News - A Note from Our Pastor

This edition of the bulletin had to go to press almost a week before the usual deadline. I am writing this on the Friday before the winter clothing drive for the migrants and the homeless. I want to thank you all for your generosity to clothe those who are naked and exposed to the elements of a Chicago winter. Some of you dug deep into your closets to share with others in need; some of you have gone out and bought something in a spirit of concern, giving and sharing...

A few days from now will be Thanksgiving Day, the beginning of the holiday season. For most of us, the first step in making the holidays magical is dressing our homes for the season, from trimming a tree to decking the mantel to setting a table for parties and feasts. This time of  year is centered around family gatherings...

Last week I mentioned that November is a month to remember: to remember our loved ones who have been called to our eternal home; to remember those who defend our freedom; and to remember with gratitude the many blessings from God. When we remember, we bring to mind someone or something, drawing on our memories. Memories may feel warm and comforting, filling us with joy...

November is a special month for remembering who we are as a people and who we are as a Church. On November 1st,  we gather to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints – a day which honors the more obscure saints as well as the saints each of us have known. On November 2nd, we observe All Souls’ Day. On this day, we will have a special liturgy for families who have had loved ones buried from our parish, and for those families who have lost loved ones this past year...

If you stood outside a Roman Catholic church today as people came out after Mass and asked them: "Was that a good Eucharist?" most everyone would answer based on the homily and the music. Most people would answer that it had been a good Eucharist if the homily was interesting and the music lively.

One of the deepest desires of the human heart is to discover our identity. So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of our independence or pleasure. We may even begin to believe that if our lives, or the lives of others, don’t “measure up” to a certain standard, they are somehow less valuable or less worth living.

True to last year’s script, our “Mass on the Field’ and Oktoberfest experienced rain showers, preventing us from being outside. Yet, in a flash, the ever-resourceful and quick-thinking members of the Men’s Club moved the entire operation into the cafeteria, gym and Parish Center. We celebrated the Eucharist in our beautiful basilica and enjoyed food in the cafeteria and Parish Center.

Our Annual “Mass on the Field” was born out of our experience with the “Parking Lot Masses” during COVID and the need to invite and encourage those still confined at home during the pandemic to come and celebrate with the community that which is central and essential to all of us – the Eucharist...

Come to me all you who labor and are burdened. (Matthew 11:28)... This scripture quotation from St. Matthew is the theme for Catechetical Sunday this year. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has designated the third Sunday in September as Catechetical Sunday. However, since we have our ‘Mass on the Field’ next Sunday, we will observe and celebrate the gift of our faith and our mission to share the Good News this weekend.

Happy Labor Day! As this holiday marks the end of summer activities, let us remember that work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continued participation in God’s creative action. Labor Day provides an opportunity to give thanks to God for the gift of work which ‘anoints’ us with dignity; to ask for God’s assistance in providing our nation and world with work for all that is decent and fair, and to invite God’s help in making us faithful stewards of his creation to the benefit of all humankind.

Catholic education is about developing saints and scholars. By sowing the seeds of virtue and truth, our students will flourish in faith, mercy and love. Anything less cheats our school children of their God-given dignity.

Deep within each of us there is a great desire, a longing for something more, for something beyond, for something better than the best. This longing could be for an answer to life’s ultimate questions; for a job that offers us happiness and contentment; for the uncomfortable and painful present we find ourselves in to change; for the simple joy of being with a loved one. Beneath all of this is a longing for truth, goodness and beauty, which we can only find in God alone.

This week we break from the ordinary cycle of the liturgical calendar. We celebrate on this Sunday the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ. Each year we celebrate this feast on August 6, and if this day happens to be a Sunday, it takes precedence over the cycle of the ordinary Sunday of the year.

During the months of summer, some of us use the time to complete some small home renovation projects. Others re-organize the attic or the garage, getting rid of the old and unused. Sometimes we are surprised by the hidden treasures we never knew we had, or find things that brought back memories, many pleasant and some not so pleasant. We may have learned that not all hidden things are pleasant surprises. 

Last weekend in my column, I touched on the busyness in our lives and the need to heed Jesus' invitation to find our rest in him. At the end of the parable we hear at Mass this weekend, Jesus said, 'Listen, anyone who has ears.’ Listen! Look! Take a second look! Do we do that? Or do we tend to tune out – heard it all before, know what it means, ho-hum!

Summer is a time for vacations, backyard barbecues, rest, and relaxation - a time to take it easy. However, most of us end up feeling that there is never enough time - never enough time to do what we feel we should do or what we would like to do. Our time is already too full, and life is too busy.

A Happy Fourth of July to all! As we celebrate with cookouts and fireworks along with family and friends, let us make it a day of reflection, remembrance and gratitude. May we remind ourselves that the freedom we enjoy comes at a price: it does not give us the license to do whatever we want whenever we want, but rather to do what we ought to do...

On Father’s Day, we celebrate a dad's role as a mentor, provider, protector, and caregiver without ever expecting anything in return. Even so, he gets our love and respect, which grows over time, sometimes when it's too late to show it. Perhaps we have a timeless, natural, unconscious desire to gratefully recognize one of the most influential people in our lives.

We couldn't have asked for more than what we were lucky to have last Sunday – perfect weather, a festive atmosphere, good food, people having fun, and, of course, the Batmobile that called for everyone’s attention. I want to thank the members of the Men's Club...

Next Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi, the last Sunday in the long festal period of the liturgical year. It began with Ash Wednesday, reached a pinnacle at Easter, and continued to Pentecost. This feast of Corpus Christi offers us a moment to look back on it all and give thanks...