Bulletin Board with News and Events

 Many registered parishioners either have received or soon will receive a mailing from Cardinal George. He will ask you to make a pledge to the 2008 Annual Catholic Appeal. The Annual Appeal funds the operations of the Archdiocese, the Pastoral Center, and the Vicariate Offices. Also from this Appeal will come money needed right now for scholarships and capital grants directed to parishes and schools in tough neighborhoods, their Catholic identity keeping us from becoming only the Church of the wealthy. The Catholic Appeal supports services to the developmentally disabled (SPRED), to the deaf, to firefighters and their ministry of crisis, to family services – Project Rachel for those who have had abortions, Natural Family Planning Seminars for the engaged, ministries to those who have lost children to death. The Catholic Appeal educates and forms lay ministers and deacons in their service. Catholic Relief Services gets our money to meet the needs of the poor in foreign lands and to answer American needs for emergency help in times of natural disaster. It should be obvious that this is not just another second collection. It must be a commitment by all of us to maintain ministries that each parish could never duplicate on its own. At Holy Name Cathedral, we should be proud that we supported last year’s Appeal so strongly. No parish did more. Many Holy Name Cathedral regulars are a part of the famous Lumen Cordium Society. They each give at least $1,000 every year to the Catholic Appeal. Those who give $2,500 or more are invited to a gracious reception at the Cardinal’s residence on State Parkway. Every Lumen Cordium Society member realizes his or her share in funding charitably the genuine work of the Chicago Church. If you already are a member, thanks. You make all of us look good. If you would care to join, now is the time. This year I will give about 10% of my next pay check to the Annual Appeal. We will pass a post-Communion collection basket two weekends from now, February 2 & 3. We will collect funds from our many visitors. I would like each parishioner to deposit her or his pledge envelope. You should receive an envelope in both the Cardinal’s mailing and in a letter from me at the end of this month. There will be extras at the Cathedral doors next weekend. Holy Name Cathedral should be the leading parish in supporting the Annual Catholic Appeal. Let’s take our leadership position again in 2008.

 I will look for you next Sunday morning in the cafeteria at the French Toast Breakfast. You won’t get a better breakfast anywhere in this neighborhood. Plan to meet me for breakfast (9:00am-12:30pm) next Sunday at the Cathedral. There will be a piece of French Toast there with your name on it. 

Exploring Priesthood Weekends are discernment weekends at Mundelein Seminary designed to introduce men to the Diocesan Priesthood and Major Seminary life. The next one will be in April. Are you interested? In-Search is a regular meeting of college and post-college age men to discern a vocation to the priesthood. Many present Chicago priests are alumni of In-Search. The participants gather right here at Holy Name Cathedral on Tuesday evenings. If you are interested, or if you have questions, contact Father Joe Noonan, a resident at the Cathedral rectory and Chicago’s Vocations Director. Father Noonan can be reached most easily at 312-751-8298 or at www.ChicagoPriest.com.

Thursday, January 24, will be the third anniversary of the death of Father Bob McLaughlin, the 8^th Rector of Holy Name Cathedral who was our pastor from 1990-2001 and who served the Archdiocese of Chicago in many offices during his 35 years as a priest. Sometime on Thursday, pray for Father Bob; and give thanks to God for that joyful personality that left a permanent mark on our parish.

Most of this past week, I attended the semi-annual Cathedral Ministries Conference in America’s oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida. We were hosted by the Cathedral of St. Augustine, the first parish in America. I am writing this article on the weekend before the Conference. In coming weeks I’ll have a chance to tell you what I learned. This week, let me answer some of the more frequently-asked questions from our visitors each weekend.

Is there only one Catholic Cathedral in Chicago?
Yes. We are the bishop’s Church, called a Cathedral because we have the bishop’s chair, the symbol of his teaching and governing roles. That’s the throne or cathedra against the east wall of the sanctuary. Only a few dioceses have more than one Cathedral. For example, the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston has St. Mary’s in Galveston and Sacred Heart in Houston.

Was Holy Name always a Cathedral?
Since the present building opened in 1875, we have been Chicago’s Cathedral. We have been a parish since 1849. Old St. Mary’s Church, Chicago’s first parish, was the original Cathedral of our first bishop, William Quarter, at Madison & Michigan. A new St. Mary’s Cathedral was built on the northwest corner of Madison & Wabash. That one burned in the 1871 Chicago Fire.

Does the Cardinal say Mass here on Sunday?
Cardinal George visits Holy Name more than any other parish. However, there are 366 parishes in the Archdiocese. Just after his 10^th anniversary in Chicago, the Cardinal announced that he had made a pastoral visit to every parish. He comes to Holy Name several times each month.

What percentage of Sunday Mass participants are visitors?
I estimate that 2/3 of our 4,500 weekend Mass-goers are visitors. At every one of our eight weekend Masses, there are our own parishioners (70% of whom live alone); Chicagoans downtown for some reason; people from all over the USA (almost always the largest group); and people from other nations. Whenever I have asked for a show of hands, all four groups were present. That’s not true of all Cathedrals. Our location, our history, and our welcome all help.

Is there some “pressure” for a Cathedral to do things the right way?
Every parish should do things “the right way”; but there are extra expectations on the best Cathedrals in America. The Music Ministry, the RCIA, the Ministry of Care, our great relationship with the Archdiocesan Liturgy Office, the exceptionally large adult Confirmation catechesis/liturgy, the Stewardship Office, the many wedding preparations/celebrations, the Young Adult Ministry, and the preaching are some aspects of which we are particularly proud.

Is Holy Name Cathedral subsidized by the Archdiocese?
No. We charge Archdiocesan agencies a fee for the use of our facilities on a per-event basis; but we are not subsidized. Like every other parish, Holy Name Cathedral is charged a 10% tax on ordinary income (Sunday, Christmas & Easter collections) for Archdiocesan administrative costs.

Why are there no statues in Holy Name Cathedral?
That’s the way things were in 1969 when Holy Name’s foundation and interior were rebuilt. The design does not gracefully allow for statues. There are, however, many other beautiful works of art including the Stations, the doors, the altar pedestal, the sanctuary bas-reliefs, and the Crucifix.

Fr. Dan Mayall