It Is Time to BE MORE
Our Ignatian Spiritual Fitness Program kicks off this weekend. We welcome Fr. Rick McGurn, S.J. to preach at all Masses and prepare us for a deeper dive and discussion this coming Wednesday, October 11, but also to prepare us for the coming year and many things Ignatian as captured in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola.
Preparation
The Exercises have a natural rhythm. Ignatius divides the program into Four ‘Weeks.’ These are not calendar days but PHASES or movements felt within a person who is praying through the Exercises. Just as marathon runners do not begin a race with a sprint, we start the Exercises slowly and gently. We till the soil a bit before we do any planting. In this time of preparation, we consider the gift of God’s ongoing creation in the world and in us. We pray for a spirit of awe and gratitude for the gifts of God in our lives. We hope to experience a deeply felt sense of God’s unconditional love for us – for you!
We at Holy Family are doing what many have done in the 500 years since Ignatius wrote these Exercises – applying them to us in this contemporary setting. Few if any have done these Exercises as we are doing them as a parish community. Ignatius invites us to discover God in literally EVERYTHING by actively participating in the events that shaped his powerful conversion, that connect so powerfully with the life, suffering, death and Resurrection of Christ. Ignatius invites us not simply to connect with God through Jesus Christ, but to actively enter into the adventures WITH him.
Just as our bodies need physical exercise to be fit, our spirits need spiritual exercise to mature, flourish and BE MORE. Come and experience the freedom to become the person God meant for you to BE, to love and accept love, to make good decisions and to experience the mystery of God’s unconditional love as revealed in the everyday world in which we live.
BE MORE … For the Greater Glory of God
Fr. McGurn will help us to explore the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola this weekend at all Masses and in more depth this coming Wednesday, October 11 at 7:00pm in church. He will take us through Ignatius’ adventure of conversion from a worldly man focused on his own glory, to becoming a saint consumed with the desire to serve Jesus Christ “for the greater glory of God.”
Rick will help us appreciate the “discernment of spirits” – the art of noticing God’s graced promptings in our thoughts and emotions, and how it is explained by showing examples from Ignatius’ own life helping us to translate those gifts into our own lived experience – to help us BE MORE for the greater glory of the same God.
Disability Accessibility Ministry ACTS
We are pleased to introduce Holy Family’s Disability Accessibility Ministry ACTS – Accessibility: Community – Table – Scripture.
The mission of ACTS is to raise awareness of disability as a diversity and social justice issue, support the access needs of those living with disability, and celebrate the vibrant culture of the disability community.
At the October 14 and 15 Masses, we will introduce the availability of sensory items for our parishioners to be checked out at the front office – including a small bag of sensory items, headphones and earplugs – and new signage in a designated section of the pews. And stay tuned for more to come!
Christifidelis Award
This Chicago archdiocesan award is bestowed upon an individual Catholic layperson who has demonstrated by participation in parish life, the personal and ministerial renewal called for by the Papal Exhortation, Christifideles Laici. This document promotes a deeper awareness among the faithful of the gift and responsibility they share, by virtue of their Baptism, in the communion and mission of the Church. Awarded to one person annually from each parish, this year Holy Family is very proud to offer this award to Chester Trocha.
Chester and his wife, Heidi, have been parishioners at Holy Family for 16 years. Chester has been the Ministry Lead for our Small Christian Communities Gathering in Grace Ministry since early 2022. In that time, along with the SCC-GiG Steering Committee, he has worked tirelessly to renew and grow this critical ministry, which is now comprised of 35 active groups and over 300 participants. These small, regular gatherings of people, “domestic churches,” sharing the adventures of life and faith, are integral to maintaining the spiritual health of our larger Holy Family Community. We are extremely grateful for Chester’s leadership and generous commitment to the SCC-GiG Ministry, and are very blessed to have him and Heidi as members of Holy Family.
Chester received this award last Sunday at Holy Name Cathedral, along with other parish awardees, and is being honored here at Holy Family this Sunday at the 9:00 Mass.
