Dear Parishioners,

At this time of year, in the Church’s liturgical cycle as well as the cycle of nature, we are invited to contemplate the mystery of death. While trees shed their leaves and the hours of night lengthen, the Church’s commemorations of All Saints, All Souls and the triumph of Christ the King, put before us the inevitable reality that life, as we know it now, will end. Throughout this journey of life, death is our unseen companion, and if we can learn to befriend, rather than fear it, when death finally comes in its fullness, we will be able to welcome it as a rebirth – a homecoming into heaven.

Dear Parishioners,

Continuing my reflection on MAKE, the Pastoral Letter recently published by Bishop Hicks for the Joliet Diocese, I would like to focus on the second essential step in what the bishop is calling a roadmap to making Christian disciples. This next step is that of Confession, which logically follows the first step of Conversion. Conversion is the moment in people's lives when they realize that God is more than a theory or intellectual construct. It is the realization that God is personally connected with each individual. So profound is this connection that it calls forth a life-changing response from the person - a response of discipleship.

Dear Parishioners,

By now most of you have become aware of the recent Pastoral Le er launched by Bishop Hicks, i.e., MAKE for the people of Joliet Diocese. More will unfold regarding this le er in the weeks and months ahead. Essen ally its focus is on the Great Commission of Jesus. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, bap zing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the world. (Ma hew 28: 19-20).

Dear Parishioners,

Among Roman Catholics, October has traditionally been observed as the month dedicated to the rosary, the time-honored prayer that in many ways epitomizes our devotional life. October acquired this designation by Pope Saint Pius V who inaugurated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7 in thanksgiving for a battle victory which the Christians enjoyed over the Turks at Lepanto in 1573. But prior to this historical moment, the rosary had already endeared itself to Christians.

When I arrived as your bishop five years ago, I laid out a vision of catechesis, evangelization, and faith into action, emphasizing that a thriving Church is one where we truly know, love, and serve God. The big question remains: how do we actually do that? How do we move from just having a vision to putting it into real practice?

Dear Parishioners,

Every two years In the Diocese of Joliet, each priest who serves in a parish is required to attend a convocation that begins on a Monday evening and concludes at noon on the Thursday of that week. These are conducted at nearby convention centers capable of accommodating large gatherings such as this with overnight accommodations, food and ample spaces for daily meetings and public prayer. For the past several years, these convocations have been hosted at the Hyatt Lodge in Oakbrook which is comfortably conducive for this time of learning, refreshment and conviviality.

In the world of leadership, there is a common practice: after the first one hundred days in office, we pause to reflect. What direction is this new leader taking us in? What tone has been set? Where might we be headed?

Dear Parishioners,

September 14th is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This ancient Christian festival, common to the churches of both the East and West, emerged in the early 4th century after St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, discovered the actual cross on which Jesus died. Her discovery of the cross came as the result of an excavation expedition that she organized in Jerusalem. In the process of her excavation of the church of the Holy Sepulcher three crosses were found. Of these three, the cross of Jesus was identified when it was touched to a dying woman who was subsequently healed. An alternative legend to this one maintains that when a paralyzed man touched the cross of Jesus, the man regained his ability to walk.

Dear Parishioners,

Tomorrow, September 8, is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the course of the Church’s liturgical year there are only three birthdays that are commemorated – the birthday of the Lord Jesus (December 25), the birthday of John the Baptist (June 24), and the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God (September 8). All other saints are typically commemorated on the day of their death (Dies Natils), which was regarded as their birth into eternal life. But because of the unique and privileged role that Mary, John the Baptist and, most significantly, Christ Jesus were given in salvation history, they are honored on both, their birth into this world as well as their birth into the glory of heaven.