Question of Faith
A weekly question of faith answered by Cleveland Catholics. Fr. Damian Ference, Vicar of Evangelization and Deacon Mike Hayes Director of Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Cleveland co-host with frequent guests from the Diocesan Office who join in the conversation. Sponsored by Briefcase Marketing--check them out at https://www.Briefcase.marketing
Question of Faith
What Was Great About 2024?
SPONSOR: Briefcase Marketing
Join us in exploring the highlights of a transformative 2024. Deacon Mike Hayes, alongside Father Damian Ference, share the significant milestones that have shaped their journeys within the church. From Deacon Mike's ordination on May 4th, to Father Damian's transition from living at the seminary to living downtown at the cathedral in Cleveland, this was indeed a profund year. We recount the awe-inspiring National Eucharistic Congress and the celestial wonder of the solar eclipse, both of which showcase the vibrant and enduring spirit of our church community.
A powerful performance by Matt Maher in Cleveland and at the NEC highlights the transformative power of music and prayer, while the unexpected loss of a dear friend shortly after Deacon Mike's ordination offers a heartfelt insight into the role of a deacon.
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Theology of the Body CLE
St. John Cantius Parish
Holy Family in Stow
Holy Family in Parma
Sagrada Familia in Cleveland
Readings for Holy Family.
On today's Question of Faith. What was great about 2024? Hey everybody, this is Question of Faith. I'm Deacon Mike Hayes. I am the Director of Young Adult Ministry here in the Diocese of Cleveland.
Speaker 2:And I'm Father Damian Ferencz, the Vicar for Evangelization Oof 2024, coming to an end. Good year for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, are you?
Speaker 2:kidding me Same.
Speaker 1:Yeah, One of the better years of late.
Speaker 2:I would say yeah, there were some transitions this year because I moved from the seminary to the cathedral which was a big deal and I'm kind of sick of moving. I was in Rome and then moving everything back to the seminary, and the seminary just got renovated and in the meantime I was living at St Mary Magdalene Rectory and so I'm finally settled in and back in a home. The seminary is nice but it does have an institutional feel, especially post-renovation, and I like where I live across the street now. It is a home.
Speaker 2:It's built to be a home even though I live in the attic with Father Garris and Father Arnell, but it's good.
Speaker 1:And you've never lived in the city, in the Cleveland city proper, right?
Speaker 2:No, I was born in the city at Deaconess Hospital, baptized in the city at St Wendland, Used to come down into the city for mass on every Sunday, but grew up in Parma and then I was out in Wycliffe. I guess I did live in the city. In DC, yes, and then when I was in Rome, I lived in the city but never in Cleveland city. So yeah, this is new for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's cool and I like it Very nice. Yeah, yeah, walked a lot of places.
Speaker 2:You walk to dinner a lot, right, yeah, to dinner, to sporting events and to concerts and just walking around. It's nice. And what's really nice too is you're central, or I'm central, being north, so I get out to the seminary in 15 minutes, get out to Westlake Bay Village in 15 minutes and get to Parma same thing, so it's pretty good.
Speaker 1:Yep Similar to me in Lakewood is I get here in 15 minutes. I get up to the seminary in 20 minutes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get to my parish in 10 minutes, unless there's a wreck on the shoreway Right, exactly. Yeah, on the shoreway Right, exactly. But it's cool. It's nice living downtown.
Speaker 1:Nice transition for you into 2024. Transition for me I became a deacon. Yes, that's right, so we're nation year, so this was fun. A long time coming.
Speaker 2:May the 4th.
Speaker 1:May 4th yes, Star Wars day.
Speaker 2:May the 4th be with you.
Speaker 1:That's how I remember it, yeah so that was a lot of fun. It was really probably one of the best days of my life. My wife and I go back and forth, both of us actually saying, okay, wedding day, ordination day, we're like, those are just equal. It was just so much to be thankful for on both ends.
Speaker 2:Yeah, both vocations built on your baptismal day, which you probably don't remember, nor does your wife. She wasn't baptized as an adult, was she? She was a baby, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, both of us as babies, yeah yeah, but it was great, I think. As I said, when we had our podcast on that, I was like you know, I said just hearing the trumpet blast was all I needed, I said, and it just was just this great feeling of joy. When we got back to the sacristy, I know my classmate Del and I were talking and we said, well, was there a moment? And there was this long pause and Del just sort of hesitatingly said, walking in.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I went, yep, he goes right. And we just kind of talked about it. We said, yeah, it was when we really felt the Holy Spirit, for sure. So that was just a wonderful day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was when we really felt the Holy Spirit for sure, so that was just a wonderful day. Yeah, a couple other highlights, like personally and in terms of ministry here I loved the eclipse.
Speaker 1:That was.
Speaker 2:April 8th. I won't stop talking about that. That was very special. I didn't think it was going to be that great and it wound up being really great. I liked the ballpark mass procession adoration down in Akron. This year it was bilingual, it was on the feast of the nativity of John the Baptist. Eucharistic Congress was wonderful. Again, I thought it would be good. It was great.
Speaker 2:It was like a little retreat and I had made a retreat. I did a five-day retreat out in the desert, which was very good too. I went to a bunch of shows, I got to see Springsteen, a lot Nice and read some good books. And what just happened recently? There's something else. But how about you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was going to say the National Eucharistic Congress was one for me. I would say that was one that I was for. Most of it I was kind of sedate with. And then I got sort of toward the end of it. I really got into it, and then I think that procession through the streets was what kind of put it over the top for me. I know my classmate Deacon Mark Tomeko, had said you know, there was something about just hearing people like yelling, you know?
Speaker 2:we love you deacons.
Speaker 1:You deacons are great, we love you, you know, kind of thing on the street. So there was something about that that really touched his heart, you know, and I said yeah, so you're right. I said I didn't think about that till now, especially as two newly ordained guys I just to see that was kind of like wow, that's real, that was really great. And just the throngs of people that were out there, you know they said that, yeah, the church is dying, not in a million years, if you look at that.
Speaker 2:And somebody noted too at Congress there was mass in English, there was mass in Spanish, there was more charismatic mass, there was mass in Vietnamese, there was Latin mass. So all different celebrations of the Eucharist and all that was united in that procession and so it was a sign of unity going forward there in our church here in the United States, and I thought that was pretty profound. I did not vest for that because you know me, I want to be on time everywhere. And I said there's no way I'm going to be on time for the hotel thing if we're going to do this. And I wanted to be there for Christy because I wanted to help her out. So I was on the sidelines with most of the lay folks and I didn't mind that at all. It was really enjoyable.
Speaker 1:It was funny when we were walking back from that, deacon Mark and I are walking down the street and we still have our vestments on as we're walking in and we said, instead of going back to the convention center to like de-vest, should we just go get dinner? Yeah, and we just walked in with our vestments on?
Speaker 2:Weren't you sweaty and hot?
Speaker 1:We were yeah, so we just took our vestments off there and sat and had dinner and then walked over and brought our vestments back and got the rest of our stuff at the convention center later. But when we walked in with our vestments on, people just laughed.
Speaker 2:They're like that's great.
Speaker 1:They're like man, you guys look really hot. We're like yeah, that's because we are.
Speaker 2:I remembered the other thing that I wanted to say, and it was based on the Congress. So there were all sorts of great speakers there and musicians, and there were bishops and sisters and all, and Bishop Molesik said he'd like to bring some of those people back to Cleveland. You know post-Congress, and so one of the people that we brought back to town was just last weekend or a couple weekends ago now Matt Marr and Sarah Kroger to play an Advent concert in our cathedral and we had a lot of the Eucharistic missionaries back and you know 750 people in the cathedral that night and I loved that back. And you know, 750 people in the cathedral that night and I loved that. I love bringing people to our diocese, to our city, hosting them and then having a wonderful event that brings people together, glorifies God and makes us better Catholics. So I thought that was a great event. I liked that. It was definitely a highlight of my year.
Speaker 1:He was great at the NEC.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I like him just generally speaking, and I can remember just sitting kind of in the upper deck and we actually moved all the way down so we were like right over the stage but in the upper deck, which is kind of a great, kind of a great seat. From where I was sitting I was like, oh, this is really nice, just kind of sitting here looking right at this. Yeah, but he kind of knows how to do that right, he does.
Speaker 1:You know, he knows how to kind of get people in sort of both a prayerful space but yet an enthusiastic space as well.
Speaker 2:He's an excellent musician, he knows liturgy, he knows the tradition of the church and he knows how to lead praise and worship and he's one of the very few Catholics in the contemporary Christian music scene and so he studies how other people do this and he's able to do it in a Catholic way that is exemplary. So if you've never been with him, it's not a concert where he's performing, really he's leading you in prayer and he knows, as you say, how to hit the right pitch, how to bring it down, how to bring it up, how to get people singing, and he said after the show that, or after the prayer, that Cleveland sang really, really well, and I mean as soon as he invited people, it was loud in there and I loved that and the lighting was just out of his hands.
Speaker 2:Fabulous.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it was awesome. Yeah, then, for me this is gonna be a sad one. Just so, a couple days after my ordination, one of my best friends died. Suddenly just out of the blue found him dead in his office, you know, had a heart attack, and so they waited a couple weeks because they had to do an autopsy to figure out why he died and all those things. And he has a lot of family members from the Philippines because he was a Filipino, and so they waited a couple of weeks and they asked me to come and be present at the funeral as a deacon. And the pastor said, well, how do you know him? And I said, well, we went to college together, known 35 years. He said, well, do you want to preach? And I was like, well, yeah, I guess. Okay, sure, and I don't think I really realized this when I got ordained, but it was. There are going to be like 300 people in my life, right, who just know me as Mike.
Speaker 2:And that's fine, right. I'm sure there are just people who just know you as Damien, right, your family friends, things like that, but I'm their deacon.
Speaker 1:You know they're going to look to me during those kinds of times and me just showing up in my vestments was enough. Yep, you know, I didn't even have to preach and I preached well, and that was great. But at the same time, I don't think I expected to have that experience, certainly not that quickly, but I don't think I expect to have that experience at all.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So that was really a nice surprise for me and it's a real highlight, I think, for me in the early stages of my deacademy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's something about the office where it's nothing that you did to deserve and it's because of what the Lord called you to and people find great comfort in there. I know some of my classmates from high school who I was a little wild when I was younger, but if I show up to a wake or a funeral or visit someone sick, they're like that's my classmate there and it's really cool yeah it's very cool. It's funny, too, how the things that are hard are often things that are really good and meaningful.
Speaker 2:And this semester has been difficult for me because of the propa-dutica at the seminary. I haven't been able to teach. I don't think I'm a great administrator and I'm not really good with bureaucracy, but I think I'm a good leader. I think I'm a good teacher and preacher. Because I wasn't able to do that, I was able to enter into some writing, because I really do love the intellectual life and some reading that I wouldn't have had the time to do otherwise.
Speaker 2:And I gave that paper at Notre Dame which I'm pretty proud of and we could put that on because they just released the YouTube video on that. And then Word on Fire asked me to write an article. It was just due a couple weeks ago and I submitted that it should be out in March, but very proud of that too. It's on O'Connor's Prayer Journal and Deconstruction and got a new book coming out next year. So even though I wasn't teaching and doing the things I think I'm best at, I was able to do some things that hopefully bear fruit down the line, so that was good for me.
Speaker 1:That's good, yeah, and I think the other, my pal, deacon Gary Andalora from Buffalo, came down to visit and we ended up going to the Guardians game and it was the game they clinched, oh yes, they clinched the division. So I went to the division clinching game this year, which was great.
Speaker 2:I think you posted that on the IG I think I did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, I have one more thing to say. I have mentioned this before, but when we were doing nine nights, a night prayer, I would fast from alcohol and sometimes something else for those nine days. And then, since we finished nine nights back in May, I started to do novenas and I never thought I would be a novena guy, but I did about three during summer and fall and intentionally was praying for particular petitions, because the Lord says some demons can only be driven out by fasting and prayer, and that's become a new part of my spirituality. Who knew? So that's kind of a cool thing, nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think prayerfully for me. I got a new spiritual directory after ordination. You're supposed to kind of switch it up, and so I see a woman religious now which is great and we go out to Westlake and I sit with her and she's really helped me simplify prayer, which I think is great, she said. Look, she said it's hard to do the hours, it's hard to sit and pray, it's hard to stay. Still, you're a busy guy. There's all these kinds of things.
Speaker 1:She said do it but really focus in on one thing and I started to think about it. I was like huh, I said that's kind of what we do with preaching, too focus on one thing, so I kind of do that with prayer now and so that's really kind of awakened a new part of my prayer life for me, which has been great Good.
Speaker 2:Well, hopefully our listeners have had a good year and, even if it's been hard, hopefully you've seen the Lord in there working, because he is. Even if you don't see him or feel him, he's at work. He hasn't abandoned. You Know that.
Speaker 1:If you have a favorite episode of this podcast, text it to us. Tell us you want to see more of those kinds of things. Read and review us. That's always good for us here on this podcast. Did you have a favorite episode this year?
Speaker 2:I like that one we did on Is it Okay to Be a man? I thought that was very interesting and it was fun and it got a lot of listeners. I thought it was a provocative title. We try to have provocative titles. That one certainly caught people's attention. So, yeah, I like that one, yeah that was mine too.
Speaker 1:We agree, there you go. That's cool, it's fun, yeah, and always good to have the folks who are around here come in and just be, whether it's Christy or Maria Wincotta, who are probably our most frequent guests. Every time Bishop Woost comes on, our numbers soar up. Well, we had Bishop Molesic recently Bishop Molesic, recently Jackie yeah it's nice.
Speaker 2:I mean we're part of a team. I mean we're part of a team and, yes, the bishop is the head of the diocese, but there are many faces of the diocese, of what we do here. We have a lot of really good people, so it's nice to introduce them to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it would be great. And so if you have a church website, you might need some help if it's outdated. You know the bishop said in his pastoral letter exactly that, hey, if your website is outdated, you're not getting it done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and think of the church website as if you're a little older, as you would think of the parish bulletin. You would want your parish bulletin to represent your parish well. So people who are under 40 years old when they want to research your parish are not going to drive up and pick up your bulletin. They're going to go online and figure out what you have there and, for better or for worse, make judgments about your ministry or your parish or your school by the appearance of the website.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for people even under 50, probably at this point I would say that's me, not for long, but that's me that parish website is the bulletin right.
Speaker 1:They might not even pick up your parish bulletin and sometimes Catholic organizations struggle to inspire action from things. They want to get people to become more active in their parish, and so a website might help you to do that At Briefcase Marketing. They will inspire that action and deliver results. They'll help you clarify your message to attract the right audience. They'll streamline your website to convert visitors into customers, donors or volunteers. And, yeah, our buddy, Dan First, will help you out with a clear message and a compelling website at Briefcase Marketing. You deserve that and you can visit briefcasemarketing. We'll put that link in the show notes. You can schedule a call or you can text Dan at 308-627-1262. That's Briefcase Marketing. Schedule a call or you can text Dan at 308-627-1262.
Speaker 2:That's briefcase marketing. Well, speaking of parishes, this weekend we have the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, mary and Joseph, and so we're not gonna do the traditional church search. But what we are gonna say is there are three Holy Family parishes in the diocese One in Parma Father David Stavars is there, two in Stowe and Father Mike McCandless is there, and the third is kind of tricky but you are familiar with it yes, sagrada.
Speaker 1:Familia.
Speaker 2:Ah, bueno, bueno, bueno.
Speaker 1:Si gracias.
Speaker 2:And it's Father Jost is the new pastor there or the new administrator there, yep, he's the father of the congregation of St Joseph, yep. So that's cool Holy Family readings. What do you got?
Speaker 1:We got the first reading. God sets a father in honor over his children, a mother's authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard. He stores up riches. Who reveres his mother? Love that, yeah, just you know, honor your father and your mother. A very nice little meditation from Sirach. I love Sirach in general. It's just a nice little book, you know.
Speaker 2:In Bishop's New Pastoral Letter. He talks about having a relationship with God, the Father, and he also talks about having a relationship with Mother Church, which I love, because sometimes when people think of the church, they think of some cold institution that just makes rules, but really church is mother, and just as we need an earthly mother and father, we also long for a heavenly father and mother, and we have them as Catholics, and it's a great gift. I also think that it's the feast not of the perfect family, of the holy family, and so the church is not calling us to be perfect, but to be holy, and holy families do participate in the perfection of God's love, so there's something really good there to inspire us.
Speaker 1:I always think of my friend, father Ron Franco, who preaches on this very well on this day is that his grandmother was going to name a child after St Joseph while she had a miscarriage. So then she said okay, she gets pregnant again. She said I'll still name a child after St Joseph. Well, she had a miscarriage. So then she said okay, she gets pregnant again. She said I'll still name the child after St Joseph. She has a second miscarriage and then she says that saint is a jinx. I am never going to name a child after that saint again. And I said well, what name will you choose? Then she said I'll just pick whatever saint day that is. So of course she gets pregnant again and has the baby on March 19th the feast day of St.
Speaker 1:Joseph, there you go. His Aunt Josephine, that's great, and so she kind of took that as a little correction and had this great devotion to St Joseph, and so he always thinks of that. Every holy family, it's wonderful, which is great, and every feast day of St Joseph as well.
Speaker 2:Well, St Joseph, pray for us as we embark on a new year.
Speaker 1:Never got a line. St Joseph Didn't need one, didn't need one. All he had to do was be who he is. Yeah, happy New Year, everybody. Happy.
Speaker 2:New Year.
Speaker 1:We'll see you in the new year here on Fleshman of Faith. Thank you.
