The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel. At vintage time the master will return to receive the harvest. May we bear fruit in plenty, and be pleasing in his sight by lives that are marked by love and respect.

4:30 pm Walter J. Grabowy (Family)

8:00 am Sue Koteles (Vern Wroblewski and Family)

10:00 am Michael Tilly (Family)

12:00 pm For the Parishioners

7:30 am Chester and Alice Zendarski (Sister, Bernice)

7:30 am Joseph Jarosz (Diana Kucinski and Mark)

7:30 am Anthony Karpowicz

(Wife and Daughter, Debbie)

4:30 pm For the Parishioners

8:00 am Raymond W. Pfeiffer (Wife and Children)

10:00 am Anna Battiato

(Diana Derbin and John and Vern Wroblewski)

12:00 pm Helen Alich (Larence and Macell Barhalics)

All are invited to a planning meeting for our Annual Spaghetti Dinner on October 10 at 7:00 pm in the Rectory basement.

to pay our bills and avoid going into debt

Please keep in your prayers the sick and the homebound of our parish, Elizabeth Baroni, Nick Balishin, Ellen Blados, L.C., Mary Cala, Maria Carriero, John Cegonko, Geraldine D’Amico, Eleanor Dembowski, Rita Downey, Dominic Fabrizio, Cheryl Gesik, Judy Glaros, Helen Glinka, Edward Globokar, Virginia Harley, John Husack, Jessica Kickham, Millie Kulchar, Rosemarie Lawrence, Don Lubecki, Camille Manzo, Elizabeth Miller, Judith Nagorski, Helen Plewacki, Josephine Radic, Clara Rocco, Eleanor Sabo, Jordyn Sansavera, Catherine Schiffbauer, Daniel Sholz, Bonnie Sobiesienski, Fred Tomaselli, Julia Tomaselli, Jean Toth, Stanley Trojanowski, Michael Tustan and Linda Yovanno.

And the recently deceased: Jean Slivka.

The game is underway! Each $10.00 ticket has 100 chances to win. Every ticket sold benefits St. Martin of Tours.

Sell your tickets and drop your returns into the collections at mass, or mail your returns to St. Martin’s Rectory.

All returns in by October 13^th will be eligible for the sellers’ raffle. You may win one of the $50.00 prizes.

Thanks for helping St. Martin of Tours!

Entertainment books are here — they are available by contacting Maryann Anselmo–216-524-1202; Vera Bednarski–216-642-5613; Sue Kenzig–216-642-7506; Kathy Mamone–216-475-7417; Andrea Sabol–440-439-8616; Debbie Valus–216-524-6366. The price is $25.00 until December 2. After December 3, the price is $30.00 Thank you for your support.

Dear friends,

What do you believe is your most valuable possession? No doubt, each one of us could come up with a list of various things, both material and spiritual. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John (John 10:10) that He came so that we might have life, and life in its fullness. According to the Lord, our most valuable possession is the gift of life. Life can seem cheap when we think of overpopulation, of how many billions of people there are who inhabit this planet. Life can seem cheap when we dwell upon the violence, oppression, and carelessness we see each day. Life can seem cheap when we think of how unjust it is that the "haves" possess so much and the "have-nots" possess so little. The Lord spoke the truth when he said that the poor would always be with us.

Yet, it was to this planet that God sent his Son to become one of us and to show us how to treat one another. If our Catholic faith teaches us anything, it is found in our belief in the preciousness of each, individual life. To be created in the image and likeness of God, to have an eternal soul, to be able to choose freely to love God and to love others, to know that the Son of God died for you and me that we might live–are but a few reasons for the inestimable value of the gift of life.

Because life is precious we defend it most at its beginning, at conception and, consequently at birth. We defend life as it approaches its natural end on earth, respecting those who are elderly because the value of life is not dependent upon the quality or quantity of work contributed to society. We defend the life of those who cannot defend themselves because "who we are" is ultimately so much more important that the "what we do."

Tell the Lord how thankful you are for the gift of life and for the lives of those about you.

Yours in Him,

Fr. Jamie

Any time is a good time to follow through on an interest in the Catholic faith. The RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) journey has been a personalized, meaningful way for adults to explore the Catholic Faith. If you want to know Jesus as Lord, come. If you want to share in the faith millions know in the Catholic Church, then the RCIA is for you. RCIA continues on Monday, September 30th at St. Pius X Parish, 400 Center Road in Bedford, beginning at 7:00 pm. St. Martin’s has joined St. Wenceslas, St. Pius X, and Holy Trinity to make a team effort. If you are interested in the Catholic Faith, call the rectory.

We stop at Marymount Hospital each week to visit our hospitalized parishioners. However, if you or someone you know from the parish is at any other hospital, you must inform the rectory, since the hospitals, in general, do not notify us.

(To give an overview of Bishop Pilla’s message, we include in this and the next few parish bulletins excerpts to enhance our knowledge and understanding of the process.)

Although the parish is not the only setting in which people experience the Church, it is a touchstone for all other ecclesial experiences. It supports and sustains the domestic Church. It is home to countless groups and gatherings of people. It unites its parishioners with the Diocese and the universal Church. I see parish life as so central to our diocesan well-being that I would say, "as the parish goes, so goes the faith of the people"…My hope is that we will do all that is possible to sustain and enhance the vibrant parish life to which Jesus calls us.

Our eight-county Diocese is urban, suburban, and rural; manufacturing and agricultural; wealthy and poor; east, west, and south; and includes diverse races, languages and ethnic groups. With this richness also comes a full array of needs, all of which are important and legitimate concerns of the Church. These needs are as numerous and varied as the persons who possess them. These needs continue to challenge the Church’s efforts and means of responding. While our Church is blessed with impressive gifts and resources, the circumstances and challenges of today demand that we seek renewed ways of nurturing parish life. As I look to the future, I see our challenge to be finding a balance between these very real needs, and the gifts and resources available to meet them.

The month of October is designated ‘Respect Life Month". Every weekend during October St. Martin’s will make a special effort to support Womankind, an organization that provides high quality prenatal care and a full range of support services to pregnant women and their families at no cost to the client. The support we offer them is our donations of paper products (paper towels, Kleenex, bathroom tissue) and disposable diapers. Every weekend during October a collection will be made of these products. We humbly ask for your help. Place your contributions in the vestibule of the church. Your support is truly appreciated. Thank you for your support!

The 6^th annual Pro-Life Chain will be held on Saturday, October 12, rain or shine in front of the Planned Parenthood Abortuary located at 19500 Rockside Rd., Bedford from 12:00 (noon) until 1:00 pm. These will be one hour of silent prayer and witness to stop abortion at this facility as well as across our nation and the world. All are welcome to participate.

The weekend of October 13-14, St. Martin’s will be collecting items for the SVdP annual Blanket Sunday. We are encouraging parishioners to consider using the extra envelope in the October envelope packet as an alternative.

Bulk purchasing by SVdP Society can obtain much, more value for every dollar donated. Extra envelopes are on the table in the lobby of the Church

"Women suffering after abortion are invited to attend a one day inner healing retreat on October 12. "Dare to Hope: A Day of Renewal" will offer women an experience of mercy, healing and restoration. This retreat is especially designed to meet the needs of women in all stages of healing process. Sponsored by Bethesda The House of Mercy and the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the retreat will be located in a private, peaceful setting. For retreat applications please call 216-524-9432."

A tourist in Indiana saw a large sign on a gasoline station that said, "Ohio State Line Two Miles Ahead–Last Chance for $1.59 a gallon gas." She pulled into the station and filled her tank.

"By the way, how much is gas in Ohio?" she asked the attendant who was handing her the change.

The Hoosier replied, "$1.49"

(from JOKES PRIESTS CAN TELL, VOL. 6, by Msgr. Arthur Tonne, 1988)

We cannot fool the Lord. There will be an accounting of our lives when we come to stand before God. Let’s respect, not reject, the Lord and use wisely the gifts he has loaned out to us for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Coffee and a light breakfast at 7:30 am,

Prayer and discussion 8:00-9:00 am

This month’s theme will be "Where Your Treasure Is"

We are an expanding group of parish men who desire to grow spiritually and develop friendships with those having similar desires. Open to all Men of the parish, no cost.

On Saturday, May 10 Bishop Pilla will ordain my classmates and me as deacons to serve the Diocese of Cleveland. As deacons we are called by the Church to serve God and humankind. Our identity is that of servant, and our service to others is to be a witness to the serving Christ. In our life and ministry, we are called to bear witness to our Lord Jesus Christ who came from the Father to serve and not be served. As deacon, we are to be ministers of the Church in the world of our family, our neighborhood, our community, and our workplaces.

The class work includes Pastoral Care, Sacraments, Mission and Ministry, and Canon Law. Formation activities in preparation of ministry and for the formation of our family go on throughout the year. We continue to ask for your prayerful support and ask that you continue to pray for us as we prepare for ordination and our life of Diaconate ministry.

Peace to you.

Ted Bizon

Kindergarten has been celebrating tall tales and Johnny Appleseed. They had a birthday cake to celebrate the Ohio legend’s birthday!

Students in fifth grade are practicing their musicale skills on the recorder and earning "karate belts."

Congratulations to 8^th grader Graham Gawryszewski and alumnus Mark Tortelli. They are serving on the Distribution Committee of the Youth Philanthropy and Service project in conjunction with Case Western Reserve University. The committee reviews and makes funding decisions on grant applications for service learning projects.

St. Martin of Tours Cub Scout Pack 380 will be selling popcorn after all Masses on October 12 and 13. If you have questions or to place an order please call Kathy Malkus at 216-581-8167. Thank you for supporting our scouts!

SMT Youth Ministry will be having a bonfire immediately following 4:30 Mass on Saturday, Oct 12, until 9:30 pm. All high school teens are invited. Please bring a 2-liter bottle of pop. We hope you can join us!

9:00 am–4:00 pm

School Cafeteria and Parish Center

Over 70 Crafters

Admission $1:00