Dear Parishioners,

Every two years In the Diocese of Joliet, each priest who serves in a parish is required to attend a convocation that begins on a Monday evening and concludes at noon on the Thursday of that week. These are conducted at nearby convention centers capable of accommodating large gatherings such as this with overnight accommodations, food and ample spaces for daily meetings and public prayer. For the past several years, these convocations have been hosted at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook which is comfortably conducive for this time of learning, refreshment and conviviality.

In the world of leadership, there is a common practice: after the first one hundred days in office, we pause to reflect. What direction is this new leader taking us in? What tone has been set? Where might we be headed?

Dear Parishioners,

September 14th is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This ancient Christian festival, common to the churches of both the East and West, emerged in the early 4th century after St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, discovered the actual cross on which Jesus died. Her discovery of the cross came as the result of an excavation expedition that she organized in Jerusalem. In the process of her excavation of the church of the Holy Sepulcher three crosses were found. Of these three, the cross of Jesus was identified when it was touched to a dying woman who was subsequently healed. An alternative legend to this one maintains that when a paralyzed man touched the cross of Jesus, the man regained his ability to walk.

Dear Parishioners,

Tomorrow, September 8, is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the course of the Church’s liturgical year there are only three birthdays that are commemorated – the birthday of the Lord Jesus (December 25), the birthday of John the Baptist (June 24), and the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God (September 8). All other saints are typically commemorated on the day of their death (Dies Natils), which was regarded as their birth into eternal life. But because of the unique and privileged role that Mary, John the Baptist and, most significantly, Christ Jesus were given in salvation history, they are honored on both, their birth into this world as well as their birth into the glory of heaven.

Dear Parishioners,

On this Labor Day Weekend, when our minds and hearts naturally direct our attention to the gift of work, I am pleased to introduce two recent additions to our work force here at St. Joan of Arc parish. The first of these is Rubi Garfias, hired as our new parish secretary replacing Karen Eldrenkamp. Karen held this position for three years, and although she was hired as a part time employee, she served our parish and its staff in a full time capacity. She has decided to explore and enjoy new possibilities that retirement will offer her and her family. We are all grateful for the selfless devotion and professionalism that were hallmarks of her service to us.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend, it is an honor and a joy to welcome Deacon Rob Visher into diaconal ministry here at St. Joan of Arc Parish. Deacon Rob was ordained as a permanent deacon by Bishop Hicks on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet. Deacon Rob was raised in Downers Grove and married his wife, Julie, in 2009. In 2014 they were blessed with their daughter Ellie who is currently enrolled in our parish school. In 2022 the Visher family, (Rob, Julie and Ellie) became members of our parish community where they have been active ever since in a wide variety of ways.

“We are going to sell out all the tickets instantly!” That was my spontaneous reaction when I first heard the news: Father Mike Schmitz had agreed to be our keynote speaker for our 2025 Youth Conference in the Diocese of Joliet.

If you do not know who Father Mike Schmitz is, it likely means you do not spend much time online or listening to Catholic pod casts. A priest of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, Father Schmitz has become one of the most recognizable Catholic voices in the digital world. His Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year podcasts have touched millions of lives. With a rare mix of clarity, humor, and conviction, he brings the Faith alive to all generations.

Dear Parishioners,

August the 15th is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of the three major festivals in honor of Mary, all of which are holydays of obligation. The belief that underlies this liturgical celebration is that at the end of her earthly life, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven.

Dear Parishioners,

Every year on August 6, the church celebrates the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The event of the Lord’s transfiguration is recorded in all four gospels, and one of these accounts is always proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Lent. August 6th however, is the liturgical commemoration of this highly significant moment in the life of Jesus and the select apostles Peter, James and John who are led, by Jesus, to Mount Tabor. This mountain is about five miles southeast of Nazareth and rises to the peak of 1,650 feet. Tabor was consistently regarded as a holy mountain by a number of religious traditions including that of Israel.

Dear Parishioners,

One of the perpetual struggles within the church has been, and continues to be, the notion of change. We rightfully want to know which aspects of the church may change and which aspects may not. In a more specific inquiry one could focus on the church’s beliefs (creed), or on its ritual practices (cult) or on its moral demands and expectations of behavior (code). These “3 Cs” are common to all religious traditions and to most secular organizations and societies as well. What aspects contained in the church’s creed, cult and code are able to be changed and which must be forever constant?

Dear Parishioners,

You may recall that on the weekend June 7/8, the feast of Pentecost, I spoke at all the liturgies asking people to increase their weekly Offertory Gift if this were possible. We had incurred a significant deficit which we did not want to carry into the new fiscal year. This deficit resulted from the general inflation we are currently experiencing as a nation. I believe it is important to identify the source of the deficit to avoid creating or blaming other factors such as the capital campaign, the school or frivolous spending.

Dear Parishioners,

Having reached the summertime apex of July 4th , it won’t be long before we begin seeing the gradual descent from this plateau into the late summer weeks of August. I once read that August is summer that has heard the rumor of fall. -- a lovely poetic description for the month that offers us a seamless transition into the season of autumn. In Ohio, (and perhaps elsewhere too) farmers measure the present time of year by the height of the sweet corn. I grew up hearing, “Knee high by the Fourth of July,” not only as a measuring concept, but also as an expressed hope for the bountiful crop needed to sustain the farmers’ livelihood. Roadside stands punctuated the rural roads on Ohio where one could purchase freshly picked corn as well as a wide variety of homegrown fruits and vegetables that found their place on countless dinner tables.