News - February 2022

Let’s start off this Lent not as a time to “give something up” but rather to “give something back” - the gift of time to look inward to ourselves. Saint Ignatius of Loyola offered us these words of wisdom, which seem particularly relevant as we enter the season of Lent: “He who goes about to reform the world must begin with himself, or he loses his labor.”

Many of us have grown up with the story of Cinderella. Some of the great myths and fairy tales in their seeming simplicity mask a disarming depth. They can shine a certain light into the deep-reachings of our soul. Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, an author, offers some insight into this in one of his syndicated weekly columns. 

The Lenten season begins next week, our preparation for the celebration of Easter. It is a time for us Christians to embrace the “three pillars of Lent,” prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in a focused way. For some it is a time of healing, an opportunity to repair their spiritual brokenness. For others it is simply a good time to cultivate their spiritual lives in a more disciplined manner.

Our weekly bulletin goes to press on Wednesday at 3pm. So, this article was written before our Renew My Church ‘Town Hall Meeting’ got underway this past Wednesday evening. I want to highlight some of the important points that were to be shared at the meeting.

Last weekend we kicked off this year’s UPP 2022 with the theme “Lights, Camera, Auction.” The goal of our United Parish Program is twofold, to celebrate and build our community and to raise funds needed to provide the many ministries and services Queen of All Saints offers our parish community, and beyond...

As we near the second anniversary of our COVID ordeal, as we continue to maintain our Sunday giving in difficult times, as we focus on the need to replenish our parish endowments for the funds spent on our unexpected expenses for repairs in recent years to the basilica, and as we look ahead to our one single parish-wide annual fundraiser, the United Parish Program (UPP) on May 13, it challenges our generous spirit to think about fitting in one more request for support, the Archdiocesan Annual Catholic Appeal.

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...