Adventures in Grace: a pilgrimage
This coming weekend, November 6 and 7, we begin our first big adventure in our pilgrimage. We will welcome Dr. Terry Nelson-Johnson to preach at all of our Masses, and then again Wednesday evening in church, for extended storytelling, song and ritual. The toic will be “An Introduction to Sacramentality.”
In our preparation we have invited and challenged you to look at Sacrament and Grace in new ways. Recently, I have articulated the relationship between the two as follows:
G
Grace
S
Sacrament & sacrament
Please consider that grace is more pervasive than the even Sacraments, with a capital S, and indeed sacred moments of life, often referred to as sacrament with a small “s,” not formalized by the church. Sacraments of our church give grace, but it is the Grace of life, all life, from which capital “S” Sacraments and sacraments flow. Another way of expressing this is that grace is like rain that falls on us all, and sacraments are the rivers that are formed because of the rain, collecting into bodies of moving water, all of which give the life of shared grace.
A point worth making is something that I said during last Wednesday’s preparation session that Terry Nelson-Johnson corrected me on. I would like to explain my comment and some of his (as I can’t fully speak for him). I said that MOST of the important things of the Pilgrimage will happen in the Holy Family church (building). I said this because many of you are still confused, thinking that we will be traveling to physical destinations. I was clarifying that many of the important EVENTS will take place in the church building.
Terry emphasized that most of the important movements of grace will happen outside the Holy Family church building, because they will come with your prayer, reflection, discussion, discoveries, experiences and sharing at home, or in with other companions in your Gatherings in Grace (GIG) groups or your Small Christian Communities. The rain of grace will fall on you in many places and in many ways. We will discover language with which to articulate how grace generates the sacraments that we experience.
I have espoused for years what he pointed out. The most sacred item in any church is the exit sign because it motivates us to take out into the world the nourishment that comes from the Eucharist, and will certainly come from each of the pilgrimage adventures. It will give new energy to “The Mass never ends.”
One Registration
You can register for the Pilgrimage online at our website holyfamilyparish.org/aig. Only ONE registration is needed for the entire pilgrimage. Registration is helpful BUT NOT REQUIRED. Anyone at the Travel Desk in the Narthex can assist you in the registration process. We have simplified it and it is easy to do. However, if you have difficulties, please contact Mary Whiteside, our Director of Adult Faith for assistance. She can be reached at 847-907-3450 or mwhiteside@holyfamilyparish.org. ALL WALK INS ARE WELCOME—ALWAYS, but registration will give you updated and accurate information.
I have invited my friends and family from literally all over the world to participate in the Pilgrimage, both in person and virtually. They have benefitted from the extensive preparation and have shared much positive feedback as to the unique nature of this initiative. Please join them, your fellow parishioners and me!!
All Saints Day
A reminder that All Saints Day will be celebrated on November 1 at 9:00am Mass in the church instead of the chapel because we expect a larger crowd. Come and celebrate the lives of the saints.
All Souls Day
We will host our annual All Souls Memorial Mass on Tuesday, November 2 at 7:00pm. Please come and invite ANYONE who has lost a loved one in the past year. We will remember in a special way those whose funerals we have hosted here at Holy Family. I want to thank Jeannie Parry, Mary Whiteside and all of our funeral and bereavement ministers who have planned and carried out so many prayerful funerals for the many faithfully departed. May they all rest in peace.