5 2 8 L a t h r o p A v e n u e R i v e r F o r e s t, I l l i n o i s w w w. s t l u k e p a r i s h. o r g Simon Peter answered him, Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God. ~John 6:68-69 Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass 2001, 1998, 1970 CCD A u g u s t 2 6, 2 0 1 8 T w e n t y - F i r s t S u n d a y i n O r d i n a r y T i m e
MASS INTENTIONS Monday, August 27 - St. Monica 6:30 am Rev. John Harvey 8:00 am Daniel McCarthy Tuesday, August 28 - St. Augustine 6:30 am John Keefe 8:00 am The Clark and Daley Families Wednesday, August 29 - The Passion of St. John the Baptist 6:30 am Josh Sonnier 8:15 am Josefina Santos Thursday, August 30 6:30 am Margaret Shipley 8:00 am Veronica Dela Torre Friday, August 31 6:30 am Thomas F. and Helen Dittrich Kenney 8:00 am Mary Ruth Hurley Cullicott and Ann Hurley Martin Saturday, September 1 8:00 am James Butler 5:00 pm Patrick Mullen Sunday, September 2 7:30 am The People of St. Luke Parish 9:00 am Chuck Dressel 11:00 am James Louis Winikates MINISTERS OF THE LITURGY Monday-Friday, August 27-31 8:00 am Servers M Hoey, W Hoey Saturday, September 1 5:00 pm Servers R Gleason, R Hicks, 1 Needed Lectors S Price, T Hicks Euch Min P Chase, C Madden, M O Donoghue, B Peterson, H Peterson, M Peterson, M Sullivan Ushers C Cox, J Fisher, M Nelson, R Nixon Sunday, September 2 7:30 am Servers I Flores, C Hanley, B Hardy Lectors T Roche, M Aspiras Euch Min K Heiss, J Lynch, E Maloney Ushers B Hickman, J Langton, C Maroon, M Oller 9:00 am Servers B Kerstetter, A Perry, E Perry Lectors CJ Kerstetter, K Iammartino Euch Min M Martinez, V Perera, A Roche, C Saunders, H Slowik, J Slowik, C Weiler Ushers B Aquilino, L Driscoll, P Driscoll, J Nowicki 11:00 am Servers L Dugan, M Kappe, M Stumbris Lectors N Brouilette, N O Malley Euch Min L Amison, K Frank, M Frank, B Huerta, J Meek, B Stumbris, J Stumbris Ushers J McInerney, 3 Needed 2 Cover Art: This portrait of St. Peter holding the key to heaven was created by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens circa 1611. It s now part of the collection at the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain. WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of August 27 September 2 Mon: 2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12/Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 4-5 [3]/Mt 23:13-22 Tue: 2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17/Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13 [13b]/ Mt 23:23-26 Wed: 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18/Ps 128:1-2, 4-5 [1]/Mk 6:17-29 Thu: 1 Cor 1:1-9/Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 [1]/Mt 24:42-51 Fri: 1 Cor 1:17-25/Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11 [5]/Mt 25:1-13 Sat: 1 Cor 1:26-31/Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21 [12]/Mt 25:14-30 Next Sunday: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8/Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5 [1a]/Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27/Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Liturgical Publications Inc. PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK Monica Affleck, Honor Brennan, David Carlson, Terry Coffey, Richard Farrell, Richard Gamache, Sr. Michelle Germanson OP, Robert Gorman, Kathleen Haney, Angelo Kaldis, Frank Kurr, Sr. Colleen Nolan OP, Kevin Nolan, Paul Novak, Nick Perisin, Fr. Paul Reicher, Catherine Scheidemantel, Patti Sheehan, Jim Stanton, and Tom Trankina AND FOR OUR DECEASED Dorothy Erbach, Judith Harmon and Mariella Michelon STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. ~Joshua 24:15 When we commit to serve the Lord, we must be willing to become a partner in the work of the Lord. A partner is a person who invests time in prayer every day, joyfully participates in charitable works and generously supports the parish and Church mission. If we say we serve God, we must actually do something and not merely talk about it! Our Weekly Offerings Week-to-Date Month-to-Date Year-to-Date Envelopes $ 7,549 $ 22,114 $ 57,241 Electronic 1,450 15,321 35,981 Total Giving $ 8,999 $ 37,436 $ 93,222 Budgeted 13,530 40,590 108,240 Variance +/(-) $ (4,531) $ ( 3,154) $ (15,018) (For Fiscal Year July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019) We greatly appreciate the sacrifices you make to support the mission and ministry of St. Luke Church. Thank you for your generosity! Here s a convenient way to support St. Luke Parish with payments from your bank or credit card account using your computer or smart phone. Try it today at GiveCentral.org.
Anger, shock, grief, shame. What other words can we summon to describe the experience of learning about the devastating revelations of sexual abuse and the failures of bishops to safeguard the children entrusted to their care published in the Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday? This catalogue of horrors comes on the heels of news accounts of deeply disturbing sexual-abuse and harassment allegations against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who recently resigned from the College of Cardinals. And yet whatever words we may use to describe the anguish of reading about these heinous acts, they can never capture the reality of suffering endured by victims of sexual abuse, suffering compounded by the woeful responses of bishops who failed to protect the people they were ordained to serve. As the Holy See put it in its August 16 statement on the grand jury report: The church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur. I know that many of you are asking: How could this be happening again? Didn t the U.S. bishops address this crisis sixteen years ago when they met in Dallas? What are they doing now, and why should we trust that this time they will do the right thing? These are precisely the questions that ought to be asked. As a former chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, I have asked them myself. And sorrow, disgust, outrage these are righteous feelings, the stirrings of the conscience of a people scandalized by the terrible reality that too many of the men who promised to protect their children, and strengthen their faith, have been responsible for wounding both. We know this not only because of the admirable work of the many members of the news media who played an essential role in bringing this crisis into the light. Now, we have been made to face these scandals first and foremost by the courage of victim-survivors the men and women who found the strength, even when doing so meant suffering again unimaginable pain, to come forward and seek justice from an institution that grievously failed them. What are we bishops doing now to ensure that those failures are not repeated? Today, USCCB President Cardinal Daniel DiNardo announced on behalf of all the bishops that our conference will launch a thorough investigation of the allegations against Archbishop McCarrick; that it will establish new ways in which people can report complaints against bishops; and that it will advocate for more effective resolution of such allegations. The USCCB will invite the Holy See to investigate the McCarrick case, in concert with a predominantly lay group of experts. Cardinal Blase Cupich The bishops will also update our 2002 Statement of Episcopal Commitment by which the bishops pledged to follow a procedure for reporting allegations of sexual abuse of minors by a bishop. This document needs revision to clarify how victims can report abuse of minors or other misconduct by bishops, as well as develop third-party reporting systems, many of which are already being looked at today. Of course, bishops are not exempt from following standards of behavior. Our own Cardinal Joseph Bernardin provided a strong example, when he chose to step aside after he was accused of abuse a charge that was eventually retracted. The USCCB will also press for procedures that will make it easier to resolve complaints against bishops in a timely, fair, and transparent manner. As Cardinal DiNardo explained, all this will be conducted with proper independence, sufficient authority, and substantial leadership by laity. This call for lay oversight of the investigation, as much as the scandal itself, shows the need for systemic change in the way we order church life. The clericalist mindset, responsible for so much of the scandal, must be purged from church life. As Pope Francis has urged, we need to remember that it is our baptism that unites us. We as a church must reflect more deeply on what we share in common, rather than what distinguishes us. The abuses contained in the Pennsylvania grand jury report are, as you know, appallingly familiar. And while it is true that the vast majority of abuses contained in that report occurred decades ago, that is of no comfort to victims, nor should it be to any of us. We cannot say this enough: the abuses should never have happened, and no one should have acted in ways that enabled them. This is why, following the 2002 wave of scandals, the USCCB adopted policies designed to protect young people from abusers. We instituted a zero-tolerance policy which holds that even one instance of child sexual abuse would bar someone from the priesthood forever. The Archdiocese of Chicago has implemented these policies and even done more. 1. We established an independent lay-majority review board to consider allegations against clergy and make recommendations to the bishops. 2. We refer all allegations of abuse to civil authorities. 3. We require diocesan employees and volunteers to undergo background checks. 4. We mandate that all diocesan employees and volunteers undergo safe-environment training to help them identify predatory behavior and understand avenues of reporting. And we required that children be taught how to recognize, resist and report abuse. (Continued on page 5) AUGUST 26, 2018 Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time 3
All those interested in teaching about our faith to children are invited to a free workshop on How To Be A More Effective Catechist. Popular author/speaker Joe Paprocki, DMin., will lead the program from 7:00-9:00 pm this Tuesday, August 28, in Waldron Hall (lower level of St. Luke School). No catechist can know everything, says Paprocki, Going to workshops, retreats, and studying Catholic literature can help broaden your understanding and learn new ways of teaching. Paprocki, national consultant for faith formation at Loyola Press, is author of the best-selling book The Catechist s Toolbox and he just released a new book entitled Living the Sacraments. For any questions, contact Ann Stauffer at 708-829-8549. 4 St. Luke s Religious Education classes will start on Wednesday, September 26. Full information and the registration form for children in Grades K-8 is available on our parish website at www.stlukeparish.org Volunteers are needed to teach on Wednesday afternoons (3:30-4:30 pm) or evenings (6:30-7:30 pm). Training will be starting soon, so contact Mary Beth Smedinghoff at 708-771-5959 if you d like to serve as a catechist or teacher s aide. Everyone is invited for our monthly time of prayer and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament this coming Saturday, September 1. Right after the 8:00 Mass, the rosary will be prayed. Then the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for silent prayer, and adoration will continue until 9:15 when Benediction will be offered. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation will also be available immediately after Mass. WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL Tomorrow (Monday) is Bridge Day for the Prime Timers. We play from noon until 2:30 pm in the Hospitality House. Please join us. The Prime Timers are excited about the new time limited Walking Group, which will meet from September 7 until October 19. It will be a great way to see the colors change in our neighborhood as well as get some great exercise. Each participant will choose the length of the walk a block or two or a quarter-, half-, or full-mile. Participants are encouraged to attend the 8:00 Mass and assemble at the ramp at the west side door of the church after Mass. It will be a great way to improve our lives, both spiritually and physically. Please call Ann O Connell at 708-366-5279 to sign up. THE THREE T s Need a few more reasons why you should consider online giving? Last week we mentioned five reasons to consider online giving. Below are a few more reasons to think about Online giving can guard against forgetfulness. Most of us have been there one time or another. The offering basket comes your way, and you realize that you left the check on the kitchen table. Or you forgot about this week s special collection. GiveCentral allows you to set up a recurring gift on the date you specify. It s automatic so you won t have to think about it again. Online giving helps St. Luke s budgeting. Recurring gifts helps bring consistency to our weekly giving. This consistency allows the parish to steward its financial resources better. There is less guessing about when expenditures should take place. Online giving saves St. Luke s administrative work, which is needed when you place a check in the offering basket. From counting the checks and cash and recording each account s donation to the bank deposit, checks generate more steps to process your gift that are all unneeded with online gifts. Online giving certainly has many benefits worth considering. It has opened up opportunities for St. Luke Church and our generous givers. So what are you waiting for? Go to GiveCentral.com today, or contact Sheila Price, Director of Stewardship & Development, about any questions at 435-8927 or sprice@stlukeparish.org.
At top of the changes at St. Luke Parish School this year are our two interim co-principals, Bob Ballenger and Kris Gritzmacher, who will be splitting the time as principal. This is really common in the public school system, said Bob, mostly due to maternity leaves and people leaving too late in the year for schools to find a suitable principal. But this gives schools a chance to tap experienced, semi-retired administrators who can step in as a bridge while the school boards use the time to find a permanent solution, he explained. Kris recently retired as principal in the Mt. Prospect School District 57 with over 38 years of experience and wonderful memories of working with students in K-8th grades. She holds a double education/special education degree from the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater and master s in education administration from Northern Illinois University. Bob holds a bachelor s and master s degree also from NIU. Most of my career was spent in Carol Stream where I served as an elementary principal, middle school principal, and assistant superintendent, he said. Now in his 48 th year as an educator, he has had 12 years of experience as an interim administrator in suburban school districts, most recently including Brooks Middle School in Oak Park. This is the first time both administrators will be serving as principals at a Catholic school. They both noted they were IN a Catholic school (as students) but never ran one. They re excited about being at St. Luke. I came home the first day and told my wife that this was the best opening ever, said Bob. The children are wonderful and so nice, and so are the parents. It s like working in heaven! Cardinal s Letter, continued from page 3 5. We undergo an annual audit to measure compliance with these policies, which every year has found the Archdiocese of Chicago compliant. Since 2002, hundreds of thousands of our people in dioceses across the United States have undergone safe-environment training. In many ways we can say that the policies of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which established procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, have been successful. According to the Pennsylvania grand jury report, for example, just two of the 300 priests named in the text were accused within the past decade, and both were reported to civil authorities. This excuses nothing, and we can never become complacent about our responsibility to protect children and adults from abuse and harassment, but it does say something about the effects of our post-2002 policies. Here in the Archdiocese of Chicago, we have been following procedures that were first established by Cardinal Bernardin in 1992, following revelations of clergy abuse that came to light during that period. In addition to what the Charter calls for, we offer payment for counseling or other assistance to anyone who comes to us with allegations even before attempting to establish the credibility of the claim. After any civil investigation has concluded, we conduct our own inquiry into allegations against priests, and our majority-lay review board considers the case and makes a recommendation to me about whether the accused should remain in ministry. One of the most important things Cardinal Bernardin did was to establish a regular meeting of everyone who might be called in to consider a case of sexual abuse, whether it involves a minor or an adult. So, to this day, representatives from across the relevant pastoral center offices regularly meet with me to advise me on cases that arise and ways to strengthen our commitments. Of course, no set of procedures is perfect. As the grand jury report illustrates, they are subject to the strengths and weaknesses of those entrusted to carry them out. Closed systems always tend toward self-protection; it is only when we create systems of accountability that we let in purifying light. That s what our practices are designed to do. They exist because we as a church have a grave responsibility to ensure the safety of our people. That is why I encourage anyone who has been victimized to contact our Office of Protection of Children and Youth at 800-994-6200 or protect.archchicago.org. Anger, shock, grief, shame. There is one other word that we bishops must summon: resolve. We must resolve to face our failures and hold each other accountable. We must resolve to be clear-eyed about what we have done, what we have failed to do, and what remains to be done. We must resolve to live in the light of humility, of repentance, of honesty the light of Christ. As your bishop, I pledge to continue holding firm to that resolve. And I ask for you to pray for all victims of abuse. I also invite you to review what I have written here and make suggestions for improving our safeenvironment standards, ever heeding the Second Vatican Council s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which called on the laity, by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the church. AUGUST 26, 2018 Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time 5
6 The St. Luke Athletic Committee congratulates this week s winners of the 500 Club drawing: Ann and Dennis Hoeksema Thank you to all who have purchased memberships in the Club, the proceeds of which go directly to fund St. Luke Parish School s athletic programs. Are you praying the Renew My Church prayer at home? You can now pray along with 32 St. Luke parishioners who are featured in a 1-1/2-minute video on our website and Facebook page. Each volunteer recites a phrase from the prayer we use at Mass on Sundays along with a caption below so you can follow along as they pray for the renewal of the Church in our archdiocese. To see the new video, go to www.stlukeparish.org or www.facebook.com/stluke.riverforest. Help is right around the corner! 24-Hour Crisis Line: 708-386-4225 www.sarahsinn.org Mass Schedule Saturday (Vigil) 5:00 pm, and Sunday 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 am Weekdays: Monday-Friday 6:30 & 8:00 am (except 8:15 am on Wednesdays during the school year), Saturday 8:00 am Confessions The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is offered after 6:30 and 8:00 am weekday Masses and by appointment. Call the rectory to schedule a time. Adoration and Benediction Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament occurs every first Saturday after the 8:00 am Mass and rosary. Rectory Office Hours Monday through Friday 9:00 am-12:00 Noon and 1:00-4:00 pm and by appointment (Call 708-771-8250). Interested in Learning More About the Catholic Faith? Anyone wishing to complete their sacraments or learn more about the Catholic faith may inquire about our adult faith formation program (RCIA) by calling the rectory for more information. WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL Rev. John Szmyd, Pastor jszmyd@stlukeparish.org... 435-8925 Rev. Steven Bauer, Associate Pastor sbauer@stlukeparish.org... 435-8922 Rev. Leroy Wickowski (Retired) lwickowski@stlukeparish.org... 435-8917 Rev. Mr. John Baier johnbaier@isp.com... 630-655-0088 Rev. Mr. Terry Norton reneeterrynorton@gmail.com... 771-6635 Rev. Mr. Bob Slobig bobslobig@comcast.net... 771-6430 Rev. Mr. Paul Faherty (retired) 528 Lathrop Avenue, River Forest 60305-1835 stlukeparish@stlukeparish.org... 771-8250 Carol Karlowski, Office Assistant ckarlowski@stlukeparish.org... 435-8912 Daniel Szymanski, Director of Operations dszymanski@stlukeparish.org... 435-8921 Sheila Price, Director of Stewardship & Development sprice@stlukeparish.org... 435-8927 Arlene Michna, Music Director amichna@stlukeparish.org... 435-8926 Bradley Collins, Communications Coordinator bcollins@stlukeparish.org... 435-8910 519 Ashland Avenue, River Forest 60305... 366-8587 Bob Ballenger, Interim Co-Principal bballenger@stlukeparish.org Kris Gritzmacher, Interim Co-Principal kgritzmacher@stlukeparish.org Joanie Schwarzbeck, Administrative Assistant jschwarzbeck@stlukeparish.org 519 Ashland Avenue, River Forest 60305-1824 religiouseducation@stlukeparish.org... 771-5959 Mary Beth Smedinghoff, Religious Ed Secretary 533 Ashland Avenue, River Forest Sr. Pat Farrell, OP pfarrell@stlukeparish.org... 771-5280 New Parishioners If you re new to the community or just new to our church, please stop by the rectory to introduce yourself and register so we can welcome you into the full life of our parish. Communion Visits and Ministry of Care A parish priest or Minister of Care will be happy to visit those who are sick or homebound. Please call the rectory to make arrangements. Baptism Baptisms take place on the first and third Sundays of each month, except during Lent. Preparation meetings are held on the first Monday of every month for the parents of children who will be baptized. Arrangements can be made by calling the rectory. Marriage Couples wishing to be married should call the rectory to set up an appointment with one of the parish priests at least six months in advance of the desired wedding date. Anointing of the Sick Elderly parishioners, those in poor health or who are anticipating surgery can call the rectory to arrange to receive the sacrament of anointing.