Pastor's Column for June 30, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

Congratulations to the parents of Ella Berlekamp who will be baptized this Sunday. We welcome Ella into the Faith of the Church & pray for her health, happiness and salvation.

I’m happy that people find it convenient that we offer the chance to go to confession on Sunday morning (from about 10am until 10:45am) as many just find the more typical Saturday afternoon time to be less convenient. I was trying to think of how I may offer even more opportunities for this sacrament as the longer I am in priestly ministry, the more valuable I find the sacrament both for myself as well for others. So I want to let you know that since I am in my office most mornings (except on Thursday), you are welcome to stop by for confession during that time. Though I spend the morning meeting with staff, answering emails, and a whole lot of other things, I am at least physically here and would be able to meet most times with someone who needs just 5-10 minutes of my time for the sacrament. You can just stop in & ask the receptionist if I’m available, or you can call ahead & just let me know you’ll be stopping by. You may need to wait for a few minutes if I’m meeting with someone but usually I’m able to be available to you on short notice. We can meet either in my office or in my confessional depending on what you’re most comfortable with. The same goes for other requests that don’t take much time such as the blessing of religious articles or whatever else I can help you with that is not time consuming. And of course for longer appointments, these are easily made on our website or through a call to the rectory office. I want to be as available to you as much as possible so please don’t ever hesitate to ask for some time.

I wanted to let you know that the small basket that is placed on the altar during the month of June contains the envelopes you have given us on which are written the names of fathers you would like us to remember during Mass during the month we honor them on Father’s Day. This will be the last weekend the basket will be there but I wanted to let you know that they remain in our prayers, especially during weekday & weekend Mass.

The rectory office will be closed this Thursday & Friday due to the July 4th holiday but I will be celebrating Mass on Thursday, July 4 th at 9am at the outdoor shrine, weather permitting.

Talking with Eric Perusek, our Minister of Engagement, we were discussing how we don’t have a youth or young adult ministry here at our parish. I suppose that the reason is obvious…we have so few youth or young people attending Mass. That is a problem that faces the whole Church as our American culture continues to put faith aside (though there are small signs that this is beginning to turn around). But Eric & I want to continue to put our efforts toward reaching out to that age groups which is most absent at our weekend Masses. So we have begun to meet with a couple of young adults who have become very active in their Catholic faith in our parish. We are exploring ways of meeting with them and other young adults (those in their 20’s & 30’s) who may be interested in having conversations relating to faith and just daily life. The Diocese offers such a ministry which is called “Theology on Tap” where young adults meet and talk with food & drink about the things of faith. We are looking to do something similar so we’ll provide more information later but feel free to offer suggestions on people you think may be interested in joining us. Once the school year begins, we’ll be looking to begin some sort of youth ministry for our junior high students as well. Please pray that our youth may respond to our call to community and faith.

Fr. James P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for June 23, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

Dolores Parrish was a parishioner whom our Eucharistic Minister Ron Kollar would bring Holy Communion to at Broadview Multi-Care. So I’m very grateful to Ron for his many visits to her over the years. Dolores suffered from dementia and so was bed ridden for some time. Previously she was a very active woman, having been married for 45 years. She enjoyed gardening, baking and hairdressing, as well as family gatherings, especially at Thanksgiving. She had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to St. Anthony of Padua. She was faithful to Mass until she was no longer able to attend. May Dolores be freed now from all her bodily ailments and experience the glory of the resurrection.

Congratulations to Joe & Dolores Zuchowski who celebrated their 70th Anniversary by attending Mass this past Wednesday, June 19th, the actual date of their anniversary. They were married at St. John Cantius in Tremont. Both have been active members of the parish and it’s so good to have their witness of a long and fruitful marriage. May they receive many more years of health and happiness together.

I was so happy to see many people attend our first showing of The Chosen last Monday. It’s really so much more meaningful when people can watch such good shows together. Most even stayed afterward to share some of their insights regarding the scenes & characters. We’re grateful to the Boy Scouts who served freshly popped popcorn and refreshments. Thanks to Eric Perusek, our new Minister of Engagement, for his work in coordinating this, along with Nina Capone, our Office Manager. I look forward to Episode Two which will be shown on Monday, July 1st at 7pm (again, you’re welcome to come earlier, like at 6:30 and stay afterward but feel free to leave at 8pm when the show is over).

This is a final call for anyone who may be interested in being a Eucharistic Minister to the sick and/or homebound. You would be welcomed to serve during a weekend Mass as well but this is optional. I will meet with those who are interested in order to briefly review the procedures but you would also be invited to attend the Diocesan session which prepares people for this ministry and is offered in the Spring & the Fall. Again this would be optional. Please call the rectory office if you are interested or would like to ask a question about this ministry. And again I’d like to invite those who are watching Mass at home on the weekend to please call us and request that someone bring you Holy Communion regularly. I’ll speak about this at Mass too so you’ll hear me talk about that soon.

We now have a total of 50 pilgrims (myself included) for our Italy trip in March of 2025. We’re going to allow people to be put on a waiting list if they are interested in joining us but we want to make sure we would have enough interest to expand the number who will be going as special arrangements need to be made for trips with more than 50 people. You’re always welcome to call the office or to see me personally for more information.

We are now in the last week of June and it’s a hot one. Thank goodness for air conditioning. I know that while it’s a great blessing for us to have air conditioning in the church, it can be hard to regulate if it’s on the cooler side outdoors. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if it’s too cold for you. We’ll be happy to provide you with a winter jacket if that is the case.

Fr. James Schmitz

Pastor's Column for June 16, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

                  Our sympathy to Russ & Shelly Eslick on the death of Russ’s mother, Nikki Dickinson. Nickki was influenced to join the Catholic faith through a friend whose own devotion to Catholicism was a great example to her. So I heard her confession and gave her First Communion and Bishop Perez later confirmed her along with our 8th graders in 2019. She also has a son named Joe. Nikki had a special love for cats, having had 13 in total over her lifetime. There was an article about her and her cats in the paper a number of years ago as she used to take them for a stroll outside and devoted much time to them. May Nikki rest in God’s peace. 

I offered prayers at Holy Cross Cemetery for Anne Donelon who has lived out of town for many years. She lived to celebrate her 100th birthday on July 19th until she passed away on October 6th. Holy Communion was brought to her weekly and she prayed the rosary daily. We extend our sympathies to her family & pray that Anne may enjoy the delights of heaven.

We welcome 3 children into our faith this Sunday through the Holy Sacrament of Baptism: Jakobe, Jiana & Juliani Robles. May they all know the love God has for his children.

Don’t forget to join us for the first episode of The Chosen from the 4th season which will be shown in our Parish Center this Monday, June 17th at 7pm. You can come as early as 6:30pm to meet with others if you like and of course you can stay afterward as well or just come to enjoy the show. Popcorn and refreshments will be served, courtesy of our Boy Scouts. So we hope you can enjoy this show which has helped so many to understand and appreciate the message of Jesus as it gives us a unique insight into his chosen apostles. 

Our new Principal, Mr. Lorenzo Jones, has been meeting with myself and teachers in recent days. He comes to us with 10 years experience as principal of Holy Name Elementary and more recently as principal of Villa-Angela-St. Joseph High School. We share a similar vision for our school and are ready to take on the challenges that are before us. Please keep Mr. Jones in your prayers as he begins this role at our parish school. I hope you all will have a chance to meet him but be ready to look up if you plan to see him eye to eye!

I am happy to say that it seems our lines for confession are getting longer. Of course I don’t mean to suggest that more people are sinning but more are seeking out the mercy of God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I think it was wise to also make the sacrament available to people on Sunday morning instead of just Saturday afternoon, especially for the sake of those who don’t come to the 4pm Saturday Mass as well as for those who would just find Saturdays inconvenient for whatever reason. So again, I am in my confessional on Sunday from 10:00am until about 10:45am when I need to prepare for the 11am Mass. I also want to reiterate that I am available at any other time that is good for you. You can make an appointment with me online at our website or if you happen see me somewhere, feel free to just say, “Will you hear my confession now?” If I can do so at that moment, I will. If not, we can work out a time that is good for both of us. I’m also thinking of adding a day during the week that I can make myself available, but I’m not sure how that would work yet. But please feel free to reach out any time you would like to celebrate God’s forgiveness. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far. May we all remember that God never takes time off from caring for us or listening to our prayers, so we need to remain faithful to the Lord during the summer months. 

Fr. james P. Schmitz

Pastor's Column for June 9, 2024

Dear Parishioners,

       We congratulate Patrick Hickey & Anna Garcia Cabrera as they are married this weekend. We pray that they may live very happy and fruitful years together as husband and wife. We also welcome Veronica DiFranco into the family of God’s Church through the holy sacrament of baptism this weekend. May God bless her and her parents as she is raised in the practice of the Faith. 

       My thanks to all who have made a donation toward the purchase of a crucifix and statue of Our Lady which we will place in each of the school classrooms. They are of different sizes and styles and so prices but we will accept gratefully whatever donation you wish you make toward this cause. 

I’m also thankful for all those who have responded to our request to bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound. Again, anyone who is living a faithful Catholic life is welcome to this important ministry. I will meet with you all to share with you the process and answer any questions you may have. So again if you are interested in this act of service, please let us know and we will reach out to you soon.

I want to share with you here something I just came across that I had saved some time ago, though I failed to note where I saw it. It is timely as it has to do with the “Amen” that we say when we receive Holy Communion, and last weekend we celebrated the feast of Corpus Christ, of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ. So as an extension of that feast, let us enter this long period of “Ordinary Time” which will take us up to the Season of Advent 4 weeks before Christmas, by remembering what our Amen is meant to signify:

When we come to receive Holy Communion, the ministers of Christ's Body and Blood say to each of us, "The Body of Christ,” "Amen" to each. Those are the biggest "Amens" I'll ever say. We're not simply saying "Amen" to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We're saying, "Amen" to receive the Lord into our lives - not some day, when we've got everything worked out, but here and now.

In effect we say, "Lord, I'm not perfect, and I don't have all the answers. But, I do believe in you, and I accept you into my life here and now."

The cup has particular meaning. In Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me." The cup of suffering wasn't taken away. But by accepting it, Jesus found the path to life.

When I stand before the cup and say "Amen," I'm saying, "Lord, I accept as you did, whatever sufferings cannot be taken away. I trust, as you trusted, that God will somehow make this something good. And I trust that if you are with me, I can do it."

Think about those two Amens. Spend some time on each. And the next time you receive Holy Communion, say them with a conviction that comes from way down deep inside.

 Fr. James P. Schmitz