426 N. West Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-2171
Parish Office: 630/279-5700
Fax: 630/279-4667
Mary's Corner
Greetings, Friends!
Today, we enter into the last week of Easter. Next Sunday, we celebrate the birth of the church, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Our time of walking together as the early disciples did, learning to better understand the meaning of the resurrection in our lives, is moving to a new place. Now, we will be called to consider the gifts that God has given to us, individually and in this local community of faith, that we may use them to proclaim the good news of Jesus with our lives, so that the world may come to believe in the love of God.
In recent weeks, I have been learning more about the giftedness of this parish community. Besides meeting with individuals and various ministries, I have also begun informal gatherings with groups of parishioners who share common interests. Not long ago, I met with some of the long-time parishioners, many of whom have been here since Fr. O'Keefe served as the first pastor of Mary Queen of Heaven. These parishioners have deep love for this parish, which is a place of beauty, comfort, and joy for them, and they also hold a great desire for unity within our community. I am grateful for the stories which were shared with me by these members of our parish whose lives carry the history of our church, along with the wisdom gained from experiencing all the joys and struggles through the years.
Like many of the older wisdom bearers in society, they feel that sometimes people are shortsighted and forget the hard work done by people in the past which has made possible new growth. It seems that in recent years, everyone at Mary Queen has enjoyed the expansion of ministries and the development of our new parish center. The sacrifices of those who have built and sustained this parish over time in order that new development could take place must not be forgotten. To know where we are going in the future, we must understand our past. There have been strong values in this parish since the beginning - especially family values and the value of Catholic education - that we can continue to build on as we move into the future. As we do continue to develop as a faith community, we should be intentional about including long-time parishioners in our activities so that they may help us all grow into the future.
My gatherings with groups of folks continue. By the time you read this article, I will have already enjoyed wine and cheese with the newcomers and young adults of the parish. On Sunday evening, I will be having pizza with the teenagers. I would like to use the remainder of this week's column to say a few words about the youth of our parish.
I am amazed and grateful for the liveliness of our Religious Education program involving 400 children (led by Mary Ann Woods and about 50 volunteers) and the service of our young people, especially evident in the end-of-the-year food drive which collected more than 1600 pounds of food for those in need. We have incredible volunteer leaders of youth ministry (Kathleen and Tom Gusloff, Terri Kevil, and Donna Glick) who oversee our two youth groups of our parish - Wings to Heaven for 5th to 8th graders, and Destiny for those in high school. I had the opportunity to be with many of our young people who recently had a lock-in at the parish, a sort of overnight retreat. There were almost 40 younger children and a large group of teenagers assisting the adult leaders present. I had the opportunity to pray and sing with these young people, some of whom offered testimony to each other about their faith, their belief in Jesus, and their desire that others would be able to see Jesus in them. I commend them for their witness and I say that as we need to include the wisdom-bearers of our church in the life of our parish, so we need to include and involve the youth who are the future of the church. I have decided to appoint two youth members to our parish council, who will actively represent the two youth groups of our parish and can serve as a reminder to us to consider our young people in all that we do.
Finally, an invitation: We are coming upon a time to honor young people (and some older adults, too!) who will be celebrating their accomplishments with graduation from various levels of schooling. At the Masses during the weekend of June 12-13, I would like to have a special blessing for all of our graduates. Names of all of our graduates will be published in the bulletin that weekend if they are submitted in writing or by telephone to the rectory by Friday, June 4.
Happy last week of Easter,
Tammy Vincer to be Confirmed
On May 30, the Feast of Pentecost, Tammy Vincer (whom some of you have come to know as one of our friendliest ushers) will receive the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Raymond's Cathedral. When you see Tammy, congratulate her on making her final commitment to the Catholic Church. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit be richly poured out upon her! We are blessed to have her as a member of our MQH family of faith.
Mary Michele (Regina) Foley
Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy? Confused? Help is just a phone call away When you or someone close to you is faced with an unplanned pregnancy, life can be confusing. Catholic Charities offers Maternity services that include counseling for birth mothers, birth fathers, and their families. If you are thinking about adoption, Catholic Charities may be able to help with medical issues, financial support (based on circumstances), housing and more. To talk to someone who can help, call Catholic Charities Children's Services at 1-877-844-HOPE or visit us on the web at www.cc-doj.org. If you are a birth mother in crisis and need emergency assistance, a Maternity Counselor can be reached at pager #815-532-2034. Joliet Diocese Plans Medical Mission to the Philippines With 10 years of mission experience behind us, the Joliet Diocesan Missions is looking forward to expansion of international sites. We are currently in the dream stage of our plans to send missioners to the Philippines. We hope to send our first team for a two week mission in January 2005. In order to move forward on this, we are planning to hold a DREAM meeting to ascertain the availability of interested persons, to discuss the selection of a site where needs are greatest, and to gather a core team to help bring the dream to reality. This meeting will be held on Thursday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Charles Pastoral Center, 402 S. Independence Boulevard, Romeoville. Directions may be found on the diocesan website: www.dioceseofjoliet.org All interested persons, medical and non-medical, are invited. There is no fee but we ask that individuals call to register so that we can prepare enough materials. Homemade Filipino food will be served! For more information and to register please e-mail hbills@dioceseofjoliet.org (Please write Philippines in the subject line.) You may also call Helen Bills, RN at (815) 834-4028 or visit our website at www.paxjoliet.org 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 Jerry Driscoll 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. 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. First Communion Banners The banners that our First Communion children made have been adorning the walls of the church for the last 3 weeks. However, now it is time for them to hang in their own homes. We ask that you please retrieve your child's banner from the Church by June 6. Any remaining banners will have to be discarded. If you child's banner is still hanging in Church or you know someone who has a banner still up, please claim it today. Last Call for Discounted RE Registrations! June 1 is right around the corner. 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 to those grade levels. If you have any questions or need more information, please call Mary Ann Woods at the RE Office, 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 is the last gathering in May: 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 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. 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! 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. 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. Mary Queen of Heaven Parish is invited to come and honor Our Lady on Monday, May 24. There are three scheduled events each day. A schedule of events is posted on our church bulletin. 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. 2004 Man of the Year The Men's Group is beginning the process of selecting the 2004 Man of the Year. Nominations will be solicited from all parishioners at the Masses on June 5/6 and June 12/13, or they may be sent directly to Bill McGing at 541 S. Hawthorne in Elmhurst (617-5317). The Men's Group Awards Committee will review all nominees and select a short list of four candidates. All men of the parish will then vote to determine the winner. Votes may be cast at the August 12 Men's Group meeting, at the Masses on August 14/15, or by contacting Jim Bonfiglio at 782-0897. The 2004 Man of the Year will be announced at the Parish Picnic on September 12. Memorial Day Parade Monday May 31, at 9:30 a.m. Step-off at York Road and Third Street Rain or shine, enjoy this traditional celebration. The Parade will head south on York Road from Third Street to Second Street, veer east along Robert Palmer Drive through the underpass and west back to York Road, south on York Road to Church Street, west on Church Street to Prospect Avenue, then north or Prospect Avenue past the Veterans Memorial in Wilder Park. A Military Ceremony will follow the Parade in Wilder Park. The Parade is presented by the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, American Legion Post 187, VFW Post 2048, and the City of Elmhurst For more information, call the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry at 630-834-6060. St. Vincent DePaul Drive This Weekend 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 this weekend May 22 & 23, 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 evening or bring them with you when you come for Mass Sunday. Let's fill the truck again! Receipts for your donations are available and are tax deductible. Fill bags or boxes with clean gently used items such as clothing, shoes, purses, appliances, dishes, cookware, lamps, books, knick-knacks, towels, bedding, toys, etc. 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. 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. Retired? Eager to give something back? The Ignatian Lay Volunteer Corps is accepting volunteers (age 50+) to work with the poor in the Chicago area two days weekly beginning in September. For information or to attend an introductory meeting, call George Sullivan, 312-845-3741, or ILVC National office at (toll-free) 888-831-4686, or see www.ilvc.org