|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
9/15/02
Updates
Holy Family bell tower reopened
Cardinal George celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving Sept. 8 to celebrate the restoration of the bell tower and to break ground for a new parish center at Holy Family Church in Chicago. (See cover photos.)
The bell tower was completed in 1874, 15 years after the church at Roosevelt Road and May Street was built. It had been in need of structural restoration. The tower's two three-ton bells, cast in 1863, rang for the occasion.
The tower, once the highest point in the city, survived the Chicago Fire of 1871. Threatened with demolition a decade ago, Holy Family-the first Jesuit parish in the city-was saved through the efforts of the Holy Family Preservation Society, which attracted more than $4 million in donations. The latest restoration was funded by the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus.
The massive bells, once manual, are now automated, as is the clock.
Construction of the new 4,000-square-foot parish center scheduled to begin in October and be completed by fall 2003.
Maryville woes facing probe
Maryville Academy, the much-praised archdiocesan home for troubled youths, is facing major reforms following disclosures of problems with fighting, assaults and drug use. Most recently, state officials have accused Illinois' largest refuge for abandoned and abused children of altering a report having to do with a 14-year-old girl who later committed suicide.
According to an evaluation by Ronald Davidson, the University of Illinois at Chicago psychologist whose report started the discussion, most of the problems stem from a change in state child welfare policy five years ago. At that time, the Department of Children and Family Services stopped sending children with serious mental illnesses out of state for fear that they might be mistreated, and brought back nearly 800 youths from out-of-state facilities. Maryville was one of the few Illinois institutions willing to take such children.
Reforms at Maryville will have to include adding more clinical psychiatric and psychological care to the home's time-tested approach of consistent support and discipline, according to DCFS officials.
Meanwhile, Maryville's longtime director Father John Smyth has been both praised for his generosity in taking in more severely troubled youths and faulted for the wisdom of his decision.
News
Black Catholics gather in Chicago, chart future
Bishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Ghana jarred participants at the 9th National Black Catholic Congress with a historic apology while the nearly 3,000 black Catholics gathered in Chicago Aug. 29-Sept. 1 to chart a future course.
After outlining a four-step plan to make Jesus' command to "love one another" practical, Bishop Palmer-Buckle proceeded with a biblical analogy. Instead of equating Africans with Joseph and America's blacks as his jealous brothers, the bishop said, with tears in his eyes and pain in his voice, "I want to apologize for whatever contribution Africa made in your enslavement."
'Play politics,' Ghanaian bishop encourages NBCC
"The Third Millennium will be the millennium of Africa," said Bishop Charles Palmer-Buckle from the Diocese of Koforidua in Ghana. "If that is to be, it is your role and my role as prophetic people to bring that about."
He says there is enough wealth in the world to be able to find a lasting solution to poverty and injustice. "Never in the history of humanity has the world been so wealthy in material, yet so poor in giving," he said.
Canon law expert: Bishops' sex abuse policy needs 'clarification'
The U.S. bishops' child sex abuse policy needs clarification regarding the legal definition of abuse, due process procedures, and protection from "frivolous" accusations, said the president of the Canon Law Society of America in an article for America magazine.
The bishops deserve praise for developing a multifaceted policy to deal with a serious crisis, but many canon lawyers want more emphasis on due process "beyond encouraging the accused cleric to retain canonical and civil counsel," said Father Kevin McKenna, society president.
'Mary's Chain Gang'
A group of children and adults in Winnetka joined a gang earlier this year. This gang is worldwide, their chains are rosary chains, and their leader is the Blessed Virgin Mary. The gang is called "Mary's Chain Gang."
The Winnetka group, "Saints Faith Hope and Charity Rosary Makers," is named for its parish on Linden Street, and has a fluid membership of about 15 school-age children and several adults.
"This past October, I was invited to share my love for the rosary with the parish school fourth grade classes," said Mary Witt, assistant director of religious education at the parish. "Together, we made a rosary for their room. The students enjoyed making their rosary so much some of them asked if we could get together to make rosaries for others."
Co-opting culture
VeggieTales,' other films outgrow home video garden
When "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" opens on more than 1,000 movie screens this fall, the animated asparagus-turned-prophet will bring his message into the dark of the theater, and the light of mainstream, big-time popular culture.
And the message is more than the movie's morality tale. It's that morality tales, given the right medium, can be fun-and, the people behind the vegetables hope, they can sell, too.
Ethical flaws all around
Media put focus on clerical sex-abuse scandal
When the Boston Globe kicked off the media frenzy about clerical sexual abuse of minors, it exposed systemic ethical flaws in several institutions, including the media itself, said Catholic scholar R. Scott Appleby.
The 2002 scandal was not so much about the small minority of priests who abused children and teens as about the practice of reassigning them, in effect covering up their misdeeds and allowing them to continue, Appleby said.
Schedule for Our Lady of the New Millennium
Sept. 15-29: Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, 3121 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, (773) 638-0159.
Sept. 29-Oct 13: St. Jerome Croatian, 2823 S. Princeton Ave., Chicago (312) 842-1871.
Oct. 13-27: St. Margaret of Scotland, 9837 S. Throop St., Chicago (773) 779-5151.
Oct. 27-Nov. 10: St. Florian, 13145 S. Houston Ave., Chicago, (773) 646-4877.
Nov. 10-24: St. Andrew the Apostle, 768 Lincoln Ave., Calumet City, (708) 862-4165.
Nov. 24-Dec. 8: Queen of the Universe, 7114 S. Hamlin Ave., Chicago, (773) 582-4662.
Dec. 8-15: St. Denis, 8301 S. St. Louis., Chicago. (773) 434-3313.
Movies at a Glance
Capsule reviews of movies from the U.S. Catholic Conference's Office for Film and Broadcasting, judged according to artistic merit and moral suitability. Go to reviews
top
Front Page | Digest | Cardinal | Observations
Interview | Classifieds | About Us | Write Us
Subscribe | Advertise | Archive | Catholic Sites
New World Publications | Católico | Directory | Site Map
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
a column of benevolent gossip
|
Milestones — The Passionists will celebrate their 150th anniversary of ministry in North America this month. Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, a number of known saints have served in their religious garb, like St. Gabriel Possenti and St. Gemma Galgani, a Passionist nun with the stigmata. The first four priests came from Italy to Pittsburgh in 1852, speaking broken English hoping to succeed. The order serves in Chicago at Immaculate Conception Parish (N. Talcott) and at Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park. Passionists minister in 20 states and Canada. Visit the new Web site at www.passionist.org for details.
Chicago connections — O’Hare Chaplain Father Michael Zaniolo greeted former President Bill Clinton  on July 23 when he came through Midway Airport for a speaking engagement. . . . Father Tom Paprocki, pastor of St. Constance (N. Strong) got to concelebrate with a “few” other priests at Pope John Paul II’s Mass at World Youth Day. Along with Father Michael Osuch, pastor of St. Hyacinth (W. Wolfram) and Father Ted Dzieszko, pastor of St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish (Cicero), Father Paprocki also got to have lunch with President George W. Bush in Troy, Mich. “W” was entertaining the President of Poland, in the United States on an official visit. When President Bush shook his hand, Father Tom was able to thank him for helping save the lives of unborn babies. They had a brief, positive exchange. Three weeks later the president signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, making babies who survive an abortion an individual person, with the right to life. Hmm, who knows?
Who’s going where? — St. Martha Parish Choir (Morton Grove) has been invited to lead the music at St. Peter’s Basilica at the pontifical Mass on Holy Family Sunday, Dec. 29. Their pastor, Father Dennis O’Neill will be a concelebrant. They’ll have an audience with the Holy Father on New Year’s Day. There are a few seats still available. Call (847) 965-0262.
‘Card game’ — Clips readers have some good suggestions for used greeting cards: Francine in Chicago says she enjoys her cards twice because she uses them to jot down her shopping lists or for writing To Do lists for herself. . . . Dorcas in Norridge found a person in “Country Magazine” who makes books for hospitalized children out of the cards. Her address is: Glenda Hutchings, Hutchings Mountain Road, Rockmart, GA 30153. . . . Several readers mentioned the St. Jude Ranch for Children we had listed once. Marilyn in Arlington Heights said you can also purchase greeting cards that have been made from donated ones. Chris in Oak Lawn also orders the “born again” greeting cards from St. Jude’s and says they’re very nice, at $6.50 per package plus $1.50 shipping and handling. The ranch has an informative Web site, www.stjuderanch.org. Clips learned it was founded 35 years ago by an Anglican priest and four Anglican nuns from England. It cares for abused, abandoned and neglected kids in a homelike atmosphere. The youngsters learn to earn a living, “not depending on welfare programs.” They have sites in Nevada and Texas. They also accept Campbell Soup labels which have resulted in five new Dodge mini-vans for the various campuses. The address of the ranch is P.O. Box 60100, Boulder City, NV 89005.
Not just swords and plumes — It took the Knights of Columbus Council in St. Fabian Parish (Bridgeview) about six months to raise the money for a portable defibrillator for the church. The $3,700 device administers a shock if its sensors show the victim needs one. It will serve as a pilot program for other councils and parishes.
Stamps and magazines — The Franciscan Sisters in Campbellsport, Wis. have donated their stamp materials to: The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, San Damiano Convent, 4270 Cedar Creek Road, Slinger, WI, 53086. Go thou and do likewise. . . . One reader suggested Veteran Hospitals can use National Geographic Magazines (and perhaps others). “A local VFW post will take them to the hospitals.” . . . Pat from Chicago suggests the Clips reader with back copies of Geographic should keep trying larger and newer library branches. “If they have ‘for sale’ shelves, they will accept them for sale at minimal prices.”
Sister Esther’s Opus — Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul Sister Esther Diaz celebrated her 102nd birthday on Aug. 21. She entered the novitiate in 1918. Four of her former students from the former St. Patrick High School (Chicago) have made a birthday visit to her at Seton Residence in Indiana for the last three years. They say Sister Esther wasn’t just a good teacher of religion, shorthand and bookkeeping—on Saturdays she would take them to visit nursing homes and Cook County Hospital. They’ve never forgotten her.
People and places — Mercy Sister Rosalie Steinmiller is retiring after 44 faithful years, at St. Lucy Parish as a music teacher, and continuing on after its merger with St. Catherine of Siena in 1973. Sister has been minister of care, sacristan and more in recent years. She’ll keep busy at Mercy Hall for retired sisters on the campus of Mother McAuley High School (W. 99th St.). . . . St. Damian Parish (Oak Forest) will host a talk by Jim Murphy at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24. In 1992 he made a 4,200-mile journey across America on foot, with a six-foot cross, to encourage prayer and evangelization. It took him 18 months.
Did ja know? — September has been designated National Baby Safety, Classical Music, Piano, Sewing, Sign-Up-For Library-Card, Read-A- New-Book, Courtesy, Honey, Chicken, and Rice Month.
Send your benevolent gossip to Church Clips, 721 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60610 or via e-mail to: [email protected]
top
|
|
 |
|
|
