ASH WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 22

“Trace a cross, Lord, not only on our foreheads, but on our hearts….” That Ash Wednesday prayer echoes the words from the prophet Joel that we will hear this week: “Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord your God.” Whether we see ashes as a reminder of mortality (“Remember that you are dust…”) or a commitment to change our lives (“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel”), the reception of ashes on our foreheads says that we have made a conscious and prayerful decision to enter into the spirit and discipline of Lent with all our heart.

With that in mind, we invite you to begin Lent this Wednesday, February 22nd, by coming to church to receive ashes in the context of prayer, rather than on the run from home to work to shopping to home again. Lent, like every season of Christian life, demands that we make time to acknowledge our absolute dependence on God and on the Christian community in which we most clearly experience the presence of God in our lives. There will be four masses on Ash Wednesday: 6:30, 8:15 and 10:00a.m. and 7:30p.m. Ashes will be distributed during these masses—not before and not after. Our school children will be at the 10:00a.m. mass, but anyone is welcome.

As with other sacramentals, ashes do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit as the sacraments do; but, by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and help us cooperate with it. If, for some reason you miss receiving ashes this Wednesday, that’s OK. Ashes do not make any of us better Christians; prayer does. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to stay at mass at least until ashes are distributed, then it’s probably better to make some time to pray on your own and ask the Lord to “trace a cross on my heart”. Then you can take advantage of some of the opportunities offered during the coming weeks of Lent to deepen your relationship with the Lord and with your fellow Christians.

FORGIVING GOD – OUR LENTEN MISSION BEGINS

How can “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46) be uttered along with “You are my God whose mercies are new every morning” (Lam. 3:23)? Our God is a God of endless mercy and there are times we wonder if we can forgive God.

On the first Tuesday of Lent, February 28th beginning at 7:00p.m., Avis Clendenen will use personal memoir to explore the shattering experience of unexpected suffering as an occasion of grace. The evening unfolds with visuals, narrative and music to reverently engage us in carrying the cross that bears our own name as we make the transformative journey of these 40 days of faith.

Avis Clendenen teaches at St. Xavier University. She has been active in ministry within the Southside Church of Chicago for 40 years. Avis’s teaching and ministry focus on the ways our experience of faith intersects with our unique life experience.

This February 28th Lenten Mission evening in church will be an introduction to the three weeks of small group sessions that will be offered once again this year, led and hosted by parishioners. However, all are invited to come on this night, whether or not you plan to be a part of the Lenten small groups. This evening will begin at 7:00p.m. and conclude around 8:30, with hospitality following in the school foyer.

Be sure to tell your friends and neighbors from other parishes about this wonderful Lenten opportunity and invite them to join you here on February 28th.

A TIME TO SAY “THANKS”

Yes, Thanksgiving is long past, but next Sunday we want to offer a special thanks to all who serve our parish community in so many ways. On February 12th, from 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. in Kane Hall, there will be an Open House reception for all those who have volunteered their time and talent in the past year. A terrific array of goodies will be provided by Julie Quaid, along with liquid refreshment.

Invitations were sent out last week with a request to call the rectory by this Monday, February 6, if you plan to attend. However, putting the invitation list together was a difficult job, and we can’t be sure that we received all the names we requested from parish groups and organizations through the Parish Council Commissions. If you have volunteered your time in the past year in a designated position of responsibility or service in the parish and you did not receive a written invitation but would like to come next Sunday, just call the rectory by Monday and let us know.

We apologize for missing anyone who should have been included. The truth is that there are just so many who either lead or assist parish groups and organizations in a variety of ways that it’s a huge challenge to maintain comprehensive lists from year to year for everyone. As our Parish Pastoral Council and its Commissions continue to evolve in the coming year, we hope to develop a good system for keeping our volunteer lists up to date.

Fr. Bob

OUR WEEKLY OFFERING

Having published our annual financial report for the previous fiscal year last month, we’re a bit overdue on the bi-monthly report, so it’s time to catch up on that:

September 2010 – BUDGET: $43,140.00…ACTUAL: $40,110.00…DOWN: $3,030.00
September 2011 – BUDGET: $43,140.00…ACTUAL: $39,280.00…DOWN: $3,860.00

October 2010 – BUDGET: $53,925.00…ACTUAL: $54,474.00…UP: $549.00
October 2011 – BUDGET: $53,925.00…ACTUAL: $49,296.00…DOWN: $4,629.00

In addition to your regular weekly offering, you gave $1,855.00 to St. Ann, our sharing parish. There were also two special collections; the Seminary Appeal brought in $2,204.00 and the World Mission Appeal received $1,664.00.

Unfortunately, fiscal 2012 is looking more like 2010 when weekly offerings were down significantly, while fiscal 2011 (which ended this past July) saw a significant increase. I know that the difficult economy continues to weigh heavily on many. My own 2% salary increase this year was wiped out by the increase in the Illinois income tax; but that’s trivial compared to the burdens so many families face, ranging from property taxes to food costs to tuition bills.

I’m grateful for the sacrifices so many make to give generously week after week. But the fact remains, both here and in most other parishes, that a minority of generous parishioners bear the burden for the majority, who give little or nothing throughout the year. If you’re in that minority: thank you! If you’re part of the majority, please remember that supporting your parish church is everyone’s responsibility. Please give prayerful consideration to that responsibility as we prepare to enter a new calendar year.

Fr. Bob

THE PARISHES OF DEANERY V-C

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As pastors here on the southwest side of Chicago, we have experienced a growing concern regarding the prevalence of a seeming dependence on alcohol consumption in our society, in our parishes, and even in our families. All of us have heard reports and many of us have witnessed this unhealthy reliance on alcohol among both adults and teenagers. We all know that relationships and families can be, and often are, very complicated; but alcohol use can make life even more complicated. Sometimes, because of the use or abuse of alcohol, we do not bring the best of ourselves to our families, to our work, to other people. Please understand that we are not condemning drinking, but are urging a serious and honest assessment of drinking in our own lives and in the life of the community.


Just six months ago, a study published in an international medical journal identified alcohol abuse as being eight times more dangerous to society than drug abuse. Why? The study noted that, while drug abuse has profound negative effects on the individual, alcohol abuse affects society far more dramatically in terms of fractured families, alcohol-related traffic accidents and work or school-related problems. Two of the reasons for the extreme negative societal impact of alcohol abuse compared to drug abuse are the easy availability of alcohol and its societal acceptance as a “recreational drug.”.”

As pastors, we are concerned – as you are – with the health and safety of your sons and daughters. Our local Catholic high schools have also addressed these concerns with you and with your teenagers. We are simply asking for your cooperation and vigilance with this issue. We urge you to know where your sons and daughters are, whom they are with, and what they are doing. We know that’s not easy, but it is your right as a parent to have this most basic information from your children – remembering that, as much as they might like to think otherwise, they are still children.

Above all, we ask you to be aware of the example you give to your children at family and neighborhood gatherings. As concerned adults, wouldn’t it be appropriate to show our young people that we can gather and have a good time without alcohol? Do our young people ever witness this? As followers of Christ, we need to be aware, alert and responsive to the needs of others, both within and beyond our own families. We have to be sensitive to the prevalence and effects of drinking and how a pattern of reliance on alcohol in our midst might be harmful – not only to our young people, but to us all.

Please know that, as pastors, we are here to support you in any way we can so that we will continue to grow together as holy, healthy, faith-filled Catholic communities.

The Pastors of Deanery V-C

Rev. William E. Malloy - St. Barnabas
Rev. Gary M. Miller - St. Bernadette
Rev. Frank A. Kurucz - St. Cajetan
Rev. Thomas P. Conde - Christ the King
Rev. Lawrence J. Sullivan - St. Christina
Rev. Theodore L. Ostrowski - St. Denis
Rev. Robert J. Kyfes - St. John Fisher
Rev. James M. Hyland - Most Holy Redeemer
Rev. Edward M. Mikolajzcyk - Queen of Martyrs
Rev. Charles V. Fanelli - St. Thomas More
Rev. Peter J. Heidenrich - St. Walter

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Email Pat Reed at preed@sjfschool.net with your Name and Email Address to get up-to-date info regarding parish meetings, schedules, events & more!