The Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
The Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44
The parish office is will be closed on Presidents Day, Monday, February 20, 2023 in honor of the public holiday. if you need assistance from the parish, the parish phone line (773-525-3016) and email (info@standrew.org) will stll be monitored.
Guidelines for Lent:
As a reminder, the Catholic faithful are invited as community to fast (eat limited food) on both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday during Lent. We are also invited to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. From the material profit of our fasting and abstaining, we are invited to give to those in need at the end of our Lenten journey. This year, Saint Andrew will offer the monetary benefits of our fasting and abstaining to the relief efforts from the Turkey and Syrian Earthquake through Catholic Relief Services.
“Sometimes we are too ground-bound to see the bigger picture.”
I recently came back from a ski vacation. It is always a time for me to disconnect and lose myself in oceans of snow and palisades of pine trees. But I'm never too detached. I, like many skiers, have earphones plugged in and find motivation to make it through the next impossible mogul run by the energy that a song brings when it hits me at the right time. (High recommendations for how sweet the William Tell Overture sounds at the top of a double black diamond run.)
Every year, there is always one song from my playlist that stands out and connects with me in a deeper way. I never know what it will be, but it becomes the theme song for that year. This year, just as my spirit was open for a message, the beat dropped and the band Queen came on. It was from their thirteenth studio album released in 1989, just when I was leaving grade school and entering high school. I probably never remember hearing the song then, but it touched me now. The Miracle. Some of the lyrics go like this:
Every drop of rain that falls
In Sahara Desert says it all
It's a miracle
All God's creations great and small
The Golden Gate and the Taj Mahal
That's a miracle
The song goes on to name event after event that we see, hear, touch, smell, think, imagine and feel. These are all miracles if only we are apt to become aware of them.
This insight pushed me back to my previous vacation when I began reading the book selected by Chicago Public Libraries for the 2021 One Book One Chicago - Bedrock Faith by Chicago author Eric Charles. A near throw away line by one of the characters in the book spat off, "The reason we call them miracles is because they don't happen very often."
So as I danced to and fro between swiftly approaching trees on the ski run somewhere in the Arapaho National Forest, I wrestled with these idea in my head... are miracles all around us or are they as scarce as as starlight on a cloudy night? From the proverbs that slumber somewhere in my memory, an old axiom or perhaps a truism came forth. "If everything is a ______ then nothing is a __________."
You can fill in the blank with anything and get similar results, but in this case, I was thinking, "If everything is a miracle, then nothing is a miracle." Certainly this fit the bill of the line from the book by Eric Charles. In a world of pervasive skepticism, it's perhaps a little comforting to believe that the exceptional is rare.
And yet that song from Queen kept sticking out...
Open hearts and surgery (Wonders of this world go on)
Sunday mornings with a cup of tea
Super powers always fighting
But Mona Lisa just keeps on smiling
It's a miracle
Somewhere on the mountain, when I got to take a breath, and my feet were lifted off the snow toward their 1,400 foot assent to the top of the mountain (a miracle?) I had another insight. Sometimes we are too ground-bound to see the bigger picture. We need to allow ourselves to be lifted up. Yes on a ski lift, but more precisely, light years beyond this planet. For indeed, if our perspective is the universe, miracles are rare. In the nearby hundreds of light years surrounding this solar system, the dominant constant is a bleak abyss of nothingness. But here, on this Earth, there is an enormous concentration of miracles. The density within our corner of the universe does not overshadow the relative scarcity as we look at the bigger picture, instead it blinds us with an overwhelming light. To see both the immanence and transcendence of God's glory here on Earth is akin to taking a sip of water from a streaming fire hydrant. Our own sensations are over-stimulated by the mere possibility of God's handiwork to which we sadly become numb.
But once in a while, when we step back, we can see. We can see it in the institutionalized grace written into the living Body of Christ, the Church. We can see it in the haunts and hallows of nature. And we can even see it in a rock band like Queen. All of that, and much more beside... is a miracle
The one thing we're all waiting for
Is peace on earth, an end to war
It's a miracle we need, the miracle
The miracle we're all waiting for today
Join us in our preparation for Easter by making the 40-Day journey of Lent holy and prosperous. Participate in some or all of the parish programs listed below staring with Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023 all the way through Holy Week.
Ash Wednesday Services - February 22:
7:30am Prayer Service / 9:00am School Mass / 1:30pm Prayer Service / 6:30pm Mass
Stations of the Cross:
Fridays in Lent at 6:30pm in the Church.
Lenten Fish Fry:
Friday, February 24 & March 31 from 5pm to 8pm in the Gymnasium.
REBOOT: Update Your Spirituality:
Wednesday nights in Lent starting March 1. Explore adult Catholic spirituality with a facilitated group over weekly Zoom video conference. Pre-registration required at www.standrew.org/reboot
Joint Parish Mission:
Enter into stories of grace with parishioners from Saint Andrew Parish and Saint Benedict Parish on Sunday, March 26, Monday, March 27, and Tuesday, March 28 in the evenings. Times and location will be announced in subsequent publications.
DO NOT miss out on Saint Andrew's largest fundraiser of the year! Visit http://www.wearinthegreen.com to purchase tickets. Wearin' the Green features delicious food, open bars, live and silent auctions, live band, our very own Foy School of Irish Dancers and so much more. Mark your calendars for the evening of Saturday, March 4, 2023 and make plans to join us! To volunteer for this event, please reach out to Julie Richards at julie@standrew.org.
Our popular spirituality program for adults returns this Spring. REBOOT: Update Your Spirituality will be held on Wednesday nights for 6 weeks starting Wednesday, March 1, 2023. If you need to start learning, need a booster, or just a refresher on the Catholic Church's trove of spiritual treasure, join us for this 6 weeks faith-enrichment program. To find out more and to register visit www.standrew.org/reboot
Saint Andrew Parish will sponsor TWO Fish Fry's during this upcoming Lenten season. These are family friendly events that the whole community loves! Save the Dates for Friday, February 24th and Friday, March 31st from 5-8pm in the Saint Andrew Gymnasium. To volunteer for this event, please reach out to Mike Kelly at kellymb0908@yahoo.com or to sign up to help! See the Saint Andrew Parish website or go to http://standrew.org/gather/upcoming-events/lenten-fish-fry/ to pre-order your fish and mac and cheese dinners!
Current Volunteer Opportunities:
Fish Fry:
Saint Andrew Parish will sponsor TWO Fish Fry's during this upcoming Lenten season. These are family friendly events that the whole community loves! Consider volunteering on Friday, February 24th or Friday, March 31st from 5-8pm in the Saint Andrew Gymnasium. To volunteer for this event, please reach out to Mike Kelly at kellymb0908@yahoo.com or sign up at - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IzkkqBVfQXGBrLhmKlRZv8fTgzL3W1ABsXbn7C9oEbk/edit#gid=0
Join supporting parishioners on February 25, 2023 for an evening of fun and games to raise funds in support of a new primary school project for Fr. Mathias Kakooza in Katakala, Uganda. Land has been purchased and now it is time to build. Proceeds raised through this event will support building materials and labor expenses. To register and find complete details visit https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTc1MDc5 .The link also allows donations for thoswe who cannot attend but would still like to "ante in" and support.
Weekend Mass Schedule:
Vigil - 4:00pm Mass
Sunday - 9:00am and 11:00am Mass
Confessions:
Confessions are heard in the main church at 3:00pm on Saturdays or by appointment. Call 773-525-3016 or write info@standrew.org
Readings for the Week:
Mass readings are available on the U. S. Bishop's website
at https://bible.usccb.org/readings/calendar
Mass Intentions:
Sunday, February 19, 2023
+Philip Meer Castillo and +Jose Edgar DeSagun
Sunday, February 26, 2023
+Charles Marron and +Elizabeth Wheaton
.
Live Stream:
Watch our live stream of Sunday Mass at www.standrew.org/sundaymass
We've reached a 100 days of fun and learning! We can't wait to see what the rest of the school year has in store for us.
Do you have a friend or neighbor that is considering applying to the best school in Chicago? Sign up for a tour here: schedule a tour New student applications for the 23-24 school year are now open! Existing families, do not forget to register your new preschoolers. Applications are now being accepted. 23-24 SAS Application
Religious Education for 2022-23 is in session for students between grades K and 8th grade. Please visit www.standrew.org/re to learn more about the program and to register. Students are currently assigned to do work at-home with their parents as they cover chapter 17, 18, & 19.
Our next in-person session is Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 10:00am and includes a parent meeting. The following weeks, students will complete the work in their text books at home with their parents and complete an online review demonstrating completion.
January Offering:
Envelope Collection - $9,912
Automated Giving - $25,788
Loose Cash - $4,045
Total Offertory - $39,745
Monthly Budgeted Expenses: $38,500
Many families in our parish have received the Annual Catholic Appeal mailing from Cardinal Cupich. On behalf of those served by the ministries, parishes and schools who receive funding from the Appeal, we thank you for your gifts. Please return your response as soon as possible. You may also make a pledge or donation directly through the Archdiocesan website at https://giving.archchicago.org/annual-catholic-appeal/about
Enrich - Expand - Grow Capital Campaign
Income - $1,897,927
Interest on Income - $37,963
Total Income - $1,935,890
Consulting Operating Expense - $215,000
Archdiocesan Contribution - $246,000
Church Lighting (Actual) - $250,517
Church Lighting (Consultant) - $10,480
Church Windows (Actual) - $157,120
School Addition (Architect Fees) - $38,291.36
Annex (Demolition) - $55,795.38
Annex (Utilities Disconnect) - $18,210
Annex (Environmental Remediation) - $38,780
Total Expense - $1,030,193.74
BALANCE - $905,696.26
Revised 11/23/2022
Parish Staff:
Pastor: Rev. Sergio Romo
Associate Pastor: Rev. Silvanus Kidaha
Resident Priest: Rev. Emmanuel Madu
Pastoral Associate: David Heimann
Deacon: Mark Purdome
Deacon: Eric Sorensen
Business Manager: Esperanza Benavides
Fundraising/Development: Julie Richards
Office Manager: Christina O’Malley
Receptionists: Terry Ryan, Christine Chua, Mercedes Jairala
Engineer: Alfred Benkiser
Contact parish staff by phone at 773-525-3016,
electronically at http://standrew.org/get-in-touch/,
or by email at info@standrew.org
School Administration:
Principal: Sarah Casavechia
Assistant Principal: Shanna Eley
Reception: Trini Mahadeo
Admissions: Anne Japsen
Contact School Administration by phone at 773-248-2500