426 N. West Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-2171
Parish Office: 630/279-5700
Fax: 630/279-4667
Mary's Corner…
Greetings, Friends!
What a lovely celebration at last Sunday's installation Mass. My thanks to all who devoted themselves to creating a beautiful, prayerful liturgy and such a delightful celebration afterwards. I cannot tell you how many people commented to me about our excellent music ministry. The experience of worship was so powerful for some that we actually received new members into our parish that day. I also received a telephone call from someone who is interested in becoming Catholic after being with us for this Mass. Thank you for the welcome that you provided to my family and to my friends who were visiting on that day. While many were from Chicago, some of them had flown in from California and Florida, and I also had friends who drove here from Nashville, Tennessee. I hope that our parish community will always be a place of welcome and that our liturgical celebrations will always invite people to prayer and a deeper life with Christ. I am grateful to you and for you.
I am continuing to get to know the organizations and people of this parish, in all the ways that I can, from participating in committee meetings and prayer groups to sharing meals and conversation. Since my first days here, I have also been involved in ministry with individuals and families. I am richly blessed to be here with you. I pray for all of you daily and ask that you remember me in your prayers, as together we continue to build this community of faith to be a sign for people of God's love and presence in the world.
These early weeks have been exciting and very busy. Still, in the midst of activity, I do try to look and listen with a pastoral heart. I would like to comment on something I have noticed at weekend Masses. I have seen some people leave the church before communion. While there could be a number of reasons for this (including work schedules!), I know that some feel they are not able to celebrate the sacraments of the church because of guilt or alienation they feel in their lives or because they think they are unable to do so due to the experience of divorce. If I can help anyone to talk out their concerns or prepare for the sacrament of reconciliation, please call upon me. As for those who have been divorced, divorce itself should not keep you from the sacraments of the church. If you are in a new marriage and I can help you to apply for an annulment so that your second marriage can be recognized by the church, please call upon me. I will be saying more about marriage and the annulment process in the weeks to come. For now, however, please feel free to contact me to talk over anything that may be keeping you from celebrating the sacraments of the church.
Since there were a number of people away from the parish last week because it was Mother's Day, I would like to repeat a couple of announcements. Parish Leadership Day will be held in June. This will be a day for all members of the parish pastoral staff, parish pastoral council and commission members, to begin a process of visioning and long-range planning for the parish. This will be a full day session, from 9 am to 2 pm. Please let your pastoral staff liaison know which of these dates will work best for you: 6/12, 6/19, or 6/26.
A second announcement I wish to repeat is this. There is an opening for a male representative from our cluster to serve on the Diocesan Pastoral Council (the position for the female representative is already filled). This is the consultative body that provides advice for our bishop and helps to facilitate communication across our diocese. I would like for Mary Queen of Heaven to have more of a presence in the Church of Joliet and I would love to have someone from our parish serve on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. If you are interested in applying for this position, please contact me.
Finally, two new announcements: First, we now have an evening administrative assistant, Kate Achtien. You will now be able to call or visit the rectory until 7 p.m. on weeknights. If you need to see me, please do try to call ahead for an appointment, if you can, so I can be sure to be available. We are updating our telephone system so that soon, you will be able to leave a confidential voice mail message for me at any hour.
Lastly, we are beginning a new committee within the parish that will be focused on Adult Education and Spirituality. This committee will meet monthly and will have on it representatives from the various commissions. If you would be interested in being part of this committee to plan programs of adult education and spirituality, please be in touch with me.
Mary Michele (Regina) Foley
Feed the Poor Drop Off Used Printer Cartridges Mary Queen of Heaven Men's Group continues to collect empty inkjet and toner cartridges to help the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. With the non-profit organization, Food for the Poor, empty cartridges are recycled, and cash received is used to buy food. Please look for the special Food for the Poor box in the vestibule of church. For more information call Russ DiOrio at 630-617-8844. Labyrinth Notes My journey in the labyrinth yielded far more than I had expected. I experienced the walk itself as such a wonderful metaphor for the way I walk my days: just as it was meant to be. Trusting/not trusting in the path, my ability to follow it, whether it was the “right” one, sitting in the center and listening to the word “open” pulse through me. Although the words of the messages (or the silence) we receive vary greatly, at root I believe all the wisdom leads us to one place: healing, connection and love for all of life. (from Walking a Sacred Path by Dr. Lauren Artres) Rosaries & Pictures of Mary are requested by a community in India. If you have any of these items to donate, please send them to Brother Bapuji. Thank you. Bro. B. Bapuji, Director Voluntary Christian Service Centre NIDADAVOLU 534 301., A.P. INDIA Late Nite Catechism Is coming to Immaculate Conception, Elmhurst Friday, May 21, at 8:00 P.M. Join the class as Sister takes you back to the days of the Latin Mass, meatless Fridays, and that good old ruler across the knuckles! Late Nite Catechism will make you laugh your sins off! So sit up straight and get ready for Late Nite Catechism! Ticket are $20 in advance, or $25 at the door. Get your tickets today! Contact Kritin Kramer to order tickets, 630-530-3482 or kkramer@icelmhurst.org. Deacon Applications The Diocese of Joliet is accepting applications for its permanent deacon program class of 2009. They will continue to accept these applications through October 2004. If you are interested, please contact Mary Foley at the Mary Queen of Heaven office. New Mass Times! Our thanks to Father Alfred and the community of Our Lady of Lebanon for helping us to alleviate the tension over close Mass times on Sunday mornings. Beginning in May, Sunday Mass times will be changing in order to provide more relaxed celebrations for our parish. Beginning today, May 16: Mary Queen of Heaven's Sunday Mass times will be 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. The Saturday 5 p.m. Mass will remain the same. With these changes, we will end up with an extra half hour between the last two services on Sunday mornings. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we have worked toward an arrangement that will provide for fuller celebrations for both our faith communities! MQH Garden Club Spring Planting Weekend Calling all Garden Club members, adults (men and women), and teens. Your help is needed on Saturday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m. It's Spring Planting Time and we will be ready to plant all those flowers around the church, school, rectory and on the mound. Bring your gardening gloves and garden tools. Many hands make lighter work as we once again beautify our parish grounds for the summer months. Give Rose Wilkes (833-7238) or Sheila Reiter (833-6657) a call and let us know if you will be able to give a few hours of your time to help out. RE Registrations June 1st will be here before you know it. If you want to register at the discounted fee, get those forms in to the office today. FYI - if you have a preschool or kindergarten child you would like to see in the program next fall, get your registration in today. Those classes fill up quickly and enrollment is limited at those grade levels. Catechists Needed We have had some folks respond to our request for help and we thank you. However, we are still in need of catechists at various grade levels. These classes meet on Wednesday afternoon from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. and evenings from 7 to 8:15 p.m. If you are a loving, welcoming, accepting, forgiving person, you have the most important qualifications for being a catechist. You don't have to be a theologian, just someone who can help our children understand how the Gospel can be applied to their lives. Come share your Faith with the young people of Mary, Queen. Call for more information. If you have questions or need more information, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962. Special gatherings to meet The Pastoral Life Coordinator Please join Mary Foley to share your hopes, dreams and ideas about Mary Queen of Heaven Parish. More sessions are planned! The following are two special gatherings in May: Newcomers and Young Adults You are welcome! Come and enjoy some wine and cheese as we share ideas. Friday, May 21, at 7:00 p.m. in Barrett Hall R.S.V.P. to Karen Vicary, 279-4108 Teenagers - The Future of Our Church Please come and share pizza as we get to know each other and talk about the ways that you would like to be involved in the life of our parish community! Sunday, May 23, At 6:00 p.m. in Barrett Hall R.S.V.P. to Kathleen Gusloff, 832-4348 Market Day Orders for May are due Mon., May 17, at noon. Turn in your order form in the box at the back of church or at the rectory. Pickup on Saturday, May 22, from 9:30 until 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 John Brani Kathy Calzante Cosmo Ciancio Eugene Clarke Michelle Humann Maureen James Tom Janicke Tom Kwiatkowski Lisa Langler Bobbie Nannini Anne Marie Raye Therese Shaheen Mary Alice Sypian If you know someone who would like our prayers, please call Mary Alice at 279-1159. CCW Ladies Night Out Tuesday, May 18, at 7:00 P.M. The Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring this wonderful opportunity to relax and enjoy your MQH friends. We will honor Sheila Reiter, our Woman of the Year, for her dedication and work in our parish. The celebration will be held at Ki's Restaurant in Glendale Heights. Dinner will include soup or salad, chicken, beef, pasta, potato, coffee, soft drinks, an ice cream dessert and wine. 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 reservation deadline is today, May 16. Reservation forms are available in the church. Please sign up at the reservation table TODAY. For more information, please call Mary White (833-9809) or Phylis Twardowski (279-6239). MQH Men's Group Events 3rd Annual Golf Outing Friday, June 18 At Glendale Lakes Golf Club in Glendale Heights 11:30 a.m. Registration, and 12:30 p.m. start $95/person includes lunch, golf, door prize & dinner For more information, please contact Jim Japczyk at 833-6853 or Mark Connelly at 782-7626. Kane County Cougars Friday, August 13th Tickets are $8.00 per person and parking is free. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and game time is 6:30 p.m. There will be a fireworks show after the game and a chance to run the bases after the fireworks. Money is due June 28. For more information or if you have questions, call John Menarek at 630-834-4075 or jmenarek@sbcglobal.net. St. Vincent DePaul Drive May 22 & 23 Last spring, our parish held a drive for St. Vincent DePaul Society and it was a huge success! We filled their truck with items for the needy. The truck will again be in our parking lot the weekend of May 22 & 23, so start your spring cleaning and pick out those items that you no longer need to hold on to or use and donate them to the needy. They could use those things right now! St. Vincent DePaul bags will be available in the vestibule of church the weekend of May 15 & 16. Take as many as you need or use your own boxes or bags. Fill them with clean gently used items such as clothing, shoes, purses, appliances, dishes, cookware, lamps, books, knick-knacks, towels, bedding, toys, etc. The truck will arrive before 9 a.m. on Saturday and will leave at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Drop off your items on Saturday during the day or bring your items with you when you come for Mass on the weekend. Let's fill the truck again! Receipts for your donations are available and are tax deductible. Please call 630-231-4658 for the Society to send a truck to your home to pick up furniture and other large items you wish to donate. 2004 Diocesan Annual Appeal Diocese of Joliet Seeds of Hope “I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.” -Matthew 17:20 All pledge cards should be returned to the parish for forwarding to the diocese. By doing this, all pledges will be recorded and everyone will receive proper acknowledgement. PADS Update MQH has completed the 2003/2004 season. The season runs from October through April. We serve at St. Alexis in Bensenville on the fourth weekend of each month and co-host with Bethel UCC here in Elmhurst on St. Charles Road. We had 18 volunteers to handle the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift. In addition, we had several other volunteers working the dinner and breakfast shift with Bethel. I would like to thank all the volunteers for their efforts in helping those unfortunate persons who do not have a place to spend the night. We will be resuming operations in the fall and if you would like more information on our program, feel free to call Steve Lindberg at 941-1355 or 989-3392. Thanks! New Reconciliation Room Every week, our parish provides the opportunity for sacramental confession on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. With Fr. Tom's appointment as sacramental minister, we have started using a reconciliation room instead of the confessional, as he prefers. The new reconciliation room can be found at the north end of Mary's Gathering Space. There, parishioners will have the opportunity for face-to-face with the priest. There is also a kneeler with a screen, for persons who prefer this option. End of Life Issues On Sunday, May 16, 2004, 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Church, 820 Division St., Lisle, all are invited to hear Rita Marker, J.D. speak about Advance Directives, Durable Power of Attorney, Nutrition and Hydration, Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, Stem Cell Research, and Cloning. No admission charge. Donations will be accepted. Presenter: Rita Marker, J. D. is the Executive Director of the International Task force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. She is a practicing attorney, an educator and speaker, former adjunct professor of Political Science and Ethics at the University of Steubenville, Ohio, and author of the critically acclaimed book Deadly Compassion. For more information call the Joliet Diocesan Life Office: 815-838-1002. We especially invite Medical personnel and health care professionals. Invitation to Dinner & Dialogue Sponsored by the Justice and Peace Network of the Wheaton Franciscans. Monday, May 17, 6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. Topic: Franciscan Bridge Building Francis, building peace where there is conflict: Two Franciscans share their peacemaking journey to Cuba. The evening begins with a simple meal, followed by a prayer, engaging presentations and then table discussions. Upcoming Sessions: August 2, Franciscan Community Building and November 8, Franciscan Integrity. Cost: $15 for the session, $30 for all three sessions. To register or for questions, call 630-784-2555 or email justicepeace@wheatonfranciscan.org. M.O.M.S. (Moms Offering Moms Support) This social organization provides an opportunity for mothers of young children to meet other mothers. There are no membership fees or are requirements to join. On Thursday, May 20, at 11:00 a.m., M.O.M.S. will meet at Ty Warner Park in Westmont. Join us for an end-of-the-year picnic! We'll enjoy a pot luck lunch and the playground. Sign-ups for food will be available soon. MOMS will provide the chicken. For information, call Katie Gallagher at 941-8755 St. Charles Borromeo Parish School Registration St. Charles Borromeo School in Bensenville is now registering students for the 2004-2005 school year. The school has a full-day Kindergarten, and bus service in the afternoon. There are openings in grades K - 8. If you are interested in becoming part of the St. Charles Borromeo School family, please call the school office at 630-766-0116 for an appointment to register. Items needed at the time of registration are: a birth certificate, baptismal certificate, social security number and a $40 non-refundable deposit. 25th Anniversary of Ordination of Deacon Tom Goebel Immaculate Conception Parish Invites you to join the celebration on Sunday, May 23, 2004 10:30 a.m. Mass in the Chapel Reception follows 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. In Monsignor Plunkett Hall Our Lady of the New Millennium Statue Hosted by Christ the King Parish, Lombard Sunday, May 23 through Saturday, June 5 This is a 33-foot tall statue of Mary sculptured out of gleaming stainless steel. All are welcome to come and pray before the statue during the two weeks. There are three scheduled events each day. Private Prayer and devotions are welcome 24 hours a day. For more information, or for the schedule of events, please call 630-629-1717 and contact Deacon Sayne Storrs (ext. 25) or Mr. Bill Runge (ext. 23); or e-mail CTCMusic@comcast.net. Alternative to the War on Terrorism Wednesday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. St. Joan of Arc Parish, Lisle Pax Christi DuPage, a local chapter of Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic peace and justice movement, will be offering a presentation outlining an alternative to the present policies and directions of the war on terrorism. The presenter will be Mr. Tom Cordaro, a Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and former chairperson of its National Council. For more information, please contact Sr. Karen Nykiel, OSB at 969-7047. Attention Deficit Disorder ADD Catholic Charities is sponsoring “All About Attention Deficit Disorder ADD,” to be held every Tuesday night, May 25 to June 29, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. This program is for parents with children from 5 to about 15 years old who want to effectively identify their children's basic symptoms of ADD. They will learn how to diagnose ADD and ways to manage their children's behavior. The cost is $50 per person or $70 per couple. Contact Jim Gilligan at 630-495-8008, ext. 53, to reserve a spot. Parish May Crowning Sheila Reiter, CCW Parish Woman of the Year, will crown the Blessed Virgin statue this Sunday, May 16, at the 10:15 a.m. Mass. Our Religious Education First Communicants, wearing their first Communion outfits, have been invited to participate in the procession with Sheila. All are invited to attend this special occasion honoring our Blessed Mother. Father John Sullivan Cordially invites you to join him in celebrating The 50th Anniversary of his Ordination This Sunday, May 16, at the 11:30 a.m. Mass St. Petronille Church 420 Glenwood Avenue Glen Ellyn IL 60137 Reception follows immediately in the Parish Life Center R.S.V.P. 469-0404 Feast of the Ascension The feast of the Ascension of the Lord, which would normally be celebrated this Thursday, has been transferred by the bishops to Sunday, May 23. Thursday is not a holy day of obligation, and there will not be an evening Mass on that day. The Solemnity of the Ascension will be celebrated on Sunday.