Dear Parishioners,

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

It is difficult for me to fathom that Easter is here already. It seemed that not all that long ago we were being signed with ashes as a call to repentance. Today we are being invited to break open colored eggs and to, once again, indulge in whatever delectable amenities we put aside for the 40 days of Lent. Perhaps more than any other food, the egg is the one most associated with Easter and with springtime in general.

On a Sunday in February, I gathered with my family and friends to watch the Super Bowl. It was entertaining hearing everyone’s reasons for gathering around the game that day.

Some were cheering on a particular team or player. Others couldn’t wait to view the halftime show or catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift. A few just relished being in the company of friends and family and indulging in the abundance of food and drink. Regardless of each person’s motivation, the Super Bowl provided us with an opportunity to come together in the spirit of fun and camaraderie.

The precise origin of coloring eggs is not known, but it can be traced back to early Greek Christians who colored their eggs red to symbolize the blood of the sacrificed Christ. They also used green in honor of the new foliage emerging after the long “dead” time of winter.

From the time of the early Christians, the tradition Easter basket took its deepest roots in Eastern Europe where it included foods that were rich in symbolism. The basket included those foods which Catholics abstained from during Lent such as meat, eggs, and butter. To this day, the tradition of preparing, blessing, and eating from the basket on Easter Sunday morning flourishes throughout the Catholic Faith.

What do we do when we do not know what to do?

Throughout the journey of our lives, we all experience moments of uncertainty, ambiguity, or indecision. We can feel small, inadequate, and almost paralyzed as we face looming problems ranging from our own personal issues to worldwide crises.

Grounded in faith, Saint Francis of Assisi wisely taught that when we do not know what to do, we should “pray, obey, and love.” Our Catholic tradition reflects his wise counsel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Throughout his pontificate, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has often spoken of the need for Christians to evangelize others through accompaniment. Through listening patiently, building trust, and being mindful of others’ dignity, we can help one another encounter Christ’s merciful love, especially those who suffer from emotional wounds, loneliness, and doubt. For Central and Eastern Europeans living in countries that experienced 70 years of communist oppression, the Church especially needs to accompany people to an encounter with Christ that is patient, understanding, and filled with hope instead of fear, anger, and anxiety.

Dear Parishioners,

I am writing to encourage all our parishioners to be a part of our annual Parish Mission scheduled for Monday, February 19th thru Wed, Feb 20  at 7:00pm. Each of these three evenings we will gather in the church for a Scripture service followed by a reflective presentation from the mission director. The overall theme of the Mission is expressed in its title, Let Us Dream The Path To A Better Future. Each of the evenings will have a specific focus that supports this general theme:

The past two weeks we have witnessed the coming of winter a bit later than we may have wanted. I suspect most people, even those who dislike (or abhor) the winter season, would welcome, or at least tolerate, it more readily if it decorated the days of Christmas with a blanket of beautiful snow. That was not the case this past year of 2023 which hosted one of the mildest winters on record.

In an era dominated by smartphones and digital technology, the traditional paper calendar may seem like an antiquated relic from a bygone era. In 2011, I officially switched from my five-year calendar/planner, which sat with heavy prominence on my desk, to a digital calendar that automatically syncs with my phone. Admittedly, the digital calendar is much more convenient and efficient, and once I made the move, I had no regrets. Yet, I still miss some of the nuances of using a paper calendar.

Dear Parishioners,

Greetings to all in this holy time of Christmas. Today’s feast of Epiphany is one of several solemnities that is woven throughout the Christmas season. In the Eastern Church, this feast was celebrated even before December 25th was observed as the Lord’s Nativity. If we step back and view the entire Advent/Christmas cycle (which includes Epiphany) from beginning to end, we see that it possesses a dynamic movement that unifies those unique biblical events that we read about in the liturgies of this season. This movement can be summarized in four phrases.

Dear Parishioners,

We are only hours away from the official (liturgical) beginning of the Christmas season, even though the culture has been celebrating Christmas since October. No doubt most of us are tending to last minute holiday details such as, buying last minute gifts, wrapping presents, preparing food, cleaning homes, adding one more decoration to the tree or writing one last Christmas card. The excitement is almost tangible and so is the energy required to welcome in this “most wonderful time of the year.”

Are you a Cubs fan? Or are you a White Sox fan? If you have any roots in Chicagoland, you instinctively understand that you must declare one or the other. It is common practice to choose one team — one is never a fan of both!

During these past two years, throughout our country and within the Catholic Church, that same principle seems to have been applied to the National Eucharistic Revival and the Synod on Synodality.

Dear Parishioners,

Christians describe the season of Advent in a variety of ways. These descriptions usually include the notions of watching and waiting, preparing for the celebration of Christmas and making ourselves ready for the final return of Christ at the end of time. All of these are correct. I would like to suggest that another way to think of Advent is with a focus on the themes of absence and presence.

Dear Parishioners,

On this First Sunday of Advent, as the Church begins a new liturgical year, it is especially fitting that we recognize the tremendous success of the Capital Campaign in which we were engaged this past year. You will recall that this campaign was designed to raise the necessary funds that would allow us to repair and enhance the interior of our parish church for our Centennial Celebration that will begin on December 16, 2023 and conclude in December of 2024.