Friday evening we attended a funeral mass for father Patrick Ferraro. Wow, what a beautiful tribute for such a wonderful priest. Although we are not members of Saint Joan of Arc, we discovered This Parish while traveling from Youngstown to Hudson. We got such a warm welcome the moment we first entered the church. Father Ferraro and the parishioners were so friendly and kind that we decided to have this be our parish away from home,while visiting my niece who lives in Hudson Ohio. For the past five years we have been going to midnight mass on Christmas Eve at Saint Joan of Arc. Not only was the church so beautifully decorated but the choir as always was phenomenal. Christmas Eve Mass at St. Joan of Arc always brought peace and comfort to us during such a hectic time of year. A few years ago at midnight mass Father Ferraro stepped up to the pulpit and with his deep powerful voice sang out "do you see what I see", he then raised his arm for all of us to sing back as everyone sang "do you see what I see". He went on and sang "do you hear what I hear" and "Do you know what I know" again raising his arm for all of us to repeat. He went on, do you see the beauty of creation that surrounds us. Do you see the gift of seasons which remind us that life is ongoing and ever new. He continued, do you hear the sound of weeping parents as they lay their children to eternal rest. He said,"do you know that God so loved the world that he sent his only son to be our Savior. " He went on to say that " this Jesus, who we proclaim Born this very night has the power to lift us up and wipe away every tear from our faces. What a powerful sermon as all of Father's sermons made you reflect on your life and make you realize that God is always with us, we are not alone. In the words of Fathers sermon-I SEE the love and devotion that everyone has for Father, as the tears were streaming down the faces of the children, the women and the men as they came to pay their final respect to Father Pat. I HEAR the beautiful tributes of this honorable Holy Man. I KNOW that Father is going to be deeply missed by his family and his Parishioners. And I know that we found a gem when we happened upon this church and Father Ferraro. Thanks for the Memories Father Ferraro.