Mary's Corner
Greetings, Friends!
There is a line in a song I have heard about Jesus wearing Tevas. Now, I really haven't listened to the whole song and so I can't be sure of what this meant to the composer who was writing it. Left up to my imagination, though, I think of the Teva sandals I have seen my sons wear. They are all outdoors-sorts of guys who like to do hiking and climbing and water sports and other outdoors-sorts of things. Jesus did a lot of those things, too. My guys are also sensible when it comes to their clothing; they wear things that are sturdy and comfortable. Teva sandals, as well as some of the other things they wear, seem to fit the bill for that. So, I have a feeling that Jesus probably might wear Tevas if he lived today.
Well, if Jesus wore Tevas, does it matter if our altar servers wear sandals in church?
Believe it or not, there has been on ongoing debate about this among some in our church. While this is not a matter of great importance in the grand scheme of things, I thought I would answer this question in such a way as to relate it to some more important things. As your first female pastoral leader, especially as one who wears sandals in the summer, I am probably not as much of a stickler about sandals as others. Moreover, Mary Queen of Heaven seems to me to have a kind of sandal-personality, if you will. This is a faith community where people enjoy freedom and comfort - to worship joyfully and to be themselves with one another as family would be. This is how it should be. So, sandals as a symbol, and even as footwear, have their place in church.
However, while freedom is a gift from God, we all have a responsibility to make choices with our personal freedom that promote life and serve the common good. So, at a very simplistic level, this means that flip flops should not be worn by those serving at the altar (and yes, servers and parents, this is a hint from me). They are unsafe when wearing long albs and they can distract people from the celebration of the Eucharist by making them think of going swimming. Other kinds of sandals, though, could be all right, if they were simple, stayed on the feet of servers, and did not distract (so, another hint from meif they have straps on the back but are not high heeled prom shoes, they are o.k.). Monks wear sandals. I wear sandals. Even Jesus might wear Tevas. So, who am I to completely outlaw them?
But the symbol of banning flip flops - a kind of shoe that offers our feet full and unencumbered freedom - could be applied to other areas of church life. As I begin to become more involved in areas of administration as well as pastoral leadership for our parish, I know that there are certain individuals and groups who are being affected by some changes taking place which will bring us better in line with certain laws of society and also policies of our larger church. While this may seem a simplistic analogy, I would say this. Sometimes, the kinds of shoes we wear are very important. As my sons know, the right kind of shoes can provide the kind of comfort we want for doing the kinds of activities we enjoy in life. But there are times when it is important to be careful in our choice of footwear - times when support is needed to assure safety, and yes, even times when dress code becomes an issue. Banning flip flops at the altar will not have any impact on the freedom and comfort that we enjoy here at Mary Queen as a parish family. In simplistic terms, neither should providing more structure in our ministries or administrative dealings. In fact, this can be a help toward our continued growth as a community of faith.
A reminder about Parish Leadership Day: All members of our parish who are active in ministries (or who would like to be more involved in the life of the parish) are invited to participate in Parish Leadership Day on Saturday, June 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Barrett Hall. On that day, we will begin a process of visioning that will lead to long range planning for our parish. You must be registered in advance in order to attend. If you have not yet registered, please do so by June 18 by calling the rectory.
Have a joyful week! Enjoy your Tevas and your flip flops (just don't wear them at the altar!).
Mary Michele (Regina) Foley
Do You Know The History of The St. Vincent DePaul Society? The Society of St. Vincent DePaul was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozman, a 20 year old student of the Sorbonne University in Paris. In answer to a challenge for Christians to Practice what they preach, Frederic and a group of fellow students started to seek out and visit the poor of Paris in their homes, taking them bread and clothes, their friendship and their concern. This small group took as their Patron the great French Priest, who alerted the world to social problems, St. Vincent DePaul. Similar groups began in Paris, then in the rest of France and eventually spread throughout the Christian world with the object of visiting, for the love of God, those in need. Today the Society of SVDP is a worldwide lay organization of Catholic men and women, young and old, of whom some 60,000 are in the United States. Are you aware that our parish is the only parish in Elmhurst that has a St. Vincent DePaul Society? The St. Vincent DePaul Society has been a viable organization in our parish for 20 years and we would like to embark on enlarging the scope of our commitment to those in need. So, on Wednesday, June 16th, at 7:00 PM, we invite you to an informative meeting regarding the St. Vincent DePaul Society in Barrett Hall. What is required of you? The desire to help the needy, attendance at a regular monthly meeting of perhaps an hour's duration, respect for confidentiality, some visitation to needy peoples homes, understanding and prayers. Please consider joining us and taking an active part in the Mary Queen of Heaven SVDP conference. No special qualifications are required other than the desire to join with others to help those in need for the love of God. The Mary Queen of Heaven CCW asks that you help Moms & Babies!!! Please help moms and babies by saving your change for CareNet, a non-profit Christian Ministry that has been serving DuPage County for over 22 years. Baby bottles were distributed in church last weekend. Please drop any spare change you have into the bottles and return them to MQH on June 26 or June 27. If you have any questions, call Diane Bernstein at 279-7252. Market Day Orders for May are due Monday, June 14, at noon. Turn in your order form in the box at the back of church or at the rectory. Pickup on Saturday, June 19, 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. 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 $25 for Dinner only (without golf) For more information, please contact Jim Japczyk at 833-6853 or Mark Connelly at 782-7626. Destiny Youth Group News Open Mic Night Saturday, June 19 7:00 sign up 7:30 performances begin Barrett Hall Sing, play an instrument, read a poem ... 2-song limit to start, more if time allows. Pop, water, coffee, cookies Can be purchased for 50 cents Please come and support those that will be performing. Questions or sign up please call Kathleen Gusloff 832-4348 Wings to Heaven 5th - 8th Grade Monday, June 28 Hot dogs and game night Barrett Hall at 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Thank You from PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) All of us at Bethal UCC want to thank all the fine volunteers from Mary Queen of Heaven who helped so many Sunday mornings at St. Alexis. Five-thirty in the morning is no easy time to be working, but you all were so wonderful about arriving and pitching in with the work! And this year we had such an increase in the homeless, unfortunately. Bethel will again be working at St. Alexis on the 4th weekend for PADS starting in October. We hope that you might be able to join our team then. Thanks Again! We still need your Help. Thank you to those who have responded to our call for help. We are slowly, but surely filling in our empty catechist slots. However, we still need help at the 1st grade and 6th grade levels. If you have ever thought about sharing your faith with the young people of the Parish, now is the time to do it. Call the RE office for details. Communion Banners are available for pick-up in the RE Office. For more info on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the RE Office, 832-8962. Fellowship Sunday, June 20 Fellowship will be held next Sunday in Barrett Hall immediately following the 10:15 a.m. Mass. Our Welcoming Committee will be inviting the following new families who joined the parish during April and May: James & Monica Anderson William Barnds Walter & Jane Bouse Victor & Rosalie Cimino Bill J. Cirone Megan Clark Fernando & Sally DelRio Jason & Johanna Marchant Joseph & Kerry O'Connor Joseph Goryl & Michelle Pringle Jon & Julie Vacko Bring your family and help us welcome these new families. Enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or juice and some special goodies while conversing with friends and fellow parishioners. The Eucharistic Ministers are hosting this month, and we hope to see you all there. Congratulations, Graduates! Churchville Middle School Laura Adkins Keith Babcock Tina Bonarirgo Carlos Bonilla Matthew Brahm Matthew Cole Vincenxo Colella Steve Conness Shawna Gaetto Alexandra Garcia Ricardo Guerrero Katie Hochleutner Mark Krafcky Amanda Loehman Nicole MacKenxie R.J. Marsan Dominic Mosher Greg Polak Joseph Robertson Ratrick Rosengren Michael Rudolph Brittney Scalise Stephanie Schumacher Jenny Smith Kim Vicary Daniel Weber Elixabeth Wiese Sandburg Middle School Tom Achtien Anne Hallgren John McGovern Siobhan Nolan Lisa Pronove Maria Tremmel Bryan Junior High School Kathleen McCall Myles Moroney Andrew Shennan William E. Dever Holly Nieves Marion High School Rhiannon Cirone York High School Kate Achtien Breanne Bonarirgo Andrew Brain Sean Conroy Danielle Cook Philip DeSantis Keith Eadon Antonio Fasano Jim Fela Ryan Glick Ana Marie Good Tara Gorski Brian Groh Nicole Gurney Natalie Harte Christina Jankowski Margaret A. Kevil Jennifer Klein Michael Launius Joe Lindsay Katie Mavrella Marc Miller Dan Molony Brittany Moroney Michael Pingitore Paul Pizzi Melissa Reed Marc Scanio Meghan Selke Colleen Tapling Lane Teichler DePaul University Anthony Lewicki Northern Michigan University Tracy A. Kevil Western University Melissa Ihms Illinois State University Jessica Maple Acadia Academy Alexandra Rose Garcia Confirmation Thanks On Pentecost Sunday, I had the great honor of celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet. It was an amazing experience to celebrate with over 140 candidates from all over the diocese and welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives. I would like to thank everyone at Mary Queen. You have welcomed me in to your parish home with open arms. I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming and friendly parish to join and share this special occasion with. I would especially like to thank everyone in the RCIA group. You have all helped me appreciate the gifts the Lord gives us every day. Thank You, Tammy Vincer 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 Eugene Clarke Jerry Driscoll Baby Marissa Herman Pat Holmes Michelle Humann Maureen James Tom Janicke Tom Kwiatkowski Dick Martin Bobbie Nannini Anne Marie Raye Gary Regan Dan Scanlon Therese Shaheen Mary Alice Sapien If you know someone who would like our prayers, please call Mary Alice at 279-1159. Rest In Peace William Holmes Summer Parish Prayer Services 7:00 p.m. in the Church Thursday, June 17 Tuesday, June 22 Tuesday, June 29 Please join the Pastoral Life Coordinator for prayer, reflection, and fellowship together this summer. Each evening prayer service will be held in Church from 7-7:30 p.m. This will be followed by fellowship and conversation in Barrett Hall, with the evening concluding around 8:15 p.m.