Dear Friends,
I have been thinking a lot about family these days: my own family, my parish family, individual families in our parish. All of these are filled with the stuff of life: human relationships that can bring great joy, transform with great love, cause great hurt when anger or spite get in the way, and suffer great pain when there is serious injury or illness, death, or divorce. What we share in common is that all of us have some sense of what the best and worst of family life can be.
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. This is a day in the church year when we celebrate the mystery of our God, whose very Being exists in relationship. I remember once hearing a priest say that Trinity Sunday is a preacher's nightmare. I suppose this would be true if one felt the need to try to explain something that can never be fully explained because it is, by its very nature, a great mystery. However, the relationship of three persons in one God is a mystery that invites us to enter deeply within itself.
There is a very famous icon of the Trinity that was painted centuries ago by the great Russian monk Andrei Rublev. In it, Rublev employs an often used symbol of the three angels who visited Abraham and Sarah to represent the three persons of the Holy Trinity. He places the three figures around a table with a great opening at the front of the picture. It is Rublev's way of showing us how God is always inviting us into relationship with the Holy Trinity, inviting us into deeper joy, inviting us into deeper love, a love that can restore what is divided and heal what is hurt. Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed when human relationships fail but the divine relationship of the Holy Trinity can make things new again.
Sometimes it is hard for us to trust that God really has the power to restore and renew all things because our own best efforts seem to fail. And yet, God never stops trying to remind us of the divine love that is available to us. Each time a word of forgiveness opens a hardened heart, each time stiff-necked people (as are Moses' people in today's first reading) soften, each time some surprising seemingly-impossible things happen in our lives, these are occasions of grace, and reminders to us of our God who is always inviting us deeper into relationship with the Trinity and with one another in love
I am looking forward to time with my family this weekend, including my father and his wife who are coming in from Florida, my son Eric and his wife Jessica, who are traveling from California, along with some of my other children and a very large extended family who are already here. Some of you may have heard the announcement last weekend, but I want you to know that as a gift to my family and my parish family, I have arranged for a special concert to be given tonight at 7 pm in Barrett Hall. Our featured musician will be 17 year old Heather Styka, a very talented young parishioner who plays piano and guitar and has a lovely singing voice. She also has a gift for songwriting, and we will be listening to many of her own creations. I hope that it will be an enjoyable night for all the families who attend.
On this Trinity Sunday, I pray that all of us will be open to receiving the gifts and graces that God has to offer us. May we accept the invitation to be drawn more fully into the life of God, so that the perfect love of the Trinity may transform us in all the ways we need to be transformed. May we practice and celebrate, with the help of God, the best that family life can be. And where there may be trouble or pain in our relationships, let us trust that God can make a way for there to be healing, or make a way for something new to come.
With regard to our parish family, I wish to acknowledge the generosity of many people. First of all, last week, with heartfelt gratitude, I accepted a $20,000.00 check from a Mary Queen of Heaven parishioner who wishes to remain anonymous. She was exceedingly generous in her monetary gift and in her expression of love, support, and prayers. I am grateful to God for her
I would also like to thank those who have continued to maintain their pledges to our parish stewardship effort. Your gifts will help us move toward a balanced budget in the future. Also, I would like to thank all of those who have made contributions to the Diocesan Appeal. Our goal is $25, 207.00. Already, parishioners have been so generous that only $7,370 is needed to reach our goal. I will keep you posted on progress. In the meantime, thank you for all of the ways you share your time, talent, and treasure with the parish.
Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator
Exceptional People Touch Our Lives Dorothy Day Movie to be shown at MQH Wednesday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m. In the weeks after Easter in the RCIA we seek to continue to deepen our understanding of the Paschal Mystery. Part of our responsibility as Eucharistic People is to serve others as Jesus did. We will show a movie depicting the life of a modern-day saint, Dorothy Day. The movie, called "Entertaining Angels," walks us through a day in New York City where all people, peasant or king, are treated as angels. The movie is rated PG-13 and tells of courage and commitment to the Gospel way of life. It will be shown at 7:30 sharp in the Social Hall. All are welcome. The movie will be followed by discussion, as time allows. Fellowship Sunday, TODAY, May 22 A very special Day! Bring your family to Barrett Hall after the 10:15 a.m. Mass for Fellowship hosted by our RCIA Team. At this Fellowship we will be welcoming new families that have registered in our parish since February 2005 and we invite everyone to come and meet them. We are very happy they have chosen to become members of our parish family. At this fellowship, we especially honor Mary Alice Steck and bid her farewell and best wishes as she and her husband Bill move to Hennepin, Illinois. Mary Alice has been a member of Mary Queen of Heaven since 1997, when she became our RCIA/RCIC Coordinator. She also began our Bereavement Ministry. Her husband, Bill, has always been there to support and help her in whatever way possible. He will especially be missed for his unending support at our Auction/Dinner Dance and with the St. Vincent DePaul Society food collections and distributions. We wish Mary Alice and Bill the best of luck with their new home in Hennepin, Illinois, thank them for all they have done here at Mary Queen, and let them know that they will always be loved and missed! Parish News "Ladies Night Out" Dinner The Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring a "Ladies Night Out" on Tuesday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy fellowship with your friends from MQH. We will be honoring Diane Bernstein, our Woman of the Year, for her dedication and work in our parish over the years. The celebration will be held at Casey's Restaurant, 415 East North Avenue, Lombard. There will be a choice of three entrees: Casey's Prime Rib, Broiled Breast of Chicken, and Broiled Orange Roughy. Dinner will also include soup or salad, coffee, soft drinks and dessert. A cash bar will also be available. The cost for the evening will be $25.00 per person. Please make checks payable to Mary Queen of Heaven CCW The deadline for reservations is Sunday, June 12. Registration forms are available in the church vestibule for your convenience. Please take one and return it with payment as soon as possible. It can be dropped in he collection basket or sent to the rectory. For further information, please call Mary White (833-9809) or Sheila Reiter (833-6657). Religious Education News RE Registrations If you did not receive a registration for the 2005-2006 RE year or know of someone who did not, please call the office. Remember all families must register every year. It is not necessary to include a check with your form at this time. But it is important to get your registration in before June 1st. Classes are filling up fast. Help Needed in the 2005-2006 term. If you have ever thought that sharing your faith with the young people of our parish might be where the Lord is calling you, you are probably right. If you think you would like to find out more about being involved in our Parish RE program, call the REO. If you cannot help on a weekly basis with the children, please consider the following: We will be needing one or two people to help coordinate our Market Day program. Market Day is the 3rd Saturday morning of the month from September through June. This takes only a few hours of your time, but it is a very important part of our RE program. It is our only fundraiser and with costs rising each year, our modest tuition barely covers half. Our current coordinators will stay on a few months to show you the ropes. Please call us at the REO if you can help. If you have any questions or need more information, please call Mary Ann Woods, REO, 832-8962. Christian Education Commission Volunteer Tutors Needed Join the Sisters of St. Joseph of LaGrange in their Adult Literacy/ESL program, School on Wheels. Volunteer tutors are needed to teach adults one hour/week at Berwyn, Hodgkins, Summit, Villa Park, Westmont, or Woodridge, weekday mornings, some late afternoons and/or evenings. Training will be provided on Saturdays, June 18 and June 25, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., at the Motherhouse/Ministry Center, 1515 W. Ogden. LaGrange Park. You must attend one 2-day training session. However, you do not need any prior second-language skills. For more information, call (708) 354-9200: Sr. Marybeth at ext. 5060, Jeanie Pavich at ext. 5085, or Barbara Bernhard at ext. 5037 . Community News 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. * A parish family needs part-time childcare over the summer. The job involves providing daytime care for 4 children in their home on two days per week for 6-8 hours per day. There is some limited in-town driving involved as well. Please call John at 569-0489. * Urgent need for gently used household furniture!Sharing Connections, a local non-profit located in Downers Grove and serving all DuPage County town, accepts household furniture and then redistributes to low-income families in need of these items. Right now there are nearly 300 families in need of such basic household items as a bed or table and chairs. If you have gently used furniture that you would like to donate, please contact Sharing Connections at 630-971-0565, ext. 300, to schedule a truck pick-up. Or, bring your donations to 5111 Chase Avenue, just south of the Belmont train station. Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and Saturday 9-Noon. All donations are tax deductible. By working together, we can improve the lives of our neighbors. Open Positions at CareNet CareNet Pregnancy Services of DuPage has employment opportunities for a full-time Church Development Coordinator and part-time (36 hour) Special Event Manager. Individuals applying for these positions should have excellent phone and people skills, be detail oriented and self-motivated. If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of DuPage County women and their families and working in a fast-paced setting, please send your resume to cpsdupage@core.com. Tony Melendez In concert at 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 27 Saturday May 28 St. Joseph Parish Mt. Carmel Parish Addison Joliet 630-279-6553 (815) 727-7187 It was an unforgettable moment when, on Sept. 15, 1987, Tony Melendez played his guitar for Pope John Paul II in Los Angeles. Born without arms, he performed a touching song entitled "Never Be the Same" on the guitar with his feet. When the Pope, deeply moved by Tony's musical gift, came down and said to him, "Tony, Tony, Tony, you are a courageous young man, a very courageous young man. My wish for you is to bring hope to all of the people." Tickets: $10 (Advance), $12 (Door), $5 Child under 12 For tickets and directions, contact the parishes. A Memorial Day Mass will be celebrated on Monday, May 30, at 9:00 a.m. in the Assumption Cemetery Chapel Mausoleum located at 1S510 Winfield Rd., in Wheaton. Benedictine University, Lisle Adult Accelerated Degree Programs Benedictine University provides an alternative in education for working adults. These include many undergraduate programs, as well as programs for certified teachers in reading and literacy, curriculum instruction, and a type 75 leadership and administration degree. Four business degrees are offered in an accelerated, cohort format, in which a group of students progresses as a team through all of the courses. Information sessions will be held on Wednesday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. in Lisle, and on Thursday, May 26 at 5:30 p.m. in Chicago. For more information, call 630-829- 2277. Parenting Programs Catholic Charities will offer the following parenting programs at Catholic Charities, in Lombard: Effective Choices, Effective Parenting, a one day workshop that helps parents build on existing strengths for better relationships with their children. Saturday, June 18, 1-4 PM. Cost $20/per person; $25/per couple. All About Attention Deficit Disorder, a video-based program of four 90-minute sessions that enables parents to interact more effectively with children who are suspected to have symptoms of ADD or have been diagnosed with ADD. Classes on four consecutive weeks, June 7-28, at 7:00 PM. Cost $50/per person; $70 per couple. For more information or to pre-register, please contact Jim Gilligan, Parenting Instructor, at 630-710-8226. Diocesan News Job Opening - Diocese of Joliet Title: Office Manager Status: Full Time with Benefits Location: Religious Education Office, Joliet IL The Office Manager provides assistance with office business functions, acting as a steward of physical, financial and personnel resources of the Religious Education Office. The Office Manager is the primary administrative support person to the Director. For more information or to apply, please contact Mike Svach, Director of Personnel, at (815) 834-4077, or visit our website at www.dioceseofjoliet.org and click the link for "Jobs." Jewel Shop and Share Days to benefit the Elmhurst Walk-In Ministry Monday-Wednesday, May 23, 24 and 25 By shopping at Jewel on any of these days, 5% of your total purchases will be donated to the Elmhurst Walk-In Ministry by the store. Every slip turned in counts! All you need to do is present the identification slip, with your signature, to the checkout person. There is absolutely no extra cost to you. The slips are accepted at all Jewel locations. Thank you for supporting this wonderful ministry! St. Vincent de Paul Spring Clothing Drive Mary Queen of Heaven Parish St. Vincent de Paul Society is sponsoring a Spring Clothing Drive on Saturday and Sunday, June 4/5. The St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the parking lot from about 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning until approximately 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Last spring our parish held a clothing drive and it was a huge success! We filled the truck with items to benefit the needy. This seems like the perfect time to do it again. Pick out those things you have been holding on to. Someone else can use them right now. People are in need of clean, gently used items: clothing, shoes, purses, linens, bedding, house wares, books, small working appliances, knick-knacks, toys, etc. There is a special need for clothing for children. Donation bags will be available after all masses on the weekend of May 21/22. For pickup of furniture and heavy items, please call 630- 231-4658. Tax receipts are gladly given. "Thank You for Helping Us to Help People" 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 Paul Cirone Peggy Delbeke Trudi Dolato John Doyle Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt Pat Holmes Maureen James Tom Janicke Albert P. Kabat Bill Kevil Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn Baby Emma Ann Lynde Nancy Maloney Robert Manion Bobbi Nannini Vincent Scilluffo Eileen Shea Jeff Smith Joe Tinnerello Cathy Ward Rest in Peace Maryann Fuimefreddo 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. Christian Worship Commission Food Drive News I thought that it would be really difficult to top last year's total of 1600 pounds. Well, the kids certainly outdid themselves this year. Between the kids' donations and the neighborhood collections, we totaled...drum roll please...2600 pounds! Previous to this our five-year total was 5500 pounds, so in one night we increased that by 50 percent! That means our six-year total is four tons! The People's Resource Center was extremely grateful. Thanks to all who supported this drive. Julie Mc Govern Garden Club Planting Calling all Garden Club Members, any teen, and male or female adult who could volunteer a few hours on Saturday, May 28th at 9:30 a.m. to help beautify our parish grounds by planting annuals in the flower beds around the Church, school building and parish office. Bring your garden gloves, diggers, shovels and a smile. The more people we have helping the faster we will be able to accomplish what we have planned. Many hands make the work lighter and it's an opportunity to meet and converse with fellow parishioners. Should the weather be inclement, the rain date will be June 4th. Please call either Rose Wilkes (833-7238) or Sheila Reiter (833-6657) and let them know if you are planning to help out.. St. Camillus Alumni As has been reported, St. Camillus School, located near Midway Airport in Chicago, will officially close at the end of this school year. Therefore, on Sunday, June 26, at 12:30 p.m., a special Mass of Thanksgiving will be offered at St. Camillus Church, 55th Street and Lockwood Avenue, followed by a banquet at the Mayfield Banquet Hall beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 per person, which includes a buffet dinner. All alumni, parents, teachers and benefactors are encouraged to attend. For information or tickets, please contact Dolores (Pencak) Kaczmarski at 733-585-0865 or Carol (Kurzawski) Frencl at 708-532-9030. This event needs the support of those who have cared about St. Camillus School and Catholic education. We cannot permit 80 years to pass without notice. A Vocation View Each of us experiences a story of God's self-revelation in a unique way. Tell your story. Add to the beautiful mosaic of God's life in this world by the story of your life. Men's Group Meets 2nd Thursday of each month at 8 p.m. At the Odeum in Villa Park Please contact Tom Gusloff at 832-4248 for further information