Dear Friends,
I write to you on the evening of Monday, January 31. This was my first full day in Lourdes, after spending a few days in London, where I was able to meet with our young parishioner Neal Styka, who is studying this year abroad. I ask you to keep him in your prayers. Whatever he does in his life, Neal is a young man with strong faith, a heart for God's people, and he has a commitment to peace and justice.
Now, I am in Lourdes, the main pilgrimage of my journey. I have never been in a place like this before and I did not know what to expect. My experience has been different from many of the pictures I have seen and stories I have heard, for I definitely came out of season. There are millions of people who have been here; thousands upon thousands fill the streets and historic places during the summer. Now, it is winter, the least expensive time to travel to Europe. Today in Lourdes, I was in many places alone. It seems that few people come here in January, when there is snow in the mountains. I was the only guest at the convent until tonight (when a woman from Argentina arrived), and during the day, most of the hotels, shops, and restaurants were closed. It is very cold outside and I had to walk with a scarf covering my face.
In some ways, however, this time alone is a blessing. Lots of quiet time to pray and be reflective. There were no lines at the baths, even though they are only open two hours per day in the wintertime. Going into the bath at Lourdes has already been a high point of my visit here. You may be familiar with the story of Mary appearing to Bernadette at Lourdes, many times over a period of a few months. On one occasion, she told Bernadette to wash herself and drink from the water of a spring; however, Bernadette could find nothing but a muddy puddle. Still, she did as Mary told her, and not long afterwards, a clear spring began to flow from the place. For more than a century, pilgrims have come to Lourdes to pray and to wash in and drink of the water as Bernadette did. Taking a bath in the water at Lourdes is an experience I will never forget, and I am sure that its meaning will become even deeper for me over time.
I would like to describe this event because I have never experienced anything like it. The baths are separate for men, for whom there are six, and for women, for whom there are eleven. I was ushered into a waiting room where I was encouraged to settle myself and pray for a few minutes. Then, I was taken into a dressing room where there are other women changing their clothes. However, every person is given a large, substantial blue gown, which helps each one to remove her clothing modestly. You are instructed to remove all of your clothing. Then, one person at a time, you are taken behind a curtain into the bath. There, you are encouraged to offer your intentions in prayer before the bath begins. The ladies assisting you then discreetly remove your gown at the same time they slip around you a large white cloth. Perhaps unfortunately, this cloth is already wet from the bath and it is freezing cold! At the same time, this cold wetness helps to prepare you for what happens next, as you are led down the steps into the cold water of the large, stone bath. I was asked to kiss a statue of Mary and then to kneel down into the bath, which is filled to the top with water, so I was almost completely immersed. The white cloth was removed while I was kneeling and a pitcher of water was then poured into my hands so that I could wash my face. You are only in the water for a short time before being led back out so that the next person can take their turn. You are overcome by the experience - not only as the sensation of the cold water leaves your body, but with the realization that you have just completed a ritual enacted by millions of other Catholics over time. There is something incredible about being completely naked in the experience, and no one seems nervous or self-conscious about it. With the loving assistance of the attendants and the company of other pilgrims (at least as far as the dressing room!) it is as if you are presenting yourself to God completely as you are, with the aid of fellow Christians along the way. It is a wonderful metaphor for the Christian journey. That this ritual is a reminder of baptism only makes this symbolism stronger.
After leaving the bath, I went again to the grotto, where I had prayed earlier, remembering all of you, requesting healing for those who are sick or suffering. In February at Lourdes, there will be a Mass offered for all of the parishioners of Mary Queen of Heaven.
I am staying in a convent across the street from the parish church of Lourdes, which houses the baptismal font in which she was baptized, and the body of the parish priest who first doubted, but then believed, that Mary the Mother of God appeared to Bernadette. The nuns I am staying with are lovely. One speaks English, which has been wonderful. I am staying on the third floor of the convent and have a beautiful view of a fourteenth century castle on a hill in the midst of snowcapped mountains. It is quite a sight. Tomorrow morning, I will go to Mass in English at one of the churches built on top of each other at the grotto, which is only about a mile from here. The town of Lourdes is not very large and seems somewhat simple, in spite of the fact that there are many tourist shops lining the streets. Thankfully, most are closed now and things are very peaceful. I will be here until Thursday, when I travel to Rome, the last stop on my trip. When you read this on Sunday, I will be there, offering special prayers for you at the beautiful city that is the heart of our Catholic Church.
I will be back in the office on February 8. I look forward to beginning Lent with you this coming week. Living out the season of Lent can become a spiritual pilgrimage without ever leaving home. I look forward to seeing you very soon. God be with you.
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. * Lynn Suwanski, who works for an Elmhurst Memorial Hospital physician hospital organization, occasionally hears of openings for positions in physician offices in the Elmhurst area. If you would like to give her your name and phone number in case she finds out there is a need, she will contact you. Please call her at work 630-833-8200 ext. 73714, or home 630-530-2523, and be able to provide a resume. Mary's Page Mary Foley is away for two weeks on a Retreat/vacation. Her column will resume upon her return. Year 2005 Men's Group Events Mark your calendars for the following: Saturday, March 19 St. Patrick's Day Party Monday, April 4 NCAA Men's Basketball Men's Group meets the 2nd Thursday of each month. "Gather Books" You may have noticed that our "Gather" books are looking tattered and many of them have been lost. A new edition is now available. The cost for each hardcover book, engraved with our parish name, is $15. Replacing our books would be quite an expense to the parish, so we thought perhaps our parishioners would like to donate a book. Every book donated will have a donor bookplate with the words, "Gift Of" and your family name, or inscribed with the words "In Memory Of." These books are an important part of our liturgies. We hope to provide four "Gather" books at each end of our pews (8 per pew). There are forms available in the church vestibule. Please return the form with your check made out to Mary Queen of Heaven. Thank you for your generous contributions to our thriving parish. Religious Education News Mark Your Calendars: Wednesday, February 9, is Ash Wednesday. There is no regular class scheduled for that day. However, all RE families and children are invited to attend a Communion Service with Distribution of Ashes at 4 p.m. in the church. If you are not free in the afternoon, please plan on your family attending Mass with Distribution of Ashes at 7:30 p.m. in church. Saturday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m. will be Family Mass. Please plan on attending with your family. We have asked Grade 4 and their families to be responsible for the readings, gift bearing, altar dressing, etc. Hope to see all of our RE families there. Wednesday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. in Barrett Hall: all 8th grade Confirmation candidates, parents, and sponsors are asked to attend a special presentation by Bishop Schlarman. We are delighted that Bishop Schlarman will be here to talk to us, since he will be the presider at Confirmation on April 23. Please make a point to attend this session with the bishop. It is our hope that all of our parents and all of our local sponsors will be here with their candidates. Please let us know if for some reason you cannot attend. Thank You Thank you to all who made our Confirmation retreat on January 29th a success. A special thank you to Kathleen & Tom Gusloff for facilitating the retreat and a huge thanks to the incredible team of high school teens who gave up their Saturday to act as small group leaders and witness speakers. It was a fantastic day. Have You Ever Thought Of Being a Catechist? This is the perfect time to start thinking if you are being called to be a catechist in our Religious Education Program next fall. It's a great time to come by on a Wednesday and see what goes on after the children arrive. The only qualification is that you love children and you want to share your faith with them. Everything else is provided. With our enrollment nearing the 500 mark, the need for catechists is even greater. If you have ever thought about it or know someone who might be interested, call the office for details. For more information on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962 Youth Groups Reminder Meeting Dates: Feb. 13 and 27, and March 13 (We have only one meeting in March due to Easter and Spring break.) Wings to Heaven 5th-8th grade, 6:00-8:00 PM, Barrett Hall. Destiny-High school 8:30-10:10 AM, School Building Christian Service Commission Christian Worship Commission Candlelight Bowl Friday, February 18th The Council of Catholic Women and the Men's Group are co- hosting a Scotch Doubles Candlelight Bowl at Stardust Bowling Lanes, 27 E. Lorraine in Addison. Dinner will be served at 8:30 p.m. followed by three games of Scotch doubles (including one "crazy bowl" game). There will be raffles, and prizes will be awarded. The cost is $45.00/couple. Cash bar. Call your relatives, neighbors, and friends and invite them to join in the fun!! For reservations, call Mary White (833-9809) or stop at the table in the church vestibule this weekend. The final deadline for selling tickets is next Sunday, February 13th, but we would like to get as many reservations as possible by the 6th so that we can give the bowling alley a more accurate count for food arrangements. Make checks payable to the Council of Catholic Women. Joyful Again! Widowed and Wondering? Does it ever get better? - Yes, it does. Does anything help? - Yes, it does. Times Feb. 12-13, Holy Family Parish, Inverness Mar. 5-6, St. Charles Center Apr. 2-3, Lutheran General Hospital For more information about our program for widowed men and women, please call 708-354-7211. Help Others With Your Extras The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is collecting house wares that are clean and in good condition to help people in need. The Society is looking for glassware, dishes, pots and pans, bake ware, utensils, small working appliances, lamps, knick-knacks, and miscellaneous household items. Call 630-231-4658 for SVdP to send their truck to your home to pick up your donations. Clothing donations will be accepted also. Receipts are always gladly given. 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 Heather Marie Brennan Kathleen Bryers Rose Caffarelli Kathy Calzante Jim Clynch Jenie Colletti Trudi Dolato John Doyle 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 Stephanie Shostok Jeff Smith Joe Tinnerello Alex Villamil Tyler Vincer 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 Diane Pacyna Lillian Schactschober Christian Worship Commission Worship Commission Meeting Notes January 17, 2005 Christmas liturgies were glorious, thanks to all who participated, especially members of the music ministry! The Liturgy Committee reported that palms will be burned at the 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. Masses on February 6 in preparation for Ash Wednesday, February 9. The Lenten focus for this year is: Take a risk! Reform your life! Live his journey! The series of videos on Vatican Council II will be done on Tuesdays during Lent. Plans are being made for our Lenten reconciliation service which will be on Wednesday evening, March 2. Training for facilitators for the Little Rock Bible study series, which begins after Easter, will occur on Saturday mornings during February in Barrett Hall. Signup will be the weekend of March 7-8. We are looking into the possibility of providing children's liturgy of the word at a Mass on Sunday sometime in the future. In light of this, Mr. Mark Garstki was introduced during a joint meeting of the Education and Worship Commissions. He is Director of Technology for the Chicago Catholic Schools, is chair of the Liturgy Board at St. Nicholas Church in Evanston, and has directed the Children's Liturgy of the Word there for several years. It usually includes children from kindergarten through about 5th grade. He made clear that it is not religious education, nor is it a homily for young people, nor arts and crafts. It is breaking open the word, hearing it proclaimed in language children can understand and allowing time for response and reflection. More detailed information is available on our website by clicking the link to Worship Commission where we post worship commission meeting minutes. All are invited to attend our meetings, which are held at 7 PM on the third Monday of the month. Lenten Vatican II Series The MQH Adult Education and Spirituality Committee invites you to explore 40 Years of Catholic Tradition The Faithful Revolution: Vatican II Our Lenten Adult Education series will examine the dramatic changes fostered by the Second Vatican Council and its continuing effects on history and the modern world. Meet Pope John XXIII, the pontiff who "opened the windows of renewal" in the Catholic Church, and the church leaders and laity-men and women-who gathered with him for the Second Vatican Council over 40 years ago. The series consists of five one-hour-long video presentations produced by Resources for Christian Living, and includes actual film footage of the Council as well as interviews with bishops, theologians, women religious, Catholic laity, journalists, and others who were present for this historic convocation. This video and discussion series will be presented weekly on Tuesday evenings during Lent at 7:00 P.M. in Barrett Hall. The first session on February 15 will be hosted by the MQH Council of Catholic Women. Please refer to the weekly bulletin for the particulars of each week's session. For more information, please contact Dick Reed at 834-4840. Scripture Study Program Update Leadership training for more than 15 facilitators and co- facilitators for our upcoming Scripture Study Program is already underway, and will continue for the next four weeks. Watch this space for more details about this program, including the Information Weekend to be held March 5/6, and Sign- Up Weekend on March 12/13. Actual study groups will begin the week of April 3. Meanwhile, please pray for discernment about taking part in one of the study groups, and pray for our facilitators, co- facilitators - and trainers - during this time of formation and preparation. For information, call Lynn Suwanski at 530-2523. Fellowship Sunday On Sunday, February 20th, after the 10:15 a.m. Mass, we will have Fellowship in Barrett Hall. Members of our Parish Council will be the hosts. Bring your family and enjoy conversing with friends and fellow parishioners while having a cup of coffee or juice, donuts, coffee cakes and other goodies. Parish Library To Open February 20 Mary Queen of Heaven's new parish library, located at the north end of Mary's Gathering Place, will open for the first time on Sunday, February 20 from 9:00 a.m. until Noon. This will enable parishioners to have the books available for nearly all of Lent-not that we think reading is a form of Lenten penance, but rather a chance to deepen our spiritual knowledge. Members of the Library Committee have divided the books into various categories and color coded each category to help parishioners using the library. Among the topics covered are Church History, The Church Today, Theology, Christian Reading, Spirituality, Devotional, Saints, Biography, Women, Fiction, Psychology, Children, and Young Adults. In addition, a number of magazines will be available in the magazine rack for reading. Some additional books have been ordered to fill in the gaps in certain categories, which we hope will arrive before February 20. There is some overlap between a few of the categories, but since ours is a small library this should not present a serious problem. For example, Spirituality focuses on the ideas involved in the spiritual life, while Devotional emphasizes the "how to" in developing one's spiritual life. The library will be open from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Sundays. Books may be checked out for three weeks at a time by filling out the cards in the pockets in the back of each book, and leaving the cards in the library. Members of the Library Committee will be present to answer questions during library hours. Anyone wishing to volunteer to help with the work of the library should call William Barnds at 630-782-5966. William Barnds, a former U.S. government official and author, joined the parish last year. He is also a member of the Finance Committee. Vocation View Jesus speaks on Vocations: "You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Your light must shine before people so that they may see your goodness in your acts, giving praise to your Heavenly Father." The Holy Father's Mission Intention for February That all missionaries, both men and women, may grow in their recognition that it is only through a fervent love for Christ that the Gospel can be transmitted in an effective and convincing way. Reminder to all Parents Please caution your children to be extra careful when crossing the parking lot, walking on the sidewalks, etc. We ask that all our parents be extra careful as well when driving in and out of the parking lot. With the snowy, icy weather we want all of our children to be safe. Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator The Lenten Season The Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes when the Triduum Fast begins, with the Church's celebration of the Evening Mass of the Lord's supper on Holy Thursday. Fast & Abstinence Regulations 1. Everyone 14 years of age or over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent. 2. Everyone 18 years of age and under 59 years of age is bound to fast and to abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. 3. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, only one full meatless meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one's needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices, are allowed. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. 4. To disregard completely the law of fast and abstinence is seriously sinful. 5. Lent is the principal season of penance in the Christian year. All of the faithful are strongly urged to develop and follow a program of voluntary self-denial (in addition to following the Lenten regulations), serious prayer, and a performance of works of charity and mercy. Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a day of universal fast and abstinence. During Mass, ashes are blessed and imposed after the homily. When distributed outside of Mass, a Liturgy of the word is celebrated, the rite of blessing is performed and, after the imposition of ashes, the celebration concludes with the general intercessions, the Lord's Prayer and a hymn.