Fr. Simon's Letter - February 6, 2022

In the past ten days, the Archdiocese of Chicago made several announcements about parishes who had gone through the Renew My Church process. There were 46 parishes involved in this process of discernment and a decision was made along with the parish leadership to keep 24 parishes. One of them happens to be our sharing parish – Holy Name of Mary. Some parish churches will be closed, and some churches will continue to be a worship site. This process brings with it the pain of losing one’s beloved place of worship, a place where many were baptized, received the sacraments, and continue to hold fond memories. This is a painful process, but as we move forward, one that is necessary for all parishes and members of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Please keep these communities in your prayers.

As I mentioned earlier, our parish, along with our “grouping partner” Saint Mary of the Woods, will not experience any “structural” change as a result of this process. Since Queen of All Saints and Saint Mary of the Woods meet the benchmarks for viability set by the Archdiocese, our focus will be on parish vitality and growth. The “Grouping Feedback and Discernment Team” (GFDT) will focus on sharing and evaluating our parish strengths, our challenges, and our opportunities. Our collective task will be to establish a strong foundation for continuing to create a vibrant parish on which we will continue to build a culture of evangelization within our parish. The goal is to provide a place and opportunities for our parishioners to deepen our sense of belonging by which we will experience a renewed encounter with Christ and be inspired to boldly share our faith with others. We will also continue to look at the ways in which we can prudently apply our resources to support and strengthen key ministry leadership roles, programs and activities. Ultimately, we must be good stewards of the gifts we have today and ensure they’re able to support the faith lives of Catholics now, and into the future. 

Everyone in our parish will have the opportunity to learn about the details of these conversations, ask questions, and share your points of view. You are invited to a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at 7pm in the Parish Center. This is an opportunity to be informed of the process to date and participate in the future of our parish (see the next page for details).

Renewal, as I had mentioned in last week’s letter, always begins from within our own hearts. In this Sunday’s gospel we hear of an experienced fisherman Peter, who took the advice of a carpenter and lowered his nets to haul in a catch that surprised him. This miraculous catch caused the new disciple Peter to fall to his knees and confess ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’  Peter knelt in humility, in awe of the mighty act of God. Humbled, he is exalted and called to be a ‘fisher of men.’ All of us are called to continue the work of evangelization through the Renew My Church process.

With that in mind, I ask you to consider the following questions: Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to be his disciple? Is there anything holding you back from following Jesus more closely, or from introducing others to him? What is your relationship with the parish community? In what ways do you help strengthen the larger Catholic community? 

It is important to prayerfully discern our own efforts to renew our faith lives and our active participation in the life of the Church. Let us come together to see how we can continue to build on what has been handed down to us so that we can strengthen our faith community and the greater Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Blessings!!