Bulletin Board with News and Events

Some very kind neighbors need to be thanked. On Sunday, March 9, while eating dinner with friends at a local restaurant, I spotted Michael Sternfield, Senior Rabbi of the Chicago Sinai Congregation. We greeted each other; and then he made an unbelievably generous gesture. He offered Chicago Sinai’s Temple at Delaware and State to Holy Name for Easter Masses. Wow! For about 36 hours, I thought we were going to be able to make international headlines with a Reformed Jewish Congregation welcoming their neighborhood Catholic friends and possibly the Archbishop of Chicago to the Temple for Easter. Even if I could have celebrated Mass in the Temple as the pastor of a parish unable to use our Church under emergency construction and in need of an extra home on this most holy day, I think that would have been special. The logistics, however, did not work. Easter summons a lot of people to every Catholic parish; the Cathedral typically can expect at least 1,000 more worshippers in addition to a regular Sunday’s nearly 5,000. Consider, also, that a significant number of those who worship on Easter are not the regulars, those who really do include Sunday Mass in the practice of their faith. It would have been difficult to tell them at the door of the parish center – our home-away-from-home during the Cathedral repairs – to walk four blocks north to the Temple. With a looming publicity deadline, I decided to schedule the overflow Masses on Easter for the cafeteria located in the same building as the auditorium. Still, we are so grateful to Rabbi Michael Sternfield, Temple Administrator Susan Solomon, Rabbi Evan Moffic, and everyone at Sinai for their concern for us and for their touching offer. Cardinal George sent Rabbi Sternfield a letter acknowledging the kindness and thanked him and his congregation for the gracious welcome. I hope there will be further opportunity for Holy Name Cathedral and the Chicago Sinai Congregation to work together. For now, in the wake of a missed chance, I promise the prayers of all Easter Cathedral worshippers at Holy Name for our sisters and brothers at Chicago Sinai Congregation. May God bless all our Jewish neighbors; they proved themselves to be real friends. The depth of their concern has added an ingredient of sweetness to a difficult Easter at Holy Name Cathedral. Thanks, my Jewish friends, always.

See the information elsewhere in this bulletin regarding the Divine Mercy prayers especially appropriate for the Sunday following Easter. The Cathedral’s Evangelization and Spiritual Life Commission has put a special spotlight on that devotion, a prayer form offered here at the Cathedral for many years. The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is a Catholic devotion based on the visions of 20^th century Polish nun and canonized saint, Sister Faustina Kowalska, known as the "Apostle of Mercy." It consists of a series of rosary prayers. According to Sister Faustina's visions related in her diary, the chaplet's prayers for mercy are threefold: to obtain mercy, to trust in Christ's mercy, and to show mercy to others.

Bishop James Duggan was a tragic figure in the history of Chicago’s Catholic Church. Duggan attracted attention as a good priest in the mid-19^th century frontier diocese of St. Louis and was consecrated a bishop at the incredibly young age of 31. Two years later, he was sent by Blessed Pope Pius IX to pre-Civil War Chicago as the wild young town’s fourth bishop. Chief priest of Chicago at the time of the Civil War, the talented man at first excited Catholic Chicago, but then started to exhibit erratic signs of stress. Today we would recognize manic-depression. Bitter battles with clergy who became increasingly frustrated with his moodiness handicapped the local Church. Eventually, Duggan was committed to a secluded asylum near St. Louis. In that primitive institution, Bishop Duggan remained until his death on March 27, 1899 – 109 years ago Thursday. For further information on the Archdiocesan ministry to the mentally ill, contact Deacon Tom Lambert at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish, 773-525-0453. On Thursday, pray also for Chicago’s Bishop James Duggan - a wounded, but remembered shepherd. He was one of us.

I am delayed in welcoming Laura Grazioli to Holy Name Cathedral’s staff. Laura has been hired as my administrative assistant. Her responsibilities will include the editorship of the weekly bulletin, the maintenance of our web site, participation in weekly staff meetings and annual event committees (Cathedral Christmas, Cathedral Gala), management of my correspondence and files, scheduling my supervisory interaction with the staff, and other pieces of the job yet to be worked out. I have not had an assistant since I arrived at the Cathedral six years ago. This position is long overdue. With her ten years of experience in a similar post at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in suburban Raleigh, NC; with her roots in west suburban Chicago; with the support of family in Chicago; with the welcome of Cathedral’s staff; and with her eagerness to be a part of the Cathedral, Laura already has been a big help. I will work out a more formal welcome – maybe at a summer Coffee-in-the-Courtyard – after we move back into the Cathedral. Watch this column, too, for a genuine thanks I plan to write for Jamie Sanchez, our present bulletin editor and webmaster, who will continue to work part-time a little longer before she moves on in her newly certified professional career. Jamie is one of my favorite friends in the past six years at Holy Name. Anything I can do for her and her future, I will do. For now, let’s welcome Laura Grazioli – a valuable new friend.

I will be away from the Cathedral from Monday, Mach 24, through Monday, March 31. Pastor-like decision will be made by the full-time Associates – Father John Boivin, Father Mike Novick, and Father Matt Compton. Chief of Administration Deacon Stan Strom will handle the concerns of the Cathedral construction. My new Administrative assistant Laura Grazioli will field the day-to-day concerns. When I return, I expect to hear when we can open the Cathedral again. I am with you; I am tired of being away from home. Let’s get ready to celebrate at our home altar in May.

I miss the Cathedral. I wish we were there on Easter. Just the same, Jesus Christ is risen today, alleluia, alleluia. Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia. That’s the truth of Easter. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, I want to go home. The hard work goes on. Please. Pray we can be home at Sunday Mass soon. 

Fr. Dan Mayall