Bulletin Board with News and Events

 Francis Cardinal George was elected by the American bishops last week as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He will serve for three years while retaining his duties as Chicago’s Archbishop. Cardinal George wrote in the November 11-24, 2007 issue of The Catholic New World, “The Church was born as a community of believers led by the Apostles who preached the Gospel, celebrated the sacraments, and set up governance structures to direct and shepherd the followers of Jesus. In order to direct and shepherd effectively, pastoral institutions gradually were created: parishes, where Christians could be pastored by priests; and synods or councils, where bishops could come together to decide jointly on pastoral practices. Neither parishes nor bishops’ conferences are of divine origin; the Church could exist without them, but both have proven pastorally useful.” As President of the USCCB, the Cardinal will lead the American bishops. He also will represent the American hierarchy and the American Church to other national Conferences, to the offices of the Holy See, to the greater American nation and government, and to Pope Benedict XVI. He certainly will be even busier than he has been in his first decade as our bishop. (Is that possible?) Cardinal George has served the past three years as Vice-President along side outgoing President, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane. Elected Vice-President this time was another Chicagoan, Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson. Bishop Kicanas, formerly the Rector of Mundelein Seminary and of Quigley South High School Seminary, was ordained a Chicago priest in 1967 and a bishop at Holy Name Cathedral in 1995. He served as a Chicago auxiliary bishop until 2001 when he was appointed to Tucson. Coincidentally, the home parish of Cardinal George (St. Pascal) and the home parish of Bishop Kicanas (Immaculate Heart of Mary) are just four miles apart along Irving Park Road on  the North Side. Please pray for the Cardinal, Bishop Kicanas, the Bishops’ Conference, and the US Catholic Church.

Every fall, Catholic Churches in Chicago take the “October Count,” statistics involving how many attend weekend Masses in Chicago Churches. October is chosen for the count because there are no weekend holidays, fewer folks are away, usually there is no extreme weather, and school is in session. In our area, there is the dilemma of the Chicago Marathon that blocks off several streets and prevents folks from getting to and from the Cathedral and several other Churches on the designated weekend. Still, we are comparing apples to apples. The Marathon is run every October. This October, our ushers counted a total of 16,849 people at the October Masses; that’s an average of 4,212 each weekend, down 333 from 2006. This year our best attended Mass was the Sunday 5:15pm (735 average) followed by the 9:30am (716), the Saturday 5:15pm (712), and the 11:00am (704). In order, the averages for the other Masses were 12:30pm (541); 8:15am (326); 7:00am  (242); 7:30pm Saturday (236). While each of the bottom four rose slightly compared with last year, all four of the most popular Masses declined, with the largest drop in the Saturday 5:15pm. While the 735 average at the Sunday 5:15pm Mass was the surprising winner, that number was similar to last year’s 720 which was just good enough for 4^th biggest Mass congregation last year. We regularly sample our house and know that about 2/3 of our weekend attendance represents visitors – from elsewhere in Chicago, from all over the United States (the biggest group), and from around the world. The Parish Pastoral Council of Holy Name Cathedral – 13 lay leaders who advise me on parish organization and direction – already is helping to reverse the 7% decline. A committee is working on updating information the Cathedral provides to downtown hotels and improving communication with the association of hotel concierges. I always have been inspired by the number of guests we welcome to Holy Name Cathedral every weekend for Mass, most of them Catholics taking seriously an obligation and a need to participate in the Eucharist every Sunday, even while away. I hope the Cathedral’s registered regulars are just as faithful to that obvious need to worship God in Word and Sacrament every single weekend. Don’t stay home. We will be counting on you.

Next Saturday will be the 49^th anniversary of the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire. On December 1, 1958, a fire started in the OLA school basement sometime between 2:00 and 2:20pm. It likely was lit by a disturbed child. The fire burned undetected for an estimated 30 minutes. Five miles west of the Cathedral, OLA had an enrollment then that would make it today the largest Catholic School in Chicago – 1,300 K-8^th grade. The teachers all were Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – BVMs just like those who taught at both Holy Name Cathedral Grade School and High School in the 1950s.The first firefighters arrived within four minutes of the call. However, the fire may have been burning for a half hour before the alarm. Furthermore, the trucks were sent to the rectory address on the other side of the block, costing valuable time for the trucks trying to navigate through a mob of terror-stricken parents. Emergency equipment, escapes, alarms, and detection devices we take for granted today were not a part of the building which had passed inspection just weeks before the blaze because the school was grandfathered beyond the 1949 fire code standards. By the time the fire was detected, for 329 children and 5 teaching nuns on the second floor, the only remaining means of escape was to jump from their windows to the concrete and crushed rock 25 feet below, or to pray for the fire department to arrive and rescue them before it was too late. Recognizing the trap they were in, some of the nuns encouraged the children to sit at their desks or gather in a semi-circle and pray. And they did—until the smoke, heat and flames forced them to the windows. Some began jumping—others fell or were pushed. More than 200 courageous firemen heroically began rescuing children from the second floor windows. The hellish conditions in some of the classrooms had become unbearable. Many children jumped, fell, or were pushed out before firemen could get to them. Some were killed in the fall, and scores more were injured. Smaller children were trapped behind the frantic crowds at the windows, blocking any chance to escape. Some who managed to secure a spot at a window were then unable to climb over a three-foot-high window sill, or were pulled back by others frantically trying to scramble out. Helplessly, weeping firemen watched in anguish from the top of ladders as classrooms still filled with frightened children exploded in flames, instantly killing those who remained. In the end, 92 children and 3 nuns perished. Next Saturday, pray for those still alive who endured that horror. Pray for their families. Pray that such pain never strikes Chicago again. Pray for firefighters. Pray especially for those 95 who lost their lives in the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire.

r. Dan Mayall