News - A Note from our Pastor

Last Tuesday, Bishop Bartosic celebrated Mass in the basilica with the pastors and the parish leadership teams of Queen of All Saints and St. Mary of the Woods as we concluded the initial phase of the Renew My Church process. After Mass, he formally announced the Cardinal’s decision that our two faith communities will continue to operate as separate parishes...

Harvest time is a joyful time for farmers. They work hard to prepare the soil, to plant the seed, to water and to clear weeds. In ancient Israel, harvest time traditionally was a joyous time for giving thanks and presenting offerings of the new grain to God. It was called Pentecost, a festive time for expressing thanks to the Lord.

It is clear from the accounts in the New Testament that there were certain highpoints that captured the imagination of Jesus’ disciples in a way that they would willingly have stood still, those occasions when they probably asked “Why can’t it always be like this?”

On May 13, a hot Friday evening in the middle of spring, over 400 parishioners, friends and visitors gathered at Chateau Ritz to celebrate our community, to have fun and to raise funds that will enable us to continue our mission of strengthening the Church through the ministries of Word, Worship and Service.

Happy Mother’s Day! Every culture and nation honors mothers in a particular way. It is because we know instinctively the gift of a mother. It is she who carried us in her womb, our first home, before we were offered to our family and to the world.

As we continue to bask in Easter joy, please join me in congratulating 102 young people of our parish who were confirmed this past Friday. Easter is filled with the energy of new life that also manifests itself in the explosion of sacramental celebrations in many parishes. The Easter Vigil starts it off with celebrating the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist – for those in our RCIA program. Springtime calendars are filled with others – first Holy Communions, confirmations, weddings, and infant Baptisms.

Most of us are aware of the term ‘Monday morning quarterback’ or have played that role over a cup of coffee or some beverage. The Easter season is somewhat similar for the disciples and for us. The shocking turn of events of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection surprised them and altered their expectations and their life’s path. They began to recall the words and works of Christ in the light of his resurrection. This strengthened their faith in the ‘one they called lord and master.’

At last, an Easter celebration that is different from the last two. It is so good to see so many returning to worship in person in the basilica. As we celebrate this solemn feast, I welcome those who until recently have watched Mass online, especially those who are vulnerable. Thank you for your presence with us and for the added joy of being able to see one another without masks. I also want to extend a warm welcome to Adam Bevel, Laura Frcka, Antonio Raskaj, Stephanie Santander and Rosemary Talento, received into the Catholic Church and welcomed to the table of Christ. It is a joyous celebration not only for these new members, their sponsors and families but also for us. Our witness to the faith and our prayers from them is in some way a cause for joy.

Pilgrims to the Holy Land commemorate the events of Palm Sunday with a procession that begins at the Mount of Olives.  It is a place not far from what marks the spot of Jesus’ ascension after Easter and the Church of Pater Noster which marks the event of Jesus teaching his disciples to pray the ‘Pater Noster,’ the ‘Our Father.’ 

This past week, together with the pastor of St. Mary of the Woods and a member of each parish from the Grouping Feedback and Discernment Team (GFDT), we presented our report to the executive committee of the archdiocesan Renew My Church team...

Thank you very much for your generosity last weekend in support of our “Third Sunday” second collection. Our collection, along with a collection taken up by the students at our school will be sent to Catholic Relief Services to help families in the Ukraine. Your generosity is overwhelming and will bring much needed relief to families affected by this crisis.

We are almost halfway through Lent and some of us might be saying to ourselves ‘Halfway! I can do this’ or some of us might be thinking ‘Halfway! Perhaps I could cheat a bit’ or some of us may find ourselves at the starting point, thinking ‘I really need to do the things I promised I would do this Lent.’

For 40 days each year, the universal church comes together to share in the penitential acts of the Lenten season. During this time, we are called to a true conversion of heart as followers of Christ. The Church offers us three means of working towards this interior conversion: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Our Lenten journey has begun. It is the 40-day period in which we are called to a conversion of heart through prayer, fasting and charitable works. Through its Lenten pilgrimage, the observance of Jesus’ passion on the cross in Holy Week and his resurrection, the Church seeks to enable us to make an honest response to the questions the priest will ask on Easter Sunday - “Do you reject sin so as to live in the freedom of God's children?” “Do you reject the glamour of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin?” “Do you reject Satan, father of sin and prince of darkness?”

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. 

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...

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...

Each year on the last Sunday of January we begin to celebrate Catholic Schools Week.  The theme for this year’s celebration is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

About six years ago, at a gathering of the priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Cupich invited those gathered to take a hard look at the ‘signs of the time’ and encouraged us to prepare for the future. The obvious signs were declining numbers of those who are actively engaged in their faith, growing shortage of priests and failing infrastructure.