FAMILY SOFTBALL DAY: TODAY July 14^th at 1:00 pm. The softball and T-ball fields will be open to all families. Hamburgers, hot dogs and chips will be provided. Please bring your own beverages. Join us and have some fun.

Monday, July 15
9:15-10:45 am Legion of Mary (Rectory)
7:00-8:00 pm Prayer Group (Rectory)

Tuesday, July 16
9:30-12:00 pm Bountiful Basement

Wednesday, July 17
4:30-7:00 pm Bountiful Basement)

Thursday, July 18
9:00-12:00 pm Bountiful Basement

Please pray for the sick and hospitalized of our parish: Kevin Banghart, Carol Baum, James Bound, Rita Bruening, Robert Burke, David Cachat, Hazel Campbell Gertrude Cotman, Adam Crisan, Diane D’Aurelio, Clare Dettmer, Joseph Emrick, Robert Geiss, Bernice Glowacki, Agnes Hill, Grace Humphrey, Dreama Johnson, Nancy Johnson, Karen Kelley, Stepheny Kiss, Elizabeth Koch, Sr. Jeanne Koma, Rosemary Martin, Ursula Montague, Karen Musser, Leonard Novak, Barbara Ostrom, Pat Prokop, Betty & Homer Roach, Darlene Sasz, Genevieve Schill, Theresa Schulz ,Mary Ann Sedlacek, Emma Shockley, Anna Simko, George Sleger, Richard Smith, Elena Spatola, John Stoyka, Dennis Tomcik, Ellen Turner, Brian Tyburski, Lynne Tyburski, Anne Vanuch, Theresa Voss

Banns III
Jacob Kinosh - Ascension Church
Jennifer Wilson – St. Joseph Calasanctius Church, Jefferson, Ohio

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we can increase our membership here at Ascension. Some suggestions surface quickly. We can advertise in the newspaper. We can keep our Web Site attractive and up to date. We can leave some glitzy literature at the local hotels for people to see. We can get lists of people who are new to the neighborhood, and then send them special "Welcome to Ascension," messages.

All of these are ideas that have merit. Some will work. But experience shows that these are among the most ineffective ways of drawing people into our church community. Far more effective than any of these mass media techniques is the direct, personal invitation. One person engaging another in a conversation about life, about the things that are important to him or her, about the questions and answers that seem to be most properly located in the realm of the religious.

It is impossible for me, for the members of the Core Team, or the School Staff to invite everyone who might be potential members of our community. How much more complete would be our outreach if every member of our community understood that it is his or her responsibility to invite someone into our midst.

I know that this is not an easy thing to do. How do I start? What do I say? What do I talk about? What if the person doesn’t seem interested or is even hostile?

What I would like to suggest is that you not worry about these questions just yet. Rather, take a step back and consider some preliminary but important questions. Not least of these questions would be: "Whom would I ask to be a part of Ascension? Whom would I invite to participate in our worship and in the other activities in which we are engaged?"

Every one of us knows someone – a friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker – who seems to be a nice person but who is unconnected to church. Some of us know people who once were more involved in Ascension, but for whatever reason are no longer involved. Others among our friends or acquaintances are troubled, searching, floundering. They are looking for something that they have not yet found, but which may be just what our faith community has to offer.

Every now and then in the next few weeks, I’ll be asking you to think about how to connect with such folks and how to invite them in. But for now, I’m simply asking you to think about the person or persons whom you might invite. Think about the person living next door. Think about the lady you bump into at the grocery store all the time. Think about your child’s friends’ parents or grandparents. Think about the soccer mom’s and softball dads. Think about the person who punches the time clock next to you. Think about your own spouse or children!

For the next few weeks, just think about whom you might invite into our community. In fact, do more than just think. Get out a little piece of paper and begin to jot down the names of people whom you might talk to. (You won’t have to talk to all of them, but just being this deliberate is often helpful to taking another step down the road. It helps to make the possibility real.)

Later I’ll share some things I’ve been thinking about to ask them. But for now, I invite you to think about, pray about, and even talk to each other about, the people whom we might invite to be a part of us. That’s step one. We’ll consider the subsequent steps later.

The Denihan Commission, the diocese’s Special Commission on Sexual Abuse, is asking victims of abuse by clergy or diocesan employees to please come forward. The Board would like to hear from as many victims of sexual abuse as possible before making its recommendations on a diocesan policy to Bishop Pilla.

Comments will be collected until August 9, as the commission prepares its final report by the mid-September deadline established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops during its Dallas meeting last month.

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Sunday, August11, 2002

Epiphany Catholic Church
11901 Oakfield Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44105

Presented by the Epiphany P.R.A.I.S.E. Dancers

Featuring the Epiphany Choir with many more choirs, soloists, orators, steppers TBA.

Free will offering, proceeds to benefit families united for reform.
For additional information contact Gail Grooms 752-0081

Tuesday, July 16
1:00-4:00 pm Senior Citizens ( A-1)
7:00-8:00 pm Musicfest Planning (Rectory)

Wednesday, July 17
7:00-10:00 pm Finance Council ( Rectory)

Thursday, July 18
5:00-11:00 pm Bingo (Fogarty)

Saturday, July 20
5:00-11:00 pm Bingo (Fogarty)

Thank You…for last Sunday’s collection:$7,870.64

Phone Book Recycling…continues until July 31, 2002. The recycling locations are at Cleveland Metroparks. The nearest location to Ascension Church is Big Creek Reservation, Snow Road Picnic Area, Parma.

N. E. O. YOUTH BASKETBALL is holding summer basketball camp for boys and girls at St. Gregory Parish.

Girls and boys grades 1-3 and boys grades 4-6 will be held the week of July 22-26. For more information, please call 800-255-7761.

SHARING GRIEF..The Catholic Cemeteries Bereavement Ministry invites you to spend some special time sharing your grief. A bereavement support group session will be held July 21, 2002 at the Holy Cross Cemetery. 14609 Brookpark Road Cleveland, Ohio 216-267-2850. You don’t need to spend your Sunday afternoon alone. Please come and share.

FRANCISCAN VILLAGE TRIP…"BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW! TOUR" in Erie, Pa on Thursday, July 25, 2002. Cost is $38.00 Tour features a buffet lunch at Sabella’s of Union Station, stops at Troyer Farms, Pulakos Chocolates, Erie Brewing Company, Mazza Winery & a cruise on the Victorian Princess. Please call Heather at 216-941-3330 weekdays between 9 am-5 pm to sign up.