Message From Father Angi

We are invited today to a banquet of rich food and fine wine. At this banquet death and shame will be lifted from us, our sadness turned to joy, our tears wiped away. We are today invited to share heaven with God. Do you think you will RSVP to that invitation? Will you actually go to the banquet? Jesus was very worried that we wouldn’t come, that we would lose our way and get distracted, that this world would get in the way, that we wouldn’t believe the invitation. So, he told the priests and elders a couple of parables in today’s gospel. God offers the invitation to everyone, to us the gentiles, so we are now able to come to God’s heavenly banquet.

The question we can ask ourselves is, “Will our clothes represent our lives?” Sometimes, how we dress and represent ourselves creates a strong impression. After all, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. 

Overall, the gospel challenges us to provide goodness and kindness all our days by leaving a trail of goodness and kindness wherever we go. We have a responsibility to live a life filled with the grace God has given us. We are called to do our bit to help God’s kingdom come on earth as it is at the banquet in heaven.

Sincerely,

Fr. Steve

Monster Mash Tickets Available

Tickets are now available for our Monster Mash! All families are invited to this Halloween Bash on Saturday, October 21st from 6:30-9:30 p.m. in the GA Upper Lot. Enjoy games for the kids, pizza, snacks, drinks, adult beverages, a photo booth, DJ and more! To purchase tickets, click here. If you prefer to purchase using a check, an order form is attached. 

Volunteers needed! If you’d like to be on the committee, please reach out to Bonnie Morgan or Jennifer Allgier. It's fun, easy and a great group of volunteers.

Message from Father King: George Stegeman Retirement

All of life is a journey and along that journey, we often are blessed with some remarkable traveling companions. For me, one of those beloved companions is George Stegeman. 

In August 1991, I was assigned to be the new pastor of St. Therese the Little Flower Parish in Mt. Airy. That is where this journey began. George was the parish musician. George had journeyed to Little Flower Parish from St. Boniface in North Side. George had been blessed with a family very strong in their Catholic faith. His faith journey took him from grade school to Brunnerdale High School Seminary for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in Canton, Ohio. While in the seminary there George began his journey as a church musician. God was not calling George to serve Him and God’s people as a priest but as a church musician. George would say yes to God’s call as a church musician using his God-given gifts and talents to lift up congregations and choral groups like the Athenaeum Chorales at Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary, in songs of praise.

It was at Little Flower that George and I met. We became good friends and we journeyed together for 11 years in Mt. Airy. 

After 11 years as pastor of Little Flower, I was assigned to be the new pastor at Guardian Angels Parish in Mt. Washington after the present Pastor, Fr. Tom Nolker was given a new assignment as pastor of St. James in White Oak. The organist at Guardian Angels at the time chose to follow Fr. Nolker to St. James. 

When Guardian Angels Parish advertised a new church musician, George saw the open listing and as they say, the rest is history. Our journey together would continue. George journeyed to Mt. Washington where he has served God and God’s people for 21 blessed years. Now his journey has taken a new direction. He has not been called to give up his music ministry, but he has been asked to slow down. George has always followed where the Lord has led him. 

He has been a treasured traveling companion and good friend. We will continue to serve the Lord. And we will continue our journey as best friends. While his chapter at Guardian Angels will end on Sunday, November 5, 2023, he will stay in the hearts of everyone here.

I join the entire Guardian Angels Family in thanking George for his years of service and leadership to our faith community. Thank you, George for the many blessings with which you have blessed us for over 2 decades. We will celebrate George and his service to Guardian Angels on Sunday, October 29th after 10 a.m. Mass.

God’s Blessings be upon you George and your family. Ad Multos Annos.

Beautifying Our Church Update

We are nearing the end of Phase 1 renovations which include some major and needed upgrades to our parish Church.   

Phase 1 involved cleaning and lighting our statues, new lighting and ceiling in the transepts, and the October 16th hanging and lighting of our “new” Stations of the Cross, which are part of the legacy from our original church building. During this phase, we also discovered leaks in the roofs of the transepts, incurring an unexpected cost for roof replacement, which was completed in September. Also, as our new lighting shows, there are many cracks and stains on walls, flooring and pews, which will be addressed in Phase 2.

Phase 2 will include new flooring throughout the Church – i.e., carpet, tile, luxury vinyl. All walls will be painted, as well as the addition of painting gold leaf accents around the tabernacle and some of the statues. We are also exploring other upgrades, a mural behind the Pieta, and artistic improvements. Due to the age and condition of our veneer pews, we will be replacing them with all-wood pews and kneelers. We will be adding chairs with kneelers on the sides of the tabernacle for special worship and expositions. Most of Phase 2 will occur next summer; however, some of the gold leaf and mural work may be completed sooner. These changes to our worship space require Archdiocesan approval, which we hope to receive over the next few months.

We thank you for your patience to date with the Phase 1 disruption. Supply chain delays, scheduling issues and equipment problems have prolonged the completion of our initial work. We hope you are excited about these first steps in the much-needed renewal and beautification work of our worship space. When our Church opened in 1971, the parish didn’t have the funds to complete the original design. This is our opportunity to do so and leave a legacy for those who worship in Guardian Angels Church in the future. Importantly, we will soon be able to share renderings of our proposed plans for the beautification project.

Past generations of parishioners have supported our parish community by building the current Church, school, gym, and Gathering Space, as well as the ongoing upkeep of each of these. This necessary repair, renovation and beautification of our sacred space will prepare it for our current parishioners and future generations. More information will be coming in the next weeks about how we can all financially support this important work.

We thank you for your past suggestions and comments, many of which have been or will be incorporated into the new design. We welcome your feedback at our email address -- [email protected] -- as we continue this renewal of our Church.

GA Beautification Committee

 Rick Oberschmidt, Chairman

 Brice Berger

 Julie Bruns

 Mirna Feghali

 Mark Gillming

 Don King

 Kathy King                                                                                            

 Dick Vogelgesang     

All Saints Holy Day Mass Schedule

Due to Halloween and the foot traffic caused by trick-or-treating, Vigil Mass at St. John Fisher will be moved to November 1st at 6:15 p.m. at St. John Fisher. The full Mass Schedule for All Saints Day is below.

All Saints Day Mass Schedule | November 1, 2023

7:30 a.m. — Guardian Angels

12 p.m. — Immaculate Heart of Mary

6:15 p.m. — St. John Fisher

7 p.m. — Guardian Angels

Congratulations to Our 8th-Grade Confirmation Class

Congratulations to the 55 students being Confirmed by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr on October 19. Please keep the Confirmandi in your prayers as they prepare to receive the Holy Spirit and are welcomed into full initiation into the Church!  

St. Gregory the Great Health Ministry Events

Saint Gregory the Great Health Ministry will be hosting Dr. Irene Hamrick, MD, Chair of the Office of Geriatrics at the University of Cincinnati, on Thursday, October 12th at Saint John Fisher in the Resurrection Room to learn about nutrition in older adults. There is no charge and no need to register. Each presentation will begin at 7 pm. For information or questions: please contact Mary Selvaggi, RN, Parish Nurse at 513-388-4184 or [email protected].

Boy Scouts Poinsettia Sale

Don't forget to order your holiday poinsettias! 4.5, 6.5, 8.5, and 10 inch poinsettias are available. Order online or use the attached form and pay with a check payable to Troop445. Paper orders can be dropped off at the school or parish office. 

Orders are due Tuesday, November 14th. 

Orders can be picked up Saturday, December 2nd from 9am- 12pm in the Undercroft.

The St. Gregory the Great Family of Parishes presents a Town Hall on Ohio Issue 1

This coming Monday, October 9th, Rachel Citak, President of Cincinnati Right to Life and an Attorney specializing in constitutional and civil rights law, will present a talk on Issue 1, the "reproductive freedom" amendment on the ballot, November 7th.

Jane Elfers, Coordinator of Respect Life at Immaculate Heart of Mary, will comment as well, and invite you to a join a question and answer session with the presenters.

The program will take place at 7-8:30 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Heritage Hall, directly across from the main entrance to church.

Voter information will be available as well as fliers analyzing the amendment language.

Healing Mass

Our Health Commission is offering a traditional Healing Mass at the 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, October 28th at IHM. This will be a Mass involving a communal Anointing/Sacrament of the Sick. If you are suffering from a mental or physical illness or have a scheduled surgery, please consider attending. If you regularly attend our 5 p.m. Mass and would not wish to receive the Sacrament of the Sick, we still encourage you to join us and witness this healing sacrament for many of the parishioners in our Saint Gregory the Great family of parishes.

Boy Scout Wreath Sale

Support Troop 445 and adorn your door with a beautiful fresh pine wreath or Candlelit centerpiece. All proceeds go to scout events, campouts, and expenses. Delivery the week before Thanksgiving.

To purchase, just complete the attached form or place your order online here. Orders are due Monday, October 30th. Pick-up is November 19th and 20th at the GA Scout House. 

Rosary Rally

Please join us in praying for our nations on Saturday, October 14th from 12-1 p.m. A local Public Square Rosary Rally will take place at Guardian Angels Church main entrance on Beechmont Ave. Be sure to bring your own chairs, and an extra if you can, as no chairs will be provided.

Please email Nick Carpinello with questions.

Young Men's Faith and Fellowship

When: 10/16, 11/6, 11/20, and 12/4 from 8:00-9:00pm 

Where: Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Room B in the undercroft or by zoom 

Age: 20s - 40s 

Join together in brotherhood with other men to grow in virtue and faith. This fall, we will be using the Mass Series by Bishop Robert Barron from the World on Fire Institute. Contact the group at [email protected] to join our email distribution list, receive more information, or to join via Zoom.