Church Renovation
When you come to church, you will see that the temporary wall protecting the construction in the Tabernacle area has been taken down. You will see the two peaked structures that will eventually house the Tabernacle on the right and a new statue of Mary on the left. A final punch list must be completed before we move the Tabernacle into place. Because of the construction, the Tabernacle has been temporarily placed in the sanctuary. We will have a blessing of the new space once the new statue of the Blessed Mother arrives, HOPEFULLY in November. Our Director of Operations, Scott Baietti, has more details on page 4 of this bulletin.
Updated Transition Information
I want to clarify some information regarding my plans for the next few years and our transition to new Pastoral Leadership here at Holy Family, as they have changed since my initial plan. I will be with all of you as usual until July 1, 2027. At that time, I will begin a six-month sabbatical, returning for Christmas 2027. I will be with you as usual then until July 1, 2028. This change in plan will give the Priest Placement Board and the Cardinal additional time to surface candidates who are willing to serve here; this may include as Pastor and/or Associate Pastor.
A sabbatical is suggested for priests around the time of their transitions to new assignments. I am moving towards finalizing my plans, but so far they include spending some time with family and friends and local travel, along with my annual eight-day Silent Directed retreat in Milford, Ohio. The bulk of the Sabbatical will be four months at Santa Clara University near San Jose, California. I hope to audit at least two courses, and continue my writing project on the topic that I have great passion about (work). It will also enable me to take advantage of the Jesuit Spirituality and Renewal Center at the University.
I hope to conclude my time away with a trip down the coast of California to Los Angeles and follow the historic Route 66 back to Chicago in time to celebrate Christmas 2027 with all of you.
The Sabbatical time will enable me to discern my future. My hope is to move to another parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago after I retire and, God willing, help with the sacramental needs of several parishes, including Holy Family, in a manner similar to what the group of retired priests that serve us here at Holy Family do. I will continue to provide you with updates on this process with the help of a Transition Team, composed of parishioners and staff who will share details.
Jim Schiffer, Ken McMullen
Ken McMullen will assume the piano duties for the 5:00 pm Saturday evening Mass going forward and for other Masses periodically as he did this past weekend. Kristen Berryhill will join him, as she did with Jim Schiffer who has played for that Mass and others here at Holy Family for many years. We once again thank Jim for sharing his musical gifts with us and wish him well as he assumes more professional responsibilities in administration for the public school system in Mundelein.
A King’s Banquet for His Son
We continue to hear these short stories called parables that Jesus uses to help us envision what the Kingdom of God is like. This week we have obvious connections with God the Father (the King) and Jesus (the Son getting married). God’s invitation to the wedding banquet is an invitation to celebrate our committed love for the Kingdom, similar to the committed love celebrated at a wedding. The banquet is all of life, but it is also the celebration of the Eucharist. As always, we can place ourselves in various parts of the story. Are we the ones who were not even aware of the banquet and attended because of the widespread, sweeping invitation of the servants? Are we the servants inviting anyone we encounter to the banquet of faith, or to Holy Family, or specifically the celebration of the Eucharist? What banquet invitations have we ignored and which ones have we responded to?
May we all see ourselves as God’s guests, in the Eucharistic celebrations and in the overall banquet of life in the Kingdom.