Dear Friends,
Happy Second Week of Advent! Happy are we to have life together here at Mary Queen of Heaven. Happy are we to have the opportunity to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus more deeply into our hearts. "Prepare the way of the Lord," John the Baptist tells us. "The kingdom of God is at hand." Happy are we to build this city of God.
I write to you on December 1, which is World AIDS Day. This day serves as a reminder that the kingdom, or city of God, is not only here at Mary Queen or in Elmhurst, but it is one that encompasses all of the children of God around the globe. As we prepare the way of the Lord this Advent, let us be attentive to the needs of others in our own midst and around the world and reach out to them with our resources and with our prayers. During this month of December when we seek the Christ child who came to show us God's love, let us especially remember those who live with HIV or AIDS. Our Catholic Bishops remind us that: "Our response to persons with AIDS must be such that we discover Christ in them and they in turn are able to encounter Christ in us."
There are likely individuals and families within our own parish whose lives are touched by HIV. There are many others, too, within our Catholic family. The Catholic Church in Africa, the continent in which HIV/AIDS has reached pandemic proportions, is the fastest growing Catholic population in the world. In Africa, there are 130 million Catholics, 600 Black Bishops, 7,000 Black priests, and 20,000 Black seminarians. Pray for the Catholic Church in Africa and for all those around the world who have HIV/AIDS.
Statistics from the U.N. and the World Health organization tell us that there are presently 38.4 million people around the world who are living with HIV. 17.6 million of these are women and 2.2 million are children under the age of 15. In 2004, there have been 4.9 million people newly affected with HIV. This year alone, there have been 3.1 million deaths from AIDS.
The number of women and girls affected by the AIDS epidemic is increasing. In certain parts of Africa, young women ages 15-24 are up to six times more likely to be infected than young men. This year's theme for World AIDS Day is Women, Girls, and HIV/AIDS. According to Catholic Relief Services, women are biologically, economically, and socially more vulnerable to HIV infection than men. Ken Hackett, President of CRS, draws our attention to this phenomenon:
Lack of economic power and limited access to education can make women almost totally dependent on men and compromise their ability to control their lives and their bodies. And yet despite these disadvantages, women have a unique and valuable role to play in fighting HIV/AIDS. Women are the social capital within families and communities: They shoulder the responsibility of caring for the sick and raising children; they hold families and communities together; and they are a source of leadership and strength in the areas of prevention, care and support.
The United Nations estimates that up to 90 percent of basic care in the developing world is provided in the home by women and girls. They take on this role with no training, without pay and in addition to the work they already perform maintaining the household-cooking, fetching water, working in the field and caring for children and the elderly. Caring for a person with HIV/AIDS can add hours of work to a day that is already full. And of course, when women are the ones infected, the support system runs the risk of completely breaking down.
Women throughout the developing world already work continuously to care for their families. As a result, the sacrifices they make to do so can have far reaching consequences. Caring for the sick can prevent them from earning a living outside the home or tending to their crops, further increasing the family's vulnerability to poverty. Additionally, girls are more likely than boys to drop out of school to help care for sick family members, find intermittent work or look after younger siblings. This threatens the basic education of girls and women, again making them more vulnerable to poverty and putting them at a higher risk of HIV infection.
But around the world, women are taking leadership roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Many are coming forward to tell their personal stories about the disease, despite the threat of social stigma and discrimination. They are learning more about their rights, advocating for equal access to care and treatment and fighting to keep their daughters in school. In Uganda-the only country in the world to dramatically reduce the rate of infections in a generalized HIV/AIDS epidemic-women and young girls are credited with having contributed to the national behavior changes that turned around the epidemiological rising rates of HIV infection.
Women and girls have shown great resilience in the battle against HIV/AIDS, but they cannot continue to bear this responsibility alone. On December 1, the world has the opportunity to learn more about the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS and their role in the fight against it. It is a day when all of humanity is challenged to reflect on the way that HIV/AIDS affects us and how we can respond to the pandemic.
A Catholic perspective considers the inherent dignity of every human person, including all of those who suffer from HIV/AIDS, no matter what the way in which they were infected. In this December month of Advent, may we prepare the way of the Lord by seeking justice for all and building a city of God in which every human life is held sacred. Happy are we here at Mary Queen. Let us pray for the happiness and health of all of our brothers and sisters around the globe. May God continue to bless you.
Diocesan News Volunteer Opportunity: P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) Our parishioners help prepare and serve dinner and breakfast, and we man (or woman) the overnight shift (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.). We work at St. Alexis Parish in Bensenville. We serve only once per month, on the 4th weekend of the month, October through March, on the Saturday night to Sunday morning shift. If you are interested, please call Steve Lindberg at 630-983-3392 (work) or 630-941-1355 (home). Religious Education News Last Day for Advent Toy Collection Wednesday, December 8, is the last day to bring in new unwrapped toys for our annual toy collection. They will be distributed to the children of Marillac House at Christmas. Toys may be left in the box in the school. Mark Your Calendars On Tuesday, December 14, the parish Advent Reconciliation Celebration will take place at 7:00 p.m. in church. This year we extend a special invitation to all our RE families, in particular, those with children above the 4th grade level. We will be spending time reviewing the sacrament with our evening session students. We ask that parents spend some time as well talking about the importance of celebrating the sacrament. Market Day Market Day is Saturday, December 11. We would like to thank all who support Market Day. This year it is our hope to purchase much needed new tables and chairs for the RE program. This has become a great need, due to our ever increasing enrollment and the advanced age of the tables and chairs in the school building. There will be NO RE Classes on Wednesdays, December 15, 22, and 29. Classes will resume at the regular time on Wednesday, January 5. Confirmation Prayer Partners Please consider giving the gift of prayer to one of our Confirmation candidates. There are still some names in the basket in the rear of church. This truly is the gift that keeps on giving. For more information on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962. Christian Education Commission Market Day Orders for December are due Monday, December 6, at noon. Turn in your order form in the box at the back of church or at the rectory. Pickup on Saturday, December 11, from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the Social Hall. If you have questions or would like to place an order, please call Mary at 832-8263 or Karen at 279-4108. 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, alone or as a family. Thank you. Pam Bondfide Kathleen Bryers Rose Caffarelli Kathy Calzante Jenie Colletti Jeannette Elderkin Dan Focht Paul Francetic Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt Pat Holmes Maureen James Tom Janicke Irene Kmieciak Baby Emma Ann Lynde Nancy Maloney Robert Manion Bobbi Nannini Michaelene Parrilli 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. Rest in Peace Evelyn Tokarski Christian Worship Commission Christmas Eve Children's Liturgy As we prepare to celebrate the wonderful gift that God, our Father, shared with us by sending us the gift of Jesus on Christmas Day, we are reminded of just a few ways that Jesus touches our lives. We will celebrate with a special Children's Liturgy at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. A general "getting to know you" and information gathering session will be held Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2-3 p.m. in Barrett Hall. Everyone who plans to participate, children with a parent, adults, and families, need to attend. For more information please call: Ruth Maple at 279-4844 or Kathy Rhea at 833-2592. Christian Service Commission Community News Volunteer Food Sorters Needed for Holiday Outreach Needy families in Elmhurst are referred to United Community Concerns through School District 205 and the Elmhurst churches. These families receive gifts for the holidays, and food and grocery certificates throughout the year. Please join us in donating, sorting and/or packaging food any day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., every day through Friday, December 10. Drivers (with muscle power) are needed to deliver baskets on Saturday, December 11, from 8 to 9 a.m.. Location: City of Elmhurst Public Works facility, 985 Riverside Drive, Elmhurst (immediately south of the Holiday Inn Express off Route 83). Please call if you have any questions or to volunteer: Sharon Klein 833-4886 or Susie Sands 941-8116 Benedictine University offers Free Nutrition Counseling for Area Seniors Healthy Table, a service of the Nutrition Department at Benedictine University, provides free nutrition counseling and education to seniors age 60 and older, persons on Medicare or Medicaid and those participating in public food assistance programs. Nutrition counseling is designed to meet individual needs. Healthy Table can help people learn why certain foods may help improve these conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, weight management problems, high cholesterol, anemia, osteoporosis, and bowel trouble. Healthy Table hours are: Mondays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesdays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturdays from 9:00 am. To 2a;00 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled at other times. Interested individuals should call Julie Ann Behluli at 630-829-6518, for information or an appointment. Come .... and SEE .... Are you wondering about life as a Cenacle Sister? Would you like to spend a day, or several, with us? The Cenacle Sisters, with the ministry of retreats and spiritual direction, invite women to spend time with the sisters of the formation Community at the Cenacle Retreat House in Warrenville, IL. Come when it is convenient for you! Live with the sisters in a casual atmosphere of prayer, ministry and play. Have time for reflection and sharing, a place for questions and gathering tools and ongoing discernment. For more information, please call Sr. Janice at 630-393-1085. Catholic Charities Serves Needy Families Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, hopes to make Christmas a little brighter for low income families in DuPage County. This year, through the agency's Holiday Outreach Program, over 3000 individuals have already been "adopted" by donor families and local area businesses and schools. During the fall, client families completed a "wish list" at the Lombard office. Catholic Charities staff then coordinated with area churches, business and individuals to provide toys and needed clothing for the children. Donors also provided food certificates for each needy family, so that they might enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner. Although most families were assigned to donors during October and November, Catholic Charities is still in great need of donations to purchase food and gift certificates for families who will ask for our help in December. Your donation to purchase food and gift certificates for those families and their children may be mailed to Catholic Charities, 26 W. St. Charles Road, Lombard IL 60148. The agency relies on the continued generosity of the community. Festival Chorus of Concordia University Sunday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m. The choral concert will take place in the Chapel of Our Lord, 7400 Augusta Street in River Forest. The concert will feature the Christmas section of "Messiah," "A Christmas Fantasy" and the U.S. Premier of "Venite Omnes." The program will include a variety of music in many forms and styles, programmed for wide audience appeal. General admission will be $10; seniors and students $8. For more information call 708-209-3060. Christmas Giving Tree The Christmas Giving Tree in Church is decorated with ornaments for needy families in our area and for the elderly and sick in the Elmhurst Extended Care Nursing Home. Please take an ornament off the tree and purchase the item written on the back. Wrap the item in Christmas wrapping paper, tape the ornament securely on the top of the package (with the writing facing up), and place the gift under the Giving Tree. The deadline for returning your gifts is next Sunday, December 12. If you have any questions, please contact Sheila Reiter at 833-6657 or Karen Vicary at 279-4108. Christmas Food Collection Weekend of December 11/12 This weekend, we are collecting non-perishable items to make up Christmas food baskets for needy families. We expect to have 29 families to take care of this Christmas. Some of the items needed are: canned vegetables, cranberries, dressing mix, potatoes, cereals, fruit, soup, canned meats and fish, peanut butter, jelly, Jell-O, boxed cake mixes, dish soap, soap bars, deodorant, hair shampoo, and paper products such as Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels. If you wish to donate a turkey, 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 turkey. These certificates, along with the food baskets, will be given to the families we are taking care of this year. Items can be brought to church until Dec. 12. Baskets are provided in church for your donations. We will be preparing the baskets for distribution on Monday, December 13, at 10:00 a.m. The more people we have to help, the faster and easier the task. If you have an hour or so free and would like to help out, please call Sheila Reiter at 822-6657. Parish Advent Reconciliation Service Tuesday, December 14, at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday, December 14 at 7 p.m., we will have our Parish Reconciliation Service. All families of the parish, adults and children, are invited to this celebration. For our Religious Education program, this will be the seasonal celebration of Reconciliation for all of our young people in grades 3-8. We will have a communal prayer service and there will be multiple priests here from different parishes to hear individual confessions. Please join with your parish family to prepare well for the coming of Christ more fully into our hearts this Advent season. MQH Help Opportunities For Parishioners Parishioners may submit ads to appear in the bulletin to MQHBulletin@aol.com for approval by the Pastoral Life Coordinator. No ads will be accepted for real estate or by those offering child care services (although those looking for child care providers may place an ad and screen candidates themselves). The parish accepts no responsibility for goods or services offered. The ads are a free service to parishioners. * Christian Elmhurst family seeking childcare for baby, 4 months old. Approx. 1-3 days per week, 8:30-2:30. Please contact Carol at 630-279-1147. * Senior in need or ride to local hospital or doctor office. Senior couple in need of any type of furniture, particularly sofa or love seat. Lamps and end tables are also needed. Please call 279-3854. * MQH family seeking part-time child care in our home, 2-3 day per week, mostly school hours, January to June (or beyond). Must drive, be legal to work in U.S. and love children! Call Elizabeth at 630/993-1931. Waiting for the Arrival of Jesus For many, the focus on the Advent season is the secular preparation for the holidays. But true Christmas joy comes from focusing on the longing of the Jewish people for the coming of the Messiah. Join Fr. Kevin Shanley, O. Carm. at the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, on Saturday, December 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for this Advent day of reflection and Eucharist. Cost: $40/person includes lunch. Pre-registration is requested. Call the Spiritual Center at 630-969-4141 to register. Advent, Christmas and New Year Schedules Reconciliation Tuesday, December 14 Families - 7:00 p.m. Christmas Masses Friday, December 24 Christmas Eve - 5:00 p.m. Children's Liturgy 9:30 p.m. Choir Prelude 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass Saturday , December 25 Christmas Day - 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. New Year's Masses Friday, December 31 New Year's Eve - 5:00 p.m. Saturday, January 1, 2005 9:00 a.m. - Mary, Mother of God/World Day of Prayer for Peace 5:00 p.m. Mass-Vigil for Epiphany of Our Lord MQH Parish & Family Skate at YMCA Saturday, December 18, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The Men's Group has rented the ice rink and is sponsoring this FREE event for all members and families of the Parish. Skates are available and free, from the YMCA, and hot chocolate and goodies will be served. This is a great way to start your Christmas Holiday vacation with your family. There is no need for reservations, just come, skate and enjoy! If you have any questions, please call Steve Lindberg at 941-1355. Driscoll Catholic High School, Addison Open House: Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7-9 p.m. Pre-Test Workshop & Entrance Exam in January All 6th, 7th and 8th grade students and their families are invited to an Open House, which will provide an opportunity to meet with faculty and coaches, and to learn about the many activities Driscoll Catholic offers. Also, Driscoll Catholic staff members will be available to address questions about financial aid and transportation. If families cannot attend the Open House, they are encouraged to call and request a "Recruitment Brochure," which contains pertinent information and dates for the workshop and exam. Contact Director of Recruitment Kim Hannigan at 630-543- 6311, ext. 25. "Gather Books" You have no doubt noticed that our "Gather Books" are becoming very tattered looking and many of them have been lost over the years. The cost for each hardcover book, engraved with Mary Queen of Heaven's name, is $15. Every book donated by a family would have a donor bookplate bearing the words, "Gift of" and your family name. The "Gather Books" are a very important part of our liturgies. They enable parishioners to follow the Mass and participate in the songs along with our choir. We hope to provide four "Gather Books" for each pew. Next weekend, our bulletin will contain a form for donating a book. Please fill in the form and send it along with your check made out to Mary Queen of Heaven to the parish rectory or drop it in the collection basket. Once again, we wish to thank you for your generous contributions to our thriving parish. Policy on Mass Intentions Beginning this month, there will be a new policy on Mass intentions to bring our parish practice in line with canon law and diocesan recommendations, and also to make it possible for more people to have the opportunity to have a Mass offered for their intention, especially when someone has died. While we will keep the Mass intentions already listed in our book, it is necessary for us to have this new policy. At present, our Sunday Mass calendar for 2005 is already almost filled! There must be at least one Mass per week offered for all the people of our parish. Ordinarily, there should not be multiple specific intentions within one Mass. (Canon law does allow for there to be more than one Mass intention on occasion but the law is very specific about how often this may be done and under what circumstances.) Mass stipends are never to be split; there should be a stipend for each Mass intention. The diocese also recommends that parishes set a limit on how many Masses someone may have offered during the year so that all who wish to do so may. As we try to improve our practices here at Mary Queen, we would like to ask that there be a limit of six Sunday Masses per year for the intentions of your family. Please be assured that we pray for those who have died at every Mass. Our new policy with regard to specific Mass intentions will help to serve all the people of the parish well. A Vocation View Isaiah says: "The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord." Who taught you knowledge of the Lord, and who are you teaching today?