Bulletin Board with News and Events

 The Philippine Catholics will gather Monday at 7:00pm in the Cathedral for their pre-Christmas celebration of Simbang Gabi. You are invited. Filipinos are the largest ethnic group in our parish. They are very Catholic. Join their Advent prayer. Then come over to the cafeteria for a wonderful feast of Philippine food. I will look for you.

 The Catholic students of the Frances Xavier Warde School who attend classes on the Cathedral campus (grades 5 through 8) will participate in an Advent Penance Prayer on Tuesday afternoon that includes the opportunity for them to confess their sins and to hear the mighty words of absolution pronounced over each of them. It is my experience that the FXW students are well prepared by their teachers for a truly meaningful experience of the Sacrament of Penance, a fitting exercise in this season of preparation for the miracle of Christ’s Incarnation. Whenever I celebrate that Sacrament with school children, I always promise to give them Reconciliation homework. I insist that they go home after school and tell their parents that they took part in the Sacrament. It lets the parents know what motive the kid might have for being so good; it relates the Church experience to where the children live (literally); and maybe it gets a parent or two to think about taking the opportunity to go to confession as well before Christmas arrives. I invite all in the parish to pray for the children on Tuesday.

Holy Name Cathedral parish will be one of ten parishes in our Deanery, our section of the City, to take part in a common Penance Service this coming Tuesday, December 18, at St. Michael’s Church in Old Town. There will be no other common Penance Prayer for Cathedral parishioners this Advent. We are cooperating with our neighboring parishes in making the Sacrament easily available to all at a central spot. So join me and several of the Cathedral priests at St. Michael Tuesday 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 look for you. (St. Michael’s Parish phone is 312-642-2498.)

Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. 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 16, that evening prayer will be led by Cardinal George assisted by the Cathedral musicians and voices. An organ recital will precede the prayers. Wrap yourself in Advent peace of Christ Sunday at 4:00pm.

ERROR #1 – On the mailings the parish sent to all registered parishioners announcing the Christmas Mass and Advent confessions schedule, we noted boldly that there would be no scheduled confessions on Christmas Eve. That’s wrong. We were copying last year’s schedule when Christmas Eve was a Sunday. This year, on Monday, Dec. 24, confessions will be heard from 1:00-3:00pm.

ERROR #2 - Cardinal Cody would like to have ordained Bishop Lyne a bishop 24 years ago this month. However, it was Cardinal Bernardin who gets the credit. Last week – for the second consecutive and embarrassing year – I made the error of identifying Cardinal Cody as the one who imposed hands on Bishop Lyne. Cardinal Cody will have to settle for having ordained me (and the majority of the Chicago presbyterate) to the priesthood. Meanwhile, I’ll try not to make that mistake again next year when Bishop Lyne celebrates his Silver Jubilee with the fullness of Holy Orders.

By the time you read this Cathedral Christmas, the annual holiday presentation by the Cathedral Music Department and an army of volunteers will be complete. Thanks go to a load of people who worked very hard…Let’s thank those who organized the talk Father Robert Barron gave upon the release of his latest DVD, Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues. Father Barron drew about 300 on an unfortunately inclement evening. What would he have drawn without the snowstorm? The DVD is on sale at Holy Name Cathedral Books & Gifts…Although I am writing this piece before the event, I also want to thank those who scheduled Father Pat Lagges, Judicial Vicar of the Archdiocese and a resident priest at Holy Name, for his talk last Tuesday on Marriage, Divorce, & Annulment. That evening was presented in conjunction with several evangelization efforts around Deanery II-D. Watch for more on the Deanery’s attempt to reconnect our neighbors to their faith…The Parish Life Commission gets applause for last Sunday’s Pancake Breakfast. I was the first customer; and I know I was not the last person to say that the breakfast was a great idea…Those who participated in the Glove Drive for those on the streets did some basic Christian work…Thanks go to the Young Adult Ministry for again organizing a pre-Christmas Toy Drive in conjunction with Catholic Charities. That project was very well done…Speaking of Catholic Charities, let’s recognize the noble parishioners, the sponsors, and other volunteers who provide the Thursday and Friday Suppers for the needy each week. That work goes on thanks to the generosity of many.

You also can help the Suppers and pick up a great Christmas gift at the same time. SHARING CHRISTMAS, a 4-number CD featuring the famous local rock band The Ides of March with an assist from legendary Chicago radio personality Dick Biondi is on sale right now for just $10. Profits support the Thursday Suppers. You can pick up as many copies as you want to give away this Christmas and you can pick up one yourself at Holy Name Cathedral Books and Gifts open today on the lower level of the Cathedral. You also can find SHARING CHRISTMAS on line at www.theidesofmarch.com.  And, if you get to the right Mass this weekend and next, I think some of our friends in the Human Concerns Commission will have the CD on hand in the vestibule on your way out of Mass today. The Ides and Dick Biondi provided this entertaining gift last year; we are happy to offer it again. Get SHARING CHRISTMAS and help the Thursday Suppers.

Fr. Dan Mayall