From podcasts and youth events to service and prayer cards, visit diojoliet.org/75th for the full list of events and activities surrounding the 75th anniversary.

A "jubilee" is a special anniversary, marking a certain time period. For example, a twenty-fifth anniversary is universally recognized as a silver jubilee, whereas the fiftieth is known as the golden jubilee. This month, we are officially launching the 75th Anniversary of the Diocese of Joliet, or the celebration of our diamond jubilee.

As they say, “diamonds are forever.” This celebration gives us the opportunity to honor our past, commemorate our present, and look forward to the future with hope. Our year-long celebration will officially begin in December 2023 and end in December 2024. However, we have a few things happening in November that I would like to share with you and encourage your participation.

Dear Parishioners,

In his insightful commentary on the Sunday Scripture readings, Food for the Soul, the philosopher and lay person Peter Kreeft makes the following observation, The very first thing Jesus did when he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, according to the Gospels,  is this: He looked up to heaven and gave thanks to his Father.

Besides celebrating Mass on Sundays, a question people frequently ask me is, “What do priests do during the week?” My initial response is that priesthood is so much more than a 9-to-5 job—it is more like a 24/7 vocation.

A priest is called to serve God and His people, and to assist his bishop by governing, teaching, and sanctifying. In modern times, it may seem like a priest is expected to be able to administer with an MBA, counsel with the spirituality of the saints, offer a love for the poor of Saint Mother Teresa, maintain the constant energy of a newly ordained priest, and resolve issues with the wisdom of a seasoned pastor.

Dear Parishioners,

Just in time for the celebration of All Saints on November 1, was the installation of the 18 glass panels depicting saints from various times and places throughout Christendom. These panels were part of the overall re-design of the devotional space in our church that included the recent addition of a new statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus. Both, the statue and glass panels, are the creative handiwork of Wiktor Szostalo, a universally acclaimed sculptor from Poland, whose artwork adorns sacred and secular spaces throughout the world.

In the romantic comedy, Wild Mountain Thyme, that debuted in 2020 and which takes its name from the Irish tune woven throughout the film, one of the main characters played by Christopher Walken laments the possible loss of the farm that has been in his family for generations. At the deepest moment of his fear, another character, played by Dearbhala Molly, said to him, "Things end when God wants them to." Her words were intended to provide comfort and assurance to this elderly man that if he is to lose his ancestral farm, it is because God believes it is the proper time for that loss to happen. In the end, it becomes a matter of trusting that God’s providential will is always designed for our best interests.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We, the Catholic bishops of Illinois, write with a sense of urgency. Unless the General Assembly acts to renew the Invest in Kids scholarship program, more than 9,000 children currently relying on this program to attend a non-public school may have their educational path disrupted. Without an extension of the program in Illinois law now, no scholarships will be awarded for the school year that will begin in September 2024. Most of these children will have to leave the school their families determined was their best chance to receive a high-quality education in a safe and wholesome learning environment. This is an injustice that should and can be avoided, but only if the General Assembly acts when it reconvenes on October 24, 2023.

Dear Parishioners,

The back cover of this quarter’s Notre Dame Magazine features the following quotation by James Carroll,

The very act of storytelling, of arranging memory and invention according to the structure of the narrative, is by definition holy. We tell stories because we can’t help it. We tell stories because we love to entertain and hope to edify. We tell stories because they fill the silence death imposes. We tell stories because they save us.

Recently, some friends and I were debating if “milleversary” is a real word. I’d never heard of it, but some insisted it is a legitimate word that means 1,000-day anniversary. Some cleverly invented alternatives like “kiloversary,” or “k-day.”

This summer I celebrated my “milleversary” here in the Diocese of Joliet. September 29 will mark three years since I was installed as your bishop. I still remember my installation Mass as if it were yesterday. It was in the midst of the pandemic. Even though my heart raced with joy and excitement as I walked down the aisle and looked around, I thought to myself, what strange days these are with the pews only 20 percent filled with masked people.

Dear Parishioners,

I am delighted to share with you the news that this past Tuesday, September 19, St Joan of Arc School was named a recipient of the National Blue Ribbon Award for 2023. The U.S. Department of Education recognized 353 schools in our country as “Blue Ribbon Schools.” This means that St. Joan of Arc School is among the top ten percent of all school in this country that take standardized tests. This recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student group assessments.

As we all know, people come and go into the fabric of our personal lives and in the lives of our religious communities as well. As such, we bade farewell to Mrs. Lynne Passarella this past Friday as she completed her final hours as our parish receptionist. Lynne took the initiative to apply for this position eight years ago after leaving the previous parish in Joliet at which she was employed.

You are all aware that the Catholic Church in this country has been engaged in, what it is calling, a “Eucharistic Revival” designed to deepen peoples knowledge and love of the great mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Last year this revival was conducted on the diocesan level. As of this past June 11, the Feast of Corpus Christi, this revival has been transferred to the parish level. The following are some of the efforts we are doing toward this revival at St. Joan of Arc.

Dear Parishioners,

On August the 15th, the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption, those present at the 7:00pm liturgy called upon God to bless our newly fashioned statue of the Madonna and Child. It was a simple but festive rite at which the artist, Wiktor Szostalo, was present. It was a privilege, not only to have this international sculptor join us for the celebration, but to also have him to speak to those gathered about his background and vocation as an artist along with his unique approach to art, especially sculpture.

Dear Parishioners,
The following include several updates and reminders.

Capital Campaign

Our parish Capital Campaign, Cherishing Tradition, Creating Vision, continues to unfold in a timely manner. It serves as yet another reflection of the generosity of our parishioners. In the near future all our parishioners will receive a statement about the campaign’s progress along with a final invitation to contribute to it if they have not done so and may wish to. Eventually there will be a memorial wall in the church narthex identifying (in alphabetical order) all those who participated in the campaign. It will not list the amount of each donation, however.