Pentecost
Pentecost recalls the Holy Spirit coming upon the early disciples enabling them to not simply do what they thought was important for their future and to move forward, BUT to do what Jesus had commissioned them to do ten days earlier, right before he ascended into heaven with the words of the Great Commission to:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to carry out all that I have commended you and know that I will be with you until the end of time.” Note the bolded words. They are all action words: Go, Make, Baptizing, Teaching, Carry out, Know.
As our Adventures in Grace pilgrimage moves toward a pivotal moment this Pentecost, let us keep these action words in mind, because they are reminders of the action words that we have used for each stop along the Sacramental way of this adventure—Drenched, Affirmed, Mercied, Fed and Committed. They will help us focus on continuing the Adventure. Pentecost will give us a special opportunity to see how important it will be to remain Committed to renewing our spirituality, deepening our engagement in our mission here at Holy Family and doing so in new ways, with new people and a new age for our community of faith.
Pentecost will bring us a special celebration so we are slightly altering our Mass schedule that weekend. It will be as follows:
Saturday, June 4, 5:00 pm Mass
Sunday, June 5, 7:30 and 10:00 am Mass
with a celebration to follow in the courtyard with food and entertainment
Patty McCarthy
We Welcome Patty McCarthy to our Teen Faith and Youth Ministry staff. Her professional career path includes ten years as a software engineer and three and a half years as a financial advisor before committing to a call to serve in youth, family and teen formation. She obtained Director of Youth Ministry and Lay Ecclesial Ministry certifications from the Archdiocese of Chicago, and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University. Patty started as a catechist in faith formation for her son’s kindergarten class and has since gained experience in large parish formation for all ages. “Mom” remains her favorite title and her love for her sons and foster children fuel her passion for teen faith.
Renew My Church
This week our team representing Holy Family held a third and final FORMAL meeting with members of our neighbor St. Anne in Barrington to continue the Renew My Church process. ALL parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago are participating in this initiative and for us it will work hand in hand with the continuation of our Adventures in Grace.
Please note that for Holy Family and St. Anne this process DOES NOT mean that we are merging parishes, closing or eliminating facilities, programs, ministries or activities. Certainly in all major categories of health and effectiveness, both of our parishes are strong and vibrant. The purpose of our version of Renew My Church will be to share ideas, insights and some parish statistical data that will assist in future initiatives to RENEW the Catholic Church’s presence in our two parish area. This initiative is designed to build upon the planning that both of our parishes have already begun individually. We thank Eleanor Seagraves from the Archdiocesan Renew My Church Initiative for leading us through a very informative process of discernment, discussion and consideration. We all found these meetings insightful because they gave us very helpful data, experiences from other parishes, and language for stating the new realities of life.
One of the most helpful is the challenge we all face in transitioning from what has been identified as the “Age of Christendom” where many of the foundations of our Catholic Christian faith were firmly imbedded in our culture, taken for granted and institutionalized into the mainstream of family life – to a “New Missionary Age,” one that must more effectively engage people of all ages but particularly younger people, in new, fresh, meaningful and innovative ways, strikingly similar to the way Jesus breathed new life into the traditions of faith, building on a foundation in new and more permanent way.