Holy Rosary Church

If we believe our Sacred Scripture is important for connecting with God, then how we read the Bible is imperative for the development of faith and implementing Catholic values in our daily lives.  A lecture series, “How to Read the Bible:  A Catholic Approach” can help you to grow in that understanding.  Through various sources of Biblical scholarship, participants will learn about the origins of the Catholic Bible, the challenges of interpretive versus literal interpretations of Scripture, key themes of Catholicism, and applying the lessons to our own lives.

Fr. Bill O’Shea will be making the presentations on the following Thursdays:   October 22, and November 5, 12, and 19, 2009.  All sessions will be held beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Room 25-A of Old St. Pat’s Church, 711 W. Monroe Street in Chicago.  Admission is free, and everyone is invited to attend.  If you would like more information, please telephone Tammy of Old St. Pat’s at (312) 798-2350.

On Sunday, November 1, 2009, Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki will present a lecture entitled “Dynamics of Conscience:  It’s Formation, Exercise, and Suppression.”  This program is part of the “A Conscience Fit for Freedom” series.  In addition to addressing the main topic, Bishop Paprocki will also discuss the role of opinions and culture in the development of conscience and how it is affected by the teachings of the Catholic Church. 

The presentation will begin at 12:00 p.m. noon at St. Catherine Laboure Parish, 3535 Thornwood in Glenview, Illinois.  Admission is free, and everyone is invited to attend.  If you would like additional information, please contact St. Catherine’s Adult Formation Program at (847) 998-4704 for details.

Are you a Minister of Care?  Would you be able to volunteer one or two days each month for about two hours of time?  If so, you are asked to share your ministry and join the Ministers of Care team at Rush University Medical Center.

Rush is a teaching hospital with over 800 beds located in the Illinois Medical District (on Ashland Avenue just off of the Eisenhower Expressway).  With so many patients ill and in need of loving support, any time you give will be greatly appreciated.  Please note free parking is available.  If you would like to contribute to this vital ministry or need additional information, please telephone DEACON ROGER VANDERVEST at (312) 942-4379.

Help Ease Local Poverty (HELP) is an organization composed of churches, civic groups, businesses, and social service agencies.  Every week, HELP sponsors a “Wednesday Evening Supper” for the needy at Catholic Charities in Chicago (LaSalle and Superior Streets).  After the meal, volunteer tutors sit down individually with the dinner guests to help them with their reading and writing skills.  At this time, however, more literacy tutors are needed.  These poor people desperately want to learn, yet they can not do so unless there are adequate volunteers willing to work with them.  Can you help?  This project only asks for about two hours of your time each week.

Literacy Chicago will provide training for any adult willing to spend a few hours each week assisting those who have not had the benefit of an education.  Volunteers will be required to attend a special training program over the course of two consecutive Saturdays – April 5 and April 12, OR May 3 and May 10, 2008.  The training will be held at Literacy Chicago, 17 N. State Street.  If you are interested in sharing your time and helping others learn how to read, please telephone Cynthia Hirsch at (312) 235-5384 to register.  The ability to read and write is a skill that can transform every aspect of a person’s life.  Please consider helping with this program so others can have a better life.

Can you help the homeless?  The FRANCISCAN OUTREACH ASSOCIATION is looking for volunteers to work at the HOUSE OF MARY AND JOSEPH, a 250-bed emergency overnight shelter.

Open 365 days a year, the shelter can accommodate up to 215 men and 35 women.  Every guest gets soup and a sandwich for dinner, and breakfast with coffee the next morning.  Hot showers are available along with a freshly made bed of clean sheets, a pillow, and a blanket.  Medical students from the Rush Medical School operate a free clinic for the guests, which also provides mental health outreach services.

Volunteers are needed to help with the opening of the shelter between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.  Helpers will welcome guests, serve the soup and sandwiches, distribute towels and toiletries, and clean up the kitchen.  No experience is necessary, just a friendly smile and a desire to help.

The shelter is located at 2715 W. Harrison Street (just east of California).  If you would like to volunteer, please telephone the Franciscans at (773) 278-6724.  You can also check out their website at www.franoutreach.org for additional information.  Helping isn’t limited to volunteering at the shelter.  If you prefer, you may also donate money or provide some of the items included on their “wish list.”  No matter which way you choose to help, your efforts and generosity will be greatly appreciated.

When a poor person approaches you on the street for money, how do you respond?  Are you concerned about taking out your wallet on the street?  Do you hesitate because you fear the person only wants your money to buy cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs?  The Chicago Shares Program may be exactly what you need to help you in those situations.

Chicago Shares is a simple but effective voucher program designed to help the poor in a constructive way.  The program is an ecumenical effort run by local churches and social organizations.  All you have to do is purchase a “Chicago Shares” voucher book and then give it to the person in need.  The recipient can then use the voucher book to buy food, non-alcoholic beverages, and personal care necessities at several local merchants.  They use these vouchers in place of money.  Once a month, the merchants are reimbursed by the Chicago Shares Program.  Participating merchants include Subway Sandwiches, Dunkin’ Donuts, White Hen Pantry, Jewel (Clark and Division) and, most recently, Dominick’s (Grand Avenue).

The cost of the vouchers is $5 per book.  You can purchase the voucher books at www.chicagoshares.org by downloading the order form and sending it in with your check.  Chicago Shares will send you the voucher books in the mail.  You can then use these voucher books to help a needy person you encounter on the street.  Please consider these voucher books as a way for you to help others and fulfill Christ’s mandate for all of us to love our neighbors.

A prominent Catholic theologian is sharing Christ’s message with a global audience of millions by combining his preaching skills with the latest technology of the modern world.  FR. ROBERT BARRON, an evangelist and professor at MUNDELEIN SEMINARY in Mundelein, Illinois, is now posting his “Word on Fire” videos on the YouTube website with resounding success.

YouTube is a free website where users can upload, view, and share video clips.  All a viewer has to do is go to www.youtube.com and type “Fr. Barron” into the search engine.  Through the website, you can then access a variety of Fr. Barron’s videos on popular culture topics ranging from “The Jesus Tomb Controversy” to television, movies, and music.  He also has another series, “Faith Clips,” which explains the basics of the Catholic faith.  According to Fr. Barron, “From the time of St. Paul, Christian evangelists have gone into the most public and popular arenas in order to spread the Good News.  YouTube is a place where the whole culture – the good, bad, ugly, and the sublime – can be engaged.  That’s why I wanted to bring my preaching there.”

Fr. Barron’s “Word on Fire” sermons are broadcast every Thursday at 9:00 a.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on Relevant Radio 820-AM.  His “Word on Fire” videos, DVDs, and books are also available through the www.wordonfire.org website.  If you would like more information, please telephone NANCY ROSS at (847) 204-7754.

All of our young people are invited to attend the Chicago version of World Youth Day on Saturday, July 19, 2008.  This event is being sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catechesis and Young Adult Ministry to show our solidarity with those who will be traveling to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.  The Chicago version of World Youth Day 2008 will be conducted at St. Hyacinth’s Basilica, 3636 W. Wolfram in Chicago.

A wonderful day of entertainment, food, and fun has been planned.  Participants will have the opportunity to attend catechetical talks in English, Spanish, and Polish.  A special Mass will be concelebrated by Bishop Joseph Perry and Bishop Thomas Paprocki.  Dance groups, choirs, and solo artists will provide hours of musical entertainment.  There will be plenty of food available, too.

The Chicago World Youth Day 2008 will be conducted from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.  If you would like more information, please telephone St. Hyacinth’s Basilica at (773) 342-3636.  You may also contact Jesus DeLeon of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry at (312) 243-3700 or email him at jdeleon@archchicago.org for further information.  Any groups such as dance, singing, or theatrical clubs who wish to perform at the event should get in touch with Mr. DeLeon as well.  Please note the date, tell your friends, and plan to attend.  Let’s all get in the spirit of celebrating the young people of the Catholic Church!

An opportunity to grow closer with your spouse

Are you seeking a new approach to make your marriage the best it can be for both you and your spouse? Would you like to strengthen the bonds of your commitment? Do you want to nourish the spiritual component of your marital relationship? A Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend may be exactly what you need to help you implement those goals.

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter’s mission of renewal in the Church and change in the world is to assist couples by providing a Catholic “experience” and ongoing community support. Through the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend Program, you and your spouse can learn how to heighten the romance and deepen the intimacy of your relationship while expanding communication skills.

Two Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends have been planned for the next few months – September 19-21 and November 14-16,  2008. If you would like to make reservations or need more information, please call Jim and Kris at (800) 442-3554.

During the rich and extensive course of Catholic history, many different forms and expressions of prayer have developed.  While most of us are familiar with the more sedentery ways to pray, there are also a number of prayers-in-movement available to help us expand our contemplative skills and draw closer to Our Lord.  Pilgrims walking the Way of the Cross in the Holy Land, or the faithful chanting litanies in a religious procession are just two examples of the many forms of prayer-in-movement.

Walking-in-meditation following the pattern of a labyrinth is another ancient expression of prayer-in-movement dating back to the Middle Ages.  A labyrinth is an intricate arrangement of paths and turns leading to a common center point, usually with an equally complicated passage back out.  Many of our great cathedrals have a labyrinth embedded in their floors.  For example, the Cathedral at Chartres, France, has a labyrinth in the nave of Notre Dame that is hundreds of years old.  This famous religious landmark continues to attract visitors from around the world seeking to join in the ancient contemplative practice of meditation-in-movement.

In Chicago, a labyrinth has been acquired by St. Peter’s in the Loop Church at 110 W. Madison Street.  The labyrinth is available each Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.  All are invited to walk the labyrinth and learn a new way to meditate, contemplate, and pray.  Why not try it for yourself?