{"id":2828,"date":"2025-11-08T08:45:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T12:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/?page_id=2828"},"modified":"2025-11-08T08:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T12:46:36","slug":"press-release","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/?page_id=2828","title":{"rendered":"Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right;\">November 7, 2025<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>First Friday Club of Cleveland Announces Annual Bishop\u2019s Luncheon on February 5, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bishop Edward C. Malesic to Deliver \u201cState of the Diocese of Cleveland\u201d Address; Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to Receive 2026 Heart of a Servant Award<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>CLEVELAND, OH \u2014 November 6, 2025<\/strong> \u2014 The First Friday Club of Cleveland is pleased to announce its <strong>Annual Bishop\u2019s Luncheon<\/strong>, taking place <strong>Thursday, February 5, 2026<\/strong>, at <strong>Windows on the River<\/strong> in downtown Cleveland. This signature event will feature <strong>The Most Reverend Edward C. Malesic<\/strong>, Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland, delivering his annual <strong>\u201cState of the Diocese of Cleveland\u201d<\/strong> address.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Bishop Malesic\u2019s remarks, the program will include presentation of the <strong>2026 Heart of a Servant Award<\/strong>. The <strong>Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine<\/strong> will be honored for their exceptional legacy of service and enduring commitment to the people of Northeast Ohio through health care, education, and social ministries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Annual Bishop\u2019s Luncheon is one of our most meaningful gatherings of the year,\u201d said Therese Boepple, 2025 President of the First Friday Club of Cleveland. \u201cWe look forward to hearing Bishop Malesic\u2019s reflections on the life of our diocese and celebrating the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, whose dedication to serving others exemplifies the very heart of Christian discipleship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Event Details<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What:<\/strong> Annual Bishop\u2019s Luncheon, featuring Bishop Edward C. Malesic<\/li>\n<li><strong>When:<\/strong> Thursday, February 5, 2026<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where:<\/strong> Windows on the River, 2000 Sycamore Street, Cleveland, OH<\/li>\n<li><strong>Program:<\/strong> \u201cState of the Diocese of Cleveland\u201d address and presentation of the 2026 Heart of a Servant Award<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sponsorships:<\/strong> Available now at <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/BishopSponsor2026\">bit.ly\/BishopSponsor2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>General Ticket Sales:<\/strong> Opening early December 2025, following the sponsorship drive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Sponsorship opportunities are currently available for individuals, parishes, and organizations wishing to support the event. <strong>Sponsorship packages<\/strong> may be secured online at <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/BishopSponsor2026\">bit.ly\/BishopSponsor2026<\/a>. <strong>General ticket sales<\/strong> will open in early December once the sponsorship period concludes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Heart of a Servant Award<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Heart of a Servant Award recognizes a specific effort or cumulative efforts over the years to broaden, enhance, educate, and connect the Catholic community of Greater Cleveland. The 2026 honorees, the <strong>Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine<\/strong>, have served the Cleveland community since 1851, founding hospitals, schools, and ministries that continue to uplift and care for those in need.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the First Friday Club of Cleveland<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The <strong>First Friday Club of Cleveland<\/strong> is a nonprofit organization that nourishes mind and spirit. Come and listen to inspiring and thought-provoking speakers as you enjoy lunch and the fellowship of friends and colleagues. By bringing together leaders from throughout the Diocese of Cleveland, the Club encourages spiritual growth, civic engagement, and community connection.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\"><strong>firstfridayclubcleveland.org<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact: Therese Boepple, 2025 President, or Bill McCarron, 2026 President, at <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:firstfridaycleveland@gmail.com\">firstfridaycleveland@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 5px 5px 0;float:left;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/?page_id=2828\" send=\"false\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>November 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE&nbsp; First Friday Club of Cleveland Announces Annual Bishop\u2019s Luncheon on February 5, 2026 Bishop Edward C. Malesic to Deliver \u201cState of the Diocese of Cleveland\u201d Address; Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine to Receive 2026 Heart of a Servant Award &nbsp;CLEVELAND, OH \u2014 November 6, 2025 \u2014 The First [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2828","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2829,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2828\/revisions\/2829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstfridayclubcleveland.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}