Dear Friends,
As you may know, Father Benet Fonck, O.F.M., the priest who provides most of our sacramental ministry, has been in the hospital for the last couple of weeks. We continue to pray for his complete healing and hope that he will be back with us by Christmas. In the meantime, in the midst of this Advent season, I would like to share with you some of my bedside conversation with him.
Father Benet took ill rather suddenly. In fact, we were having dinner together after a 5:00 Mass on a Saturday evening when he first started feeling sick and feverish. I gave him some Tylenol as he left, hoping that by the time he made his way home to Joliet that he would be feeling better. Instead, he called me at 1:30 in the morning to let me know that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital.
One of the blessings of Father Benet's life is belonging to the Franciscan community, a really large family for him. During these days of his illness, his brother friars have been checking in on him, and the Franciscan Sisters who work at the nursing home where he serves have also been attending to him, even taking care of his cat Bobo, who is awaiting Father Benet's return home.
I have been in regular contact with Father Benet, too, assuring him of your prayers, all this time that he has been recovering from a cellulitis infection and cardiopulmonary congestion. I would like to share with you some of our conversation from a visit last weekend. I knew, as I listened to Father Benet, that I was being given a gift that was to be shared. I have asked Father Benet if I could share this with you and he said yes.
It was a very chilly morning last Saturday and all around outside, people were decorating for Christmas. I had already brought Father Benet some cards and gifts from the parish, and a novel about St. Francis that I picked up in a bookstore. On this day as I walked into the hospital, I wanted him to be able to experience something of the Christmas decorations outside, and so I stopped in the hospital gift shop to see what I could find. I picked up a little ornament, a snowman with a ring around his head that reminded me of a Franciscan tonsure, or ring of hair. A Franciscan snowman?! A bit silly, perhaps, but something I thought might cheer him.
Do you know, though, that throughout this time of illness, Father Benet has remained cheerful the whole time? Even when he had trouble breathing and was receiving oxygen and treatments for this, even when he couldn't yet walk to the bathroom on his own, even with the loss of appetite he suffered, even being worried about how sick he got so fast, he still remained cheerful. Perhaps this was because, as he said to me last Saturday, this experience has been one of real Advent for him.
All that Father Benet has been able to do has been waiting. Waiting to see what would come, waiting for healing, waiting for God, completely vulnerable, completely dependent upon the grace of God. Father Benet shared with me his sense that what was happening was beyond his own power. In the midst of this experience, he realized that in order to live, he will have to change. In terms of his physical health, this means that he will have to watch his diet and exercise (things that some of the rest of us could attend to better, too!) But in a very real way, in the midst of this illness, he has experienced the deepest meaning and spiritual discipline of Advent.
This is a season of waiting for all of us - waiting for the Christ child, waiting with joyful hope for the promise of new life. In the midst of our waiting, we, too, have to change, as St. John the Baptist and Isaiah the prophet have reminded us week by week during this holy season. We have to change our ways in order to open our hearts more fully to the new life God has promised to us.
Waiting does not ordinarily appeal to us. In these days before Christmas, we seem to do a lot of it. We wait in traffic, we wait in shopping lines, we wait to see what cards or presents will come. I believe that Father Benet has already given us a wonderful gift, by reminding us that what we really are to be about during these days of Advent is an entirely different kind of waiting. We are all part of a Mystery that is beyond ourselves. We are all in need of healing. We are all called to change our ways in order to live. We are all in need of saving grace.
Let us be about the right kind of waiting this Advent. All of us, even the strongest and most healthy, are weak and vulnerable in some way. None of us has the power to completely control our lives. In our Advent waiting, let us remember how dependent we are upon God. Let us heed the call of the saints and the prophets to change our ways. Let us prepare for Christmas as they did 2000 years ago, waiting for the birth of the Christ child in wonder and in awe. Let us spend our waiting time giving glory and thanks to God, who so loved the world that he came to dwell among us. O Come Divine Messiah, and bless Father Benet and all of us with your healing and your peace.
Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator
L.O.S.S. Support Group
(Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide)
A trained facilitator and a mental health professional
assist these groups. The groups meet from 7 to 9 p.m.
Dec. 21 -St. Paul the Apostle Activity Center
130 Woodlawn, Joliet
**Dec. 20 -St. Daniel the Prophet Parish Center
101 West Loop Drive, Wheaton
During the month of December, all groups will participate in a
candle-light service of remembrance. Members may bring a photo
of their loved who have died.
**This group meets one week earlier during December.
Christmas Giving Tree Reminder
Return all gifts by December 11th so that they can be
sorted and placed in boxes for the respective families. After
you purchase and wrap your gift, the tag must be taped to the
package with the written side of the ornament facing up, so that
we will know to which family the gift belongs. Every ornament is
coded and this coding needs to be visible. If you have any
questions, please call Sheila Reiter at 833-6657.
Christmas Food Collection
Our Annual Christmas Food Collection will take place this
weekend of December 10/11. We are collecting non-perishable
items to make Christmas food baskets for needy families. We
expect to have 25 families to care for. Some of the items needed
are: canned vegetables, dressing mix, potatoes, cereals, canned
fruit, soup, canned meats and fish, peanut butter, Jelly, Jell-O,
boxed cake mixes, dish soap, soap bars, deodorant, hair shampoo
and paper products.
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. Baskets will be
provided for your donations.
We will prepare baskets for distribution on Tuesday, Dec.
13, at 7:00 p.m. If you have an hour or so free to help out,
call Sheila Reiter at 833-6657.
Advent, Christmas and New Year Schedules
Christmas Masses
Saturday, December 24
Christmas Eve - 5:00 p.m. Children's Liturgy
9:30 p.m. Choir Prelude
10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass
Sunday , December 25
Christmas Day - 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
New Year's Masses
Saturday, December 31
New Year's Eve - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 1, 2005
8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. - Mary, Mother of God and
World Day of Prayer for Peace
Catholic Charities Serves Needy Families
During the fall, client families completed a "wish list" at
the Lombard office. Catholic Charities staff then coordinated
with area churches, businesses 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.
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 these families and their children may be mailed
to Catholic Charities, 26 W. St. Charles Road, Lombard, IL 60148.
March for Life 2006
Attention Teens, Young Adults, and Adults:
The Joliet Diocesan Life Office is sponsoring its second
annual March for Life Trip to Washington, D.C. on January 21-24,
2006. Join us as we "take on Washington" to promote the
Inalienable Right to Life on this 33rd anniversary of the tragic
1973 Roe v. Wade Decision which legalized abortion in the United
States.
Youth (High School and up): $255 (4 to a room)
Chaperone (age 21 and up): $255 (double occupancy)
Adult (non chaperone): $280 (double occupancy)
Adult (non chaperone): $300 (single occupancy)
The trip includes transportation, lodging, and food.
Registration and payment due by December 10, 2005.
Chaperones needed. Limited availability, call the Joliet Diocesan
Life Office at 815-838-1002.
MQH Peace & Justice Committee
Sunday Scripture Reflection
3rd Sunday of Advent (Cycle B)
December 11, 2005
Quotes
Animated by the charity of Christ, a human person finds it
impossible not to love his fellow human beings. He makes his own
their needs, their sufferings and their joys. There is a sureness
of touch in all his activity in every field. It is energetic,
generous and considerate. For "charity is patient, is kind;
charity envies not, deals not perversely, is not puffed up, is
not ambitious, seeks not her own, is not provoked to anger,
thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices with the
truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things."
Pope John XXIII, Mater and Magistra
. . . the church is not perfect. Its early bishop James had to
remind the people: . . . it was those who are poor according to
the world that the Lord chose, to be rich in faith and to be
heirs to all that was promised to those who love God. . . . Yet
the church continues, despite its sins, working for the poor,
insisting on practical love, and not just prayers and good
intentions.
Catholic Bishops of Appalachia,
This Land is Home to Me: A Pastoral Letter on Poverty and
Powerlessness, Feb. 1, 1975
The millions of people whose very lives are at risk because they
lack the minimum basic food call for the attention of the
International Community, because it is the common duty of us all
to care for our brothers and sisters. Indeed, famine is not
entirely due to geographical and climatic situations or to the
unfavorable circumstances linked to harvests. It is also caused
by human beings themselves and by their selfishness, which is
expressed by gaps in social organization, by rigidity in economic
structures all too often oriented solely to profit, and even by
practices against human life and ideological systems that reduce
the person, deprived of his fundamental dignity, to being a mere
instrument. True world development, organized and integral, which
everyone hopes for, requires on the contrary an objective
knowledge of human situations, the identification of the real
causes of poverty and practical responses whose priority is the
appropriate formation of each person and community. Thus, the
authentic freedom and responsibility that are proper to human
action will be put into practice.
Pope Benedict XVI, October 12, 2005
Blue Christmas Service
A time of gentle music, readings and quiet reflection for
anyone finding the Christmas season difficult, for those who may
be experiencing loss in their lives - such as a loved one, a job,
physical health, a relationship - or any other darkness. An
occasion for comfort, peace, hope and/or healing. Refreshments
following the service.
Sunday, December 18, at 4:00 p.m.
at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour,
116 E. Church St., Elmhurst.
For more information, call 530-1434.
New Ministry of Commentator
Beginning in January, our Liturgy Committee will be
instituting a three-month trial with the ministry of Commentator.
This is a traditional ministry of the Church, still allowed,
which provides for the introduction/explanation of certain parts
of the Mass. Here at Mary Queen, we will be trying out the role
of Commentator to introduce the Sunday readings. Many people
always liked the way that Father John introduced the readings,
saying that the introduction helped them to more fully enter into
Word of God. On the Sundays that Father John is still here, he
will continue to do this. Now, with the role of Commentator, we
will be able to have an introduction to the readings at all of
the other weekend Masses, too.
The role of Commentator will be filled by our Lectors.
Usually, the role of Commentator is a separate ministry, with the
Commentator speaking from a different microphone. Given our
sanctuary space limitations, this will be a combined ministry for
our Lectors, who will read the introduction before beginning the
readings. The introduction will be prepared in advance by the
Pastoral Life Coordinator.
The first three months of the year will be a trial period
for this new ministry of Commentator. After that time, there
will be an evaluation to see if this will remain a regular part
of our liturgical practice.
Parish Help Wanted:
The parish is looking for help in three areas:
St. Vincent de Paul Volunteers: For a long time, Tom and Diane
Phillips have been humble servants of our parish by making weekly
deliveries of all of the clothing and goods we collect for the
St. Vincent de Paul Society regional facility. The Phillips are
now moving to Florida. We thank them for their dedicated
service. We would like very much to continue this charitable
work but are in need of some new volunteers to make these
deliveries. Please contact Sheila Reiter if you can assist in
this way. She can be reached at 630-833-6657.
Printer Cartridge Delivery: We are also in need of new
volunteers to package the printer cartridges we collect.
Proceeds from the ink cartridge collection will now benefit our
chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the parish ministry
that provides assistance to those most in need. Mailing
materials are provided by the company that accepts the ink
cartridges, but we need volunteers to keep up with the packaging
and mailing. If you are able to help with this simple but very
important work, please contact Sheila Reiter at 630-833-6657.
Evening office helper: There is a part-time paid position
available for a teenager to work in the parish office from 4-7
p.m. a few nights a week, beginning in January. This position
requires someone who has good telephone and written communication
skills, loves people, is proficient with Microsoft Word, and is
able to do some lifting and carrying of packages. Please call
Sister Marlene if you are interested in being interviewed for
this position. She can be reached at the parish office at 630-
279-5700.
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.
Joe Abruzzo Pam Bondfide
Heather Brennan Kathleen Bryers
Pat Caffarelli Rose Caffarelli
Kathy Calzante Family of Cynthia Catalano
Cosmore Ciancio Paul Cirone
Margaret Conroy Rhonda Colletti
Benton Doherty Trudi Dolato
Dino Fuggitti Anna Heffel
Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt
Pat Holmes Michelle Humann
Maureen James Tom Janicke
Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn
John Lane Baby Emma Lynde
Robert Manion Bobbi Nannini
Edward Owca Geri Pstrzoch
Vincent Scilluffo Eleanor Sikorski
Jeff Smith Karen Sutkus
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.
Rest in Peace
Kay Goodman,
Teacher at Sandburg School
Religious Education News
Congratulations to all our second graders who celebrated the
Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this past
Saturday. Our prayer for our little ones is that this was the
first time of many times in their lives where they will
experience God's loving forgiveness in the sacrament.
Advent Toy Collection: We continue to collect new,
unwrapped toys for Marillac House. Toys may be left in
the box in the School on Wednesday, December 14. As
you are aware, Marillac is located on the West Side of
Chicago just a short distance from Mary Queen. Marillac
helps many families in that community. Please be
generous.
Help Someone Come Home!!
Welcoming Catholics Home Ministry is looking for interested
and compassionate parishioners to join our team. This is an
outreach ministry for Catholics who are interested in coming back
home to the church.
Our first six-week series was last April and May and, as
explained in the article above, we are planning our next series
which begins on Tuesday, January 24, at 7:30 p.m. and will run
for six consecutive weeks.
Are you a compassionate, non-judgmental individual, who is
willing to join the team and walk with those seeking to return to
their Catholic faith? Are you seeking to strengthen your own
faith? Do you acknowledge that struggles in your faith journey
help you grow closer to God? Are you a Catholic that 'came
home'?
If you would like to be part of this exciting ministry, or
if you know of someone who is seeking to return to the Catholic
faith, please call Donna Klopacz at 630-832-3618.
Welcoming Catholics Home
Do you know someone who has left the church? Most of us
don't have to think hard to find nonpracticing Catholics in our
circle of family and friends. Many of us are concerned about
them, but we do not know how to help them find their way home to
the Catholic Church.
First we need to pray for them. Next, we need to extend a
personal invitation to come home to the Catholic Church. Many
nonpracticing Catholics are waiting for an invitation to return.
Many mistakenly think they are excommunicated and are not welcome
to return for a variety of reasons. You can make a tremendous
difference in someone's life by reaching out to them and telling
them we miss them and would like them to come back home to our
Church family.
We are excited to offer a series entitled "Welcoming
Catholics Home" to help nonpracticing Catholics return. It will
meet for six consecutive weeks beginning on Tuesday, January 24,
at 7:30-9 p.m. at Mary Queen of Heaven Church.
Other information on this series ill be available in the
back of church and in the bulletin in the next few weeks. Please
pass this information on to anyone who might be interested. For
more information or to register for the series call Donna Klopacz
at 832-3618.
Mark your calendars:
NO RE classes on Dec. 21, 28, and Jan. 4.
Classes resume on Jan 11, at normal times.
If you have questions or need more information, please call
Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962.