Thank you to the Ascension community for the affirming blessing and send-off at the 11 AM Mass last Sunday. Ascension has been a wonderful place to worship and a welcoming community for me over the past three years. As many of you know I am taking a big step in my life to join the Society of Mary (Marianists), a religious order of brothers and priests. I recently have moved to Dayton, OH to begin the formation program. This program is a 20-month process before taking temporary vows. I would ask the Ascension community for your prayers as I begin this exciting time of my life.

God Bless!
Brian Halderman

Monday, July 1
9:30-10:30 AM Legion of Mary (Rectory)

Tuesday, July 2
9:30-12:00 PM Bountiful Basement (Rectory)

Wednesday, July 3
4:30-7:00 PM Bountiful Basement (Rectory)

Friday, July 5
9:00-12:00 PM Bountiful Basement (Rectory)

Banns III Thomas Kontosh / Geraldine Yount

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

Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die
It remains but a single grain with no life.

Text: John 12:24; Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957
Ó 1983, Bernadette Farrell, Published by OCP Publications
Reprinted with Permission

Now that public hearings have been held regarding the proposed new housing for the property immediately behind Ascension, I’d like to offer some facts to help keep the conversations about this as informed as possible. I’ll present these facts in the form of a chronology.

About a year and a half to two years later, Jay approached me again with the idea. I told him I would consider the proposal, but that I wanted to get some feedback from the parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council. Jay met with me and these two groups – I believe it was in the latter half of 2000 – and presented his ideas for the project. He brought a very early and sketchy drawing of what the project might look like.

The two councils asked a lot of questions. They thought the proposal deserved further consideration. My recollection of the conversation is that they believed the project could be good for the neighborhood. They understood that Ascension would make some money on the project, but that it would not be a lot of money. In other words, whatever we got for the sale of our property would be helpful to us financially, but by no means would it be a windfall that would guarantee long term solvency. The primary reason the councils supported going forward was they thought the project would be good for the neighborhood.

Based upon this conversation, and with the agreement of the councils, Ascension became part of a "Purchase Option Agreement." Essentially, this agreement gave to Bellaire-Puritas the first right to purchase the property. In this agreement, Ascension was not making an irrevocable commitment to the development, but rather clearing the way for whatever steps would be necessary to see if the development would be feasible. Ascension would have the right to withdraw its support for the project if it began to take a direction that we didn’t approve. Since negotiations with the other land owners were not yet initiated, we agreed to keep the conversation confidential at this point.

The purchase option agreement was actually drawn up between the Diocese of Cleveland and BPDC, since the Diocese owns the land. I was acting as an agent of the Diocese.

Several months later, I learned that the owner of the largest parcel of land that would be required for the project had already had plans to develop the property he owned. I saw drawings that he had prepared to place about twenty homes on his land. These homes would be built on the land where the heavily wooded area begins. My understanding is that no zoning changes or variances would be required for this owner to go forward. The question then became: Since this property is to be developed, which development would be better for the neighborhood?

Although the other owner’s proposal seemed thoughtful and responsible, the net effect would have been to render less useful the property on either side of it. It seemed to me that an integrated plan that considered all the property in question made more sense.

The next step was for Jay Gardner to negotiate with the other owner and then bring a request for purchase of the property to the Bellaire-Puritas Board of Trustees, of which I am a member. Although I listened to the conversation, I did not vote on the matter, since that would have been a conflict of interest. The Board decided to authorize purchase of the property.

Where do things stand with Ascension and this proposal as of now?

Essentially, we are still involved under the same terms as the original purchase option agreement. If we think the project is what is best for the neighborhood, we will support it. If it develops in a direction we do not think is best for the neighborhood, we have the ability to withdraw our support.

We have not yet sold our property. We have not even begun to discuss what the worth of the property would be. (We would bring in an independent appraiser to help make this determination.) We have had some general discussions with Jay Gardner about how a sale could be structured (for example, a lump sum for all that we sell, or a series of payments tied to the sale of homes that would be placed on what is our property).

In any event, any sale would be between BPDC and the Diocese, since the property is in Bishop Pilla’s name.

I hope all this helps!

Thomas Baach, Brother of Mary Hartnett

Ann C. Smith, Wife of Wallace

William Sims, Husband of June

Tuesday, July 2
1:00-4:00 PM Senior Citizen Meeting (Rectory)

Saturday, July 6
5:00-11:00 PM Bingo (Fogarty)

THANK YOU…for last Sunday’s collection: $4,709.42

Joseph Meissner, Esq., will present a talk on living wills. West Shore Right to Life is hosting this talk on Tuesday, July 9, 2002, at 7:00 p.m. in the basement level conference room of the Lakewood Public Main Library, located at 15425 Detroit Avenue. For more information, contact Marion Koces at 216-281-1972.

The Graduate Ministry Program at Ursuline College invites you to attend an Information Night on Wednesday, July 10, 2002 at 7:00 PM in the Pilla Center, Room 102, 2550 Lander Road, Pepper Pike.

The Master of Arts in Ministry Program offers a focus on ministry for church and marketplace and develops academic competence, spiritual maturity and pastoral skills. Classes are in a flexible format designed for students with full-time commitments and meet more diocesan certification requirements. Fall classes begin on August 24, 2002.

For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Ministry at 440-646-8195.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (6928 Detroit Ave.) will hold its 76^th Annual Italian Festival on the parish grounds beginning Wednesday, July 17^th through Sunday, July 21^st. There will be delicious home made Italian Dinners, rides, raffles and fun for all. Try your luck in our air-conditioned Casino. The solemn procession through the neighborhood streets in honor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be held on Sunday, July 21^st, following the 11:30 Am Mass. For more information, please 216-651-5043.

Nature’s Way Child Care is now interviewing for late summer/early fall teaching positions. Must be 18 years old with a High School diploma (G.E.D.).

Nature’s Way Infant & Toddler center (6 weeks – 3 Years) and the Preschool/School age center (3 years – 10 years) are now accepting enrollment.