Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church

Transcription

1 Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church S. Archer Avenue Lemont, Illinois (Ph) (Fx) Website: ww w.historicstjames.org Listen to The Winds of Change 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm on WNDZ AM 750. Fr. substitutes every other Wednesday. Visit: windsofchangeshow.com. Fr. Register on Flocknotes to receive important text messages and s. Text: jamesatsag to June 7, 2015 Corpus Christi Founded in 1833, St. James at Sag Bridge is the sole country parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago, serving a growing community of Catholics who come together to worship God through the celebration of the Eucharist and traditional devotional activities within truly unique and beautiful surroundings. Our faithfilled community strives to bear witness to Jesus Christ by loving and serving one another to bring about the Kingdom of God. Mass Schedule: Weekends: Saturdays: 5:30 PM Sundays: 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM Holy Days: 8:15 AM & 7:00 PM Weekdays: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays: 8:15 AM Wednesdays: 7:00 PM Confession Schedule: Saturdays: 9:30-10:00 AM Wednesdays: 6:30 PM Baptisms: Sundays after the 11:30 AM Mass by appointment. At least one parent must be a registered parishioner. Weddings: Minimum eight months in advance. At least one spouse must be a registered parishioner. Funerals: For families of registered parishioners, or for non-parishioners to be buried in our own cemetery. Sick & Homebound Pastoral Care: Please notify rectory Rectory Office Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM Apostolic Disciples: Fr. Thomas, M.A.,S.T.L., Pastor Fr. Ed Gleeson, Pastor Emeritus Deacon John M.Wilkinson, CKM, Minister of Care/RCIA Mike Dillenburg Parish Council Chair Mike Wall, Finance Council Chair Mrs. Pamela Stafford, Cantor Mrs. Pamela Mikrut, Organist Rodney Poynter, Holy Name Society, President JoAnn Starha, Altar & Rosary Mrs. Giovanna Imbarrato, CCD Teacher Mr. Seamus Coughlin CCD Teacher Mrs. Mary Coughlin Lenzen CCD Teacher Mr. Steve Hagen CCD Teacher Mrs. Joyce McNamara-Coughlin, CCD Director.

2 Page Two June 7, 2015 From the Desk of the Pastor Absolution or Forgiveness? Returning to the issue of an annulment procedure that is more of a penitential affair than a juridical one we need to see that there is a great challenge to the aspect of the absolution or the forgiveness granted in this penitential act. Based on Our Lord s words, the two shall become one, the act of forgiving one half of a couple complicates matters. A priest can obviously say to a penitential spouse, God forgives you for all the pain and sorrow you have caused your spouse. Go and sin no more. But consider the priest telling a penitential spouse, God forgives you for the pain and sorrow you have caused, now I declare that she is no longer your wife. Here there is an obvious injustice being carried out in the name of God s mercy. Namely, there is no involvement of the other person in a matter of immense importance to that person. Recall the scene in the movie A Man For All Seasons, when St. Thomas More refers to Queen Catherine and King Henry VIII screams Catherine is not my wife! Yet, Queen Catherine steadfastly insisted that she was, is and wishes to remain his wife. Does she not have any say so in the matter? The whole point of a marriage is that it not only makes the woman the man s wife, but it also makes the man, the woman s husband. A unilateral renunciation of a previous vow should not be sufficient to nullify the vow of the other person. To do so, we begin to imitate the Muslim practice that gives a husband the right to divorce his wife simply be declaring three times, I divorce you. If for no other reason, a third party, like the church must needs be involved in some kind of juridical assessment precisely to see if the other person in fact will likewise renounce his/her vows. And so an annulment cannot be just taken care of in the privacy of a confessional booth. The example of Queen Catherine is a good one because she so emphatically did not want to not be the King s wife. For her, accepting the King s proclamation that she is not his wife made her feel that her life was then a lie. The church, as well as the rest of the world has an obligation to hear her side of the story. But let us suppose that Queen Catherine was willing to declare her vows nullified in a so-called bi-partisan declaration. This is an interesting option, but then we are back to a purely juridical affair and the penitential aspect is lost on both parties. So what if (and I know I m going way out on a limb here) both spouses were required to somehow publicly forgive their x from the heart and publicly offer to do all in their power to undo the damage caused by this act? Could the majority of divorcees do such a thing? I doubt it. I know of many children who would love to see their dads or moms forgive their former spouses from the heart. It would be a beautiful site, don t you think? We could have a mutual Lenten burying of the hatchet ceremony. But even if the words were said, you would still have the issue that exists in every penitential heart, namely, how do you know it is true contrition? No, I m afraid Cardinal Kasper is whistling Dixie to think the juridical aspect of an annulment can be eliminated. (to be continued). Weekend Mass schedule adjustment: After much consultation with a variety of parishioners the proposed weekend Mass schedule is: Saturday: 5:00pm; Sunday: 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:30am. The question most asked is, why change the schedule now? There is one and only one reason I believe this will help our parish. That is: it will afford more time after our 10am Mass for educational and fellowship opportunities. Obviously, there will not be something every weekend, but with a little more time to mingle with your fellow saints in the making we can all grow spiritually. Unlike Other Nations, Fr. Thomas, M.A.,S.T.L., Pastor Sat 6/13 SAVE THE DATE Margaret Lustig/ Michael Kuczwara wedding Sun 6/14 1:30pm-4pm Sat 6/27 Civil War reenactment Fr. biking in M.S. 150, donations wanted Sun 6/28 6:30pm Youth Group welcome evening for all 8th gr. graduates Sun 8/2 8/3 Biking Pilgrimage to Starved Rock, contact Fr.

3 Corpus Christi Page Three THE EUCHARIST AND UNITY: Imagine a person who receives Communion, accepts the Host when the priest says, "The Body of Christ," says "Amen," and then breaks off a piece, hands it back, and says, "Except this piece, Father!" This is what the person who rejects other people may as well do. In receiving Christ, we are to receive the whole Christ, in all his members, our brothers and sisters, whether convenient or inconvenient, wanted or unwanted, born or unborn. As St. John remarks, Christ was to die "to gather into one all the scattered children of God." Sin scatters. Christ unites. The word "diabolical" means "to split asunder." Christ came "to destroy the works of the devil" (1Jn.3:8). The Eucharist builds up the human family in Christ who says, "Come to me, feed on My Body, become My Body." Abortion, in a reverse dynamic, says, "Go away! We have no room for you, no time for you, no desire for you, no responsibility for you. Get out of our way!" Abortion attacks the unity of the human family by splitting asunder the most fundamental relationship between any two persons: mother and child. The Eucharist, as a Sacrament of Unity, reverses the dynamic of abortion. The pope said. Such Christians are "self-centered, living for themselves. They are unable to hear the voice of Jesus," he said, according to Vatican Radio. Another category of Christians includes those who hear people crying for help, "but want them to be quiet," like in the day's Gospel reading when the disciples rebuked Bartimaeus, the blind man, who cried out for Jesus, or when the disciples shooed away the children so they would not disturb their master. SPOKANE'S NEW BISHOP STRESSES IMPORTANCE OF FAITH IN ACTION: SPOKANE, Wash. (CNS) --SELFISH, 'ARMCHAIR' CHRISTIANS DISTANCE PEOPLE FROM CHRIST, POPE SAYS: VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must ask themselves whether they help people in need of salvation or whether they just keep Jesus for themselves and are deaf or indifferent to others, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass. "It would be good for us to have an examination of conscience" and see if we are Christians who bring people to Christ or push them away, the pope said May 28 during the Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Three kinds of Christians exist, he said: those who are so closed up inside themselves, they are not aware of others in need; those who hear the "clamor" of suffering but choose to do nothing about it; and those who do hear and help bring people healing. Christians who are indifferent "do not hear. They believe life is there in their little group. They're content. They're deaf to the clamor of so many people who need salvation, who need Jesus' help, who need the church," the Bishop Thomas A. Daly, installed as bishop of Spokane at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane May 20, urged members of the congregation not to get too caught up in technology. The bishop warned that technology can be a distraction especially when it interferes with the believer's need for silence when God speaks to the heart. He closed his homily with words that reflect his own sense of spirituality and devotion: "Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us. Live, Jesus, in our hearts forever." Bishop Daly was appointed to head the Spokane Diocese after serving as auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of San Jose, California, for the past four years. Much of his ministry has been in education -- as president of and teacher in a Catholic high school and an interim seminary rector. He also served for many years as vocations director and director of seminarians for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. On the national level, he currently is a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. In an interview with the Inland Register, Spokane's diocesan newspaper, in early May, the bishop spoke about the importance of priests being available for their parishioners. He compared parish priests to general practitioners, saying they should be there to help people with their spiritual needs, demands of raising a family and the importance of faith in day-to-day life. AUSTRALIAN BISHOPS: REDEFINING MARRIAGE WOULD BE 'SERIOUS INJUSTICE': CANBERRA, Australia (CNS) -- Redefining marriage will be a "serious injustice" with farreaching consequences for all, Australia's Catholic bishops warned as the push for legalizing same-sex marriage in the country appeared to be reaching a crescendo. On May 28, the bishops released a pastoral letter on samesex marriage, which was fast-tracked for distribution given the impending introduction of draft legislation on samesex marriage in the Australian Parliament. Two days earlier, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced his plan to redefine marriage. Debate was expected to begin in the House of Representatives June 1, and the legislation could be passed as early as August. The bishops' letter was distributed to all dioceses in Australia, which in turn will distribute the letter to parishes, schools and agencies. It argues that it is "gravely unjust" to legitimize the false assertion that there is nothing distinctive about a man and a woman, a father or a mother; to ignore the importance for children of having a mother and a father, committed to them and to each other for the long haul; and to destabilize marriage further at a time when it is already under considerable pressure. "If we are right in this assertion and if the civil law ceases to define marriage as traditionally understood, it will be a serious injustice and undermine that common good for which the civil law exists," the letter said. DON T FORGET TO HONOR YOUR FATHER LIVING OR DECEASED ON JUNE 21ST with SPIRITUAL BOUQUET CARDS which are now available in the back of church. On Fathers Day during the 11:30 Mass all names will be printed in the bulletin & read.

4 Regular Sunday collection was $3, for the Weekend of May 31st. Our many thanks to our Registered Families using 120 envelopes and the cash-and-carry folks. MAY GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND VALUED SUPPORT! Our Church Cleaners for Friday, 6/12/15 are the Witter family & Volunteer If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory office VOTIVE OFFERINGS FOR THE WEEK OF 6/07/15 St. James Ladies Guild Special int. for the Arra Family Repose of the Souls Successful surgery for Larry Flynn Speedy Recovery for Julie Jacobek The two beautiful bouquets of flowers surrounding our altar were made available for Special int. of the Foran Family. THANK YOU! We pray for all those in the service of our country in all capacities, both at home and across the seas, especially in the Middle East. Please keep Nick Imgrund in your prayers as he continues his service in the United States Navy. Please keep Lucas Gough in your prayers as he continues his service in the United States Air Force. Please keep Kelsey Smith in your prayers as she continues her service in the Peace Corps in Africa.

5 Monday June 8th 8:15 AM Special int. for John Novak Tuesday June 9th 8:15 AM Special int. for Morris Lasky Wednesday June 10th 7:00 PM Special int. for Anne I. Post Thursday June 11th 8:15 AM Birthday Remembrance of James Macfarlane Friday June 12th 8:15 AM Bernard Joseph Beecher 5:00PM Julia Stearns 11th Ordinary Sunday Saturday June 13th 5:30 PM Barbara A. Pieprzyca Sunday June 14th 8:30 AM Dr. Kenneth Gill 10:00 AM Wedding Anniversary of Piotr & Anna Slezak 11:30 AM Dr. William Graber 11th Ordinary Sunday 6/13/ & 6/14/15 Celebrant Altar Servers Lectors 5:30 PM P.Peters J. Szarzynski T. Szarzynski D. Szarzynski 8:30 AM W. Tishuk F. Zabilka J. Zabilka C. Stach- Pearman 10:00 AM A. Bertucci J. Colarelli J.P. Colarelli D. LaSota 11:30 AM Fr. Ed Gleeson A. Fugiel A. Fugiel D. Wall H. Fugiel