First Friday Club
Thursday, August 3, 2017

Bishop Neal James Buckon, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is the son of John and Rita Buckon. He graduated from Gesu Elementary School and Cathedral Latin High School. Bishop Buckon holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from John Carroll University in Cleveland, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Borromeo College of Ohio. Bishop Buckon also received a Masters of Divinity Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in Church History from Saint Mary’s Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio. Following his graduate theological studies he was ordained a priest in May 1995 for the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio and assigned to a Saint Margaret Mary Church in South Euclid, Ohio.

In May 1975 he was recognized as a Distinguished Military Graduate and appointed as a Regular Army Officer and served in both the Infantry and Transportation Branches of the United States Army. After serving on active duty for seven years, he resigned his commission, traveled the world (visiting over one hundred countries), and entered into the ministry. While in the Seminary, he served in the United States Army Reserve as a Chaplain Candidate and was subsequently accessioned into the United States Army Chaplain Corps in 1996.

His previous Infantry assignments include serving as Rifle Platoon Leader and Weapons Platoon Leader with the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, 1st Armor Division, Erlangen, Germany; and Battalion S4 and Company Commander with the 3rd Battalion, 19th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. His Transportation Corps assignments include serving in Mannheim Germany as a Platoon Leader and Company Operations Officer with the 28th Transportation Battalion, and as a Platoon Leader and Transportation Officer in the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the Allied Command Europe, Mobile Force (Land) (AMFL) (including deployments to Denmark, England, and Norway). His Chaplain assignments include serving as the 2nd Psychological Operations Group Chaplain in Cleveland, Ohio (including a deployment to Bosnia); the Division Artillery (DIVARTY) Chaplain for the 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia; the Army Central Command – Saudi Arabia (ARCENT-SA) Chaplain in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; the Division Engineer (DIVENG) Chaplain for the 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany; the Engineer Brigade Chaplain and Senior Cath-olic Priest for Task Force Baghdad, Iraq (OIF-1); the Deputy Garrison Chaplain in Heidelberg, Germany; the Garrison Chaplain of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, Oklahoma; the Chaplain for Catholic Ministry, Multi National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I); and the 18th MEDCOM Command Chaplain in Yongsan, Korea. He served his last assignment as the Eighth United States Army (EUSA) Chaplain for Current Operations and Catholic Chaplain in Yongsan, Korea. He retired from the Army on 31 December 2010.

Bishop Buckon is the Episcopal Moderator of the Military Council of Catholic Women. He is a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; and a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. Bishop Buckon was inducted into the United States Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps National Hall of Fame at Fort Knox, Kentucky on June 10th, 2016.

First Friday Club   Thursday, July 6, 2017

Father Bob Stec

Born to Frank and Rita Stec, Father Bob is the third of six children. He always felt a calling to serve the Lord throughout his years at St. Charles Borromeo Grade School and Padua Franciscan High School. He graduated as ‘Mr. Padua’ in 1979 and followed his calling to Borromeo Seminary.

He graduated from St. Mary Seminary in 1988 and was assigned to St. Gabriel and later St. Richard Parish. He was appointed Vocation Director of the Diocese of Cleveland, a position he held for eleven years. During this time, The FEST, an annual Catholic Family Festival, became a reality, and is now in its l7th year.

The FEST (www.TheFEST.us) began as a follow up to World Youth Day in Rome and had about 1,500 people in attendance its first year.   It has since grown into the highlight of the summer for thousands of people from across the region, attracting 39,000+ annually for a day of faith, family, fun and music – all for free!

In December 2005, Father Bob was appointed Pastor of St. Ambrose parish in Brunswick. In his first year at St. Ambrose, he began Mission Possible, a mission outreach program to the Dominican Republic (www.MissionPossible.us). Over 200 missionaries have since made the annual trip to Higuey, Dominican Republic to build homes, introduce others to Christ and change lives. In addition to the homes, a Church, school, medical/dental clinic, community center, baseball field and job training center have all been built under the guidance of Father Bob.

His humanitarian efforts are also very visible in the Greater Cleveland area where a west side effort – Alpha Village – was established. Residents, many of them refugee families, are helped with every day necessities and time is spent distributing winter clothing, food for the holidays and an annual spring clean up and home repair day.

In 2014, St. Ambrose was nominated as one of the ‘top 12’ Catholic Parishes in North America at creating Disciples. Under the leadership of Father Bob, St. Ambrose continues to grow in size and service to the Lord with over 5,200 families and 150+ parish ministry groups.

With heroine use touching the lives of greater Clevelanders in epidemic proportion, he felt compelled to do something.   In 2016 he brought together parish leaders of all faiths, community leaders and law enforcement. In this regard, the Greater than Heroin Campaign was launched.

With the death of Father Thomas Dunphy, the Diocese of Cleveland recently appointed Father Bob as the Administrator of Saint Martin Parish, Valley City. This is in addition to his responsibilities at Saint Ambrose. Father Bob will continue in this role until such time as a new pastor is named.

As a well -known community leader, he has been the recipient of many prestigious awards…Catholic Man of the Year; Med-Wish International Humanitarian Award; Medina County Distinguished Citizen Award and the Key to the City of Brunswick….just to name a few!

With his hectic schedule, and community efforts, he still finds time, on occasion, to enjoy ATVing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, and even a great bonfire!

First Friday Club of Cleveland
Thursday, June 8, 2017

Dobie Moser is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and CYO for the Diocese of Cleveland. He served in a similar position for the Columbus Diocese and worked in youth and young adult ministry at St. John the Baptist in Silver Spring and at St. Cecilia in Houston.

Dobie is a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, a high school tennis coach, and is on the design and training team for the University of Notre Dame Play Like a Champion Today national coaches training program.

Dr. Moser has written sacramental, educational, athletic, and family resources and has served on the design and training team for the international Strong Catholic Families initiative. He has an undergraduate degree in education, an M. A. in Family Systems Counseling, and a Doctorate in Leadership. He has trained thousands of coaches and parents to understand sports as a path to Christian discipleship.                                                                                                                               

CYO was established to promote among youth a recreational, educational and religious program that would adequately meet the physical, mental and spiritual needs of boys and girls without regard to race, creed or color…. While instilling in their minds and hearts a true love for God and country.   CYO Charter, 1932

Picture from the cover of a book on the origins of CYO – used with permission of the author

The First Friday Club of Cleveland
Thursday, May 4, 2017

Father Robert Jasany

Father Jasany was ordained to priesthood by Pope John Paul II over the tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter Basilica in Vatican City State on June 24, 1979. He came to St. John Nepomucene to become its pastor during the Jubilee Year in October when we were celebrating the 2000 th Anniversary of the Birth of Our Savior. Father Jasany also serves as the Spiritual Director of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, Cleveland Division.
Reverend Robert J. Jasany is the son Mildred C. (Ryba) and the late Rev. Dr. Robert J. Jasany. He lived at the North American College in Vatican City State from 1975 to 1979. He received a bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Thomas and started a degree I Moral Theology at the University of Alphonsus.
Father Jasany was in Rome for the Pontificates of Pope Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. His overseas apostolate included working in a children’s hospital in Rome, worked with the Missionaries of Charity who ministered to the poor and homeless in Rome, serving as a chaplain’s assistant with the United States Air Force in Germany as well as ministering as a missionary deacon to African tribes in the country of Malawi which is in South Africa.

Margaret McIntyre-Stacy, Program Director
Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps

First Friday Club
Thursday, April 6, 2017

Margaret McIntyre Stacy was born in Cleveland. She attended Our Lady of Angels Elementary School, Magnificat High School, University of Dayton, and Cleveland State University.

Margaret taught at Sacred Heart School (DC) and Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Cleveland-West) and now works as the Director of the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps (Cap Corps).

Cap Corps is a post-graduate volunteer program where young adults work full time in direct service with the poor while living a simple lifestyle in community with other volunteers. The spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi is central to this experience of community and service.

Margaret and her husband, Chad Stacy, live in Cleveland.

Please visit our website:

http://www.capcorpseast.com

First Friday Club

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Margaret Lynch has served as Executive Director of the Irish American Archives Society since 2008, having served previously as a Board member since 1994. As Executive Director, she researches, develops, and presents talks, displays, walking tours, and other programming related to the history of the Irish in Cleveland.

As a free- lance writer and arts education consultant, she has managed arts education projects for a variety of cultural institutions, including Great Lakes Theater, the Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga Community College.

She spearheaded collaborative initiatives through the Cleveland Theater Collective and developed theater-based training for corporations under the name of Pathway Productions. She is currently working on a book about the history of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Cleveland.

First Friday Club

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Father Dan Schlegel is the pastor of The Church of the Holy Angels in Bainbridge Township. He also serves as Diocesan Moderator for Retrouvaille, a program for couples in troubled marriages. He will address the issues of troubled marriage, what constitutes a healthy marriage, the importance of open communications and what we can do to help those struggling in their marriage.

Father Dan was born in Lakewood and raised in Bay Village. He attended St. Raphael Elementary School, St. Ignatius High School, Borromeo College of Ohio and Saint Mary Seminary. He was ordained a Diocesan Priest on May 28, 1988. He was actively involved in all aspects of parish ministry as an associate pastor at St. Leo the Great Parish, Cleveland (1988 – 94), associate pastor at Holy Cross Parish, Euclid (1994 – 99), associate pastor at St. Christopher Parish (1999 – 2002).

Greg Wasinski is a full time, Catholic Christian, Inspirational Speaker and Author from Cleveland, OH. He can also be heard as a daily contributor to SiriusXM Radio’s, The Catholic Channel, with his “Faith and Real Life Moments.” Greg has quickly become one of the freshest and compelling voices in the church to help others find faith in the real world while once again understanding the beauty of why they believe what they believe.
His books “Where Faith and Real Life Come Together…” and “Unconditionally: Finding Jesus in the Eucharist,” have drawn endorsements from colleagues and readers alike while touching the hearts of thousands who long for a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Greg gave up his life in corporate America after hearing a direct call from God to move his talents into full-time ministry. He still uses his business background as the founder of “Let Me Be…” Ministries (LMBM Inc.), a 501c3 non-profit, focused on sharing the message of the Gospel around the world through various forms of evangelization.
As a presenter, his message draws from real-life experiences, scriptural reflection, our Catechism and specific “God instances” to creatively illustrate how God is at work in all of us, at all times. Throughout the country, the ministry’s signature bee logo is recognized by many as the simple reminder to “be nothing more than God created you to be” in this fast-paced world.
Greg lives in Bainbridge Twp., OH with his wife Aimee, of 22 years, their two children Nathan (16), Natalie (14) along with their German Shepherds, Meisha and Merlin. He currently holds a Certificate in Scriptural Catholic Theology from John Paul the Great University in Escondido, CA. For more information,  visit:    www.FaithandRealLife.com

The First Friday Club of Cleveland

Thursday, December 1, 2016

The First Friday Club of Cleveland is pleased to present the Most Reverend Richard Lennon, Bishop of Cleveland, as it’s speaker on Thursday, December 1, 2016.

Bishop Lennon was born in Arlington, Massachusetts in 1947. He was ordained to the priesthood in May of 1972 and as an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston on September 14, 2001. He also served as Apostolic Administrator from December 2002 to July 2003.

On May 15, 2006 Bishop Lennon was installed as the Tenth Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, which encompasses eight counties in Northeast Ohio.

Michael Vujas started in the Cemetery/Funeral business in 2001. The opportunity has provided growth professionally and spiritually, while developing a more grateful, positive attitude; it has been a life changing experience.

In 2011, Michael became involved with the Family and Parish Programs arm of the Cleveland Catholic Cemeteries Association. Communicating with parishes, parish groups and organizations, their mission is to educate and provide information to individuals and families in the Diocese of Cleveland, before the need arises. The Final Gift program has helped over 1,000 families in the last three years.

Michael has been married for 40 years, has 5 children along with 5 grandchildren. He resides in Wadsworth, Ohio.