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Work continues on the structure of Holy Name Cathedral. As I write this piece on Tuesday, I hear that some facets of the project are ahead of schedule; others are still posing puzzles. I have hope we can celebrate Easter around our altar. However, we will stay in our temporary home until we are sure we are safe back home. When you come to Mass next weekend for Palm Sunday prayers, I hope to be able to tell you that we will be back in the Cathedral for Holy Week. Say prayers. I am very grateful to Cathedral staff members who were here so many long hours last weekend to assure a prayerful Sunday Eucharist and who were so flexible in making alternative arrangements for a typical weekend of ministry at the Cathedral. Imagine running Holy Name Cathedral with its double identity as a parish and as the mother-Church of Chicago without the Cathedral building itself! Somehow the staff not only pulled it off, they did so with pure grace. A major assist goes to the volunteer lay leadership of the parish. Parish Pastoral Council President Donna Ciszewski mobilized an army of volunteers from the PPC, the Commissions, and other parish leaders. With smiles, they posted themselves around the Cathedral campus to be sure everyone could find the Parish Center and would be ready for a Mass away from home for all of us. They were the personification of leadership. I am very proud of them. No pastor could have dreamed of a more proactive, cordial, and valuable service. God bless all who are lending a hand during our time of exile. We have had to move out of the Cathedral; but the spirit of the Cathedral never left the parish. Again, thank you! Next weekend we will celebrate Palm Sunday. Here are my ten “hot tips” for Cathedral regulars on Palm Sunday 2008 at Holy Name – the place Chicago goes to pray. (1) We will be in the Parish Center, not the Cathedral. (2) Because of extra prayers and because of the reading of the Passion, the Mass will be 15 minutes longer. (3) The first two Sunday morning Masses will be at 6:30 and 8:00 – not the normal 7:00 & 8:15. (4) There should be bigger crowds on Palm Sunday; weather will play a part. (5) Pray for mild weather. (6) In the Cathedral last year, we had standing-room-only for at least the 9:30, the 11:00, the 12:30, and both the 5:15 Masses (Saturday & Sunday). Translate that into your plans for which Mass to attend and when to arrive. (7) The parking lot will be difficult. If you drive, get here early. If possible, walk. (8) Cardinal George will be the main celebrant and preacher at 11:00. The listing of other celebrants will be on the Cathedral web page (www.holynamecathedral.org) under “Masses, Mass Times” by Wednesday. (9) Do not stay away or decide to go elsewhere. I want to pray with you; and your presence will make our parish stronger. (10) Smile at each other! Say prayers for me and the parish Finance Council as we consider the parish’s 2008-2009 budget at our meeting this week. Every parish must have a Council charged with advising the pastor on the budget, property management, stewardship, maintenance, human resources documentation, legal matters, best practices in regard to finance, and our relationship with the Archdiocesan Finance Office. It has been too long since I publicly thanked the wonderful Council that meets with me every fiscal quarter and who have been the engine for many of the Cathedral’s most positive projects. Currently serving are Jim Aldrich (chair); Pat Cowhey; Ed Maier*; Bob Brutvan; Gene Demuro; Bob Kornecki (PPC liaison); Peter Fazio; Joe Konen; Chuck Smead*; and Anne Marie Lang* (* - past Parish Pastoral Council Chairs). Attending their first meeting this week will be Bryce Bulman, Barbara Schleck, and Gus Abello. Parish comptroller Andy Skura and Administrative Chief Stan Strom also attend. Without any idea yet about the costs of the Cathedral’s structural solution, we only can approve a budget that reflects what we know today. I foresee that, once we hear news about the expenses of the current project, our budget will be amended. For now, I simply and humbly thank my valued friends, the parish Finance Council. Msgr. Michael Fitzsimmons died on March 12, 1932. He was the third pastor/rector of our Cathedral serving in that role longer than anyone else, 1888-1928. He was a priest 50 years, 49 at the Cathedral. During his administration, Msgr. Fitzsimmons oversaw tremendous capital projects. The installation of a new heating system just 15 years after the Cathedral opened revealed a weak foundation. Buttresses were dismantled, rebuilt and pinnacled with turrets of stone replacing the original wooden turrets encased in galvanized iron. Windows were straightened, the steeple was braced. With construction constant, Fitzsimmons oversaw the painting of murals throughout the interior of the Cathedral. He replaced wooden pillars with marble pillars. In 1914-1915, to enlarge a small sanctuary, he hired an architect and contractors to lengthen the structure by 15 feet, moving the east end of the sanctuary up against the rectory. Msgr. Fitzsimmons also served as Vicar General and as administrator of the Archdiocese in the period between the death of Archbishop Quigley in the summer of 1915 and Cardinal Mundelein’s installation in February, 1916. Msgr. Fitzsimmons enlisted the BVM nuns in 1904 to staff the parish schools. It was he who arranged for the Cathedral portions of the spectacular Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 1926. I wondered this morning, “How would Msgr. Fitz handle his Cathedral put to sleep for a few weeks, undergoing surgery in 2008?” On Wednesday, pray for the noble soul of our former pastor, Msgr. Michael Fitzsimmons. He was in this spot before we were. Thanks to the Education Commission for another fabulous Lenten Lecture series; to the Young Adults for inviting me to a “Teaching Mass” last Sunday at the Catholic Charities Chapel (thanks also to Catholic Charities); to Black Catholics for understanding that space was limited last Sunday and that “Black Expressions” needed to be postponed; for the Human Concerns Commission’s income tax preparation assistance (VITA); for the on-going activities/ministries of all the organizations beyond the special programs of Lent; and to my buddies in the Parish Life Commission who plan to host one more Fish Dinner this coming Friday beginning at 5:45pm in the cafeteria. I will have perfect attendance this year; and I really do not like fish! Lent, however, is for Penance. If you have a stomach for fish – or even if you like fish – this is a fantastic deal. It’s a parish party, too. Look for me Friday. I’ll show you a delicious fish with your name on it! Fr. Dan Mayall |
