Hope is Alive!
I wish all of you and your loved ones a very Happy Easter. I hope the brightness of this day fills your hearts and souls. I pray that you may cherish this time with your family and friends, and I thank you for sharing some of the Hope of this day with us here at Holy Family. If you are reading this and you do not currently have a spiritual home, I welcome you, whole-heartedly, to join us on a regular basis here at Holy Family.
In the spiritual brightness of this day, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb, we are called to embrace new life in many aspects of our journey. Our Lenten journey has been one of holding out Hope in the midst of:
Despair Doubt Anger
Judgment Fear
…and even more obstacles that you may have surfaced personally. I had a simple yet powerful encounter after Mass last weekend. A couple greeted me, simply held up the bulletin cover that said “HOPE” and said, “We really need this right now,” meaning Hope.
As we have held up Peaceful Pathways as our method and Violence Prevention as our intent during the season of Lent, I am happy to report that we have, once again, far exceeded the financial goal of $25,000 to assist endeavors that are rooted in Catholic Social Teaching. This year Holy Family Catholic Community has learned about and supported two initiatives specifically, the Strong Futures program at St. Sabina on Chicago’s south side, and The Peace Corner on the west side of the city. Both of these programs help young men by creating opportunities for them to address gang affiliation, drugs, guns and other weapons, and unemployment, just to name a few, as factors contributing to violent behavior. The Peace Corner also assists young women and girls by providing safe programs of athletics and other team building programs.
We will also continue our support for the Violence Prevention Initiative in many other ways that are not limited to financial giving. Details of these opportunities and needs will be made known as the season of Easter unfolds.
Hope is Alive in the hearts and souls of the adults who were received into full Communion with our Church during the Easer Vigil on Saturday night. We congratulate:
Anthony Suubi Andrea Ruetten,
Amanda Cummings Timothy Esposito,
Penelope Ffitch-Heyes and Randall Gurvitz
We often refer to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) ministry here at Holy Family as “Footsteps” because it certainly is a journey during which Candidates (those baptized in another Christian denomination besides Catholicism, or those baptized as Catholics who have not received First Communion or Confirmation) and Catechumens (those never Baptized) spend an extended period of time learning about the Catholic faith. The RCIA is the oldest form of teaching in all of Christianity and it is some of the best adult education available. These Candidates and Catechumens meet regularly, along with their sponsors and our Footsteps team, to learn about the Catholic Church. At the same time, a bond of unity always forms as these people share their stories and learn about their faith in an adult manner.
The first phase of the RCIA process, which begins in September, always involves basic learning about Catholicism. Once adults get more basic information about our faith, they are free to continue or not, based on what they have learned. In other words, with more information about the Catholic Church they can make an informed adult decision about whether they wish to continue and ultimately be welcomed into the Church in an official capacity. During the Easter Vigil, they complete their initiation by having received, either that night or prior to it, Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation.
I invite all of you to encourage any family member, friend, acquaintance or loved one who may be interested in learning more about and perhaps becoming Catholic to please contact Bonnie Rooney at 847-977-4715 or bonroon@aol.com.
I want to extend a sincere thanks to Mary Whiteside, Director of our Adult Faith Ministering Community, and to the sponsors and members of the Footsteps team for their dedication to and support of the many adults who have been received into the Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic Community through the years.
I also wish to thank Gene Garcia, our Director of Liturgical Arts, and all of those in music, environment and worship who have led us in prayer through Lent and Easter; to Dr. Peg Hanrahan, our Director of Family and Teen Faith for her leadership of our teens who led us in prayer with another beautiful Passion Play on Good Friday; and to Lynn Daugerdas, Director of Passion Play, and all of the other adults who put in countless hours helping our teens. Thanks to all of you!!! HAPPY EASTER.