Saint Edmund Parish Echoes
Reaching out from the heart of Oak Park
January 29, 2017
Parish Office
188 S. Oak Park Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 60302; Telephone: 708-848-4417; Fax Line: 708-848-0049
Parish Center Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9am - 8pm, Friday, 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm; Sunday 9:00am - 1pm
Visit the parish web-site at stedmund.org. You may also e-mail us from the web-site.
Follow us on Twitter at: St. Edmunds-Oak Park or @edmunds_oakpark
Parish Administration and Staff
Rev. John McGivern, Pastor
Ms. Peggy Leddy, Pastoral Associate
Mrs. Maria Allori, Development Director
Deacon Thomas Dwyer, Parish Business Manager
Mr. Donald Giannetti, Parish Assistant
Mrs. Kathleen Halfpenny, Director of Music
Mrs. Christine A. Rousakis, Manager, Parish Office
Mr. Al Vargas, Facilities Manager
Rev. John Lucas, In Residence
Rev. Gene Gratkowski, W eekend Presider
Rev. John O’Callaghan, S.J., W eekend Presider
School of Religious Education
200 S. Oak Park Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 60302
School of Religious Education Telephone: 708-848-7220 · RE/Fax Line: 708-386-5616
Visit the parish web-site at stedmund.org. You may also e-mail us from the web-site.
Religious Education Program Administration and Staff
Mrs. Janet Bennick, Coordinator of Religious Education ·
Ms. Kaydee Sproat, Program Secretary
All are welcome. An entrance ramp and push-bar automatic door is located at the eastern entrance of the church.
The Struggle to Love Our Neighbor
“The most damaging idolatry is not the golden calf but
enmity against the other.” The renowned anthropologist,
Rene Girard, wrote that and its truth is not easily admitted. Most of us like to believe that we are mature and bithearted and that we do love our neighbors and are free of
enmity towards others. But is this so?
In our more honest, more accurately perhaps, in our more
humble moments, I think that all of us admit that we
don’t really love others in the way that Jesus asked. We
don’t turn the other cheek. We don’t really love our enemies. We don’t wish good to those who wish us harm.
We don’t bless those who curse us. And we don’t genuinely forgive those who murder our loved one. We are
decent, good-hearted persons, but persons whose heaven
is still too-predicted on needing an emotional vindication
in the face of anyone or anything that opposes us. We can
be fair, we can be just, but we don’t yet love the way Jesus asked us to, that is, so that our love goes out to both
those who love us and to those who hate us. We still
struggle, mightily, mostly unsuccessfully, to wish our
enemies well.
But for most of us who like to believe ourselves mature
that battle remains hidden, mostly from ourselves. We
tend to feel that we are loving and forgiving because, essentially, we are well-intentioned, sincere, and able to
believe and say off the right things: but there’s another
part of us that isn’t nearly so noble. The Irish Jesuit, Michael Paul Gallagher, (who died recently and will be
dearly missed) put this well when he writes (In Extra
Time): “You probably don’t hate anyone, but you can be
paralyzed by daily negatives. Mini-prejudices and kneejerk judgements can produce a mood of undeclared war.
Across barbed wire fences, invisible bullets fly.” Loving
the other as oneself, he submits, is for most of us an impossible uphill climb.
So where does that leave us? Serving out a life-sentence
of mediocrity and hyprocisy? Professing to loving our
enemies but doing it? How can we profess to be Christians when, if we are honest, we have to admit that we are
not measuring up to the litmus-test of Christian discipleship, namely, loving and forgiving our enemies?
Perhaps we are not as bad as we think we are. If we are
still struggling, we are still healthy. In making us, it
seems, God factored in human complexity, human weakness, and how growing into deeper love is a life-long
journey. What can look like hyprocrisy from the outside
can be in fact a pilgrimage, a Camino walk, when seen
within a fuller light of patience and understanding.
Thomas Aquinas, in speaking about union and intimacy,
makes this important distinction. He distinguishes between being in union with something or somebody in
actuality and being in union with that someone or something through desire. This has many applications but, applied in this case; it means that sometimes the heart can
only go somewhere through desire rather than in actuality. We can believe in the right things and want the right
things and still not be able to bring our hearts onside. One
example of this is what the old catechisms (in their
unique wisdom) used to call imperfect contrition”, that is,
the notion that if you have done something wrong that
you know is wrong and that you know that you should
feel sorry for, but you can’t in fact feel sorry for, then if
you can wish that you could feel sorry, that’s contrition
enough, not perfect, but enough. It’s the best you can do
and it puts you at the right place at the level of desire, not
a perfect place, but one better than its alternative.
And that “imperfect” place does more for us than simply
providing the minimal standard of contrition needed for
forgiveness. More importantly it accords rightful dignity
to whom ad to what we have hurt.
Reflecting on our inability to genuinely love our neighbor, Marilynne Robinson submits that, even in our failure
to live up to what Jesus asks of us, if we are struggling
honestly, there is some virtue. She argues this way: Freud
said that we cannot love our neighbor as ourselves, and
no doubt this is true. But since we accept the reality that
lies behind the commandment, that our neighbor is as
worthy of love as ourselves, then in our very attempt to
act on Jesus’ demand we are acknowledging that our
neighbor is worthy of love even if, at this point in our
lives, we are too weak to provide it.
And that’s the crucial point: In continuing to struggle,
despite our failures, to live up to the Jesus’ great commandment of love we acknowledge the dignity inherent
in our enemies, acknowledge that they are worthy of
love, and acknowledge our own shortcoming. That’s
“imperfect” of course, but, I suspect, Thomas Aquinas
would say it’s a start!
Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI
San Antonio, Texas
www.ronrolheiser.com
Mass Schedule
Monday-Friday: 8:30am;
Saturday: 8:30am; 5:30pm (Sunday Anticipatory)
Sunday: 9am, 11:00am, 5:30pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Saturday: 4:15pm (located in west end of north transept)
Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
Call the Parish Office. A Minister of Care is also available to
bring Holy Communion to our parish sick and homebound.
New Parishioners
We welcome new parishioners at all times. Please stop in the
Parish Office during business hours to register.
3 Ordinary
Solemnity
Fourth
of Mary,
SundayThe
in
Holy Mother
Time
of God
Renew My Church Parish Groupings
January 21, 2017
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As a new year begins, I want to assure you of my prayers for you, your families, and your parish communities. I
also want to share some important information about Renew
My Church.
As you may already know, Renew My Church is an
archdiocesan initiative that involves all the people of the
archdiocese and their faith communities. The goal of Renew
My Church is to make our parishes more vital and more
sustainable. We do this not on our own initiative but in response to the call of Christ, which was first heard by those
disciples recounted in today’s gospel. The call is the same
as it was in those early days of the Church: to be His disciples and take responsibility for carrying on His mission in
our time. The place to start is by working together to make
our parishes vibrant communities that form missionary disciples of Jesus. This will also mean being realistic about our
limited human and material resources and evaluating how
our present structures may need to be organized differently
to keep pace with changing realities.
A very important part of the process of Renew My
Church are the parish groupings that will work to plan for
the future and discern where God is leading us. After receiving consultation and feedback from you, the priests of
the diocese, and parish pastoral councils, we are announcing
the groupings today.
Your parish will be part of a grouping that will enable
you to assess, plan, and discern how best to meet the needs
of the future in a way that is both reasonable and in conformity with God’s will for us.
Each grouping will have guidance for its process of reflection and discernment. Everything, however, begins
with building relationships across parishes in a given grouping. That means getting to know each other and perhaps
sharing some common projects or events, such as retreats,
lectures, or community service for those in need. With future guidance and facilitation, this will develop in more
specific planning and discernment directions. Today, your
pastor will share a list of the parishes in your grouping.
Renew My Church will undoubtedly involve leaving
behind familiar patterns and demand that we move outside
our comfort zones. In a word, it will require sacrifice, but
that has always been true for the Church whenever we have
taken up new challenges. I am convinced that we are up to
the task, and willing to do whatever it takes to build our
capacity to pass on our faith to future generations. That is
what is at stake in the Renew My Church process. I encourage you to become involved and pray for its success.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich Archbishop of Chicago
The RMC grouping of which St. Edmund Parish is a part,
includes the following parishes:
• Ascension Parish (and School)
• St. Bernardine Parish
• St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Parish (and School)
• St. Edmund Parish
• St. Giles Parish (and School)
• St. Luke Parish (and School)
• St. Vincent Ferrer Parish (and School)
Please Make Your Gift to the
2017 Annual Catholic Appeal
“Love Your Neighbor As Yourself”
This week, many parish families will be receiving a
letter from Cardinal Cupich asking that you make a
pledge to the 2017 A nnual Catholic A ppeal. We ask
that you respond as generously as possible.
The Appeal supports both Parish and Archdiocesan
ministries and services. The Appeal funds ser vices
that are of great help to ministries here in our Parish.
For example, Appeal funds support the various ministries in our parish.
This year, the theme of the Appeal is “Love Your
Neighbor As Yourself.” We have all received God’s
love. By financially supporting the ministries and services funded by the ACA, we help to extend God’s love
to many, many others.
As you review the mailing from Cardinal Cupich,
please note the ministries and services funded by the
Appeal, including the ones that directly support the
work of our parish. Then please give generously. Note,
when our parish reaches its goal of $43,165 in paid
pledges, 100% of the additional funds received will be
returned to us for use in our Parish.
Offertory for Weekend of January 21/22
Budgeted……………………………………...$14,350.00
Weekend collection……………………… ….$ 9,837.66
Deficit to date…………………………….….– 65,388.20
Adult Confirmation Classes Begin Soon
Registration Now Open
The Chicago Archdiocese’s Adult Confirmation Program
is for those who are:
• 19-years-old or older,
• baptized Catholic and who have received First Holy
Communion.
For Adult Confirmation class schedule and to register,
please contact Peggy Leddy, Pastoral Associate, at:
[email protected] or 708-848-4417, x202.
4
School of Religious Education
SAVE THE DATE!
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
St. Patrick’s Celebration
First Communicant students and their families will attend
an Enrollment mass on Sunday, February 5 at 9am. Parents/guardians will attend a meeting at 10:30am at the
school.
Come for the wearin’ o the green!
Book Club Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30pm
Woman of God Author: James Patterson
Food,
entertainment,
and lots of blarney!
The St. Edmund Book Club will meet on Tuesday, February 21. The book for discussion is W oman of God by
James Patterson.
Contact parishioner Mari Hans at:
[email protected] for more information.
Did You Know?
St. Edmund Has a Young Adult Group!
We are a dynamic group that seeks to connect young
adults at St. Edmund by organizing activities that build
our relationships with God and each
other guided by one common thread,
our Catholic Faith. The group provides
a wonderful opportunity to make new
friends, participate in service to our
community and enrich our spiritual journey. We’re planning events now so join soon! All adults under the age of
35 are welcome to join the Young Adult group. Please
contact Monica at [email protected] to join.
Where: School Gymnasium
More details to follow.
Church in Latin America Collection
This Weekend, January 28-29
The collection for the Church in Latin American will take
place this weekend, January 28-29. Your generosity will
support the many pastoral projects that benefit the faithful
in Latin America and the Caribbean. Extra envelopes may
be found in the pews.
“Did You Know?”
Care of God’s Creation
Week at a Glance
Sunday
10:15am
10:30am
January 29
RCIA
Religious Education
Parish Office
School
Monday
2:00pm
7:00pm
January 30
Eucharistic Adoration
Parish Council
Church
Parish Office
Tuesday
7:30pm
January 31
Wedding Music
Workshop
Wednesday
7:00pm
7:00pm
February 1
Bridge
Cantors/Choir
Murphy Hall
Church
Friday
9:00am
5:30pm
February 3
Bible Study
Duplicate Bridge
Murphy Hall
Murphy Hall
Saturday
9:30am
February 4
Centering Prayer
N. Transept
Sunday
10:15am
10:30am
12:15pm
February 5
RCIA
Religious Education
Baptism Class
Parish Office
School
Murphy Hall
Church
Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology, Laudato Si, says that
climate change is real and mainly “a result of human activity”.
The problem is urgent. “Never have we hurt and mistreated our
common home as we have in the last 200
years.” We must all change our day-to-day
actions to live more sustainably. “Reducing
greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage
and responsibility”. On a larger scale, our
leaders must be held to account, “Those who
will have to suffer the consequences….will not
forget this failure of conscience and responsibility.” www.catholicclimatecovenant.org/encyclical.
St. Edmund Bible Study News
In the Spring, we will read the Book of Job, beginning on
March 3, the first Friday of Lent. The
Book of Job, a Wisdom book, searches for the meaning of suffering and
retribution.
We meet in Murphy Hall from 9am
until 10:30am on consecutive Fridays
unless otherwise announced. Please
join us whenever you are able, even if you are traveling in
the Spring. Our discussions are educational and lively!
All are welcome.
5
Spiritual Week at St.
Edmund Parish
We Pray for our Sick
Marty Anderson
Fr. John Paul Andree
Clara Ballard
Susan Becker
Susan Benedict
Janet Bennick
Fr. John Carolan
Susan Chicola
Eternal Rest Grant unto These, O Lord
Katherine Davis
Ethel Thomas
Mary Lynn Dietsche Stillman Thomas
Mary Evans
Francisco Torres
Mamma Giannetti Yanira Torres
Marjorie Hunt
Jimmie Weekley
Helen Mazzeo
Emilie Novak
Hannah Paist
Florence Dalessandro Mary Redmond
Celsa Salinas
Bobbie Davis
Mike Scully
Jazmine Davis
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
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
Dave Porter, US Army
Col. Gregory P. Puccetti, US Army
Gian Franco Solari, US Air Force
Brian Walsh, First Lieutenant US Army
Kimyatta Wellington, US Navy
Mass Time Altar Servers
(Saturday)
Mary Tyler Moore, television icon
Special Remembrances at Daily Eucharist
Monday
8:30am
January 30
† Frank Condon, † Vera Quianzon
Tuesday
8:30am
January 31 (John Bosco)
† Vera Quianzon
Wednesday
February 1
† Timothy J. Rogers
† Vera Quianzon
Thursday
8:30am
February 2 (Presentation of the Lord)
† Deceased parishioners, † Vera Quianzon
Friday
8:30am
February 3
† Vera Quianzon
Saturday
8:30am
5:30pm
February 4 (Blaise, Ansgar)
† Fr. Joe Ruiz
† Harold Bonus
† Trinidad Hernandez-Aguilar
Sunday
9:00am
11:00am
5:30pm
February 5 (5th Sunday in O.T.)
† Victorina Wemhoff
† Ann Sarpy, Sr., † Herbert Rathers
People of St. Edmund
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and
renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
- Psalms 51: 10
READINGS FOR THE WEEK
Heb 11:32-40; Ps 31:20-24; Mk 5:1-20
Heb 12:1-4; Ps 22:26b-28, 30-32;
Mk 5:21-43
Wednesday: Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Ps 103:1-2, 13-14,
17-18a; Mk 6:1-6
Thursday: Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18;
Lk 2:22-40 [22-32]
Friday:
Heb 13:1-8; Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9; Mk 6:14-29
Saturday: Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Ps 23:1-6;
Mk 6:30-34
Sunday:
Is 58:7-10; Ps 112:4-9; 1 Cor 2:1-5;
Mt 5:13-16
Monday:
Tuesday:
Liturgical Ministers for the Weekend of February 4/5
Lectors
Commentator
Cantors
Extraordinary Ministers
J. McCoy
G. LeBlanc
J. Martin
V. McDonnell
T. Mackey
P. Pruitt
M. Kolovitz, M. E. Creighton, J. Kula, J.
Lewandowski, J. McCoy, B. Nelson, D. Taylor
G. Dietz
M. Fedota
M. Biek
J. Biek
D. Gregoire
tba
11:00am
S. Patston
G. Allori
J. Zaklan
W. Carlton
M. Stroth
S. Maldre
C. Cioppa, L. Jans
5:30pm
E. Wilson-Yu
5:30pm
9:00am
H. Tayag