|
|
|
I will speak at all Cathedral Masses next weekend about an exciting plan for our parish, our Cathedral. Restore and Renew is the title of a five-year campaign to address necessary capital needs at Holy Name – to save this treasure of a building, to make the Cathedral accessible to all, to make the courtyard a beautiful and useable area, and to repair a rectory which has essentially been untouched since 1929. How do we propose to do so? Come to Mass at Holy Name next weekend. There will be refreshments and more information in the cafeteria after Mass. I am excited about Restore and Renew. I would like you to be a part of this great moment in the history of Holy Name Cathedral.
Are you
celebrating your Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2007? If so,
congratulations! Fifty years in a living, breathing, loving Sacrament is
tremendous. On Sunday, September 9 at 2:30pm the annual Mass for those
50 years married will be celebrated in Holy Name Cathedral. It is really
quite an event. Last year, over 600 couples attended from all over the
Archdiocese. There are so many who come to this Mass that there is no
room for other family members to join them in the Cathedral itself.
Those who accompany the couples watch the Mass in a pretty crowded
auditorium on closed-circuit TV. Most often, Cardinal George himself
offers the Mass; however, I am not sure that has been decided yet. In
any case, there will be time for photos in the courtyard after Mass. If
you are a Holy Name parishioner-couple marking 50 years in Christ any
time during 2007 and if you would like to attend the September 9 Mass,
phone in your reservation to Pastoral Assistant Pat Still at To raise money for his parents to travel from Peru for his priestly ordination, Deacon Juan Carlos Gavancho will be performing “a concert of prayer and thanksgiving” at St. Ita Church, 5500 N. Broadway in Chicago next Saturday, April 14, at 7:00pm. The suggested donation is $15 for the performance entitled “A New Song for the Lord.” Juan Carlos has a beautifully trained voice which he intends to use in prayer throughout his priesthood. Some of you may have heard Juan Carlos sing at the offertory of the 5:15pm Mass on March 24 at the Cathedral. Plan a trip to St. Ita Church Saturday for the 7:00pm concert. I look forward to greeting JC’s parents at his ordination. Albert Cardinal Meyer was the Archbishop of Chicago from 1958 until 1965. Today, his ceremonial galero hangs to the far left of those above the cathedra in our Cathedral. Ordained in Milwaukee at 23, he had previously served as Rector of the Milwaukee Seminary; Bishop of Superior; and Archbishop of Milwaukee. He achieved a doctorate in Sacred Scripture and spoke several languages. On his arrival in Chicago, the Our Lady of the Angels School fire claimed the lives of 92 children and three nuns. Cardinal Meyer insisted on safety reforms that are standard today. Two great themes colored his tenure in Chicago. The Archdiocese co-sponsored the 1963 National Conference on Race and Religion together with the National Bishops’ Conference, the National Council of Churches, and the Synagogue Council of America. He previously had counseled his priests “not to foster the flame of racial hatred” that characterized American urban life in the early 1960s. At the 1963 Conference at the Edgewater Beach Hotel, Cardinal Meyer gave the opening address. Martin Luther King delivered the final speech. A second hallmark was Vatican II. Cardinal Meyer was a mighty voice in the crafting of the document on Religious Liberty. Among the American hierarchy at the Council, he was perceived as the chief intellectual. In Chicago, his clergy supported him enthusiastically. Cardinal Meyer died on April 9, 1965 at age 62 and is buried at Mundelein Seminary. James Quarter, born in Ireland in 1806, was ordained a priest at age 23 in New York City. He was named Chicago’s first Bishop in 1844. At 38, he rode into frontier Chicago on horseback. The Diocese of Chicago, carved out of Vincennes (now Indianapolis) and St. Louis, consisted of all of Illinois. About a dozen priests covered the State. To foster priestly vocations, in his first year, Bishop Duggan established the University of St. Mary of the Lake. The “Lake” was Lake Michigan, three blocks east of the campus. The school stood on the block where Holy Name Cathedral stands today. He invited the Sisters of Mercy to found women’s schools. Their Superior was Mother Frances Xavier Warde. Her name honors the Catholic School our parish supports today. After ordaining 29 priests and establishing 30 Churches, Bishop Quarter died at age 42 on April 10, 1848. On Monday and Tuesday, Chicago must pray for two 23-year old priests - Cardinal Meyer and Bishop Quarter - successors of the Apostles, leaders of Chicago’s Church On Holy Saturday night, over 65 adults joined the Catholic Church. That was one of the biggest—if not the biggest—such group in Chicago. Congratulations to our friends in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults – the new Catholics. Thanks to Pastoral Associate Ann Klocke and the RCIA team of volunteers who worked so prayerfully in preparing all throughout the year. The whole pastoral staff stands tall because each of us took a hand in that preparation, too. Standing even taller and smiling broadly are the sponsors, those who walked with our new parishioners. Taking part in the preparation and proudly administering the Easter Sacraments was Francis Cardinal George. All of those received into our faith see Christ very clearly today. Imagine that some of them did not know Jesus Christ at all last Easter. That’s quite a trip. We welcome them and thousands of others in our Archdiocese to the Catholic Church. Reflected in them is the real power of the Risen Christ. He has Risen—He has Risen indeed! Happy Easter! Fr. Dan Mayall |
