Fr. Simon's Letter - January 12, 2025

Happy New Year!!! I am happy to be back at Queen of All Saints after my sabbatical that was both restorative and restful. 29 flights, 8 train rides, 6 bus rides, 1 cruise, 4 continents, 12 countries, 39 cities and towns later I realize how fortunate and blessed I am to have had this time off. It took me a while to switch off from all the responsibilities here at QAS and to use the sabbatical for its intended purpose - to be renewed and restored for the ministry ahead. 
 
There are more than a few people that have made this time meaningful and enjoyable. I am grateful to the Archdiocese of Chicago and Cardinal Cupich for allowing me to take a sabbatical. The Clergy Renewal Program sponsored by the Lilly Foundation gave me a grant that allowed me spend time in learning, listening to the whispers of God and to spend some time in leisure with friends and family. My deep sense of gratitude goes to Fr. Nate, our Associate Pastor and administrator while I was away. His invaluable leadership, dedication and commitment to the mission of the parish allowed me to enjoy my sabbatical. I am also indebted to the other priests and staff for their generosity and commitment to QAS parish. 
 
As I had mentioned earlier, my sabbatical began with a retreat in Loyola, Spain, right next to the family home of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The 30-day silent retreat meant no talking, except for sharing my life, thoughts and reflections with my retreat director for about 45 minutes a day. My phone was off, I had no internet or TV; I missed the drama that surrounded the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and everything happening in the world. There is a great sense of freedom in being detached. Try it for a day, please! The next big event was a five-week sabbatical program for priests at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. The view of St. Peter’s from my room was the envy of other priests in the program. I could hear the bells of St Peter toll from 7am in the morning to 8pm at night. We reflected on understanding Christ through the Creed, using both scriptures and the early church council documents.
 
The final major part of the sabbatical was the opportunity to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in 25 years. It was truly special. I got to celebrate the Midnight Mass in the parish I where grew up and was ordained, and to this day is my home parish. However, it wasn’t like Christmas in the basilica. My family and I watched the Christmas Midnight Mass from the basilica a couple of days later, and they were in awe of the beauty of the basilica and wondered if the poinsettias were real. They enjoyed the music and Fr. Nate’ homily. Truly, in the many English Masses I attended during my sabbatical, I haven’t heard music at Mass like we have here in the basilica. I hope that sometime in the summer, I will be able to make a presentation of my sabbatical, sharing with you my experiences and photographs.
 
Now that I find myself back in the swing of the routine here at QAS, it is a coincidence that as a Church, we move from the festive season to what is known as the ordinary time of the year in the Church.
 
The Church gifts us this opportunity to spend some quiet time, not away from the Mass, but drawing closer as a family through the shared experiences of our faith. “Ordinary” comes from a Latin word meaning ordered, numbered, counted – NOT boring. If “Ordinary Time” is ordered or numbered time, what are we ordered toward? What are we counting to? Ultimately, Ordinary Time is moving us, as a pilgrim Church, toward the return of Christ. Until then we move toward the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, Christ the King of the Universe.
 
These 33 or 34 weeks allow us a chance to experience the life of Christ and the life of the Church without the intense focus of an event. We can and should soak in this time. Through this season our readings lay out for us the journey Christ took in His life. We read about His miracles, His prayer time, His friendships and sorrows. We become immersed in His  day-to-day life. This is our chance to grow closer to Him in the “ordinary” events of life and to be continually converted. The appropriate liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green, the color of growth. We are called to grow in our faith, grow closer to Jesus and grow deeper in love during this season. Our faith is not stagnant; it’s alive! 
 
We are aware that life is what happens while we are busy making other plans. This is Ordinary Time. The time of life that passes, almost silently, while we are distracted with heat, vacations, back-to-school planning, scheduling Thanksgiving meals with all the extended family, fretting over post-holiday credit card bills, etc. These are the weeks that God wants to spend some time with you, Jesus wants to give Himself to you, and the Holy Spirit wants to pour Himself into you…even during this ordinary time!
 
Blessings!!!
 
- Fr. Simon