FRIDAY POTPOURRI: PARISH HISTORY: 1956 - GROWING PAINS

The parish boundaries of St. Sebastian at this time still extended out through Copley.  Once not much more than dirt roads and farmland, the area was now becoming developed and there were people who needed a parish to serve them better.  On September 10th, Fr. John Kroll, Vicar General of the Diocese, traveled to St. Sebastian to explore the possible future development of parishes “on Hawkins and in Copley and Fairlawn.”  According to a letter dated the 17th of that month, Father Zwisler stated that there were over 800 students in the school and it was only after some prodding that he finally admitted that perhaps there were at least that many again attending public schools because St. Sebastian was full and at a distance from many of the students.

“The fact of the matter is,” Fr. Kroll wrote, “that his parish covers a territory of about sixty square miles.  In that area are three golf courses and also a deep gorge of the Metropolitan Park District . . . He agrees that his parish should be divided to the west because of the recent housing development and because of the traveling distance - Copley to the west and to the northwest, the Fairlawn District.”

A couple of sites were suggested.  Property was already acquired on South Hawkins and would take the southern part of the current parish boundaries.  Another was in Copley.  “Father Zwisler concurs that a location at the intersection of Rt. 162 near the present Rt. 21 would serve the present concentration of people around the center of Copley better than the present site . . . Moreover, the new Rt. 21 Freeway is now being constructed to the west of the site . . . There is a great deal of construction activity in and through Copley Township.  This seems to be a natural overflow from Akron.”

There is then a description of their efforts to find out if there would be any water or sewer service  in the area within the next ten years.  Lots were being sold at this point without water and homeowners would have to drill wells. 

The letter continues describing a discussion with a local realtor.  “He was asked whether he was aware of any present site, about 15 acres, available around Copley Center.  He agreed to inquire, particularly since he said that while he sold 49 lots in about a week, there were many people who inquired whether there was any Catholic Church in the neighborhood, and many of them complained that the distance to St. Sebastian was too far.  He was surprised to learn that my companion was the pastor of St. Sebastian.  He agreed to make some inquiries and to report to Father Zwisler by the 26th.”

Eyes were also set on Fairlawn.  “There is no question about it.  The Fairlawn District is well developed and there is room for more development.  The property which Father Zwisler indicated is not the most desirable one because it is too great a distance from his parish.  It would be better located at the main road of Rt. 18.”

THINGS COULD BE WORSE, YOU COULD HAVE HIS JOB

Saturday night I was driving in an unfamiliar part of town with all of the priests from this parish. The road we would normally be taking was closed because of a water main break and we were circling around trying to get back to the parish. As we approached a main intersection a police car was coming straight at us flashing its lights and blaring its sirens. It blocked the street off across from us, which was fine because we were turning anyway. With the prodding from the other priests to, “Just go ahead,” we continued on only to be honked at by the police car.

The reason became somewhat apparent as soon as we turned the corner. There were police cars all over the place and the road was shut down. A normally busy road, it was empty of all cars as though we had stumbled onto a parade route, except that it was dark and there was no parade.

There was not a lot of time to decide between pulling over or finding a quick way off the street as just then a pickup truck came careening around the corner in a dangerous manner followed by police car after police car. One of the other priests mentioned after that they didn’t know the city had so many police cars.

Before I could register what was going on the pastor said, “We’re in the middle of a car chase!” It was actually quite thrilling although Sunday there was a big fat NOTHING about it in the newspaper.

How easily it would have been for the truck veering around that corner with its tires squealing to lose control. Had the street been wet or had the truck had bald tires or if he had simply been going more quickly we could have ended up on “Worlds Greatest Car Chase Crashes,” as we would have been right on his flight plan. Perhaps guardian angels were working over time. With the diocese facing a priest shortage as it is, this would have been a headache Sunday morning for somebody as we are taking care of not only the mass schedule here, but also helping out at a neighboring parish and a local convent. Thank you guardian angels.

I am not at all kidding when I say I put full stock in the idea of Guardian Angels. I’ve been pulled out of too many scraps (like pulling into the middle of a car chase) to not have caught a glimpse of a wing or halo here or there.

Here’s just one more story (are you reading M.O.?) I never claimed to be particularly bright and the following story may confirm that notion in your mind. One fall night out at the farm a few of us priests had gathered for a bon-fire. Late into the night there were only two of us left with a sizable fire still roaring when - DO NOT TRY THIS – the other priest said, “Ya know, when I was in the Boy Scouts, we used to put a bottle of water in the fire and it would squirt like a geyser.” I will spare you most of the details, suffice to say a) it didn’t work, and b) we progressed to the point of putting a bottle in the fire with the lid on. It started making funny noises (and not “ha ha” funny either) and one of us had the place of mind to say, “I think we should go stand behind the tree,” which we did.

We stood there for a few minutes while the “not ha ha” funny noise continued and I finally said, “I’m just going to go over there and knock the bottle out of the fire.” Right then there was an explosion. Not a nice, tiny, polite explosion, but the kind that brings people out because they think there has been a terrorist attack. The fire was blown out, large logs were flung out from the epicenter, and there was a little crater where the bottle had been. There was a beautiful aspect to it. All around for quite a large circumference there were tiny red coals that seemed to mimic the stars in the clear night sky. We felt like giants walking amid galaxies.

We started to laugh uncontrollably. That is, until we realized we could have died and gave up a prayer of thanks to our guardian angels for leaving us completely unscathed and much wiser.

Don’t forget that your guardian angel is there and ready to help you, and equally so, to remember to say thanks now and then. And be honest – you have a guardian angel story too don’t you . . .

ENTERTAINING ANGELS UNAWARES

The prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel is not a sweet prayer. It needs to be read with PASSION! “Defend us against the wickedness and snares of the Devil! May God RUBUKE him! (we humble pray) and do thou, Oh! Prince of the heavenly hosts, THRUST into hell . . .”

We don’t take angels nearly seriously enough. They get relegated to clouds with harps or gently helping two German kids across a rickety bridge. For Catholics belief in angels is an article of faith. Feast days are celebrated in their honor. Tomorrow will be the feast of the archangels, and October 2nd is the feast of guardian angels. They are not cute, benign little creatures that simply like to sit on top of our Christmas trees or at the bottom of ornate, gilded frames. They are powerful beings that effect the created order; a cosmological principle, a dynamic and mysterious factor in reality.

Interestingly, the word “angel” does not denote who they are, but what they do. They are spirits. Angel comes from the Greek word angelos meaning messenger. They are God’s messengers to us. Satan and his cohorts were created spirits that acted as God’s messengers too, but were in essence “fired” (pun intended) and so you find we rarely refer to Lucifer as an angel except to say that he is a fallen angel.

In the New Testament angels are guardians, protectors, members of the Divine Court, healers, worshipers, agents of destruction, companions of Christ, and witnesses to the events of salvation. They are our aids and friends and act as messengers of God. Scriptures recognize nine groups or (as St. Ambrose began to refer to them) choirs of angels with an established hierarchy. We know that these ranks exit but not what necessarily makes the demarcations.

Their primary purpose is to be present to our Lord and minister to Him, regulate the order of the world and be His messengers to man in His plan of salvation. To that end they occasionally appear to humans and when they do (and once again we don’t know why) they appear as young androgynous boys.

Lastly, Scriptures testify that there are angels assigned to assists us, what we call Guardian Angels. They are intimately tied to our lives and it is not a bad idea to ask for their intercession, especially your guardian angels and to remember to be grateful for their service.

ANGEL QUIZ:

1. Can you name the nine choirs of angels?
2. From which Choir is St. Michael?
3. Form which choir do guardian angels come?
4. What does the name Lucifer mean?
5. Do angles have free will?

ANSWERS TOMORROW