Bulletin Board with News and Events

234 – That’s the number of choir voices who joined in the music at last Sunday’s 5:15pm Mass, a liturgy entitled “With All the Choirs of Angels.” Twenty-two parishes sent participating choirs. The choirs were under the direction of Rick Gibala, of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia. The staff of Chicago’s Office for Divine Worship organized the choral festival with a great assist from Holy Name’s own Dr. Ricardo Ramirez. I think that Holy Name Cathedral was the ideal setting for such an Archdiocesan event. It was beautiful

3,000,000 – That’s close to the dollar budget for the current fiscal year at Holy Name Cathedral. That budget is being administered by Andrew Skura, one of the newest members of the Cathedral’s administrative staff. Andrew joined Holy Name in September from his previous position as an Internal Auditor for the Chicago Transit Authority. Andrew was born and raised in Chicago at St. Thecla parish on the northwest side. He is an alumnus of Notre Dame High School for Boys in Niles. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Loyola University of Chicago before going on to positions in the Florida Department of Revenue (Auditor), American Chambers Life Insurance (Assistant Controller), Michael Silver & Company (Staff Accountant/Auditor), and Meridian Regional Imaging (Senior Accountant) before moving on to the CTA. He comes to the Cathedral with excellent references and the endorsement of Rich Gargul, the previous controller who trained Andrew during their three-week cross-over. Rich moved on to do some private accounting from home and to serve as an auditor-consultant for the Archdiocese. Administrative Chief of Staff Stan Strom and Stewardship Director Joe Konen fielded the many applicants for the Cathedral controller’s job and sifted them down to a few whom Stan, Joe and I interviewed. Andrew clearly was our man. Aside from the administration of the current budget prepared by Rich Gargul and approved by me and the parish Finance Council, Andrew’s responsibilities include the preparation of the next budget, the administration of staff payroll and benefits, purchasing, acting as Cathedral representative to most outside vendors, the monitoring of internal budgets, overseeing the collection counting, cooperating with our tenants (Casa Jesus and the Frances Xavier Warde School), representing Holy Name to our bank, representing Holy Name Cathedral to the Archdiocesan Finance Office, supervising the posting of contributions, providing accurate statistics to Stewardship Director Joe Konen for the Annual Parish Financial Report, paying bills, serving as secretary to the Finance Council, and keeping the financial books. I am happy he is with us. Andrew is married 10 years to his wife Anna. They are parishioners at Our Lady Mother of the Church on Lawrence Avenue, the only Chicago parish west of Cumberland/1st Avenue. Andrew is off to a good start. I hope he will be happy at the Cathedral for more years than we can count.

90 – That’s the number of young Catholics to be Confirmed on All Saints Day, Thursday, November 1, at 7:00pm at Holy Name Cathedral. The Cathedral’s best friend, Bishop Timothy Lyne, will seal those 90 young teens with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The confirmandi have been formed in courses coordinated by the Holy Name Cathedral Religious Education for Children Program directed by Sharon Kinsley, the Religious Education Program supervised by Bea Cunningham at Old St. Patrick’s Church in the West-Loop, and the Catholic Sacramental Preparation Program directed by Frances Xavier Warde Catholic School’s Religious Education Director Brigid Cashman. I was happy to be invited to celebrate Mass with the young folks preparing for Confirmation at Dominican University in River Forest a few weeks ago when they participated in a day-long retreat presented by Terry Nelson-Johnson. Our Catholic Church will be stronger Thursday night when those youngsters are Confirmed. I will be proud to present them to Bishop Lyne as people who can recognize the virtues in their souls about to be shined up by the oil of Confirmation, a once-in-a-lifetime Sacrament. Wherever you are Thursday night, please pray for those receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

2 – That’s the number of Cathedral adult parishioners who will be Confirmed at the same hour as the FXW/Holy Name/OSP kids at St. Michael’s Church on Old Town by our area’s Vicar, Bishop Francis Kane. Confirmation preparation is offered twice a year for adults in Vicariate II. In the fall, typically 15 – 20 adults from our area of Chicago come forward having missed Confirmation because the family moved, the family was in turmoil, or the opportunity was missed. Next spring, watch the Cathedral bulletin for news on another chance for adults who missed the great Sacrament of Confirmation to participate in a 6-week class of catechesis and formation before Bishop Kane and Cardinal George administer the Sacrament of Confirmation on about 100 adults on Tuesday, June 24, at 7:00pm right here at Holy Name Cathedral. For more information, contact Ann Klocke at 312-787-8040. Right now, let’s all pray for our two Holy Name friends to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit next Thursday.

8 – That is the number of Masses offered at Holy Name Cathedral to fulfill all baptized Catholics’ obligation to participate in the Mass on the Feast of All Saints, November 1, a Holy Day. The 5:15pm Mass on Halloween (Wednesday) will be the Vigil Mass of All Saints. Then there will be Masses offered at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00am as well as at 12:10 and 5:15pm on All Saints Day (Thursday) itself. The 9:00am Mass on Thursday will be prepared by students at the Frances Xavier Warde Catholic School on the campus of Holy Name; you are most welcome to join us. If you want to attend the Confirmation Mass at 7:00 p.m., that’s an All Saints Mass, too. Come to Mass on All Saints Day, November 1. We pray that we can join our saint/friends in praising Christ forever. 

5 – That is the number of Masses to be offered on Friday, November 2, All Soul’s Day – 6:00, 7:00, 8:00am, 12:10 & 7:00pm (NB – no 5:15 Mass Friday). Cardinal George will celebrate the 7:00pm Mass on Friday; Father Mike Novick will preach; Gabriel Faure’s Requiem will be the musical setting with orchestra and full choir. On Friday, pray for the dead, especially those who have died in the last year. At the Cathedral, we especially will remember Asunsion (Sony) Londres, 7:00am Sunday Mass head-usher and eternally-friendly parishioner for the past 30 years. God rest your soul, Sony. 

Fr. Dan Mayall