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Church Clips by Dolores Madlener

Dolores Madlenera column of benevolent gossip

  • ‘To Do’ List —

    Circle April 24-25 on the calendar, grab some comfortable shoes, a buddy and your favorite corner. It’s Misericordia’s Candy [Jelly Belly] Days . Call Therese Loftus at (773) 273- 4163 to be a street corner volunteer. Otherwise, just dig deep for this longtime local charity when you see those familiar red and white aprons.
  • Smiley Faces —

    Laughter Yoga was introduced to the women’s club of St. John Brebeuf Parish (Niles) March 10. The brainchild of a physician in India in 1995, the exercise has now generated more than 6,000 laughter clubs worldwide. They say what begins with yogic breathing and “pretend” laughter, soon becomes real, as each person sees the others in the group laughing. You literally “laugh your troubles away” along with stress or depression. It supposedly has the same therapeutic effects as “real” laughter. Don’t laugh — the practice is now applied in some classrooms, in the business world, prisons, among seniors, cancer patients and among children with disabilities.
  • People potpourri —

    Author Mary Greeley Durkin was honored recently by Theology of Park Ridge , a forum she founded in the arch 43 years ago. Women of all religions gathered in those days at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Parish (Park Ridge) to hear a variety of views on faith and life. The original and longest running program of its kind in the arch , it is co-educational now and meets in St. Luke’s Lutheran Church (Park Ridge). Durkin is the sister of Father Andy Greeley . . . . Joyce Federico is retiring as business manager at St. Matthew Parish (Schaumburg) after 34 years of valued service. . . . Retired Father Bernard White who serves at St. Celestine Parish (Elmwood Park), spent some lonesome time recently after the loss of his beloved English Shepherd Anna . A number of parishioners shared their own pet losses in the past year with Father, and now they’ve formed a pet bereavement group at the parish.
  • Parish potpourri —

    Ash Wednesday is still one of the busiest “ministry” days for the friars at St. Peter’s in the Loop (W. Madison). They distributed ashes continuously from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the church. . . . While the Passion Play was being performed in Polish by the 70-member theatrical prayer group “ Wieczernik ” (“Upper Room”) at St. Thomas of Villanova Parish (Palatine), it was being taped for broadcast on Polvision cable TV. . . . The St. Eugene Players (W. Foster) are “getting to the church on time” to practice for their mid-April performances in Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady .” . . . St. Ann’s (Lansing) celebrates 50 years of scouting in the parish this year. Their young people in Brownies, Cubs and Boy Scout units celebrated with a Mass. . . . The men’s club at St. Barnabas (S. Longwood) watched the movie “ Fargo ” recently as part of Father Gene Smith’s Reel Spirituality ” series. They’re finding a whole new connection between theology and films. . . . St. Giles Parish (Oak Park) will again present teen-led Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at 7:30 p.m. The students take part as still-life actors, musicians, technicians and readers. . . . Parishioners at St. Viator’s (W. Addison) have their own chic tote bags. Hyping the parish name, the durable $3 bag can carry groceries, books, tools or just “stuff.” Junior Clips: Notice a good number of people with bald pates these days? Baldy-locks are suddenly golden. “Shaving for a cure” or St. Baldrick’s Day , started in 1999 in NYC among adults as a fundraiser for children’s cancer research. It caught on in Chicagoland’s local public and private schools due to the involvement of Brother Rice High School alum Pat Elwood and his wife Katie . Elwood, a Fox News WFLM reporter and the media company, have helped raise more than $1.5 million since 2007. In recognition of the work done by the Fox Schools Challenge and the Elwoods, they were asked to lead the South Side Irish Parade March 15. For example, this year at Queen of Martyrs (Evergreen Park) 125 students, preschoolers through eighth grade and an eighth-grade teacher raised $17,000 for the cause, and won’t need to comb their hair for a number of weeks.
  • Diaper drive anyone? —

    The Women’s Center , pro-life outreach in Chicago and suburbs, is appealing to scouts, schools and friends to organize a diaper drive (especially in sizes 4, 5 and 6) for little kids whose moms, facing a crisis pregnancy, heroically chose life. Not an easy life, but The Center is there before, during and after the “crisis,” (773) 794-1313.