I want to announce some special news! This coming fall, Mary Queen of Heaven will be the host site for this region's New Wine Program for the Diocese of Joliet. This is a program to help lay people gain an in-depth knowledge of Catholic Church teaching as they develop skills for greater leadership roles in volunteer lay ministry.
"New Wine is a program that forms you as a leader for a changing church through the development of skills, compassion, competencies and the confidence to live out your call to ministry." So reads the official description of this program from the diocese.
I want you to know about this because beginning in September, we will have people coming here from many area parishes to study in this program. Classes will meet in the school building one evening per week and they will not interfere with any Mary Queen of Heaven parish activities. Since participants will be on campus each week, however, they will learn what kinds of activities and ministries we have at our parish. It is a good thing for Mary Queen of Heaven to have this kind of diocesan exposure.
The very best thing about our hosting the program here is that it makes access easy for people from our own parish who may want to participate. New Wine is far more than a basic Adult Education program. It is a more formal educational and formation program which requires a significant commitment. A three year commitment, in fact. Participants meet weekly for three years, except for summers and holidays. The staff and educators for the program are professionals who specialize in theological education and ministry formation. Some of them are the same teachers you would have if you went to one of the theological schools for a degree. However, this program is not as demanding as that. Participants have reading and homework assignments but they are not as extensive as they would be in a degree program. Degree programs are designed for people who want to work full-time in the church. This program is designed for lay people who have other work at home and in the world who want to learn more to serve in significant roles in volunteer lay ministry. Sometimes, participants want to develop their leadership skills for a ministry they are already involved in. Sometimes, they want to go through the program because they desire to serve in a first time or new ministry in the church.
People have to be recommended by their pastor (Pastoral Life Coordinator) for this program. I have already invited several people to consider it. I want to extend a general invitation for anyone who might be interested. Please give me a call and I can give you more information and written application materials for the program. This program is subsidized and has a very low cost to participants (only $20 per class plus books). If something you read here appeals to you, please call me for more information about the program.
Below, I want to list some more basic information about New Wine:
Classes In the New Wine program, participants will have courses in:
Human Development
Scripture
The First Five Centuries of the Church
Foundations of Theology
Prayer and Spirituality
Church II
Ministry and the Minister
Sacraments and Prayer
Morality
Leadership
There are also two retreats, as well as opportunities for personal growth through an ongoing theological reflection process.
Some area universities offer credit or advanced standing for those completing the New Wine program. If participants choose, they may continue with professional ministry studies on a graduate or undergraduate level after completion of New Wine.
Who applies for New Wine?
Applicants for New Wine seek to become leaders in ministry, and
? Have an adequate amount of adult faith formation
? Want a basic, practical foundation in theology, scripture,
pastoral and personal skills and personal faith development
? Are willing to give the time and energy to an integrated and
deeper approach to preparation for ministry
? Have the support of family or significant others
? Are willing to stretch themselves and expand their concepts of
church, church teaching, God, scripture, and self
? Show personal maturity, emotional health, and an ongoing
desire to grow
? Show leadership skills that they desire to develop and
implement in their parish
I am delighted and proud that Mary Queen of Heaven will be known through this program as supporting serious continuing education for Catholic adults who wish to become stronger leaders in our church. Please prayerfully consider this invitation. Whether or not you are interested in this program for yourself, please pray for all of those who will be studying here, beginning in the fall.
Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator
A Vocation View Each Lent should bring us closer to our God. There is no failure, except that of no longer trying. You can still follow Jesus more closely. Conference for the Divorced and Widowed March 24 at St Charles Pastoral Center, Romeoville "When Life Blows You Down" - featuring Bill Dyer This event begins with 9:00 a.m. check-in and concludes with 4:00 p.m. vigil Mass celebrated by Bishop J. Peter Sartain. Besides Bill's presentations, the day will also include a newcomer's orientation and information about other sources of support and enrichment. The $35.00 fee includes lunch, refreshments and materials. For more information or to register, call the Center for Family Ministry at 815-838-5334. Those who care for the divorced and widowed are also welcome. February Celebrations We welcome into the Mary Queen of Heaven Parish Family the following who were baptized in February: Benjamin Patrick Colucci Patrick Francis Doherty Isabel Grace Evenson Amelia Rowan Kelliher Savannah Jane Kelly Sean Michael LeFevour Michael James Niemann Luke Angelo Wahlund GO MAKE A DIFFERENCE My response to this challenge In the fall of 1997 there appeared a short article by Deacon Jay Janousek in the Visitation Parish bulletin. I read it and moved on to the next page. From the kitchen, Rosalie inquired if I had read the article by Deacon Jay. I acknowledged that I had. Rosalie suggested that I might want to phone Deacon Jay and discuss prison ministry with him. Even though I had no interest in prison ministry of any kind... being a dutiful husband, I called Jay. He explained that attending a forthcoming orientation at the DuPage jail did not obligate me in any way. I contacted the JUST office to inquire about the forthcoming orientation. I learned that JUST (Justice, Understanding, Service, Teaching) is the organization of volunteers which serve the inmates (male and female) of the DuPage Jail. It is a nonprofit organization contracted by the DuPage County Sheriff to provide a comprehensive rehabilitation ministry to the inmates of the DuPage County Jail. JUST has been working in the county jail for more than 20 years. This ministry has 5 branches: 1) Chaplaincy: there are several chaplains and many volunteers who conduct worship services and Bible studies to meet the spiritual needs of the inmates, 2) Education: inmates may complete their GED, attend Anger Management, Violence Prevention, and Parenting classes, 3) Addiction Recovery: AA, NA, Al-Anon, Relapse Prevention, etc. sessions, 4) Employability: Job Readiness, Basic Computer, basic English, basic Spanish classes, 5) Social Services: individual counseling, county social services available after release from jail. After I attended the orientation conducted by one of the prison officials and was assured that I would be free to terminate at any time, I signed an application to be a JUST volunteer. Every Monday evening I drove over to the DuPage Jail and spent about an hour conversing with several inmates about their situation, discussing the news of the day, and answering their questions, etc. Three months later I found that Monday evenings were inhibiting my personal schedule, so I requested to move to Tuesday evenings. That was a providential decision! I was partnered with Monte Anderson. On Tuesday, 2-9-98, Monte and I met with about 16 inmates. Since we were open to any ideas the inmates proposed, that evening we formulated, with input from the inmates, that we would lead a Catholic Bible Study, starting with John's Gospel, etc. That was about 9 years ago. I learned much from Monte, a retired U.S. Army officer with 18 years of prison ministry under his belt. His knowledge of Catholic doctrine and Bible history was an asset to our sessions with the men. Our sessions seemed to attracted Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox men and even inmates with sparse knowledge of the Bible. Our sessions followed a basic pattern: met the men with hugs, each session started with the circle of men holding hands reciting the Lord's Prayer, inmates volunteered to take turns to read aloud designated verses which we discussed after each reading, questions were invited, each session closed with the reading of the Twenty-Third Psalm and hugs. This basic format proved to be effective and seemed to respond to the needs of the men. When we varied from this format, it was to answer an inmate's question, to explain a point of doctrine or Catholic practice, to discuss some current event, or to elaborate on the Church's calendar. The longer I engaged in prison ministry, the more I became aware of the various unmet needs of some of the inmates. Then, too, I had to ponder my personal views of incarceration, the death penalty, the adverse consequences laid on the families (especially young children) of the incarcerated, etc. Through my own study I learned about the Church's social teachings, Pax Christi, The Catholic Peace Voice, position papers of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, etc. Serving the inmates of the DuPage County jail has broadened and strengthened my understanding of Jesus' teachings of love and service. I thank God for the opportunity to be part of the JUST prison ministry. Brand New Evening Yoga Class Recommended for ages 15 to 75 (however, everyone is welcome) Increase your flexibility, strength, and decrease your stress. It is about balance, strength, and mobility. Four Wednesday nights in March 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. $4 per class ($6 for families) Call Debbie Styka at 941-7224 or email Debbie (Minimum class size 4 persons) Please bring a non-slip yoga mat if you have one. Required: comfortable clothing, socks that can come off Stations of the Cross Friday, March 16, at 7:30 Stations of the Cross are being held in Church during the Fridays of Lent. Perhaps you and your family could make a special effort to attend this devotion. Mary Queen of Heaven Preschool registration continues! Please see our website at www.maryqueenpreschool.org and contact the parish office for more information and registration. Preschool tours scheduled on request. Prayer Requests To pray for our sick is an important privilege of our parish family. We hope that you will pray for these persons every day. Natalie Baker Pam Bondfide Pat Caffarelli Rose Caffarelli Kathy Calzante Cosmore Ciancio Dennis Ciancio Geroge Cibula Paul Cirone Ida Corriedo Cynthia Catalano Family Trudi Dolato Baby Dobrowolski Virginia Feret Kathy Filipiak Cecilia Garstki Mary Goggins Mary Hagerty Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt Michelle Humann Maureen James Kathy Johnston Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn Anne Kostas Tim Kowalski Baby Emma Lynde Marie Mangano Robert Manion Dennis McCabe Mary Piszczor Raymond Mitchell Fred Moss Mary Sabel Oye Geri Pstrzoch Baby Faith Reid Robert Restivo Vera Rossiano Agnes Sabel Patricia Sabel Joaquina Scroppo Jess Smith Mary Spierowski Rachael Thompson John Unger If you or a family member would like to be included in our prayers, please call the rectory at 279-5700. Also, please let us know when a name should be removed. Diocese of Joliet Job Opening Freelance Writer /Photographer Duties & Responsibilities: Discuss story length & format with Editor or Asst. Edit. Conduct interviews & write news & feature articles. Cover new events in the diocese. Write photo captions. Verify accuracy of questionable facts & obtain supplemental material and additional details. Organizes material and writes story conforming to specified length, style and format requirements. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in journalism; or related field with prior print medium/newspaper experience preferred. Excellent writing and interviewing skills. Ability to work under pressing deadlines. Familiarity with AP style book. Knowledge of photography. Working Knowledge of the Catholic Church. Must have transportation, digital camera and ability to transmit completed assignment (text and photographs) ectronically. Writing sample required. For Questions or more information, Contact: Michael A. Svach, St. Charles Center 402 S. Independence Blvd. Romeoville, IL 60446 815-834-4077 msvach@dioceseofjoliet.org Description or application at www.dioceseofjoliet.org Encounter With God's Call Encounter With God's Call, held March 24-26 at Conception Seminary College, is a discernment retreat for young men age 16 and older who are considering the vocation to priesthood. This is an excellent opportunity to meet the seminarians as they share their stories of responding to God's call. This visit is free. For more information, please contact your Pastor or Fr. Burke Masters, the Joliet Diocese Vocation Director at 815.834.4004/frburke23@aol.com or Conception Seminary College at 660-944-2886/Email: vocations@conception.edu Diocesan News Christ The King Parish St. Joseph Table Christ the King Parish will hold its annual St. Joseph Table on Sunday, March 18 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in their school gymnasium, 115 E. 15th Street, Lombard. The tradition behind this event is the offering of simple food dishes in return for a free-will donation. All the proceeds go to the needy and less fortunate. It's a great opportunity to gather with family, friends and neighbors. It is also an opportunity to enjoy good food, take a chance on a raffle prize, share your generosity and help someone in need. For further information, please call the rectory at 630-639-1717, X16. St. Petronille Parish Dinner and Discourse Series Growing In Our Relationship With Christ Featured Speaker: Bishop Peter Sartain Friday, March 23, 2007 Dinner: 6:30 p.m. /Speaker: 7:15 p.m. St. Petronille Parish Life Center 420 Glenwood, Glen Ellyn To register, call Adele Lessmeister 630-469-0404, ext. 2107, or Email lessmeistera@stpetschurch.org. Registration fee: $10 per person, $25 per family. RSVP by Friday, March 16. Community News This past Sunday our Candidates, Beth Wrobel and Jerry Cote, experienced the Penitential Rite in preparation for receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation on April 3rd. Father Benet and the entire community raised hands in blessing asking that the candidates enter into "deeper appreciation of their baptism...to embrace the discipline of lent...to love and seek virtue...renounce self...share with others the joy...accept the call to conversion...give ourselves to prayer, and persevere in our good works.." We share in these same goals. Let us pray for one another as we journey to Easter. CCW "Woman of the Year" Congratulations to Terri Kevil who was elected "Woman of the Year" last Sunday. Terri will attend the 29th Annual Woman of the Year Mass and luncheon at the Cathedral of St. Raymond on Saturday, April 28. She will crown the Blessed virgin at our May Crowning and will be honored at our "Ladies Night Out" dinner in June. Lenten Food Collection Our St. Vincent DePaul food collection will be held the weekend of March 24 and 25. The food will be distributed to needy families in our community for Easter on Friday, March 30th at 6:30 p.m. We are collecting non-perishable items of canned vegetables, fruit, soup, pasta, rice, spaghetti sauce, prepared foods, coffee, tea, juice, boxed cake mixes, peanut butter, jelly, paper products (Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels), hand soap and laundry detergent. Boxes will be available in the church vestibule to accept your donations. If you wish to donate a ham, we ask that you please purchase Jewel or Dominick certificates and put them in an envelope indicating that they are for the purchase of a ham. The envelopes can be placed in the collection basket or turned in at the parish office. These certificates will be distributed with the food baskets to the families. If you have an hour or two to spare, we could use your help sorting the food for the Easter baskets on Monday evening, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the church. Please call Sheila Reiter at 833-6657 to offer your help. Fellowship Sunday Our monthly Fellowship will be held on Sunday, March 18th in Barrett after the 10:30 a.m. Mass. It is being sponsored by Religious Education. Everyone is cordially invited to join fellow parishioners for coffee, tea, juice, and goodies. Don't forget! We are looking forward to seeing you. Christian Education Commission Religious Education News Our annual collection of Easter Basket items for Marillac House continues on all the Wednesdays of Lent. There will be a "basket" in the hall of school for donations of small stuffed animals, candy, toys, anything that would be appropriate for an Easter Basket. Please be generous. Are you being called to be a catechist? Every year there are catechists who cannot return for one reason or another. I am sure that this year will be no different. So if you have always wondered what goes on in the building after you drop your children off, this is the perfect time to stop by and say "Hi." Remember you don't have to be a theologian; you just have to love children, love your faith and want to share it. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Once again we need your help Those of you with children at Emerson School may have noticed the chaos in our parking lot since Burt Handing has been ill. We are very concerned about the safety of our little ones all week long but particularly on Wednesday afternoons when they are crossing over for RE. Therefore, we are in dire need of someone to help with traffic control on Wednesday afternoons. It would only require about 1 hour of your time and the parish is willing to pay a small stipend. Please call us for more information. Mark your calendar: Saturday, March 10 - Confirmation Final Interviews 9:00 a.m. to Noon in school. Wednesday, March 28 - No Class - Spring Break For more info on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962 Market Day Orders for March are due Monday, March 19, at noon. Turn in your order form in the box in the back of church or at the rectory. Pickup on Saturday, March 24, from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the Social Hall. If you have questions or would like to place an order, please call Maria at 279-2238 or Karen at 279-4108. Christian Service Commission 50th Anniversary Closing Mass & Raffle Our year-long 50th anniversary Celebration will culminate on Sunday, April 22, 2007, with a special liturgy being celebrated by Bishop Roger Kaffer at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. As we draw this Anniversary Year to a close, we invite you not only to join us at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on April 22nd but also to participate in our final event, a 50th Anniversary Raffle. The Raffle Proceeds will be used to lower our parish deficit. Only 250 tickets will be sold and the winner need not be present. The odds of winning a Raffle Prize are great! The Ticket Donation is $100. Each ticket contains 10 slots so that the cost of the ticket can be divided with as many as 10 people if you choose. 1st Prize $10,000 2nd Prize $2,000 3rd Prize $1,00-0 The Drawing will take place on April 22nd in Barrett Hall immediately following the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Refreshments will be served. Please consider helping us make this final event a success and an enjoyable occasion for all. Invite your family, friends and co-workers to participate in the Raffle. Tickets will be available this weekend in the vestibule of church or can be obtained by contacting the Parish Office or one of the 50th Anniversary Committee members listed on the flyer in the bulletin. Tea and Interior Decorating Discussion On Tuesday, March 20, in Barrett Hall, the Council of Catholic Women is planning an "Evening Tea" and an in -depth look at Interior Decorating. Serene from "Serene Teaz" in Wheaton will join us to tell us of the various types of teas and their health benefits. Many teas will be available for purchase along with a variety of tea pots and cups w/saucers. Tea, mini sandwiches and cookies will be served after Serene's talk. While enjoying a cup of tea (coffee, wine, or pop for those who aren't "tea totalers") JoAnn Madden of "Mon Petit Chateau" will cover topics from color choices, room layouts, window treatments and more. She will also tackle some problem rooms from our own members. If you'd like help with a room in your home, call JoAnn prior to the 15th of March (833-7336) so that your room can be included in our program. All ladies of the parish are invited to come and join in this delightful evening. So that we may plan our theme tables and refreshments, please fill in the reservation form in the bulletin or calling Sr. Marlene (279-5700) to let her know you are planning to attend. Go Make a Difference: Prison Ministry By Milt Honel I have seen my own prison ministry as a response to the "Go Make A Difference" challenge. I have been fortunate to join forces with outstanding Catholic men as co-leaders in the JUST ministry. JUST (Justice, Understanding, Service, Teaching) is the organization of volunteers which serve the inmates (male and female) of the DuPage County Jail. It is a nonprofit organization contracted by the DuPage County Sheriff to provide a comprehensive rehabilitation ministry to the inmates of the DuPage County Jail. JUST has been working in the county jail for more than 20 years. For our part, we lead a Catholic Bible study. Our sessions follow a basic pattern: we meet the men with hugs and start each session with the circle of men holding hands reciting the Lord's Prayer. Inmates volunteer to take turns to read aloud designated verses which we discuss after each reading. Questions are invited. Each session closes with the reading of the Twenty- Third Psalm and hugs. This basic format proves to be effective and seems to respond to the needs of the men. When we vary from this format, it is to answer an inmate's question, to explain a point of doctrine or Catholic practice, to discuss some current event, or to elaborate on the Church's calendar. The longer I have been engaged in prison ministry, the more I have become aware of the various unmet needs of some of the inmates. I have also had to ponder my personal views of incarceration, the death penalty, the adverse consequences laid on the families (especially young children) of the incarcerated, etc. Through my own study, I have learned about the Church's social teachings, Pax Christi, The Catholic Peace Voice, position papers of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, etc. Serving the inmates of the DuPage County jail has broadened and strengthened my understanding of Jesus' teachings of love and service. I thank God for the opportunity to be part of the JUST prison ministry.