Mary's Corner
Greetings, Friends!
I want to thank parishioners for some special gifts that have been received in this last week. Thank you to a young boy (who looked to me to be about 3 or 4 years old), who introduced himself to me as Stephen Joseph Taylor. After Mass last Sunday, Stephen Joseph Taylor presented to me a drawing that he said he wanted to give for the church. It is a drawing he made of himself and it now hangs on my office door. I would also like to extend thanks to Cecelia Garstki for a check she presented to me for $1000.00, to be used for altar linens and liturgical banners and other needs of the church.
While these are different gifts, there is the same spirit that produced each one, a spirit of love and generosity. These were both gifts from the hearts of people who wanted to share with God, through the church, something of what they have received in their lives, gifts of talent, treasure, and even the time that went into producing them. Both Stephen Joseph Taylor and Cecelia have modeled good stewardship in this way. Our parish will be talking more about stewardship in the coming year so that we can all think more deeply about the ways we share our time, talent, and treasure.
This is a tremendously gifted parish, full of generous, loving people. It is also a parish with a great sense of family and over and over again, I hear people talk about how important this is to them. This sense of family was very evident in this past week when we experienced a tragedy involving one of our religious education students, Maria Tremmel. Maria was involved in a very bad accident and is in critical condition at Loyola Hospital. I led a communion service at the hospital for her family (Maria had already been anointed by the priest chaplain) and I remain in contact with her parents. We held a parish prayer service for her in church on Tuesday evening and we will continue to pray for Maria at this week's evening prayer service on Tuesday, June 29. Her family has asked for their privacy to be respected at present, and they do not wish to receive calls, visits, flowers, or food right now. However, they very much want and ask for all of our prayers. Maria's father Fred knows that people will want to be able to do something besides this. Parishioners may send cards to Maria at the hospital. Her mother Ginny said that prayer cards would be most appreciated. The address to the hospital is: Loyola Hospital, 2160 S. First Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153. You do not need Maria's room number on the envelope, only her name. Please remember Maria and her family in your prayers at home.
In the next week, I will be taking some time off for vacation. I will be driving to North Carolina, to visit a wonderful camp for boys where my own four sons have worked for many years. My youngest son Sean is working there this year, along with his girlfriend and many other friends. (It is another place with a great family atmosphere.) We will be joined on the 4th of July weekend by another one of my sons, Bryan. Last year on July 4, Bryan was involved in a tragic accident there. He and his girlfriend, both counselors at camp, were enjoying a day off and swimming at a nearby National Park. They became caught in a current and were carried ¼ mile downstream and over a 181' waterfall. Bryan's girlfriend was killed in the accident and Bryan suffered head and chest trauma. He has since recovered from his physical injuries but the emotional trauma, grief, and loss of a beautiful young woman who was so deeply loved have been very difficult to bear.
It is hard to understand why such tragedies occur but I have absolute trust and faith in God's presence in the lives of all who suffer. I will be holding Maria Tremmel and her family in my prayers while I am with my own family next week. I will remain in touch with her family while I am away and can still be reached on the parish emergency cell phone for other needs. If there is something that I cannot respond to by telephone, Father Jim Murphy from Immaculate Conception will be on-call for emergencies. I will be leaving town on July 1, returning on July 10. Our summer evening prayer services will resume again after I return.
May God continue to bless our parish family and all of our own families.
Communication From the Bishop Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, For centuries, perhaps even since the time of Adam and Eve, sayings have been handed on from one generation to the next. How many times have we been told, Actions speak louder than words and how often have we passed this bit of wisdom on to others? It continues to ring true in our hearts no matter how old we are. We, as Catholics, have an opportunity to give witness to our love for others, throughout the world, by our works of charity. Our contribution to the Peter's Pence collection enables the Holy Father to respond with immediate emergency assistance to the most disadvantaged throughout the world - to those who suffer as a result of war, oppression and natural disasters. Together with the Pope, we can do so much for our brothers and sisters in need that we could never do alone. Our charitable actions speak of our concern and love for them. The annual Peter's Pence Collection is taken up in parishes in every country in the world. Next weekend parishes in our Diocese will participate. Through our contributions to this international collection we can voice our love for others in a special way. Last year, $208,000 was collected because of your generosity. Thank you in advance for your generous response this year. Sincerely in Christ, (Signed) Most Reverend Joseph L. Imesch Bishop of Joliet Theology on Tap! The Northeast DuPage Young Adult Ministry and Immaculate Conception Parish in Elmhurst will be hosting a special program for adults in their 20's and 30's. It's called THEOLOGY ON TAP, a four-week speaker and discussion series directed to the needs and experiences of adults, college age and older, married or single. Please join other adults for a great experience. July 11th Connect with Others: The Secret for Happiness Frank Giangrego July 18th From Willow Creek to Catholic Steve Smith Each session starts with socializing and gathering at 6:15 p.m. and the speaker at 6:30 p.m. The evenings will be held at the Immaculate Conception Parish Administration Center, 134 Arthur Street in Elmhurst. Please call Kristin Kramer at 630-530-3482 for more information. Summer Parish Prayer Services 7:00 p.m. in the Church Tuesday, June 29 Thursday, July 15 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. Registrations! Be aware that registrations will continue to be accepted during the summer. If you have not as yet registered, please do so ASAP. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Remember Pre-school and Kindergarten are the first to fill and enrollment is limited at those grade levels. Communion Banners We still have many beautiful banners in our office. They need a home. Please call the office to make pick-up arrangements. For more info on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the RE Office, 832-8962. Men's Group Kane County Cougars Friday, August 13th It is baseball time again! Join us at the Kane County Cougars game. Tickets are $8.00 per person and parking is free. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. 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. Flyers are available in the vestibule of the Church. Money is due by June 28. For more information or if you have questions, call John Menarek at 630-834-4075 or jmenarek@sbcglobal.net. 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 Brennan John Brennan Kathleen Bryers John Brani Kathy Calzante Eugene Clarke Jerry Driscoll Baby Marissa Herman Pat Holmes Michelle Humann Maureen James Tom Janicke Kenneth Kabat Tom Kwiatkowski Dick Martin Bobbie Nannini Michaelene Parrilli Anne Marie Raye Dan Scanlon Therese Shaheen Mary Alice Sapien Maria Tremmel If you or someone in your family would like to be included in our prayers, please call rectory at 279-5700. 2004 Diocesan Annual Appeal Diocese of Joliet Seeds of Hope We have almost reached our goal! If you have not made a commitment, please join with thousands of others who have. 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. Music Ministry News Hi everyone and Happy Summer! Now that we are all enjoying those lazy days of summer, I thought it would be a good time to touch base with all of you. What a great time we had this past year developing the Music Ministry here at Mary Queen of Heaven! I can't imagine a better place in which to work, sing, and pray! Thank you for all the support you have given us. I want to thank all the members of the Music Ministry which include the following: * Adult choir * Madrigal choir * Fifth thru tenth grade youth ensemble * Cantors * Instrumentalists * Accompanists * Scott Vicary & the entire sound crew About 70 people in all! My thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart. Your ministry has added to our prayer life at church. The Adult Choir will take a well-deserved rest now and will return shortly after Labor Day. Our accompanists and cantors never get a break, and will of course continue their ministry throughout the summer at all of the Masses. Looking ahead towards fall! Adult Choir: Please call me at 630-941-0744 if you are interested in joining the adult choir. We rehearse on Thursday evenings from 7:30-9:30 p.m., but we have the summer off! We are always looking for new members. Madrigal Choir: This choir is by audition only, (but I assure you the audition is not intimidating). Give me a call! Cantors: Cantors also must audition. Cantors must be fluent music readers. Instrumentalists: Come on everyone! I know that there are lots of you out there. Call me! I want to get more instrumentalists involved. Have a great summer! Molly Lindberg, Director of Music. Worship Notes Saturday evening and Sunday morning liturgies are times we as Catholics gather in prayer as members of the Body of Christ. It is time that we hopefully can talk with our hearts and minds to Jesus. Out of courtesy for the celebration of Mass and your fellow parishioners, we ask that you please set your cell phones to a vibrating position or turn them off upon entering the Church. Thank you. The Members of your Worship Commission Back to School Fair Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, is once again coordinating the 13th Annual Back to School Fair on August 10th. Several thousand children and their families will receive a wide variety of health and human services. Some of the services offered include free school physicals provided by the Loyola Mobile Medical Van, dental screenings and immunizations. This totally free event is open to any DuPage family who lives near or below the poverty level. Catholic Charities will also give each school-age child a $10 gift certificate designated exclusively for the 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. 50th Wedding Anniversary Mass The Diocese of Joliet will hold its twenty-sixth Wedding Anniversary Mass on Sunday, August 29, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet. If you were married in 1954 and are celebrating your 50th anniversary this year, please contact the rectory so that we may submit your name to the Diocese for a formal invitation. A registration form for all other married couples will be printed in the bulletin at a later date. CareNet/Moms & Babies This is the weekend to return baby bottles with change for CareNet to help moms and babies. Thank you. Part Time Van Driver Wanted Driscoll High School is looking for part time van drivers for mornings, from 5:45-7:45 or for afternoons from 2:40-4:30, Monday thru Friday, from mid-August thru early June. We would provide a 15 passenger van. The job pays $3,300 for one way trips: and $6,800 for both am and pm runs. Please contact: Mr. David Salois at Driscoll Catholic High School at 543-6310, ext. 30. Thank You from St. Vincent de Paul On behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, I thank you for your co-operation in sponsoring the recent clothing drive for the benefit of our society. We received many bags of wonderful donations. In fact, our truck was almost filled. All of this generosity will help us to meet the immediate needs of many. The success of this drive is mainly due to the way your parish members joined together in their mission to help others. Our gratitude goes out to the generous families who brought in items from their homes to share with those in need. These wonderful donations will help us in our mission. Thank you for helping us to help people. (Signed Jeanne Begley, Donation Manager) Cenacle Retreat House Presents... Janet Mroczek, MS, will present a 12-Step Retreat: Serenity Leading to Acceptance, Courage, Wisdom on July 30-August 1. The cost for the retreat is $165 for a single room and $150 for a double room. For further information or to register, please call 630-393-1231. ANNOUNCING A PARISH CONTEST! Attention all artists young and old! We are looking for a parish logo that can be used for business cards and other printed materials, something that can come to be recognized as symbolizing Mary Queen of Heaven Parish. You are invited to submit line drawings (that would be useful even in small dimension) for consideration as our parish logo. We have some business card examples that can be viewed at the rectory. Examples of drawings could be: a representation of the Mary statue that stands in Mary's Gathering Space, or the outline of our church building. Other creative ideas are also welcome. There will be two categories for this contest - an adult category (the winner of which will probably be used for parish stationery) and a child category (this winning drawing will be incorporated into our Religious Education materials). Contest deadline is August 1. Winning entries will be awarded a prize and we will publish as many entries as we can in the parish bulletin. So, get those pens and pencils and creative juices going! Please send your contest entries to the parish office at the rectory.