BAY VILLAGE, Ohio – This is the season for local churches to celebrate important milestones.

Congratulation to Saint-Raphaël Parish in Bay Village, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. In fact, on September 22, 1946, the first mass was celebrated in the auditorium of Bay High School.

When it started, the parish had around 165 families. Today there are more than 3,500 families, or about 11,000 people. Over 600 students attend St. Raphael School.

Parishioners rolled out the red carpet last weekend, welcoming Bishop Edward Malesic to the parish. The bishop, who just celebrated his first birthday as head of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland on September 14, celebrated mass in the church on October 2 and then greeted parishioners at a reception.

The Church Women’s Guild is also celebrating its 75th anniversary. The group presented their many projects and ministries at the reception. The ushers’ club, altar servers and the Holy Name Society were also formed early in the parish’s existence.

A construction campaign began in October 1947 for a combination church-school, parsonage and convent on the Dover Center Road Church property. The ground was thrown in January 1948. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1948 was the first liturgy celebrated in the new church.

The school opened in September 1948 with 130 students in four classes.

The first resourceful pastor, Reverend Francis Zwilling, created a “tithe a day” program for fund building. A parishioner built a 6,000 square foot gymnasium for $ 39,000 and took no profit. As the parish continued to expand, the new gymnasium was converted into a church and the old church became additional classrooms for the growing school.

In April 1953, the ground was laid for a new 1,000-seat church building. The school continued to grow and the gymnasium was divided into several classrooms. The number of registrations reached 1,000 in 1962.

The church was renovated in 1976-1977. In the mid-1980s, a parish education center was built. A total renovation of the church began in 1994.

In August 2015, a new church that almost doubled the previous worship space was consecrated. The nearly $ 5 million project also included a chapel and community hall.

Although excited about the new church, parishioners were sad that the old building had to be demolished to make way for the new.

Father Tim Gareau, parish priest, has served the parish for 19 years. “I love this community of faith,” he said.

Grinding day: Rocky River residents can bring materials to be crushed at the Town Hall parking lot from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on October 11 – or until the truck is full. There is a limit of two standard size boxes per household for shredded items. No commercial material will be accepted.

Photo ID as proof of city residence is required.

Enter the parking lot from Wagar Road. The Town Hall is on the corner of Wagar and Hilliard Boulevard.

Safety first: Fire prevention week is observed until October 9 across the country. This year’s theme is aimed at making people understand the meaning of the sounds emitted by smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.

Firefighters encourage families to establish and practice home safety plans to ensure all family members can find a way out of the house in an emergency.

Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) show that house fires killed more than 2,700 people in 2019. Nationwide, fire departments responded to 339,500 house fires that year.

The NFPA has said that working smoke detectors in a home reduce the risk of death in a fire by more than 50%. However, nearly three in five home fire deaths occur in structures without smoke alarms (41%) or smoke alarms that were not working (16%).

The most common reasons smoke detectors do not work include missing or non-functioning power sources, such as missing or disconnected batteries, dead batteries, disconnected wired alarms, or other power issues.

The NFPA offers these tips for knowing what smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds mean:

• Smoke detectors – Hear a beep, stand up.
• A continuous series of loud beeps signifies smoke or fire. Get out, call 911 and stay outside.
• A single “beep” every 30 to 60 seconds means the battery is low and needs to be replaced.
• All smoke detectors should be replaced after 10 years.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms – Hear a beep, make a change.
• A continuous set of beeps means carbon monoxide is present in the house. Get out, call 911 and stay outside.
• A single “beep” every 30 to 60 seconds means the battery is low and needs to be replaced.
• CO alarms also have “end of life” sounds which vary by manufacturer. If these sounds are heard, it is time to trigger a new CO alarm.

Connection for children: Registration is required for Connection for children programs, some of which take place in person while others are on the Zoom platform.

For more details on the organization, its programs and how to register, send an email info@connectingforkids.org or call / text 440-570-5908; Spanish para 440-907-9130. Or visit connectionforkids.org/register.

Music Therapy & More is designed for children up to 6 years of age who are struggling in any area of ​​development. The hands-on program will teach families how to use music to improve academic, motor, communication and social skills, as well as their child’s behavior. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on October 8 and 9 at the Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road, Westlake.

Virtual programs include:

· The CFK Lecture Series, with presentations on various childhood topics by local pediatric professionals. Visit connectionforkids.org/speakerseries.

· Activities to help children master the use of scissors and pencils and other sensory, artistic and fun activities will be offered at 7 p.m. on October 12.

Parents can learn strategies to motivate their children aged 18 months to 12 years to adopt positive behavior during a 6:30 p.m. session on October 19. This session is offered both virtually and in person at the Middleburg Heights branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. , 16699 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights.

At the library: The Westlake Porter Public Library offers in-person and virtual programming. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road, Westlake. For more details on the library’s programs, visit westlakelibrary.org.

Library users are reminded that masks must be worn in the building.

Visit westlakelibrary.org/events for program and registration information.

A Zoom on Medicare Open Enrollment program will run at 10:30 a.m. on October 9 on Zoom. Registration is required to receive Zoom link / instructions.

Craft kits for sewing LEDs into spooky felt craft can be picked up from October 11 at the library. The kit includes an on-demand webinar with instructions. The kit is suitable for tweens up to adults. Participants must provide an email address for instructions and access to the webinar.

“Gross Motor Monday” will be held on October 11 at 11 am for children aged 3 to 7 with special needs. They’ll have fun balancing, jumping, throwing, walking and more in this half-hour session led by a librarian. Registration is in progress.

A live “Ohio is so Gay” quiz night will be offered on October 11 at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required to receive instructions.

Create an autumn bracelet from colorful glass beads and gold accessories. Register and pick up a kit starting October 12 during library opening hours.

Families are invited to participate in a Moonlight Lantern Festival by creating a lantern and returning it to the Youth Services Department by October 18. The lanterns will be on display from dusk to dawn on October 19, with a rain date on October 26. the supplies needed to make your lantern.

Information, please: Readers are encouraged to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, religious events, etc. from Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake for the West Shore Chatter column, which I write as a freelance writer. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit the information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

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