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Church Clips by Dolores Madlener

Dolores Madlenera column of benevolent gossip

  • Over here/over there —

    The William

    McKinley American Legion Post , at 1954 W. 35th St., in Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish (S. Hermitage), dedicated an outdoor memorial to local veterans of WWI , WWII , Korea , Vietnam and the Middle East , in a ceremony Nov. 10. It has a waterfall with five statues symbolizing each of the conflicts. A fourfoot high stone eagle hovers over five fallen-soldiers’ crosses. . . . There are a number of places on the Internet with activities to cheer U.S. military personnel and/or their families. Xerox is doing something neat. There are 20 free “thank you” post cards to choose from, at www.letssaythanks.com, designed by kids. For instance a 9-year-old in Tennessee drew a flag and eagle with the slogan “Let freedom ring.” Select one, choose a greeting from 10 suggestions or be original, add your name, hometown and state, and click “send.” You can’t choose the recipient but it will be someone serving in the armed forces overseas. . . . When sending Christmas cards this year, you can mail one (or more) to: A Recovering American Soldier , c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington D.C., 20307-5001.

  • T-shirts update —

    Remember the mom

    in Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish (N. Spaulding) whose son in Iraq said his whole unit wanted a T-shirt like the one she sent him? ( Clips Oct. 14-27) It had a drawing of St. Michael the Archangel on the front, and the prayer to St. Michael on the back. Dorry Minnice collected enough donations at her church to cover 25 shirts and shipping. She needed 25 more. Recently Minnice reported in the parish bulletin that after the news ran in Clips she received $434 in donations from readers. The shirts were $412.15, with $22.55 postage. She is grateful and says the project was blessed.

  • Return trip —

    It was 120 years ago on

    Nov. 14 that Therese of Lisieux came to Rome with her father and sister and surprised everyone by speaking up to Pope Leo XIII during a private audience. She was so energetic in asking his permission to enter the Carmelites , despite being underage, that she had to be carried out by two papal guards. On this year’s anniversary her relics were brought back to Rome “on pilgrimage,” to visit a number of churches in the Holy City. During his public audience Pope Benedict XVI prayed before the relics of the sainted nun who died at age 24.

  • News from New Melleray —

    New

    Melleray Trappist Monastery in Dubuque, Iowa, is known to just about all Catholics 50 or over in the arch . Father Jim O’Connor , originally from St. Catherine’s (Oak Park), celebrated his 50th jubilee last spring. He and four classmates celebrated together where they began monastic life. All had entered around 1950; four were combat vets of WWII ; two were converts. It was their hard labor that literally helped build the monastery. A sixth jubilarian is deceased. . . . Trappist Father Dan Lenihan marked his 100th birthday in July. Baptized at Visitation Parish (W. Garfield), he entered New Melleray in 1946 after serving in counter-intelligence in Europe during WWII .

  • Shock and awe —

    For the second year

    Transfiguration Parish (Wauconda) marked Respect Life Month (October) with a “ Wall of Crosses. ” The 4,000 crosses (4 inches by 6 inches) on buff-colored card stock, were originally made by parishioner Al Schmid , a wood carver, who died a few years ago. They covered the back wall of the church, and were numbered 1 to 4,000, to represent the number of babies lost daily to abortion in the U.S. Parishioners were asked to take a cross home and remember to pray that that particular baby will be spared. Mary Ann Fijalkiewicz, ministry coordinator, and her helpers say it is a stunning reality check for everyone.

  • Stay tuned —

    A new documentary, “ Pope

    John Paul II: A Saint of Our Times ,” will premier on WTTW Channel 11 at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6. His story is told in music, images and the pope’s own words in many languages. As the Vatican studies his life, the film “seeks to enlighten and inspire on the key themes that defined his papacy.” . . . Bethlehem’s only Christian TV channel, The Nativity , was scheduled to go dark Nov. 1. Death threats and debt brought an end to the service. Founded by a member of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1996, it was also Christianity’s voice from the Middle East, and became a meeting place for Christians, Jews and Muslims. During the siege of the Church of the Nativity in 2002, it covered the event 24/7 for six weeks. Vatican Radio called it “the only Christian channel in the Holy Land.”

  • Gifted Gintare —

    Gintare Marija

    Kizys , an alum of Nativity BVM School (S. Washtenaw.) and Mother McAuley High School (W. 99th St.) now designs jewelry on the West Coast. An alum of Columbia College here and Vogue College of Design , she’s also been a fashion model at Fields and Neiman Marcus. Many of her jewelry creations mirror her Catholic European heritage. She’ll be in town for three shows, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1-2, call (310) 502-0053 for time and place. Her sister, Audrey , is on Catholic New World’s staff.