Did You Know?
This issue of the bulletin continues our new monthly series that will examine the liturgy and teaching of the Catholic Church.
THE SUNDAY MASS
Last month, we began looking at the Sunday Mass, which has two parts. These are called the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This month, we will examine the second part of Mass, called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which follows the Prayers of the Faithful.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted what we now call the celebration of the Eucharist. Giving thanks and praise to God, Jesus broke bread and took wine, and blessing these, he offered them to his apostles as his own Body and Blood. He called upon them to continue to do the same, in memory of him.
It is our understanding of the Holy Communion we share as the real Body and Blood of the Lord, and our regular celebration of the Mass which defines our lives as Catholics. Next month, we will focus more on the theological and spiritual meaning of the Eucharist in Catholic life. This month, we will focus on the rituals involved in the Liturgy of the Eucharist itself.
Following the Prayers of the Faithful, the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Preparation of the Gifts. The gifts of bread and wine are brought forward to the altar, along with the offering of our own gifts to God. This includes our financial offerings, given for the good of the church and the needs of the poor. Spiritually, we offer the gift of our own lives to God at this time, which is often called the Offertory. The altar is prepared for the central part of our celebration to begin, and the procession of gifts to the altar involves the participation of all who are present in making our offerings to God.
The prayers that accompany the placing of gifts on the altar are reminiscent of Jewish table prayers. The priest raises the bread and the wine, praises God, and blesses them. The mixing of wine and water also echoes back to ancient times when wine was regularly tempered with water. Over time, this ritual also came to symbolize the union of Christ and the Church. The washing of hands was also well known by early Christians, who were often Jewish, as symbolic of the need for inner purity before entering into religious ritual. The Prayer Over the Offerings concludes the Preparation of the Gifts and leads us into the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Eucharistic Prayer is the center of our Sunday celebration, as God is given thanks and praise for all of creation, and as the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord are recalled, again and again. Within this proclamation, the bread and wine are made into the Body and Blood of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The priest offers this Eucharistic Prayer in the name of all who are present, and the faithful give their assent through the responses that come forward at the Dialogue ("Lift up your hearts" and "We lift them up to the Lord"), the Acclamations (the "Holy, Holy" and "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again"), and the Great Amen.
There are numerous versions of the Eucharistic Prayer, some of which can be found by looking through the Gather Book or the missalettes which are in the pews in church. There are also different versions of the Eucharistic Prayer available for the priest in the Sacramentary (the red book used at Mass and for other sacramental celebrations of the Church) and in supplemental liturgical texts. Some Eucharistic Prayers are written with special themes, for example; they may focus on reconciliation, or they may be written especially for Masses with children.
The Communion Rite comes next, as we prepare to receive together the Lord's Body and Blood. The Lord's Prayer, the Sign of Peace, and the Breaking of the Bread are all the rituals that lead us into sharing the Body of Christ that we are called upon to become in our lives for the world.
Recent guidelines of the Church have called upon us to emphasize our reverence for the real presence of our Lord in Holy Communion by slightly bowing our heads before receiving the Body and Blood. It is perfectly reverent, however, to receive the host in our hands. The habit of receiving on the tongue actually developed in days when gifts of animals and food were also brought forward at the offertory and people had dirty hands. While it remains customary for some Eastern Rite Catholics to receive on the tongue, most Roman Catholics now receive in the hand, which is perfectly reverent and respectful.
Following the Prayer After Communion is the Concluding Rite of the Mass, which includes the Announcements, Final Blessing, and Dismissal. In the July issue of "Did You Know?" we will consider more deeply some of the theological and spiritual meaning of our Eucharistic celebrations.
Spiritual Journey to the
"Faith of the Irish."
Spiritual Journey to the "Faith of the Irish," October 10-
20, 2005, led by Fr. Doug Hauber, Pastor of St. Peter the Apostle
Parish, in Itasca. Enjoy round trip air fare from Chicago, first
class guides, hotels, and motorcoach throughout, entrance to any
sites requiring a fee, and two meals daily. Visit Dublin,
Cashel, Kilkenny, Waterford, Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher,
Croagh Patrick, Knock, and much more.
For your free brochure please call Fr. Doug Hauber at 630-
773-1272, x208, or email at PastorStPeter@aol.com. The price of
$2,199 is based on 20 passengers.
"Evening Under the Stars"
Auction Dinner Dance
Planning Meeting
Thursday, June 30
7:30 p.m. in Barrett Hall
Our eighth "Evening Under the Stars" Auction Dinner Dance
will be held on Friday, October 7, 2005 at Alta Villa Banquets in
Addison.
This is our second planning meeting and we are still
looking for help to make this event a huge success. The more
hands to help, the lighter the work load.
If you have some free hours and would like to volunteer to
help, please attend our planning meeting or call Sheila Reiter at
833-6657.
Summer Schedule
Our new R.C.I.A. Director, Mimi Wolak, would like to invite
you to "Come and See" what R.C.I.A. is about.
You are invited to "Come and See"
* If you would like to inquire about the Catholic Faith
* If you are not Baptized
* If you are a Baptized Catholic but have never received the
Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation
* If you might like to bring someone you know who is interested
in our Catholic Faith
* If you would like to be a sponsor for someone along the
journey
We will meet at 9:00 on the following Sunday mornings in
Room 6 of the school building: June 26, July 17 and 24, August
14 and 21. We will spend an hour "breaking open the word" as we
explore the readings of the day. After our discussion we will
all go to the 10:15 Mass together. Call Mimi at 941-3851
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 Paul Cirone
Peggy Delbeke Trudi Dolato
Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt
Tom Huwalt Pat Holmes
Maureen James Tom Janicke
Albert P. Kabat Valorie Kaffka
Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn
John Lane Robert Manion
Bobbi Nannini Vincent Scilluffo
Eileen Shea Jeff Smith
Cathy Ward
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.
Joyful Again!
(A Widowed Ministry)
Are you widowed?
Do you know someone who is widowed?
If you have been recently widowed and are struggling with
the loss, or if you have been widowed for a while and need
something to get you through this difficult time, this program is
designed to help you move on with your life while treasuring your
past and its precious memories.
This weekend program will be held at Mary Queen of Heaven
parish, in Elmhurst. All are invited. The Joyful Again! retreat
is for both men and women (all ages) who have been widowed and
are still trying to find hope and joy in their lives.
What: Weekend retreat
for widowed men and women.
When: July 16-17, 2005
Where: Mary Queen of Heaven Parish, Elmhurst
Donation: $75 - includes meals (adjusted if needed)
For further information, call: 708-354-7211.
Do you know that Mary Queen of Heaven has a
Labyrinth?
The Pathway of Peace Labyrinth has recently been maintained
by a few parishioners. Special stones have been painted and
repaired, and the grounds are nicely maintained. One quiet
summer morning or evening, on one of your walks, make the
Labyrinth a stop. You will find, on your 20-minute journey, a
place to quiet the mind. You may pray here, or you may find a
new insight here. All are welcome at anytime to walk the Pathway
of Peace Labyrinth.
See pictures of the building and dedication of the
labyrinth at: http://maryqueen.org/gallery/peace.html.
Catholic Charities DuPage County
Back to School Fair
Imagine being a child who goes to school on the first day
of class with no supplies - no paper, no pencils and no crayons.
Imagine being a child that has had to leave school because you
didn't complete your immunizations or school physical. Some
children today don't have to imagine it - they live it. That's
why Catholic Charities has coordinated the Back to School Fair in
DuPage County for the past fourteen years.
The Back to School Fair will be held on August 10th at the
DuPage County Fairgrounds from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm. This free
event is open to any DuPage family who lives near or below the
poverty level. Several thousand children and their families will
receive a wide variety of health and human services. Some of
these services offered include free school physicals provided by
the Loyola Mobile Medical Van, dental and vision screenings and
immunizations. Catholic Charities will also give each school-age
child a $10 certificate for the exclusive purchase of school
supplies.
Please consider donating to the Back to School Fair. Your
donation will allow Catholic Charities to purchase these school
supply gift certificates for distribution at the Fair. Donations
may be mailed to Catholic Charities, Back to School Fair, 26 W.
St. Charles Road, Lombard, IL 60148
A Vocation View
Jesus knew that when we are committed to whatever we are
doing no obstacle can prevent us from reaching our goal. So
Jesus could say: "If you will not take up your cross and come
after me, you are not worthy of me."
Religious Education News
Registrations!
Although June 1st has come and gone, we continue to accept
registrations during the summer months. If you have not as yet
registered, please do so ASAP. Please spread the word to your
friends and neighbors. Classes are filling up quickly.
Communion Banners
Last call for banner pick-up. If you have not as yet
claimed your child's banner, please do so ASAP.
Catechists are still needed at many levels.
With the addition of a 3rd session this fall the need for
catechists has increased dramatically. We are very blessed at
MQH to have so many dedicated men and women stay on from year to
year sharing their faith with our children and young people.
However, this year the new session meant we needed 20 more
catechists and at least 5 or 6 folks to help as support staff in
the office, halls, and parking lot.
People have been coming forward and we are grateful, but
the need is still great. At last count, we need approximately 15
more classroom staff. Before you leave for summer vacation,
please call us at the REO to see how you can help. Your children
are counting on you.
Market Day
Thank you to all our loyal supporters of Market Day. In
this age of ever increasing costs, it is more important than ever
to have a little extra financial support for the RE program.
Over the past few years we have averaged about $3,000 being
raised to supplement our RE income. To put things in perspective,
this figure is about 1/2 the amount that we spent on RE textbooks
last year. This is a great help and we want it to continue.
After over 9 years of faithful service, Mary Thornton will
be stepping down as one of the Market Day coordinators. Thank
you Mary, you will be missed. However, that means we need
someone to succeed her. If you have a few hours once a month
(except for July and August) that you could spend coordinating
Market Day, please call Karen Vicary at the REO for details. If
you always wanted to help in the RE program, but the classroom is
not your thing, this is your chance. We look forward to hearing
from you.
If you have questions or need more information, please call
Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962.
As was announced at last weekend's Masses, a new ministry
will be starting soon at Mary Queen, one that will actively
involve the homebound and those with limited mobility in some
real ministry of the church. We will be commissioning people to
this new ministry which will involve praying regularly for the
people of the parish and for special intentions each month. Each
member of this ministry will receive a letter of commissioning, a
rosary and a prayerbook, and a monthly newsletter listing the
special intentions for that month.
Our retired Deacon John Maloney, who now lives at St.
Patrick's Residence in Naperville, will be serving as a
"Spiritual Moderator" for this ministry, through his writing of a
monthly column for the newsletter. If you would like to be
commissioned to this ministry, please contact Sister Marlene at
the Parish Office. All that is needed is an open heart and a
genuine commitment to regular prayer. This ministry will be of
great benefit, not only to those who are commissioned, but for
the whole parish through their prayers.
We are also in need of a small committee to put the monthly
newsletter together. One person in the committee must have
computer skills adequate to get a camera-ready copy together.
All copying, envelopes, and stamps will be provided by the parish
office. The committee needs only to organize the newsletter each
month and stuff the mailing envelopes. Come fall, we will invite
our young religious education children to submit drawings to be
included in mailings as a way of cheering those ministers who are
at home and praying for us. This newsletter committee only needs
a couple of people to get started and takes very little time each
month. If you are interested in serving on this committee,
please contact Mary Foley at the Parish Office.
Partners in Prayerful Praise Ministry
Are you homebound or do you need to limit your parish
activity?
Would you still like to be more involved in the life of
the parish?
Are you someone who would like to help this new
ministry get started?
Are you a stay-at-home Mom or Dad who has computer
skills?
Vocation Retreat for Women
July 29 - 31, 2005
Sister Marlene Geimer's Religious Community, The Sisters of
the Living Word, is hosting a weekend retreat for young adult
women on at the Living Word Center in Arlington Heights,
Illinois.
The weekend is intended for any single woman, age 18-40,
who wants to experience the spirituality and passion for mission
that characterizes the Sisters of the Living Word. The weekend
will provide guidance in spiritual growth, prayer, and faith
sharing, as well as an invitation to greater service of others in
needs. There is no fee for this retreat, but advance
registration is required by July 21.
For more information about this retreat or to register,
contact Sister Sharon Glumb, SLW, Director of New Membership, by
phone (662-252-9801) or by e-mail (glumbs@aol.com).