The Jesus Invitation
Perhaps you have noticed how Jesus engaged people in his mission. His was not a general invitation. He looked into the eyes of people who had the talent he needed and he asked them directly to join him. In other words, he did not hang a sign on a tree indicating that there would be a meeting at a certain time and place for ANYONE interested in being a disciple. On the contrary, he observed the best fishermen in Galilee. He saw courage and hard work and certain skill sets and knew they would be the RIGHT ONES to join him. Then he directly said, “Follow me.”
We must do the same here at Holy Family with a slight modification. We are not eliciting people to follow each one of us directly, but to support the mission of Holy Family. Please familiarize yourself with our mission statement again by pausing and reading it above the entrance to our church.
I have two very specific examples and needs for our community for you to follow The Jesus Invitation.
Sue Geegan has been our Director of Human Concerns for quite a few years. She wants to step back to a part-time position and job share her responsibilities. Her compassion, insight, dedication and commitment to some of the most basic human needs in our community and beyond have been abundant blessings for so many.
I am asking you to observe and identify THE RIGHT person who has a passion for Catholic Social Teaching, Welcoming and Social Justice. We currently have over 15 different ministries that fall under Human Concerns and this position would be between 15-20 hours per week assisting Sue in the various responsibilities of this department. Sue will be your guide along the way. Please contact Sue at 847-907-3443 or sgeegan@holyfamilyparish.org for more details and a job description.
Another need we have is for THE RIGHT person to replace Henry Smogolski in coordinating efforts to maintain and beautify our courtyard.
Fourteen years ago, Henry offered us a vision of a more beautiful courtyard. In those years Henry has led and managed efforts to plant, prune, dig, clean and grow the plants, grass, trees, shrubs and flowers that make our courtyard so beautiful. The courtyard has been a gathering place and background for photographs, music, food, drink and memories. Our courtyard is the heart of our campus and Henry has not only kept the heart healthy, he has strengthened and beautified it. If you have a green thumb and love spending time gardening, why not spend time in our courtyard continuing Henry’s legacy and perhaps creating one of your own?
If you are interested in learning more about this role, please contact Scott Baietti at sbaietti@holyfamilyparish.org or call the office and ask for Scott, our new Facilities Director. Scott can give you more details and arrange a time for you to meet with Henry as well.
Welcome Dr. Imran Kahn
We welcome Dr. Imran Kahn via a short video that we will share at all Masses this weekend. Dr. Khan is the Muslim faith leader for the Children of Abraham Coalition. Dr. Khan has been with the Children of Abraham organization since its inception, which was over 12 years ago. He also belongs to the Islamic Education Center in Glendale Heights, IL. He previously served as the Youth Director of the Islamic Education Center for 8 years and currently has been teaching Senior Level Islamic Theology at their Sunday School for 5 years. By profession, Dr. Khan is a clinical pharmacist at Northwestern Medicine. He will share his family’s journey as immigrants to this country and the challenges they faced in assimilating here.
Congratulations Bernie Rupe
Each year the Archdiocese of Chicago asks parishes to nominate a member of the community to receive the Christifideles Award. The award is given to lay people who embody the teachings of the Church and serve their communities in extraordinary ways. Bernie Rupe received the Christifideles Award this past Sunday at Holy Name Cathedral along with outstanding lay people from other parishes.
Bernie has a wide variety of corporate and ministerial experiences as an engineer and counselor. He has held executive positions of leadership with outdoor experiential adventure organizations for youth. Here at Holy Family Bernie has been a Flame catechist and has been very involved in Kairos retreats and several other teen programs at Holy Family for many years. He has stepped up along with other dedicated volunteers in our teen program during some personnel changes in the past two years.
Please join me in both congratulating and thanking Bernie for his dedication to Holy Family Catholic Community.