​Dear Friends,

One of the reasons that we consecrate more hosts than needed for a given Mass is to keep some in reserve to bring to those unable to attend Mass for health reasons. The reserved hosts reside in the tabernacle in church, with the red vigil candle nearby to remind us of Christ’s presence there. The tabernacle also offers a focal point for our prayer outside of Mass time. As the Church in the US moves into what the bishops are calling a “National Eucharistic Revival,” we will work to deepen our connection with Christ through the Eucharist and our appreciation for its reality as the Body and Blood, soul and divinity, of Jesus Christ Himself. (www.eucharisticrevival.org)


A more powerful way to meditate upon the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. We had this opportunity twice during Lent. The children of our schools are learning about it and will experience it in May. As Saint John Paul II and others have often said, the Mass itself is not enough time to fully receive the gift of the Eucharist. That's why we need times of adoration.


We recently completed training for some additional parishioners to serve as Ministers of Care. These parishioners can bring communion to the homebound. Of course, I visit the homebound for the sacrament of anointing of the sick, confession and communion. But these lay ministers come on a more regular basis, so that those unable to attend Mass can still receive communion, the fruit of the Mass. In addition to bringing the sacrament, Ministers of Care also provide a sense of loving outreach, helping those unable to leave home to still feel connected to the parish. If you, or someone you know, is unable to attend Mass and would like more information about receiving communion at home, please contact me.


Forty days after rising from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven. In doing so, His presence passed into the sacraments. As we meditate on the reality of Jesus’ resurrection during this Easter season, we hear stories from the Gospel of his appearances to the disciples. We do well to consider how He continues to “appear” to us in our own time: whether through His Word, through our relationships, in our prayer, through our service to the poor, or through the sacraments- especially the Eucharist.


May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!

Dear Friends,


Thanks to all who participated in our Triduum and Easter services last week/weekend. We had a nice turnout for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil, and our Easter morning services were bursting with a sense of hope and joy. I am especially grateful to Carl DeSanati and Kenned MacIver, our “musicians extraordinaire” who, together with our choir, contributed so much to the solemnity and beauty of the church services. Also, we have Kim Madia and Dee Settino (Nativity of Our Lord) and Joe and Eileen Hermle, Joseph, Jessica Hermle and John McManus (St Gabriel) to thank for the beautiful decorations in our churches. I am grateful to all who contributed to the Easter Memorial flower fund, which allowed us to purchase so many beautiful flowers- the loved ones whose memory we commemorated were in my prayers throughout the Masses I celebrated. I am also grateful to Deacon Rob Morris and Deacon Erik Zeimys, as well to the liturgical ministers who served: our Altar Servers, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion, and Ushers. Finally, thank you to those who allowed me to wash their feet on Holy Thursday!

The celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead goes for 50 days, until the Solemnity of Pentecost on May 28th. However, as with Christmas, we have an initial “octave” of Easter, culminating with this Sunday’s Feast of the Divine Mercy. One of these years I would like for us to participate in the devotions that accompany this feast, which includes adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confessions and the recitation of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. The issue is my bouncing back and forth between our two churches. It is possible that we will be assigned an extern priest for a year starting in July- say some prayers for this, please. We have gotten to the point where having a second priest would be a huge help to me, and I think parishioners would also benefit from another homiletic perspective and an additional option to confess their sins to.


The Canaryville Little League opening day parade is next Saturday morning- it is a wonderful thing that our parish owns that beautiful baseball park, and I am thrilled to see our kids using it. I am also glad for the way this baseball league brings together young people from our entire parish. In addition to the couple of other events that take place there (like Ville-A-Palooza in August), I would love for us to find more ways for our parish to make use of the park. If you have any thoughts on this, please pass them along.




May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!

Dear Friends,
Palm (Passion) Sunday initiates the holiest week of the year for Christians, hence it’s name: “Holy Week!” The double name reminds that the week begins with the commemoration Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (hence, the palm branches, waved in adulation and welcome) and the ignominious end that is marked on the Friday of this week, the devastating death of the King of the Jews.


The focus during these days is less on the words Jesus spoke, and more on the actions of the Christ, the Messiah. That said, we will hear plenty of words this week. The long reading of the Passion from Gospel of Matthew on Palm Sunday, and then again from the Gospel of John on Good Friday; the account of Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet in connection with the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday; the review of Old Testament salvation history at the Easter Vigil; and the account of the finding of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. These events, taken together, comprise what some call “the hinge of human history,” the focal point of human destiny, the re-creation of the human person, the reconciliation of God with humanity. As mysterious as all this is, we don’t need to understand it. What we need is to enter into it. We need to experience it. It can serve as a vehicle for our encounter with the living Lord, Who wants nothing more than to be united with us


It takes a special effort to attend the extra services in church this week on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Consider making the time; enter into the spirit of this week. Rather than simply jumping from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, walk together with the Church as Christians around the world accompany our Lord on a liturgical journey through the events that changed history.


May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!


​

Dear Friends,


Congratulations to the young people from our parish who recently received the sacrament of Confirmation. Thirty-four of them were
confirmed by Bishop Lombardo today/yesterday, and an additional three were recently confirmed at other parishes. They are now considered fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Please pray for them as they take their next step towards religious maturity and accepting ownership for their practice of the faith. As you know, in too many cases Confirmation seems more like graduation from the Church rather than a fortification of the bond with the Church. Our confirmandi need our support and encouragement, along with our prayers, to continue on the path of discipleship. In other sacramental news, our children preparing for First Communion went to Confession for the first time this past week. Please pray for them as they prepare for their first encounter with the Lord in the Eucharist in May.


We are heading into the home stretch of Lent. Holy Week begins next Sunday, which is Palm Sunday. The schedule of Holy Week services is in the bulletin and on the web site. To prepare for this we’ve got extra confession times scheduled: This Tuesday evening, the 28th, we will have our second “Night of Mercy” from 6 – 8 pm. This time it will be at our St. Gabriel church, where the Eucharist will be exposed in the monstrance for adoration and confessions will be available. Next Saturday is the first Saturday of the month, and as usual, confessions will be available at Nativity from 11 to noon.


If your Holy Week preparation could be aided by engaging in a Corporal Work of Mercy, why not sign up to help out with the Mega PB&J, at which sandwiches and meal packages are assembled to provide hunger relief? Information on signing up for this, which will be Tues evening the 28th, is also in the bulletin.


Finally, I could use some volunteers: If you would be willing to participate in the Foot Washing on Holy Thursday, could you let me know? Also, I have two tickets available for the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday, April 4th, at 2:30pm. It is a beautiful Mass, with all the bishops and many of the priests of the Archdiocese concelebrating. At the end of Mass you can pick up our parish’s supply of the freshly consecrated Holy Oils that will be used for baptism and anointing the sick over the next year. Let me know if you would like to attend.




May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!

​Dear Friends, 
Thanks to all who made last Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Party and Corned Beef Dinner such a success! It was a great evening with great food, fantastic music and wonderful people coming together. I am especially grateful to members of the committee: Neal Heitz, John O’Brien, Kim Madia, John Downs, Mark Aguilar, John Czubaja, Cindy Kilroy, Pat McGuinness, and to parish staff members Wanda Dybas, Kim Osowiec and Jenny Simental. Also, thanks to the volunteers and all who took out ads in the ad book. The hall was beautifully decorated, which took a lot of work- but the results were outstanding.  
The first of two parish Nights of Mercy will be this Monday, at our Nativity of Our Lord church, from 6 to 8 pm. (the second is at St. Gabriel on March 28). During this time, church will be open for private prayer. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the monstrance on the altar. Also, confessions will be available.  
We are lining up some training for those interested in serving as Extraordinary Ministers of Communion at Mass, Lectors, and Ministers of Care to the homebound. We could use some more people in each of these ministries. Please let me know if you are interested, and I will follow-up with information on the training. 
Finally, I lamented a few weeks ago that the plan for creating elevator access to our church at Nativity was “dead in the water,” after seeing a couple of different estimates for cost. I am pleased to say that a new idea has emerged that just might work for us! Stay tuned; I’ll tell you more about this once I have a better sense of it and after the people investigating it have a better idea of what it would involve. 
 
 
May your week reflect the encounter with Christ

Dear Friends,

How is your Lent going? Forty days can seem like a long time, but by this second weekend of Lent we have 11 days under our belts already.

Almsgiving is one of the three pillars of Lent, along with prayer and fasting. The kids in school are participating in “Operation Rice Bowl,” which is a family almsgiving project whereby money saved by eating more simply is put into the “rice bowl” to be collected at the end of Lent and donated to Catholic Relief Services. The name of this is a reminder that for much of the world’s population, rice is the primary source of calories. It may be augmented by beans and sometimes a little meat and vegetable. However, hunger and poor nutrition continue to be realities for too many people in many parts of the world.

Catholic Relief Services is the official relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Through CRS Rice Bowl, faith communities in dioceses throughout the United States put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lenten alms donated through CRS Rice Bowl support the work of CRS in more than 100 different countries each year. Twenty-five percent of donations to CRS Rice Bowl stay in the local diocese, supporting hunger and poverty alleviation efforts. Since its inception in 1975, CRS Rice Bowl has raised more than $320 million.
​
In this week’s bulletin is a two-page examination of conscience that you can use to prepare for your Lenten confession. We have extra confession times scheduled, and parishioners are always welcome to contact me to set up a private appointment for confession is the times we offer will not work for you. In addition, there are many confession opportunities at our neighboring parishes, especially at St. Mary of Perpetual Help.


May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!

Dear Friends,


Lent 2023 is underway! Each year when this liturgical season comes around, I find I have the best intentions of making the most of it. Sometimes Holy Week hits and I feel well prepared; other years I feel like I squandered the opportunity of the previous 40 days. My goal this is the same as every year: to deepen my prayer life; to grow in my experience of friendship with Jesus; to reflect on my life and consider what changes I should make to become a better version of myself; to “up my game” with regard to personal compassion and charitable outreach. To make this happen I schedule more time for prayer; I make a point to go to confession; I increase my almsgiving by giving away more money to the needy; I do more spiritual reading. Each of us needs to customize our Lenten practice so that it fits our personality and our needs. But my sense is that many of us benefit from some of the same practices.
These days a lot can be found online, on the internet, that people access during Lent. Inside today’s bulletin is a list of some places I know of that I want to share with you; you may have others you have already found.
ALPHA enrollment continues! This may be just what you need for Lent! Why not sign up to come to the dinner and conversation this Wednesday evening and consider bringing with you someone you think might benefit from a “spiritual boost.” Coming to the first session does not oblige you to attend the rest- but I think you’ll find it to be an enriching experience. Information on how to sign up for this is also in today’s bulletin.
Finally, please be sure to make a pledge for the Annual Catholic Appeal of our Archdiocese. Many filled out their pledges at church last weekend; others handled it online or through the direct mail materials that they received. Every parishioner is asked to participate in this, and I think it is important that we each do our part. Envelopes for this are in the pews, or you can go online to www.archchicago.org and you’ll see a link to the Annual Catholic Appeal page where you can take care of it there. The online page also has information about the good causes that this money is used for.




                                                                                         

Dear Friends,
​
While away last week, I followed with a sense of sorrow and horror the reports on the aftermath of the terrible earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The numbers were staggering: over 7,000 buildings destroyed and at least 35,000 dead. Reading about this while relaxing in a tropical paradise left me in a pensive mood, as I considered just how quickly life as we know it can change. It occurred to me that we really need to enjoy the moments of peace and beauty that are given to us. And we need to reflect upon how they are meant to fortify us against feelings of vulnerability and episodes of tragedy that are also sure to come.

By now, all parishioners should have received in the mail information about the Annual Catholic Appeal. Funds collected in this appeal go towards supporting important ministries and outreach in the Archdiocese and beyond. Each parish has a quota, and ours is about $21,000. I am happy to say we generally achieve our quota each year, through the generosity of parishioners like those of you reading this. This weekend is Commitment Weekend, when we hear from the Cardinal and fill out our pledge envelopes in the pews. I have already sent in my donation, as perhaps have many in our parish. Still, I will also fill out a pledge envelope to show solidarity and as sign of our united parish effort. Let us join our efforts with the efforts of of all the remaining parishes (about 260 of us) in our Archdiocese

Inside today’s bulletin and on the website is information about church services for Ash Wednesday, which is this week. Let us all begin to consider how we might make the most of the coming 40 days.

ALPHA enrollment continues! See information in the bulletin and on the website for this series of dinner/video/discussion evenings that will be starting up on March 1st.

Dear Friends,
By now, all parishioners should have received in the mail information about the Annual Catholic Appeal. Funds collected in this appeal go towards supporting important ministries and outreach in the Archdiocese and beyond. Each parish has a quota, and ours is about $21,000. I am happy to say that during my time here we have achieved our quota each year, through the generosity of parishioners like those of you reading this. While many parishes engage in a multi-week blitz to push this Appeal, I have found that gentle reminders, along with taking part in the Commitment Weekend when we hear from the Cardinal and fill out envelopes in the pews, does the trick. This would normally be the weekend for this- but since I am on vacation, we’ll do it next week. I have already sent in my donation, as perhaps have many in our parish. The Commitment Weekend is a chance for all of us to mark that event and to join our efforts with those of all of the 260 or so parishes in our Archdiocese.
At last month’s Parish Council we discussed the most recent estimate for elevator access to Nativity of Our Lord church. The original proposal was for an exterior addition on the northeast corner of the church, which would house the elevator. The cost for this was excessive, so we pursued another approach that we were told would require a more modest outlay. Unfortunately, the estimate for this was also north of $800,000. While I think our parish could, if necessary, raise $1 million for necessary capital improvements, putting so much into church accessibility is simply not the right decision for us right now. Some members of the Parish Council are forming a small subcommittee to look for less costly ways to improve accessibility for this church. It breaks my heart knowing that there are some who cannot make it up those 23 stairs. I truly hope we can find a solution.
ALPHA enrollment continues! See information in the bulletin and on the website for this series of dinner/video/discussion evenings that will be starting up on March 1st.




May your week reflect the encounter with Christ
we experienced at Mass today!