St. Francis de Sales Parish- Portage Lakes

St. Francis de Sales Parish- Portage Lakes This is the official St. Francis de Sales Parish- Portage Lakes page. St. Francis de Sales

06/07/2026

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ — June 7, 2026

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/060726.cfm

Fresh bread has a way of drawing us in—the warm, ye**ty aroma, the crust just out of the oven. It awakens our hunger.

But Jesus offers us something even greater. He offers us himself.

He calls himself the “living bread come down from heaven.”

In the Gospel, Jesus contrasts himself with the manna that fed the Israelites during their forty years in the desert. That bread sustained them for a time—but eventually, they died. The bread Jesus gives is different. It is not just for this life, but for eternal life: “Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

That is why we are drawn to the Eucharistic table—because there, God gives us Life.

I often notice something beautiful when distributing Holy Communion. A parent comes forward holding a small child, and as the parent reaches out, the child does too. There is something instinctive there—a kind of hunger, a desire. Even from an early age, we are drawn to this mystery.

And what happens at Mass is truly extraordinary. We bring simple bread and wine to the altar, and Jesus returns them to us transubstantiated into his own risen and glorified Body and Blood. What a remarkable exchange.

This is why we long for the Eucharist.

We long for more than manna.

We long for more than this world can give.

We long for Christ.

In the Eucharist, the Lord feeds us in a way that gives us lasting hope—that those who receive him will share in his life forever. As Jesus says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

May we never take this gift for granted. May we always be grateful that the Lord gives himself to us as our food.

Have a blessed week everyone.

A Word of Thanks from Fr. DavidFour years ago, I spent my first Corpus Christi as a priest in the hospital recovering fr...
06/06/2026

A Word of Thanks from Fr. David

Four years ago, I spent my first Corpus Christi as a priest in the hospital recovering from a brush with death. Some attributed the illness that landed me in the hospital instead of the sanctuary to the work of the enemy. Though I would have preferred a much less dramatic introduction, I shared at the time that perhaps God had permitted it to remind me that though I was now a priest I was not self-sufficient. I was the recipient of your prayers before I could serve you with my own.

Thank you for loving me as your priest these last four years. For your words of encouragement and friendship. For humoring my penchant for sharing fun facts and stories. For your prayers which I will likely never fully appreciate this side of eternity.

My sorrow at having to leave is tempered by the knowledge that I must create a space so that Fr. Cameron may also receive the gift of being your priest. It is most fitting that this feast of Corpus Christi aligns with my last weekend here since the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and our parish. Each priest and parish brings new opportunities and gifts, but Christ remains the same.

If I don’t get to say goodbye to you in person this weekend, my new address will be St. Francis Xavier parish in Medina,

Fr. David Verbsky
St. Francis Xavier Parish
606 E Washington St.
Medina, Ohio 44256

In Christ,
Fr. David

06/06/2026

"God can share His love in such a way that we can give love that we don't have." Prepare for the feast of Corpus Christi this weekend by sitting with the Scriptures with Fr. Jeremy!

Tomorrow, following the 5:00 p.m. Mass St. Francis de Sales will hold a Eucharistic Procession in honor of the solemnity...
06/05/2026

Tomorrow, following the 5:00 p.m. Mass St. Francis de Sales will hold a Eucharistic Procession in honor of the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Come celebrate the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist who comes to lead us and walk with us every day!

This week, Fr. Jeremy shares his gratitude for Fr. David's service at St. Francis de Sales. Thank you Fr. David!It is ha...
06/05/2026

This week, Fr. Jeremy shares his gratitude for Fr. David's service at St. Francis de Sales.

Thank you Fr. David!
It is hard to believe how fast time flies! I tell time to slow down, but time does not listen! It feels like yesterday that Fr. Verbsky moved in and started serving us here, and now we find ourselves at his last weekend with us. As you can imagine, this time of the year Fr. David is packing his things up and Fr. Cameron is unpacking his things here. In the midst of this, I also tried to move things out and declutter. In the process of this, I found a few bulletins from Fr. Suso’s farewell weekend. In the bulletin article, Fr. Bline did a great job explaining what a gift St. Francis de Sales Parish is for a newly ordained priest…

“The best way I know how to thank God for sending [Fr. David] to us is by acknowledging how much YOU have been used as the instrument of God’s love and formation for His newly ordained priest. YOU let him know the dryness of your life so he could refresh you with enlightening words of hope from his powerful and intelligent homilies, and be nourished with Christ’s Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity through his priestly hands. YOU entrusted your children to him so they might come to believe in the Truth and beauty of our Catholic faith even in the midst of a political and media driven world that just does not know how to want it any more…especially from a Catholic priest. YOU let him walk your brides and grooms on a covenantal journey bound by Christ’s love and not just their own. YOU called him to touch your loved one’s lives with consecrated oil so that they might know true healing or be led to Heaven’s glory. YOU waited in lines and made your appointments to ask him to share with you your confessing hearts and desire to be made whole again through Christ’s complete forgiveness. YOU truly let him be in persona Christi (in the person of Jesus Christ), so he might begin to know the awesome joys of serving you and loving you by laying down his life as your priest. Do YOU realize what kind of a start you have given him? God ordained him as His sacred priest for eternity, but YOU have loved him into knowing what it means to be a priest now.” Thank you, Fr. David, for your love and service to the people here! It’s been a joy and privilege to walk these years with you.

St. Francis de Sales, St. Francis Xavier, Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us!
Fr. Jeremy

06/05/2026

Happy feast day of St. Boniface!

06/02/2026

Join Pope Leo and pray this month's intention-For the Values of Sports.
https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/

Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, of encounter, and lead to dialogue among cultures and nations so that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.

Save the date for these summer events!
06/02/2026

Save the date for these summer events!

Today is the feast of St. Justin Martyr. St. Justin was born around 100 A.D. to Greek parents in Samaria. He was passion...
06/01/2026

Today is the feast of St. Justin Martyr. St. Justin was born around 100 A.D. to Greek parents in Samaria. He was passionate about seeking the truth from a young age and devoted himself to the study of pagan philosophy, especially the works of Plato. His search for the truth led him to the Christian faith, and after he was baptized he committed the rest of his life to teaching non-Christians about Jesus and the salvation He offers. He did so by combining the traditions of Christian doctrine and philosophy. This is why he is known as the first Christian apologist. He wrote several works explaining Christian doctrine in which we find some of the earliest written descriptions of the Catholic Mass. His writings show that the Mass has stayed essentially the same in its structure throughout history. In his zeal for bringing others to Christ, he even wrote a defense of Christianity addressed to the emperor. Eventually, he was executed in 165 A.D. for his adherence to Christianity. He is a patron for philosophers and apologists.
⁣
St. Justin Martyr, pray for us!

05/31/2026

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity — May 31, 2026

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053126.cfm

God has revealed himself to us as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is a community of love. The three persons of God are loved by each other into a perfect unity. St. John says it clearly: “God is love.”

But, what does this mean for us? Does the Trinity have any relevance for us as we live our lives as Christians? Absolutely!

We are created in the image of the Triune God. We, too, were made for community, a word that means “with unity.” Jesus prayed that we might all be one on the night before he died for us. Jesus prayed for us to live together in peace and harmony, in the image of God.

Not only that, but Jesus came that we might be united to God again — that we might have union, not only with each other, but also with God. This is the oneness that we long for in Heaven. Our original unity with each other and with God was lost by the sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus brings us back together again — as a community of people (the Church) and as a community united with God (as God’s adopted children).

In a world that fosters division, we must remember who we are — people created for unity. There is much work to be done as individuals and as a Church if we are to become living witnesses of God’s perfect unity, harmony, peace and love. But let’s never lose hope. With God, all things are possible.

Remember, one of the first steps toward reconciliation is to admit our guilt. Or, as St. Paul says it in our second reading: “Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

On this Trinity Sunday, let’s reflect on how well or how poorly the image of God, the unified community of three persons, shines forth from us as individuals who have called to be one with God and with each other in the Church.

Have a blessed week everyone.

Address

4019 Manchester Road
Akron, OH
44319

Telephone

+13306442225

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when St. Francis de Sales Parish- Portage Lakes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category