TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME – September 20, 2026

Please, check out the Hungarian section (link at the bottom) as well, as some Hungarian related news or information may be found only there.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

TODAY’S MASS INTENTIONS:

9:00 AM (at St. Elizabeth): Parishioners of St. Emeric Parish

11:00 AM: † Members of the Karetka Family, by Antal Karetka

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR ST. EMERIC CHURCH:

MASS SCHEDULE & INTENTIONS FOR ST. ELIZABETH SHRINE:

FROM THE DESK OF FR. BONA: (1) Today’s parable contains the famous line: “Why do you stand here idle all day?” It was addressed to the idle workers who were subsequently hired at the eleventh hour (5:00 PM). They worked only one hour, but the owner of the vineyard paid them a full day’s wage (one denarius). This story challenges our notions of fairness and makes us reflect on the nature of God’s generosity. The central lesson therefore is that we should not look on our relationship with Christ through transactional lenses. Rather, we should recognize that God wants to give everyone a chance to be part of His life, no matter how young or old one could be. God’s mercy is not earned by the length of service but is always a sovereign gift. Accordingly, it should lead us to encourage all to start living for Jesus and to rejoice in God’s generosity toward others who convert (or come back) to the true Faith in the last minute. As they say, better late than never.

Here is a list of some famous last-minute conversions to the Catholic faith:

• John Wayne: The legendary actor converted to Catholicism two days before his death in 1979 from stomach cancer, after previously holding questionable political views and being a Freemason.
• Buffalo Bill Cody: The iconic Wild West showman converted the day before he died in 1917. He was inspired by his interactions with Catholic Native Americans touring in his Wild West show, his correspondence with his devout sister Julia, and an audience with Pope Leo XIII in 1890.
• Oscar Wilde: The Irish writer reportedly converted on his deathbed in 1900 after a lifetime of notoriety.
• Napoleon Bonaparte: The French Emperor is widely reported to have repented and came back to the faith on his deathbed in 1821 while in exile.
• Norma McCorvey: Known as ‘Jane Roe’ in the Roe v. Wade case, she converted to Catholicism in 1998 and became a pro-life activist before her death in 2017.
• Dutch Schultz: The notorious New York gangster called for a priest and was baptized by Father Cornelius McInerney on his deathbed in 1935 after being shot.

(2) Today, the music for the 11 AM Sunday Mass is provided by our Youth choir.

40 DAYS OF LIFE: From September 23 – November 1, you are invited to join with other Christians for 40 Days for Life – 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. Additionally, you are invited to stand and peacefully pray anytime between 7am to 7pm during the 40-day vigil in the public right-of-way outside Preterm – 12000 Shaker Blvd, Cleveland, 44120 or Planned Parenthood – 25350 Rockside Rd, Bedford Hts, 44146, or Signature Health – 54 South State St, Painesville, 44077. Join us at the Kickoff Rally at St. John Vianney Parish Center on Monday, September 21, at 7pm, 7575 Bellflower Road, Mentor, 44060 with Rachel Benda of Bethesda House of Mercy as the speaker. Please contact John Noall at clevelandpraysforlife@gmail.com or 216-245-9744 for more information. WEBSITES: www.40daysforlife.com/cleveland

LAST TWO WEEKENDS’ COLLECTION: Sept. 6: Sunday Collection: $242; Maintenance: $2,770; Organ repair: $10; in loving memory of John and Irene Piacsek: $100. Sept. 13: Sunday Collection: $764; Boiler repair: $80 Maintenance: $200; Organ repair: $110. May God reward your generosity in supporting the church. Thank you for sending in your donations by mail or using our website https://stemeric.com/donations/.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK, especially for Bev Kimar, Teréz Kalász, Lajos Boday, Márta Takács, Kathy Szabó, Alex Szaday, Virginia Kachmar, Margaret Falk, Mária Hokky, Éva Fricke, Balázs Bedy, Deven Poroszlai and Cathe Toth.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE DECEASED: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

THIS SUNDAY the 11:00 AM Mass from St. Emeric church will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/saintemeric/  

LET US PRAY THREE HAIL MARYS FOR OUR PARISH EVERY DAY!

Ez a bejegyzés olvasható nyelven is.