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Last week’s bulletin cover called attention to the Nativity scene relocated again this year among the trees along the Superior Street-side of the Cathedral. The image of the angel blowing his triumphant trumpet fits perfectly in that setting. To all the members of our very hard-working and volunteer Art and Environment group, let me express the unanimous praise of the parish and of our thousands of visitors for a great job very appreciated. In addition, I want to thank all who were involved in making Christmas at the Cathedral such a prayerful time. Musicians, choirs, cantors, sacristans, servers, lectors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, ushers, the parish pastoral staff, the parish administrative staff, the receptionists who answered thousands of phone calls (“What time is Midnight Mass?”), the maintenance crew, the collection counters, the Oblate Sisters, the deacons, the priests, and the Cardinal all added grace to a most special day. As Liturgy Director, Father Paul Stein should take his own deserved bow. The Art & Environment folks had just 135 minutes between the end of Sunday’s last Mass of Advent and the opening of the doors for 4:00pm Mass to make the Cathedral look like Christmas. Cardinal George was astonished at what they accomplished. So was I. Wow! More thanks are coming. The most familiar Catholic Mass in America was broadcast again this year by our friends at WGN-TV whose mighty signal made our prayers available to over 72-million households in North and South America. WGN not only carries the Mass in the first 90 minutes of Christmas morning, they do so freely and with style. They make us look even better than we are! Further thanks go to Dr. Ricardo Ramirez (Music Director) and David Jonies (Associate Director), the Chamber Singers, the Gallery Singers, the Women’s Schola, the Children’s Choir, extra musicians and Assistant Organist Sheila McAndrews. I was proud to work at the 6:00pm Christmas Eve Mass with Chicago’s own The Ides of March along with radio legend Dick Biondi as we concluded the December promotion of a made-for-Holy Name CD benefiting the Cathedral’s “Thursday Night Suppers” for the hungry. We had a ball during a December 20 pre-dawn media blitz when we appeared on the morning shows of Channels 7, 32, & 9 in addition to generous air time on True Oldies 94.7-FM with Scott Mackay and a really early wake-up call on Steve & Johnnie’s WGN-AM 720 broadcast at 4:00am! I think we are down to the last box of this collector’s item. Don’t wait. Sharing Christmas remains on sale for just $10 at www.theidesofmarch.com and at the Holy Name Cathedral Books and Gifts Store on the Cathedral’s lower level. All $10 goes to the Thursday Suppers. In the name of the priests, sisters, deacons, pastoral associates, and music ministers of Holy Name, I thank the many, many parishioners and friends who sent Christmas cards, Christmas gifts, and kind words. Those of us who try to serve Christ’s people appreciate the thoughtful gesture of all who take the time to recognize us. I am especially grateful to those who took the time to stop after Mass to wish me a blessed Christmas. That face-to-face smile is the best. As each Christmas passes, I add another year to my term as pastor of Holy Name Cathedral. It’s just about five years since I slid down the chimney and into the life of God’s people in downtown Chicago. With each season, I recognize and appreciate more and more of the souls with whom I pray on weekends, the people who give this historic Church its good reputation. Your acknowledgment of my part in the evolving face of Holy Name Cathedral means a lot to me. Your kindness to me makes me feel at home. From all of us who work at Holy Name Cathedral, Merry Christmas! At the close of 1906, just 100 years ago… The average life expectancy in America was 47 years… Only 14% of the homes had a bathtub… Only 8% had a telephone (no cell phones)…There were only 8,000 cars and just 144 miles of paved roads… The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph…The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower… The average wage was 22 cents per hour… The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year… A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year… More than 95% of all births took place at home… 90% of all doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were widely condemned as "substandard"… Sugar cost four cents a pound…Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen… Coffee was fifteen cents a pound… Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo… Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering their country for any reason… Five leading causes of death were (1) pneumonia and influenza; (2) tuberculosis; (3) diarrhea; (4) heart disease; (5) stroke… What is now known as Type I or “Juvenile” Diabetes was fatal… The Pope, Pius X, later would be canonized a saint… The American flag had 45 stars… The population of Las Vegas was only 30… Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented… There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day… Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write. Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school… Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. Pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."… 18% of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help… There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A. … Michigan Avenue was known as Pine Street and, because it had no bridge over the Chicago River and Rush Street did, Rush was a far more prominent and busy street than the one later known as “the Magnificent Mile”…The Drake Hotel property was a town commons where livestock grazed… It would be 33 years before the State Street Subway (the “Red Line”) would be built… Soldier Field was 20 years away…The Cubs and the White Sox had faced each other in the most recent World Series (I won’t comment on the outcome)… Holy Name Cathedral had been in operation as a Cathedral for 31 years, as a parish for 57 years (some verities are nearly eternal)… Still, try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years, on New Year’s Eve 2106… and I sincerely hope the pastor of Holy Name Cathedral on that day will reprint this article! Are you ready for the construction that eventually will make Holy Name Cathedral an even more comfortable, resonant, clean, and beautiful place of prayer for Chicago? The pews come out on Tuesday. We will welcome them back atop our new terrazzo floor for the weekend of February 17-18. See the piece on page 3 in this bulletin regarding the re-location of daily Masses. I will see you next weekend at a Cathedral in motion. Fr. Dan Mayall |
