Christmas 2015
...and the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us.
St. Edmund Parish
Oak Park, IL
S t a ff N o t e s
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On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, Catholic worshippers throughout the world heard the following
words from the prophet Micah:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah...from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient
times...He shall shepherd his flock...His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he
shall be peace.
Micah was a great prophet of the 8th century B.C. It
was a difficult time in the life of the Israelites. The Assyrian army was advancing, only to besiege Jerusalem
in 701B.C. It was in this social and political setting that
Micah prophesied that a new king would be born to Israel, and he “shall be peace.” God’s message to his people which came from the lips of Micah, gave hope to a
people whose history was filled with struggle and
whose present situation found them war-weary and
fearful.
Some 2,800 years later, it is amazing to me that to
some degree, you and I can resonate with the experiences of the people to whom Micah prophesied. In this year
ending 2015, we, too, are people who wait, but we do
so from a different point in the ongoing history of our
salvation.
Jesus is already the realization of Micah’s prophesy. In a sense, then, we are waiting for the fulfillment of
the Father’s plan manifested in and through He who is
the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy. We await the return of Jesus when he who is our King appears in glory
to gather his faithful into his eternal kingdom where
perfect love, peace and joy is the experience of salvation fully realized.
Peace
As we are people who wait, so too are we people
who hope. This hope we experience in preparing for
the Lord’s return, is by its very nature, already a sharing in that experience of his return.
Like the people of Micah’s time, however, our
hopefulness cannot blind us from seeing the reality that
that many nations and peoples across our globe are embroiled in violence, terrorism, living under tyrannical
rule, and millions of people are refugees seeking new
homelands where they will find safety and welcome.
Much closer to home, we’ve experienced an unprecedented level of violent crimes and murders in metropolitan Chicago.
This Christmas, with peace on earth as elusive as it
ever was, let us pray that worship services world wide
may be the impetus for Christians across our planet to
seek a new way—a way of understanding, a way of
tolerance and acceptance, a way of forgiveness, a way
of peace. Jesus the Christ is the way. As scripture proclaimed, “He shall be peace.”
The birth of Christ into the world demands that we
live with hope. As followers of this Prince of Peace, we
must never be resigned to the inevitability of violence.
We have a responsibility to do better. We have a sacred
responsibility to bring about peace—preparation not
only for four weeks in December, but preparation that
lasts a lifetime!
Merry Christmas, my dear parish family! May you
know the joy, the hope and the peace of Christ’s birth!
May you share it with everyone you encounter. May it
be the gift that lasts forever!
 Hope
 Joy
St. Edmund Parish Nativity Scenes
There has always been an indoor and outdoor Nativity scene at St. Edmund’s. The indoor crib used to be a selfcontained plaster scene with movable figurines made by the DaPrato Rigali Company. In the 1980s during Fr. William
Kelly’s pastorate, the beautiful hand-carved wooden figurines from Oberamagau, Germany were purchased. For several years, there was no stable. Until recently the backdrop that was used was designed by the Candlelight Theater professionals as a gift to
honor Fr. Kelly, on the occasion of his last Christmas here as pastor in 1986.
In the 1930s, the outdoor nativity scene contained many large plaster figures of the
Holy Family, shepherds, wisemen and even a camel. The parish school students donated the elaborate backdrop in 1939; in 1949 they donated the cave-like stable.
When Msgr. Murphy became Pastor, the outdoor crib was simplified. A new stable
was made and new statues of the Holy Family were purchased. The present Fontanini
figures were purchased during Fr. Festle’s tenure.
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Fourth Sunday
of Advent
Helpful Holiday Hints for Grieving Individuals
Christmas Open House Tuesday, December 29
1. Recognize and acknowledge that you are grieving.
• Be gentle with yourself.
• Understand that your energies are naturally directed toward your loss and your healing. So you may not have
the energy you’re accustomed to having this year.
• Avoid caustic people; you don’t need the aggravation.
• Let people know it’s okay to talk about the deceased if
it really is. Otherwise direct them away from the topic by
telling them you want to catch up on what is going on in
their lives.
Fr. John and the parish staff invite all
daily mass-goers to join them for some
hospitality and conversation immediately after the 8:30am mass in Murphy
Hall on Tuesday, December 29.
2. Anticipate the day.
• If it’s too soon or too painful, don’t go or don’t participate.
Send your regrets; people who care about you will understand.
• Remember that sometimes the anticipation is far worse
than the actual day.
• How have you observed this day in the past? Recall this
day from the past when you shared it with your loved one
and acknowledge the ways in which it will be different
this year.
• Identify the people, traditions, and activities that are
important to you regarding to this day.
• Consider creating some new traditions.
Christmas Poem
3. Make a plan you can be comfortable with.
• Eliminate the unnecessary and the too painful.
• Find a way to honor your relationship and your memories, a way to include your loved one in the spirit of this
day. If doing this will involve others, it‘s best to talk it over
with them beforehand so they are not taken by surprise; if
necessary, compromise to come to a comfortable conclusion.
4. Provide a cushion or buffer for yourself on this day.
• Tell your best friend or confidante how you are feeling
about this day, as well as how you are going to get through
it. Ask him/her to stay close for support throughout the day.
• Build in some alone-time, quiet-time or time when the expectations you or others have for you can be suspended in
order to give you time to tend solely to your emotional needs.
5. Keep your options open.
• Sit in the back or near a door.
• Have an escape route planned along with a get away car
(ride home) and driver in case things get to be more than
you can handle.
• Make it known that you will leave if you need to; give
yourself permission to do this without recrimination if
you find it necessary.
6. Remember that it won’t be this hard next year.
No 5:30pm Masses December 20 and 27
Please note that for December 20th and
December 27th, there will be no 5:30pm
mass.
No 8:30am Mass on December 26
The 8:30am mass will resume on Monday, December 28.
We see you daily at mass and often
time, in the busyness of our days, miss
out on the opportunity to visit. All are welcome.
There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.
For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.
Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honour and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.
A child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost --how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky’s dome.
This world is wild as an old wife’s tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.
To an open house in the evening
Home shall all men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.
- G. K. Chesterton
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Christmas Liturgical Calendar
Sunday, December 20___________________________________The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Please note that there is no 5:30pm liturgy on December 20.
Friday, December 25
Solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord
4:30pm Thursday Vigil: Family Mass
…….. Choral music and carols begin at 4pm.
10:30pm Thursday Vigil………..Lessons and Carols begin at 9:50pm.
Christmas Day
9:00am
11:00am Choral and instrumental music begins at 10:25am.
Please note that there is no evening liturgy on Christmas Day.
Saturday, December 26
Please note that there is no morning mass on this day.
Sunday, December 27
The Feast of the Holy Family
Please note that there is no Sunday 5:30pm liturgy this weekend.
Thursday, December 31
Year-End Mass of Thanksgiving and Hope
5:30pm: At this holy day vigil mass, we will also give thanks for the year that was and pray in hope for the
year that will be.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
10:00am: This is a holy day of obligation, and the only mass of the day.
Sunday, January 3
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord
Please note that there is no 5:30pm liturgy on January 3.
Sunday, January 10
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
The normal weekend mass schedule applies.
Wine and Canvas event
February 6
Week at a Glance
Sunday
10am - 3pm
10:30am
4:00pm
December 20
Parish Life
Religious Education
Green Team
Murphy Hall
Gymnasium
Murphy Hall
Please note there is no 5:30pm liturgy this day.
Monday
2:00pm
December 21
Parish School closed
Classes resume 1/3
Eucharistic Adoration
Wednesday Saturday
December 24, 25, 26
Parish Office Closed
Saturday
6:30pm
December 26
End Gun Violence
Vigil
tba
Sunday
December 27
Masses
Church
Ch. Sanctuary
Please note there is no 5:30pm liturgy this day.
Ready to paint! Stimulate your creative juices on Saturday February 6, 2016 from 1:00pm - 4pm in Murphy
Hall. This is a fun way to spend the
afternoon, enjoying wine and refreshments while you create your
masterpiece.
We will provide the paint supplies,
painting apron, expertise instruction, and refreshments. You bring 1
bottle of wine to share, your advance purchased event ticket, and
your creativity. No previous experience is necessary
Purchase your tickets for this event for $40.00 in advance
after all masses this weekend. What a great Christmas gift
for the creative at heart! Join us and get ready to have fun
painting.
Contact Denise Walsh at [email protected]
for further information.
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Please Remember your Parish at Christmas
We realize that there are so many demands on your time
and your income during this time of year, but we ask that
you give consideration to the Christmas gift you are able
to offer your parish of St. Edmund’s this year.
As you know, we are struggling to meet our weekly expenses, our twice-monthly payroll and our monthly
school and parish Archdiocesan assessments, and we
count on the generosity of our parishioners—throughout
the year, but in a special way at Christmas, to help us stay
on top of our financial demands. There are a variety of
ways to help.
The easiest and quickest way to help is to remember to
turn in your Christmas envelope. We are also willing to
help you to set up a one-time (or more regular) automatic
bank withdrawal, or a credit card withdrawal.
At year-end, some people like to donate some stock to the
parish. This is a way for people not to accrue capital gains
tax. If you itemize your tax return and are interested in
making a charitable donation to St. Edmund Parish, the
best way to do this is to donate your shares directly to the
church. The parish will receive the full charitable gift income tax deduction and no capital gains tax needs to be
paid. We are happy to expedite this process for you.
Perhaps there are other ways that you would like to make
a donation to the parish. However you wish to do so, we
would be most grateful. You may call the parish office at
708-848-4417 during office hours and we will be most
happy to help.
Prayer Vigil to End Gun Violence
Saturday, December 26 from 6:30 to 7pm
Join us for our monthly vigil. It is our way
of standing against the culture of violence in
our country. We also urge legislators to understand the urgency of this issue. Please
join us and bring friends on Saturday, December 26. Another vigil will be held on Saturday, January 30.
Offertory for Weekend of December 12/13
Budgeted………………………………….…..$14,350.00
Weekend Collection…………………………..$10,108.98
Deficit-to-date…………………………………-51,320.56
Children’s Stewardship……………………….$
13.98
Holiday Party Etiquette
This is a festive time of year and people like to celebrate.
Dinner invitations may have arrived at your home asking
for the pleasure of your company.
Here a few rules of thumb for being a considerate guest:
It is important always to arrive on time. Ther e
are still those who like to arrive “fashionably late.”
This however is a mistake as your hosts have likely
scheduled a certain amount of gathering time prior
to dinner. Likewise, they will have planned that the
meal be shared at an already-established time.
A good guest always engages in full and active
participation. Make an effor t!
Never leave early. Though you would never intentionally offend your hosts or other guests, it is
best not to bid your farewell immediately after the
meal.
Be gracious. Spend the time appreciating the meal
and those who are gathered. Besides, a good host,
with kind and well-placed words and gestures, will
always give a clue when it is time for you to leave.
Finally, try this approach at Sunday mass! You’ll
be glad you did!
Book Club to Meet Tuesday, February 2
The Temperment God Gave You: The Classic Key to
Knowing Yourself, Getting Along with Others
and Growing Closer to the Lord Author: Art Bennett
Unlock the secret of your personality and learn how to be
a better spouse, parent, friend and Christian! All of us are born with distinct personality traits. Some of us live for crowds
and parties; others seek solitude and time
for quiet reflection. Some of us are naturally pushy, while others are content just
to get along. We don’t pick and choose
these traits, they are just part of the way we are made.
For in the womb, God doesn’t merely mold our body; He
also gives us the temperament that, colors our understanding, guides our choices and serves as the foundation
of our moral and spiritual life. Join us at 7:30pm.
Special Thank you to the Parish Life Commission!
Last weekend, we held our annual Holiday Bake Sale and Gift Bazaar. Murphy Hall was filled with delicious cookies of
every kind, brownies, cakes, and so much more. The knitters and crocheters had a wonderful array of hand-made items
for folks to purchase for Christmas giving. Congratulations to Kevin Hacker who won the Black Forest
cake baked by Fr. Lucas. A total of $3,733.00 was raised for our parish. WOW!
In addition, you will find in this Echoes a special insert which lists all of the names of those who will be
remembered with a luminary on Christmas Eve. For the first endeavor, $1,600.00 was raised for our parish.
Another WOW! Lastly, I would like to offer a special thank you to the Parish Life committee who managed these events and to all of those who helped!
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Parish School News
A Season of Preparation - Ms. Byr on's PK3 class is busy at wor k this Advent season! We have been discussing
how to prepare our minds and hearts for the birth of Jesus. The children made their very own advent wreaths by tearing
green paper, gluing it on a wreath paper plate and added the purple and pink candles. The children also participated in
the monthly PADS ministry by decorating the brown bags used to pack the lunches. The children were very excited to
help out the hungry people in our community. We have been working on gingerbread activities, like decorating a gingerbread house using fruit loops and graphing the number of each color used. Along with the PK4 class, we went on a
gingerbread hunt around the school, where the children had to solve the clues to find the next spot in the school with a
clue and find our gingerbread treats! The children enjoyed working together to solve the clues and traveling around the
school.
Girl Scouts at the Zoo - The St. Edmund Girl Scout troop went to Brookfield Zoo
for their annual tree decorating activity. The girls used recycled materials to create
hundreds of beautiful ornaments! Despite the cold weather that day, the girls enjoyed traveling to the zoo and working together with the help of Girl Scout leader,
Mrs. Dawson, parent helpers and principal, Mrs. Rebhan-Czuk.
St. Edmund Walk-a-thon Sponsors- St. Edmund r eached its goal of r aising over
$6,000 for the Walk-a-thon! In addition to the generosity of St. Edmund family and friends, a number of sponsors donated at least $100. We would like to thank: Cheryl Bernard Photography, Freddy’s Pizza, Zed, Yuppy Puppy, Natasha
Galavotti Inc., Let Luciano Cook For You, Laverne Johnson, Lalo’s in Berwyn and Carnitas Don Pedro.
The St. Edmund Parish School faculty, staff and students would like
to wish all parishioners and their families a happy and blessed Christmas.
SAVE THE DATE~ OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
School of Religious Education
A Religious Education event will be held in the Parish School gymnasium today, Sunday, December 20 from
10:30am - 12:00pm.
Classes will not meet on Sunday, December 27 or Sunday, January 3. Classes will resume on Sunday, January 10. A joyous holiday to you and yours.
Parish Center Office Holiday Hours
The Parish Center office will be closed on December 24,
25 and 26 and will re-open on Sunday, December 27.
We wish you and your families
good health, happiness and peace
in the New Year.
Special Thanks to Giving Tree Supporters
Special thanks to all who do
nated presents and gift cards in support of our Giving
Tree! Your generosity benefits both individuals and families, ranging from newborns to seniors, at St. Simeon Parish, P.A.D.S., Casa San Jose Obrero Mission, and St. Edmund Parish. A big shout out to co-coordinators Mary
Prudence and Mary Kolovitz, and their team of helpers!
Our parish is truly blessed with folks who share in the
Bulletin Submission Deadlines
Anyone interested in having an article considered for publication in the Echoes must have their submissions in the
Parish office no later than Friday at 4pm, nine days prior
to the publication date.
You may email your submission in a Microsoft Word
attachment (Times New Roman, 11pt.) to [email protected] or you may drop it off.
Movie Night Saturday, January 9
Please join us on Saturday, January 9 at 7pm in Murphy
Hall to watch the movie, Bernadette. From
Jean Delannoy, one of France’s foremost
filmmakers, comes this top quality feature film
production of the story of St. Bernadette and
the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.
There is not a charge and all are welcome.
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Spiritual Week at St.
Edmund Parish
We Pray for our Sick
Fr. John Paul Andree
Clara Ballard
Susan Becker
Carol Bonus
Harold Bonus
Ed Bray
Tom Donohoe
James Fair
Margaret Fitzgerald
Libby Fox
Roger French
Nancy Gerich
George LaGesse, Jr.
George Lopez
Daniel Mazuchi
Frank McNichols
Eternal Rest Grant unto These, O Lord
Sergio Quiano
baby Ezra Riordan
Peggy Santin
Janice Schulte
Deborah Smith
Ethel Thomas
Eugene Tully
One in Prayer with Loved Ones in the Military
Ian Adams, US Navy
Staff Sgt. Jason L. Anderson, US Army
Capt. John Paul Andree, Pilot US Air Force
Sgt. Ramiro D. Banda, US Marine Corps
Gunnery Sgt. Boatman, US Marine Corps
Specialist Brown, US Army
Specialist Christopher Buscher, US Army, SPC
Cpt. Jason Caboot
Aiden Matthew Connelly, US Army, PFC
Sgt. Thomas J. Dutton, 10th Mountain Division
William Edwards, US Army Reservist
Private Kristopher Ellis, US Marine Corps
First Sgt. Daniel S. Greider US Army
Sgt. Michael Hoover, Army Reserve Afghanistan
Major Roselita Labbe, US Air Force
Col. Matt Mangan, US Air Force
Jonathan McLean, US Marine Corps
Kristen Meyer, US Navy
Lance Cpl. Robert Miller, US Marine Corps
Cpt. Steven Nelson
Lt. Col. Edward Nevera, US Air Force
Jose Ortiz US Marine Corps Lance Corporal
Gian Franco Solari, US Air Force
Brian Walsh, First Lieutenant US Army
Kimyatta Wellington, US Navy
Our Parish Remains One in Prayer
Do you have a loved one who is currently serving in the military? Is your relative or friend stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan or
at one of our military bases in the United States? Let us know
and we will add your loved one’s name to our prayer list.
In addition, please let us know if your loved one has safely
returned. God Bless all of our troops and especially those who
are away from those they love at this time of year.
Daniel V. Capuano, Chicago Fir e Depar tment
John LoGiudice, father of Bar t
LaVergne Thornton, gr andmother of J ennifer Angone
Special Remembrances at Daily Eucharist
Monday
8:30am
Tuesday
8:30am
December 21 (Peter Canisius)
† Angela Bicos
December 22
Rudy Giannetti (living intention)
† Louis Boril, Jr.
† Edward and Verdell Saunders
Wednesday
December 23 (John of Canty)
† Deceased parishioners
Thursday
8:30am
December 24
† Thomas and Bradley Trifone
† Paul Bowman
Friday
9:00am
11:00am
December 25
† Fr. Joe Ruiz, † Frank Condon
† Carol Ann Maranto
† Jean Hackett
December 26 (Stephen)
People of St. Edmund
Saturday
5:30pm
Sunday
December 27 (The Holy Family of
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
9:00am
11:00am
Monday:
† John J. McGivern
† Margaret Olivet
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12,
20-21; Lk 1:39-45
Tuesday:
1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56
Wednesday: Mal 3:1-4, 23-34; Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-10, 14;
Lk 1:57-66
Thursday: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29;
Lk 1:67-79
Friday:
Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29;
Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25]
Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14;
Lk 2:1-14
Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7;
Lk 2:15-20
Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6;
Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14]
Saturday:
Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab,
16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22
Sunday:
Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28;
Ps 128:1-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10;
Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24;
Lk 2:41-52
Liturgical Ministers for the Weekend of December 26/27
Mass Time Altar Servers
(Saturday)
5:30pm
9:00am
11:00am
Lectors
Commentator
Cantors
Extraordinary Ministers
J. McCoy
M. Kane
D. Kane
G. Johnson
W. Senger
K. Ballard, M.E. Creighton, L. Hakes, M.
Hans, J. Lewandowski, C. Niznik, S. Shimon
G. Dietz
T. Masters
K. Masters
B. Angone
D. Gregoire
T. Cullinane, D. Dubowski, L. Johnson, B.
Nelson, L.N. Vaillancourt, N. Wemhoff
G. Allori
M. Ozima
A. Caison
P. Leddy
M. Smith
M. Dunn
M. Allori, R. Allori, A. Dwyer, M. Fitzgerald,
L. Jans, S. Sassone, D. Walsh