed to buy some parts and equipment at Lowe's, and, voila, three hours later the toilets were fixed.

So as Fr. Bill sat down again to his important work on the Bible Study Program, he got a phone call from one of the pillars of the parish, who desperately begged Father Bill to come over to his house. The pet canary had died and his six children were weeping and didn’t know what to do. So Fr. Bill went over to the house and tried to comfort the children. The canary was put into a suitable coffin, a Kleenex box, buried in the backyard, a cross placed upon the grave, with many prayers and blessings uttered by the priest.

So late in the afternoon, Fr. Bill finally got back to work on his important Bible Study Program--when he heard desperate knocking on the rectory door. It was a woman he sort of recognized from around the church. She had a bag of a dozen oranges with her. Father Bill let her in, and this woman talked Father’s ear off for two hours and ate three of the oranges in his presence.

And after that, the basic work day was over and it was time for supper . . . Fr. Bill did not get back to his important work that day.

When Fr. Bill reflected on this day with Fr. Mark, his former rector and advisor, they both discovered that the pastoral work was the interruptions, more than the Bible Study Program. Fr. Mark kidded him as the two priests said goodbye: “Does the Bishop know you are now doing liturgies and sacraments for canaries?”#

We try to go to the outside mass at Euclid's Lourdes Shrine every Sunday in the summer. The celebrant is usually a professor from Borromeo or St. Mary's Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio. The Shrine is the most beautiful and holiest place in Euclid, no doubt.

St. Paul Says It Clearly: We Must Not Exclude Women from the Priesthood!

This morning I attended mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Euclid. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, Father's Day, outside mass in one of Euclid/Cleveland's most beautiful and holy places. Hundreds of people were present, including lots of children--it was wonderful. During the mass I was deeply struck by the second reading. How do you exclude women from the priesthood if you believe in the truth of St. Paul's epistle:

Reading 2GAL 3:26-29

Brothers and sisters:
Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham’s children,
heirs according to the promise.

*          *          *

After Mass at Euclid's Lourdes Shrine

Whenever I go to the Shrine, I think of my Dad, who took me there when I was a little kid and throughout my childhood. Thank you, Dad, for this and for all that you gave your children and family!

Good Friday at the Euclid Lourdes Shrine

One of the most beautiful and holiest places in Euclid is the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, off Chardon Road (U.S. Route 6), on a hill above Euclid Avenue. From the Shrine you can see all the way to Lake Erie, about 3-4 miles north. We attend mass at the Shrine in the summer and visit it periodically throughout the year, and always on Good Friday. The Grotto is made from Euclid Bluestone, quarried 2 miles away along Euclid Creek (my Great Grandfather Fenton Fitzpatrick worked there when he arrived from Ireland).

The replica Grotto of Lourdes in Euclid.

Statue of Mary at the Grotto, above the spring.

Entrance to the Stations of the Cross. Many people were there today, Good Friday.

A Nice Sunday Morning on the North Coast of the United States

First thing is to drive to the Lourdes Shrine in Euclid, Ohio--where Rt. 6 (Chardon Road) meets Rt. 20 (Euclid Avenue). We have done this for years in the summer, attending the outside mass by the Grotto. We regard it as a holy place. On a good Sunday morning, 200-300 people might come there for mass, which is usually presided over by a professor from Borromeo/St. Mary's Seminary.

The Grotto, where mass is held

Rosie Kohl's father was the architect for this chapel at the Lourdes Shrine

After mass, we drive north up Nottingham Road to East 185th Street--to Buettner's Bakery, for coffee and sweet rolls. This is an inexpensive, old-fashioned bakery--and we love it.

And then to Lake Erie, to Wildwood Park, near Neff Road. My mother grew up a block from the park, and I often fished there as a kid. The park had been a state park until recently and it was horribly mismanaged. Now it is part of the Cleveland MetroParks, and things are improving! They recently build a footbridge over Euclid Creek, connecting Wildwood to the old Villa Angela site and to Euclid Beach. Here are some photos from this park:

Linda on the new bridge.

Wildwood Park

Wildwood Marina

The bridge over Euclid Creek

Holy Week Tugs at the Heart Strings

This is Holy Week 2015 and my memory is going crazy, pulling up things from my childhood in Euclid and at St. William's Church. Memory is also calling up my many visits to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid, as well as family trips to Martin, Floyd County, Kentucky and our annual stays at the Dwelling Place Monastery with the Mt. Tabor Benedictine nuns.

An old Gregorian chant heard throughout my childhood keep running through my head: "Parce, Domine! Parce populo tuo. Ne in aeternum, irascaris nobis." In English, "Spare, O Lord! Spare your people. Be not angry with us forever!" I remember so vividly the solemn rituals of Holy Week, the cloaked crucifix and statues (covered with purple linen), the haunting rituals of Good Friday when we remember the Crucifixion, the emptiness of Holy Saturday, the joy of Easter Sunday. On Good Friday the bells rung at the Consecration were replaced with clappers. The psychological impact on me was incredible. I loved the mournful songs and chants, sung and played in minor keys. I loved that there were very few Easter songs. The popular culture couldn't figure out how to exploit Good Friday and Easter Sunday with the shameful orgy of commercialism that has become the Christmas season in America.

As a kid my Dad would take us over to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes--right where Chardon Road (US Rt. 6) meets Euclid Avenue (US Rt. 20), the holiest place in Euclid. We would walk the hillside Stations of the Cross, praying at each of the 14 stations. On Friday we would keep silent from 12 Noon until 3 PM and we always expected Mother Nature to reflect the solemnity of the occasion, with cloudy skies, rain, or snow flurries. I cannot contemplate this season without thinking of Dad, Mom, my sister, and brothers at the Shrine. We took Julia, Carolan, and Emily there as they were growing up. I hope they don't forget it.

I also think of the many years we would travel, in the 1990's and early 2000's, driving from Euclid or Chardon to Floyd County, Kentucky, to see Steve and Sue Sanders and their children. Most of the time we would stay in the guest house of the Dwelling Place Monastery, home of the Mt. Tabor Benedictine nuns. These were among the most liberated Christian nuns on the planet. They finally left the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church and became a freer ecumenical community. Holy Saturday was so special with the sisters (who absolutely loved our visits and planned activities for our girls and their cousins). They would design a beautiful ritual, which began with an outdoor bonfire, and then a candlelit procession into the chapel, set on the mountainside. A place so beautiful (and amid such ugliness and poverty) it would break your heart. The sisters there taught us to pray not just to the patriarchal God we were so familiar with, but also "Sophia," the feminine spirit of God--really, the Holy Spirit. We would laugh and joke about these prayers, but we were praying in a new and radical way--and a truthful way.

I always associate our trips to Mt. Tabor and the Sanders family with the spectacular blooms of spring, in particular the redbud trees, a riot of reds and purples, and the dogwood, with their cream-white and sometimes pinkish blossoms. These trees would limn the creeks and hillsides and announce the Resurrection of nature after a hard winter.

The last time I saw my mother-in-law, Ruth Sanders, was at the Dwelling Place Monastery. It was 2007, weeks before her sudden passing. Ruth Sanders was a force, and she has left her mark on many people, including our children. We miss her so much; may she rest in peace.

I am grateful for all these memories. I have lived them. I was there. I am a witness.

Sisters of Mt. Tabor/Dwelling Place Monastery.

First Floor of the Mt. Tabor Guest House, where we stayed every Easter.

Bald Eagle Over Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Euclid. Wildwood Park on Lake Erie

Today we went to mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, a holy place off Chardon Road, right above Euclid Avenue in Euclid, Ohio. This is part of our beloved summer ritual. A couple hundred people came to the mass, which was presided over by a priest-professor from Borromeo/St. Mary's Seminary. Besides the normal crowd, there was a tourist bus from Toronto, Ontario there--this shrine is well-known in Ontario and Quebec.

The Grotto, where mass is celebrated

The grotto is modeled after the original grotto in Lourdes, France. It is built of Euclid Bluestone, from the nearby quarry along Euclid Creek (where my great grandfather, Fenton Fitzpatrick worked).

Marian statue at Lourdes Shrine in Euclid.

The weather was perfect this morning--sunny skies, about 70 degrees. During the mass, a bald eagle circled overhead--then took off to the north, toward Lake Erie two or three miles away. I took this as a sign--a rather muscular symbol of the Holy Spirit, blessing this place.

I have long thought that this shrine is a holy place. Holy places can be such because of unusual beauty. Or because they are sanctified by human beings in some way--places where people have shown great courage, sacrifice, or achievement. This place indeed has natural beauty, on a hill overlooking Euclid (where you can get a glimpse of the Lake). The Shrine has also been sanctified by people, bringing their prayers, sorrows, and joys for the past century.

After the mass, we went into the Grotto and lit three candles. This might seem to be a kind of Catholic superstition. But no matter. I do it anyway, lighting a candle for my three daughters and praying for my family and friends.

When we left the grounds of the shrine, we drove up  Nottingham Road to E. 185th Street, and stopped at Buettner's Bakery. We have done this for many many years. We picked up a loaf of bread, a couple of sweet rolls, and a cup of coffee, then headed to Wildwood Park, off Neff Road. Before we got there, we drove up Tarrymore Road, where my Mom grew up. We tried to find her old house, and I think this is it (17301 Tarrymore Rd.).

Zillow.com says this was was built in 1928. Still looks nice!

From Tarrymore, we went a quarter mile north and west to Wildwood Park. I have gone to this park for more than 50 years, fishing there as a teenager. I love the place.

Wildwood's Marina

You can see Downtown Cleveland, about 8 miles to the west.

Sunday fishing cruise.

What a wonderful Sunday morning. We love our summer Sunday ritual!

A Perfect Sunday Morning in Cleveland, Ohio

1. First, attend the outdoor Sunday mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid.
2. After mass, ride your bike in the Euclid Creek Metropark. Dip your feet into the clear waters of the creek and gaze upon the great shale cliff above the Welch Woods picnic area.
3. Then head up Nottingham road to East 185th Street, stopping at Buettner's Bakery.
4. Take your sweet rolls and coffee to Wildwood Park on Lake Erie.

You've had a perfect summer morning!

Grotto at Lourdes Shrine

Euclid Creek

Denny Coughlin used to hang from these tree roots!

Wildwood Marina on Lake Erie

Jet ski heading out to the Big Lake

Way of the Cross--Lourdes Shrine in Euclid

The Sepulchre Scene

Linda by the Crucifixion Scene

One of the Stations of the Cross, on the Hillside overlooking Euclid Ave.

Today is Good Friday and so we made a little pilgrimage to a holy place in Euclid, Ohio--the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Shrine is located off Chardon Road (US Rt.6), on a hill above Euclid Avenue (US 20).

I started going there with my Mom and Dad, my sister Mary Ellen and brothers Denny, Kevin, and Jimmy, back in the late 1950s and early '60s. In the summer I attend the outside mass by the Grotto every Sunday. If a place can be holy, this is the place. Here are some photos from today's visit:

The Grotto

Lourdes Shrine in Euclid

Colin and Julia--one of the last Sundays at Lourdes Shrine in Euclid

Ed, Colin, Julia--Lourdes Shrine, Euclid

Linda, Colin, Julia, Bob

Fall Color in Hambden/Chardon

Ed with Colin (the kid is very interested in the geese)

Good Friday: "Parce Domine!"

Today we went to the Lourdes Shrine in Euclid, Ohio--one of the holiest and most beautiful places in Euclid and Greater Cleveland.The shrine features a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France. It was built from Euclid Bluestone, quarried by early Euclidians, Irish, Slovenian, Czech, Hungarians, and others at the Euclid Creek quarry a mile or so away.

Linda and I lit candles for our family, then did the Stations of the Cross. Many people, ranging from little kids to old codgers, were on the beautiful wooded hillside path of the stations.

I thought of the old Latin chant we would sing over and over during Lent: "Parce, Domine! Parce Populo Tuo: Ne in Aeternum Irascaris Nobis." --"Spare, O lord! Spare your people! Be not forever angry with your people!" I can hear the tune in my head. I chanted it a thousand times as a child at St, William's Church in Euclid. I still chant it.

Top: the replica grotto, built of Euclid Bluestone. Middle: one of the stations on the wooded hillside. Bottom: Station XII, the Crucifixion.

Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid, Ohio

On Chardon Road (US Route 6) hill, just south of Euclid Avenue (US Route 20), in the City of Euclid, Ohio, there is a most holy place--the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. I attend mass there in the summer, and today was the opening mass of the season. The mass begins at 9:30 sharp (sometimes even a couple minutes early!) at the bluestone grotto, a replica of the grotto cave in Lourdes, France. The cave (or grotto) is made from Euclid bluestone, quarried about a mile from the shrine by Irish, Hungarian, Slovenian, and other immigrants--including my own great grandfather, Fenton Fitzpatrick. There is a similar replica grotto at the University of Notre Dame--another very holy place. A priest-professor from Borromeo Seminary said the mass as a couple hundred lay people joined in the celebration. The world's strangest choir led the singing, as usual. Today the temperature was in the mid 60's and the sky was overcast, windy, and threatened rain. I think these conditions hurried the celebrant along a bit. It was a typical yet beautiful mass in this holy place. Lake Erie can be seen a few miles to the north of the Shrine, and the street noise and sometimes sirens and train whistles of busy Euclid, Ohio can often be heard. But the beauty, sanctity, and absolute specialness of this place is clear to everyone in attendance.

After mass, Linda, Emily, and I lit some candles and especially remembered Ruth Hoffman Sanders, my mother-in-law who died 2 years ago yesterday. Ruth was a tremendous person, a force of nature. Intelligent, passionate, a great mother, housewife, cook, family manager, motivator. She lived intensely right up to her sudden passing. We still haven't quite gotten over it. May she rest in peace and be brought into Heaven. And may she pray for all of us! We also prayed for my father-in-law, Ruth's husband Art Sanders. A sweet and kind man, great father and provider. Art died in April of 1996. Like my own Dad, he spent 4 years in the US Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. Ruth and Art had 5 children--and I married their first child (and prettiest)--Linda Rose.

We also lit candles for my Mom and Dad. Dad (Robert P. Coughlin) would turn 87 years old this coming Tuesday if he were still alive. Dad was the discoverer of the Shrine, and he and I used to help out there many years ago (I remember when we helped cut down a gigantic tree on the Shrine property in the early 1960's). A funny memory: Dad truly believed that the Shrine's spring water was a healing force. He drank as much of it as he could. Mom would save some of this water to sprinkle around the house when storms threatened

We also said prayers and lit candles for our immediate family and for our extended family, especially for those who are ill, like Jack Pendergast.

The Good Lord will bring safety, peace, health, and protection to those we prayed for. Prayers do not go unanswered.