Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church

Transcription

1 Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church Founded 1833 A Parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago South Archer Avenue, Lemont, IL Phone (630) FAX (630) Website: historicstjames.org stjames1833@earthlink.net 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 faith filled community strives to bear witness to Jesus Christ by loving and serving one another to bring about the Kingdom of God. September 2, 2007 TWENTY-SECOND ORDINARY SUNDAY Rev. Edward D. Gleeson, Pastor Rev. Edwin V. Bohula, Pastor Emeritus Mr. John M. Wilkinson, Permanent Deacon Parish Boundaries The Village of Willow Springs Unincorporated Lemont Township Along Archer Avenue and Bell Road, Village of Burr Ridge (Cook County) Mass Schedule Weekends: Saturdays, 5:30 PM. Sundays, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM Holy Days: 8:15 AM and 7:00 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: 8:15 AM Wednesdays: 7:00 PM Confession Schedule Saturdays: 4:30 to 5:15 PM By appointment. Baptisms First Sundays of every month by appointment. Parents must be registered parishioners. Weddings Minimum eight months in advance. At least one partner must be a registered parishioner. Religious Education Classes 1st through 8th Grade Tuesday evenings, September through May Parents must be registered parishioners. Registration In Rectory Office Hours Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Thursdays: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. Parish Ministerial Staff Father Edward Gleeson, Pastor Deacon John Wilkinson, Minister of Care Brian Tishuk, RE Director Pamela Stafford, Music Coordinator Joseph Guido, Organist JoAnn Starha, Altar and Rosary President Rodney Poynter, Holy Name President Barbara Tishuk, Our Lady of the Forest President Rectory Support Staff Donna Slosowski, Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper Bernice Raj, Housekeeper/Cook Donald Lasica, Sacristan

2 Page Two September 2, 2007 FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR WE BELIEVERS ARE NOT The priesthood ordination ceremony is impressive. For a short time all of the newly ordained lie flat on the sanctuary floor. It just seems longer. I clearly remember that the experience was physically uncomfortable, but an awesome expression of humility before the Lord. From a distance the men appear to be dead. But then they stand to show that they have been raised from the death of sin to a newness of life in Christ. The ritual is expressed in a less dramatic way during the Penitential Rite of every Mass. Like the newly ordained we prostrate ourselves before the Lord, fulfilling the instruction of Jesus in the Gospel. When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor rather go and take the lowest place. In the first reading the wise old sage Sirach wrote: Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. And find favor with God the Father we have. Through the Son s offering Himself on the cross, the Father has raised all of us to a new life. After humbling ourselves during the Penitential Rite Jesus says something to us like: My friend, move up to a higher position. We can then take our rightful place that the Lord has conferred upon us. We can fully participate in the sacrifice which is the great wedding banquet of the Lamb of God. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Some folks are one-sided in this matter of humility, one way or the other. Some emphasize their sinfulness and their unworthiness to such an extreme that they seem to have forgotten what the Christ has done for us in raising us up from sin. Our Lord calls us to true, not false, humility. Some are a bit smug, a little self-satisfied, like those who immediately took the highest places at the wedding feast. The Christ calls us not to pride, but to humility. Balance is needed. The Mass gives us that balance by encouraging us on the one hand to admit our sinfulness and assuring us on the other hand that Jesus has raised us A MISERABLE BUNCH OT A M up from the death of sin. During the second Eucharistic Prayer the celebrant says to God in the name of us all: We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and to serve you. Although a humble people we must be careful not to think that the Son of God didn t do an especially good job in redeeming us. We believers are not a miserable bunch. That is a contradiction in terms. We are all perfectly capable of being pleasing in the sight of God. Just before Holy Communion the celebrant declares: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His supper. This supper is not the Last Supper. According to the Book of Revelation it is the great wedding supper of the Lord in heaven. Happy indeed are we, lowly though we are in ourselves, that through the Eucharist we will be led to a high place in heaven where we will enjoy the great wedding banquet of the Lamb of God. To be exalted is to be humbled. No Labor On Labor Day! Tomorrow, Monday, September 3, is Labor Day, a national holiday. But we don t work on Labor Day. That is also a contradiction in terms. Those who are required to work are hereby excused. For those families who will be in town tomorrow, come on over and participate in our annual Labor Day celebration. The only Mass of the day will be in church at 10:00am. Fifteen or twenty minutes after Mass the picnic will begin using both Sag Hall and the picnic grove behind Sag Hall. Most of us get pooped out around 2:30pm. There is still time to sign up your family today. Bring a salad or dessert. No meat dishes please. The men of our Holy Flame Society will provide plenty of meat on the grill plus refreshments. There will be a jumping toy, games, prizes, a horseshoe toss, maybe even bingo. Old folks will sit around without doing much of anything. As always I will lead the way. God Bless Our Parish, FR. ED GLEESON, PASTOR

3 Twenty-second Ordinary Sunday Page Three FLOWERS The two large bouquets adorning the main altar were made available through the kindness of the JAMES & MARIANNE MILLER. The collection for St. James on the weekend of August 26th was $3, The number of August 26th Offertory Envelopes handed in the weekend of August 25 and 26 was 141. The amount of money coming out of those envelopes was $2, which averages out to $18.62 per envelope. Our many thanks to the 141 contributing families. BLESS YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND VALUED SUPPORT. ANNOUNCEMENT: JOSEPH JOHN DOWLING, born on February 3, 1960, son of Joseph Dowling and Shirley Ward, and baptized at St. James at Sag Bridge on the February 21, 1960, was ordained a priest on Saturday, July 14, 2007 at Old St. Patrick s Church, Chicago, IL by His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago. Our congratulations & best wishes to Father Dowling. ALTAR & ROSARY SODALITY MEETING On Saturday, September 8th at 1:00pm the women of the Altar & Rosary Sodality will meet at 1:00pm in Sag Hall. There will be special guest speakers for their first meeting of the season. After the business portion of the meeting at approximately 1:30, Len Pacek, Executive Director of The Saint Philomina Foundation will be here. His topic will be Re-invigorate Your Rosary Devotion Today! All women of the parish are invited. LABOR DAY - The first Monday in September Labor Day marks the time when working people around the country come to the end of the summer vacation season and students return to school. We set aside this day to reflect on the work we do. Over the course of our lives, we spend more time working than we do at any other activity. Until the last century or so, most people worked on farms. They worked long days, and the pace of life was slower. The Industrial Revolution changed that. New farm machines meant that fewer farming jobs were available. Farm workers moved to the cities, where they took low-paying jobs in the factories. They worked as long as 16 hours a day. Their jobs were dangerous because the machinery had few safeguards against accidents. Even children were forced to work because wages were so low and families needed many incomes to survive. The labor movement was born in response to these conditions. Unions gave workers a way to stand together and fight for safe machinery, better salaries and fair treatment from management. Eventually this day became a national holiday. Several popes of the last hundred years have written encyclicals that speak specifically about the dignity and rights of workers. The American bishops have also issued various major statements about work. Catholics should familiarize themselves with these documents. Catholic Social Teaching promotes the rights of those who labor under another's authority. Selected Biblical Passages on Justice for Workers: DEUTERONOMY 15:11 Open your hand to the poor and needy. DEUTERONOMY 24:14-15 Don't withhold wages of poor and needy laborers--including those of "aliens." PSALM 72 God will judge people with righteousness. ISAIAH 32:17 Justice will bring peace. MICAH 6:8 God requires us to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. MATTHEW 22:39 Love thy neighbor as thyself. LUKE 4:18-19 Anointed to preach good news to the poor. JOHN 3:16-18 Love, not in word or speech, but in truth and a action. ROMANS 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer. PHILLIPIANS 2:4 Look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. JAMES 5:4 The wages of laborers kept back by fraud cry out. II TIMOTHY 2:6 The farmer that labors must receive the first rewards.

4 Page Four September 2, 2007 Lemont Parishes Respect Life Ministry St. Alphonsus, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St. James, St. Patrick September 2007 Top Ten Reasons Why Chastity Rocks It's not a negative. Chastity means saying "yes" to a healthy lifestyle that can prepare you for a great marriage. 9. It's a 100% guarantee against STDs and unplanned pregnancies. All natural and no harmful side effects! 8. It allows you to see your partner and your relationship clearly. 7. It's for everyone, you can start any time, even if you've been sexually active. 6. You'll spend quality time together and show affection in other ways. 5. Save the best for last. Your future husband or wife deserves the most important gift you can give yourself. 4. There's no such thing as "going too far." The question "How far can I go?" becomes "How can I love and honor this person in every way, including respect for their sexuality?" 3. Great dating meter! Being chaste lets you quickly weed out the jerks who would drop you if you don't have sex with them. 2. No regrets. Polls show most teens regret having become sexually active. I don't know anyone practicing chastity who regrets that decision. 1. Because it's worth the wait. Marriage is the only reality in which we can give all of ourselves to another and mean it. Waiting for marriage is the only way to discover how great the gift of sex can be. (By Dimitra C. Bolger, USCCB, Pro-Life Activities, Love And Do What You Will, by Julie A. Collins) Attention all Teens and Parents JASON EVERT Is Coming To Orland Park Romance Without Regret Back by popular demand, Jason makes his third visit to Chicago in as many years. Jason is a nationally renowned chastity speaker who can deliver the message like no one else can. His powerful and dynamic presentation leaves teens inspired and energized. Monday Evening, October 1st, 7 pm St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church S. Wolf Road, Orland Park Admission: Free! For more information call Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago Chastity Education Initiative For more information on Jason Evert visit: Women s Center WALK FOR LIFE Sunday, September 23 (11:30 am to 3:30 pm) Get your entire family involved Bemis Woods South Forest Preserve, Grove #7 in Western Springs (1/4 mile east of I-294 on Ogden Ave.) For more information, or to obtain pledge forms, call Begin collecting pledges now to support the Women s Center and then come to Bemis Woods to join the Walk for Life Respect Life Coordinators: St. Cyril and Methodius - Candy Carmen and Vicki Anzalone St. James - Diane Wall and Diana Walsh ; St. Patrick - Roseanne Garavan-Oskielunas ; St. Alphonsus - Kathy McKendry

5 Twenty-second Ordinary Sunday Page Five January 31, 1971 WHAT S NEW AT THE SAG? A WEEK AGO LAST FRIDAY I visited old Pete Hennes (perhaps our oldest parishioner he is 85). Pete was born out here in a log cabin on Derby Road. I told Pete I d come to visit him again in a week or so, with my tape recorder. He was quite agreeable, and I think he was (secretly) flattered by the idea. He s feeling much better after his recent illness... Fred Mathy is also feeling much better, and promised to come to our little dinner for the TWELVE APOSTLES on the 29 th of Jan. January 31, 1971 WHAT S NEW AT THE SAG SOME MAY THINK that life on Mt. Forest Island is rather lonely and uneventful. I have not found it so. Quite the contrary. Hardly a day goes by without a good number of phone calls and office visits. Oh, by the way, Mt. Forest Island is what our neck of the woods used to be called. And it really was an island in the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago. MONDAY FOR EXAM- PLE was a rather busy day. We had the funeral Mass and burial of Mrs. Edna Ruppert, wife of Walter, who was buried here in September of The Rupperts were an old family here at St. James. The rear window on the right (as you enter Church) was donated by old Peter Ruppert (Walter s father) in memory of his wife, Nellie. Both are buried in our cemetery thirty feet or OUT OF THE PAST so to the north of the Church entrance. AS A YOUNG FELLOW (perhaps 60 years ago) Walter Ruppert used to trudge through the snow and fire up the furnace very early on Sunday mornings so that the Church would be comfortable for the 7:00 o clock Mass... When we recall those olden days here at the Sag, we cannot but be filled with a nostalgia for the parish-family awareness and the deep sense of parish community which characterized life at St. James in those days. Today in the Church we are striving to rediscover this same spirit which has been lost or obscured over the past quarter century. It seems to me that it should not be too difficult to rediscover and redevelop that spirit here. We have so much early example and precedent on which to build. IN THE AFTERNOON on Monday I went to visit Frank Shambo. He s the young man who addressed our preliminary Historical Society meeting way back on Memorial Day of last year. Frank works at Hannah Inland Waterways, but I didn t know exactly where Hannah was located, I had thought their buildings were directly north of the Church on the Sanitary District Canal. But the building turned out to be a cement company. MY MISTAKE WAS A FORTUNATE ONE. I met a worker who proved to be a most gracious fellow. He was something of an assistant manager or director and offered me a tour of the inspection of the plant. I was pleased at the offer and took the tour. It seems this is a wholesale cement distributing company. The fine, powdery substance is processed down in Missouri, and is then shipped north on the rivers and the Sanitary District Canal. It is unloaded at their plant and distributed to retailers. MR. GLENN SPRANKEL was the name of my tour-guide, and I told him some of our plans to fix up the hall and property at St. James (sidewalks, concrete stairs from one parking lot to the next and up to the Church, and also into the picnic area, patio around the open fireplace, etc.) Mr. Sprankel was most cordial and generous and offered us a good break on cement when we reached that phase of our work (provided we bring our own sacks to carry the cement!) Fr. Aschenbrenner July 4, 1971 CONFIRMATION EVERY THIRD YEAR Our Parish has grown in size during the past several years, we plan to have Confirmation every third year, instead of every fourth year, as is formerly the case. Each year we will include 6 th, 7 th and 8 th Graders, and also adult Confirmants as we did this year. Fr. Aschenbrenner Keep watching for more fun from the archives..

6 Page Six September 2, 2007 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses Acts 1:18 World Youth Day Theme Pilgrimage to Sydney, Australia World Youth Day 2008 The Holy Father is calling all young people to join him for World Youth Day in July This vibrant Catholic celebration that holds the record for the largest gathering of people in the history of the world, includes popular Catholic musicians, catechesis by our bishops, and a vigil Mass with the pope. The Archdiocesan Office for Catechesis & Youth Ministry and Saint Bernard Travel are providing an exciting 12 day pilgrimage to Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day The pilgrimage is open to high school students 16 years of age and over, young adults and adults. This pilgrimage offers many opportunities for spiritual and educational growth, including: Participation in catechetical preparation before leaving to Sydney, including a session with Cardinal George, send-off Mass and blessing. Attendance at the all night vigil with the Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Being able to celebrate the end of World Youth Day with the pope at his closing Mass. Special gathering with Cardinal George in Sydney. An extensive 3-day tour of the beautiful sights and attractions of Australia. Meeting and sharing your faith with over a million young people from all over the world. For more information, call the Office for Catechesis & Youth Ministry at or Pat Pacer at or visit the youth ministry page at Registration deadline extended to: September 30, 2007 Registration will be handled on a group basis and must include all forms required by the Archdiocese of Chicago Office for Catechesis & Youth Ministry in accordance with Archdiocesan policies regarding the Protection of Children and Saint Bernard Travel. These forms may be copied as needed. Additional registration forms may be obtained by calling the Office for Catechesis & Youth Ministry, Saint Bernard Travel, or visiting our website at (Includes $ deposit) Space is limited.

7 Twenty-second Ordinary Sunday Page Seven VOTIVE CANDLES Votive offering for the week of September 2nd: In memory of Darren Chud St. James Altar & Rosary Sodality Special intention of the Nelson Family Safety in Iraq for Brandon Doyle Special intention of Robert & Ellen Chio Monday 10:00AM Tuesday 8:15AM September 3 St. Gregory the Great Thomas J. Murphy Family September 4 Weekday Berneice Garceau On Labor Day, Monday, September 3, a votive Mass of American Labor Day will be celebrated at 10:00am with the picnic to follow at about 11:30 using both Sag Hall and the picnic grove behind Sag Hall. There will be a jumping toy, games, prizes for the kids and a horseshoe toss for the adults. Hope to see you there!!! 2007 ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. Luke 14:1, 14 Today we wish to recognize those who not only support our parish, but also have made a gift or pledge to the 2007 Annual Catholic Appeal. On behalf of those who will be served by your contributions, our thanks goes out to all who have already completed their pledge payments, as well as to those who are still making payments. Whether your gift is large or small, when combined with the gifts of thousands every gift makes a very real difference. Thank you again for your support. Wednesday 7:00PM Thursday 8:15AM Friday 8:15AM September 5 Weekday Henry & Mary Graf September 6 Weekday Living & Deceased Parishioners September 7 Weekday Genevieve Krawczyk Saturday September 8 NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 5:30PM Genevieve Krawczyk Sunday September 9 TWENTY-THIRD ORDINARY SUNDAY 8:30AM Elizabeth Zilinkas 10:00AM Estelle Litoborski 11:30AM Estelle Chesson Sept. 8 & 9 5:30PM 8:30AM 10:00 AM 11:30 AM Celebrant Father Gleeson Father Gleeson Father Gleeson Father Gleeson Altar Servers S. Dillenburg J.H. Dillenburg J. Dillenburg R. Podkowski S. DeRoche T. Wall S. May M. May A. Gorniak B. A hearn E. Czyzewicz E. Czyzewicz Lector M. Dillenburg J. Jagger B. Lewis M. Fleckenstein LEM Deacon John Deacon John Deacon John Deacon John Ushers J. Starha C. Hughes E. Liczwek N. Nowaczyk M. Hally T. Lang F. Pearman H. Grutza J. Pajkos R. Lawler M. Lavery J. Bresingham B. Czaja J. Neadly R. Poynter M. Fleckenstein