Dear Friends,
My column will be abbreviated this week because it is important to leave space for the announcement of some liturgical changes (please see the next page).
This week, we will celebrate Thanksgiving and then the beginning of the season of Advent next weekend. As we move into this special time of year, I would like to offer some thoughts for your reflection.
As a parish, we have much to be thankful for. I honestly cannot imagine having a better staff to work with. You should know that the people who serve this parish love being here and they love one another and you. There are also so many wonderful, very dedicated volunteer lay leaders who serve in ministry for this parish. There are many people, too, behind the scenes who generously or anonymously share their time, talent, and treasure here. We are gifted with many children who have been encouraged by their families and their catechists to take their faith seriously. Week by week it has been such a blessing to get to know these young people who are the future of our church. There are too many blessings for me to count this Thanksgiving.
We will soon enter into Advent, a time of waiting. Our Liturgy Committee has chosen the theme of Building the City of God for this year. Even as we wait for Christ to come again, we are building the City of God through the ways we live now. We wait in a joyful hope that moves us to faithful action in our lives.
It occurs to me that as we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent on November 28, this date also marks the eight month anniversary of Bishop Imesch appointing me to lead this parish. In a way, we have been living in a kind of advent all along, waiting to see what this new model of ministry would bring for our Church. With it has come challenges and change. In the midst of this time of waiting, however, there has been the active commitment of faithful Catholics to take responsibility for their future. Our parish is not only surviving the change but is growing in the gifts that are being shared and in the numbers of people who are being attracted to what they experience in our community of faith.
As I write this, I am preparing to spend two days at Mundelein Seminary. I have been asked to be part of a multi-million dollar national study that is being funded by the Lilly Foundation and is being co-sponsored by the National Association of Lay Ministry, the National Federation for Priest Councils and others. Called Emerging Models in Ministry, this study will be examining the ministry models that are developing for our future Church, including the ministry of Pastoral Life Coordinator. Mary Queen of Heaven is on the cutting edge of the future. May God continue to bless us.
Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator
Helpful Ideas to Be Healthful During the Holidays..
Prepared by Corinna Wojcik, M.D., on behalf of the Mary Queen of Heaven Health Committee
The holidays are a time of great parties, special foods, and wine and spirits. But how can we stay healthy and not gain those extra pounds that may get added on just in time for New Year resolutions? Here are a few ideas from the Health Committee to enjoy the holidays and avoid the January regrets.
v Save your calories for the things that are truly special during the holidays- avoid the nachos and have a little fudge or eggnog. Although, be warned, the eggnog is so high in calories- up to 350 or more per cup- it may be equivalent to a piece of apple pie.
v Try to avoid a lot of alcohol during the holiday get-togethers. Not only does it add on calories, but it also wears down our willpower to say no to those extra sweets.
v Drink plenty of water. Try alternating any drinks containing alcohol with water.
v Make time for your typical exercise routine or go for a walk. Try to find time amidst the Christmas shopping and preparations to keep your metabolism going. Park a little farther away from the stores or walk the mall a little more.
v Give the gift of fitness! Consider health club memberships, weights, or exercise videos as gifts to loved ones.
v Have a snack before going to parties so that you aren't famished when you get there! It is easy to overindulge in appetizers.
v Stay clear of the food tables. Proximity makes it much easier to snack on high calorie foods. Check out all the choices on the buffet first, and then fill your plate. Bring a healthy dish to the party!
v Watch portion sizes- especially of your favorite holiday foods. Try not to go back for seconds. Remember to limit something like rolls to save room for dessert.
v Bake with Splenda which is a great sugar substitute.
v Use a gravy separator or forego the gravy.
v Cooking stuffing outside of the turkey significantly decreases calories and fat, and decreases the risk of bacterial contamination. Choose white turkey meat versus dark.
v This may not be the time to start a new diet or try to lose weight, but rather to maintain your weight and enjoy the holidays! Remember to enjoy family and friends, first, and food, second.
v Don't feel bad if you overindulge. Go for a walk and try the next day to remember to make healthy choices again!
The Year of the Eucharist and Liturgical Changes
The Pope has named this the Year of the Eucharist, and in the months to come, we will be having articles in the bulletin to share more of the Church's teaching about our Catholic understanding of the Eucharist.
Along with this, there have been some new directives with regard to liturgical practices that have come about following the publication of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM). This kind of updating happens occasionally through the history of the Church. Some of the changes you may have heard about in the last couple of years include emphasizing the distinction between the clergy and the assembly (seen in having the priest remaining in the sanctuary more and having the deacon or priest be the one to pour the wine into cups). The GIRM also placed emphasis on the importance of reverence of the Eucharist, and asked for lay people to bow their heads slightly as a gesture of reverence when receiving communion.
Some of these changes were first learned by lay people in the United States when the clergy sex abuse scandal was breaking. In some quarters, there was a negative feeling about what seemed to be a return to more clericalism. However, the GIRM really did bring about some good changes. For example, laity were encouraged to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist under both forms, something which we have become quite accustomed to in our country but has not always been the practice for Catholics in other parts of the world. One of the things that the GIRM really does is to help retain within a worldwide Church continuity in certain liturgical practices.
Since the GIRM was initially promulgated, there have been some additional documents published which will lead to other changes, none of which are really earth-shaking, but I want you to be aware of why they are happening. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent (next weekend), all parishes are required to implement some of these changes which relate to the celebration of communion.
You will notice, beginning next weekend, that the communion cups will now be filled with wine before the Eucharistic Prayer even begins. In this way, all of the wine will be consecrated in cups, instead of having it consecrated in one chalice and also in a flagon (from which it used to be poured into other cups). This is not really a very big change but it is something that Rome wants done to avoid anything happening after the consecration which would disturb the mystery of what is taking place.
The United States Bishops Conference has been in contact with Rome to see if this new implementation was really necessary, since they had already authorized the pouring of wine at the time of the Lamb of God. Rome confirmed its authority in this matter on behalf of the worldwide Church and as a result, you will notice this new change beginning next weekend.
There has been much communication back and forth between pastors and the Office for Divine Worship in our diocese about the best ways to accommodate this change. Rather than risk any spilling or breakage by altar servers, we have decided here at Mary Queen that after the gifts have been brought forward at Mass, the priest or deacon will get the glasses from the side credence table and fill them with the wine that has been brought forward in the procession of the gifts. This will happen before the Eucharistic Prayer begins. On special occasions when we may have many more glasses for a celebration, glasses will be filled with wine before Mass begins and carried individually in the procession of the gifts. This kind of special presentation for those occasions when there are many glasses has been approved by our diocese.
For some, it may seem that a great deal of energy is being invested in matters that seem minor when there are great problems we have to deal with in our Church and in our world. My response to that kind of comment would be that the Eucharist is at the heart of our Catholic faith. In a Church that holds together in faith millions of people from all over the world, it does require time and attention to see that liturgical changes are implemented respectfully. In many ways, it was good for the Pope to designate this as the Year of the Eucharist so that there can be more catechesis (religious teaching) done about what the Eucharist means for us as Catholics.
You will begin to see more about Church teaching written in our bulletin on a regular basis. This will include teaching about the Eucharist and liturgical practices. It will also include other teaching of the Church that relates to matters of importance in our lives as members of families, citizens of society, and brothers and sisters to people around the world.
Mary Foley