A recent mentor or mine passed away. His name was Randy Cline. The best way to express how I feel about his passing was uttered by another friend of mine who said, "There is a hole in the world and I'm sad because the hole doesn't feel right." 

The notion of there being a "hole in the world" was felt acutely by me again this week as we learned of the passing of Fr. Steve Kanonik, the pastor of Saint Benedict Parish, our neighbors to the north. I was shocked when I found out that he had died so suddenly, without any warning. I was already looking forward to future encounters with Fr. Steve who always greeted me with a smile and sense of gentle, earned wisdom. To me, he always left the impression that he loved being a priest and serving the Church. Reviewing Facebook this week, I saw numerous messages and tributes that suggest others felt the same way about him. 

But as is the case with any social media application, the scroll takes you down other things, some of which are mundane and some of which are profound. One post caught me by surprise as I scrolled along. It was a cartoon of Charlie Brown and Snoopy looking off into the horizon. Charlie Brown said, "We only live once Snoopy." To which Snoopy responds, "Wrong! We only die once. We live every day."

It was odd seeing both of the posts in the same feed on my phone and in a sense, I felt Fr. Steve was somehow influencing the algorithms to pass along a message to me. The sketch I would create of Fr. Steve was someone who knew how to live everyday and through his example, he reminded us to do the same. 

That gives some insight with what we are to do with that "hole" that remains after his unforeseen death. First of all, I think it is important to honor the empty space left by someone who passes away. We need to recognize that a vibrant life-force was there and is no longer. There is no merit to be found by covering it up or ignoring it. Trying to move on too quickly would not serve the memory of Fr. Steve, or Randy, or anyone we've lost. 

At the same time, I've been struck by realizing, the Fr. Steves in our lives and the Randys were who they were because others gave them the space to be who they were. They entered the vacant spaces left by their heroes and made the choice to live with integrity and distinction. 

That same choice lies before us. 

We can and should honor the life of Fr. Steve. He will have services in his honor held at Saint Benedict Parish in the main church at 2215 W. Irving Park Rd. A visitation will be held this Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. His funeral will be Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 10:00am. 

We can also honor the hole in the world left by Fr. Steve's passing by living as he did. Live every day. Follow in the steps of Jesus and be witnesses to God's love and mercy in all we do. 

Someday, we too will pass from this earth and our lives will yield to make room for others to fill in the hole we leave. It will only happen once, but every day until then is a chance for us to live. May we do so with the help of God. 

Super School Sunday, January 26, 2025

• 8am: Prospective Family Tours

Reservations are recommended but not required. Contact Anne Japsen (annejapsen@gosaintandrew.com) for more information.

• 9am: Family Mass in Saint Andrew Church 

• 10am: Annual Pancake Breakfast in our School Gym

Tickets can be purchased online:https://standrewchicago.flocknote.com/signup/193336 Presales: $12 per adult, $10 per child (2 years and under FREE). Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the event.Cash or QR Code only - $14 adults and $10 children

• 11am: Current Family Tours

Take a walk through your child's current classroom. Stop by next year's classroom to get a glimpse of the future.

Baby Bulldogs Winter Session

Registration is Now Open! Baby Bulldogs is a weekly meeting for infants, toddlers and their caregivers. Come join the fun! Baby Bulldogs meets in the Saint Andrew gym on Thursdays from 9-9:45am.  Sessions are January 30 through April 24 (no class on March 20).

Register here​​​​​​​

If you have any questions, please contact Anne Japsen at annejapsen@gosaintandrew.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

Come Join 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 25-26 can be found here: New Student Application