Bulletin Board with News and Events

 Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The word comes from Latin vesper, meaning "evening." During Advent at Holy Name Cathedral, a beautiful arrangement of vespers is prayed at 4:00pm as darkness settles on the winter afternoon. This Sunday, December 9, that evening prayer will be led by Father Michael Novick assisted by the Cathedral musicians and voices. An organ recital will precede the prayers. Wrap yourself in the Advent peace of Christ Sunday at 4:00pm.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be celebrated this Wednesday, December 12, with five Masses at Holy Name Cathedral – 6:00, 7:00, & 8:00am; 12:10 & 5:15pm. The 5:15pm Mass will be offered by Chicago Episcopal Vicar and Mexican native Auxiliary Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller. The day recalls the apparition of the Blessed Mother on the hill of Tepayac from December 9-12, 1531 to native convert Juan Diego, now a canonized saint in Heaven. Throughout all of South and North America, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be celebrated Wednesday. Join in.

Thursday, Bishop Timothy Lyne will note the 24 years as a bishop. On December 13, 1983, at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago’s John Cardinal Cody ordained him a successor of the Apostles. Bishop Lyne had served as the seventh pastor/rector of our Cathedral from 1967-1990. He was the overseer of the Cathedral’s renovation in 1968-69. On Thursday, say a prayer of thanks for a great friend of Holy Name Cathedral and the one in whose name the rectory will be dedicated next spring as part of our Restore & Renew capital campaign – Bishop Timothy Lyne. (Keep May 1 open for a big party and May 18 free for a Mass remembering Bishop Lyne’s 65^th anniversary as a priest!)

I will be in the Cathedral this Friday evening, December 14, at 7:30pm for the exciting fourth annual Cathedral Christmas, Holy Name’s musical framing of the spiritual season for all Chicago. Check out the information on page 7 of this bulletin describing the various ticket levels. Everyone at Friday’s performance will be placed amid the sounds, sights, and senses that highlight the season. HEAVEN AND EARTH, REJOICE! – The Cathedral Christmas will be this coming Friday evening. Get your tickets today.

On Monday, December 17, the Catholic Filipino Network of Holy Name Cathedral will sponsor Simbang Gabi for all the people of Holy Name Cathedral parish. Those who have celebrated the early light of Christmas in the past certainly will be with us again. Those who have never been to (or even those who never heard of) Simbang Gabi will want to be here. A Mass will be offered with an assist from the Filipino Choir, one of the five Cathedral Choirs. After Mass, come to the cafeteria for a feast of food from the Philippines. That will be a week from Monday – Simbang Gabi.

I look forward to Tuesday, December 18, when all the Churches of our Deanery will be invited to St. Michael’s Church in Old Town for a Penance Prayer complete with the opportunity for individual Advent Confession. The priests of all eleven parishes in our neighborhood will be available at 7:00pm.  St. Michael’s Church is located at Cleveland & Eugenie. From the Cathedral, go two blocks west to Clark Street; turn north on Clark and proceed 8 blocks to North Avenue); turn left and look for the 6^th possible right turn – Cleveland Ave.; finally, turn right one block to St. Michael’s Church. I will be looking for you on Tuesday, December 18 at St. Michael’s

Once again this year on Christmas Eve – Monday, December 24 – I will offer the  6:00pm Mass with music led by the Women’ Schola of Holy Name Cathedral and with an assist on the homily and a post-Communion piece performed by our friends The Ides of March accompanied by Chicago radio legend Dick Biondi. Starting this weekend, a 4-number CD produced last Christmas especially for the benefit of Cathedral’s Thursday Suppers will be on sale at Holy Name Cathedral Books & Gifts on the Cathedral’s lower level and at www.theidesofmarch.com for just $10. If you missed last year’s sale, here’s another chance. It’s a great Christmas gift, too. The Ides of March are a west suburban Chicago band formed when the original members were teenagers at Morton High School. They scored several popular rock hits locally in the mid-1960s; and, with the addition of other neighbor-friends on horns, they produced some very famous popular music nationally. A reunion of The Ides in 1990 led to regular and lively performances at summertime neighborhood and suburban festivals which continue today. Their appearance at Holy Name Cathedral will be their third charity fund raising event this month and their third annual appearance at Holy Name. No Chicagoan needs to be introduced to Dick Biondi. Dick, first heard in this town on WLS-AM in 1960 and now broadcasting every weeknight night from 8:00-Midnight on True Oldies 94.7-FM, will read The Five Snowflakes, a Christmas poem about Holy Name Cathedral composed by me. Join us at the 6:00pm Mass on Christmas Eve. That will be fun. Most importantly, pick up a copy – or several copies – of SHARING CHRISTMAS, the CD for the benefit of the Thursday Suppers sponsored by Holy Name Cathedral at Catholic Charities. For $10, you will be feeding someone who needs a meal; and you’ll have a great Christmas gift.

Fr. Dan Mayall