Last weekend on Saturday June 20th, three men were ordained Priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago: Fr. John Rahimi, Fr. Raymond Grieshaber and Fr. Conrad Espino. The Ordination of Priests is a very proud moment for the Church. It is a humbling and very moving sight to see three young men as the lay down their life for Jesus Christ. It is Christ who then raises their life from the Sanctuary to then give their lives over to His Father so that sent in the Spirit they can continue the work of Our Lord: forgiving sins, offering the Sacrifice of the Mass, bestowing salvation through Baptism, carry on the Lord’s teaching and bring His healing to the world around us.

To expand upon the gift of the Priesthood, I share with you an excerpt from St. John Paul II on the Priesthood given on Holy Thursday in 1996:

“Every vocation to the priesthood has an individual history of its own, related to quite specific moments in the life of each one of us. When Christ called his Apostles, he said to each one of them: "Follow me!" (Mt 4:19; 9:9; Mk 1:17; 2:14; Lk 5:27; Jn 1:43; 21:19). For two thousand years he has continued to address the same invitation to many men, especially young men. Sometimes he calls them in a surprising way, even though his call is never completely unexpected. Christ’s call to follow him usually comes after a long preparation. Already present in the mind of the young person, even if later overshadowed by indecision or by the attraction of other possible paths, when the call makes itself felt once more it does not come as a surprise. No wonder then that this calling prevails over all others, and the young person is able to set out on the path shown him by Christ: he takes leave of his family and begins his specific preparation for the priesthood.

There is a typology of vocation, which I would now like to sketch briefly. We find a first outline of this typology in the New Testament. With the words "follow me", Christ calls widely differing people: there are fishermen like Peter and the sons of Zebedee (cf. Mt 4:19, 22), but there is also Levi, a publican, thereafter called Matthew. In Israel, the profession of tax-collector was considered sinful and despicable. And yet Christ calls a publican to join the group of Apostles (cf. Mt 9:9). Even more astonishing was the call of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-19), a known and feared persecutor of Christians, who hated the name of Jesus. Yet this very Pharisee was called on the road to Damascus: the Lord wished to make him "a chosen instrument", destined to suffer much for his name (cf. Acts 9:15-16).

Each of us priests sees himself in the original typology of vocation found in the Gospels. At the same time, each one knows that the story of his vocation, the path by which Christ guides him throughout his life, is in some sense unique….

Precisely during that Paschal event Christ revealed to the Apostles that their vocation was to become priests like him and in him. This took place when, in the Upper Room, on the eve of his Death on the Cross, he took bread and then the cup of wine, and spoke over them the words of consecration. The bread and the wine became his Body and Blood, given up in sacrifice for all mankind. Jesus concluded by commanding the Apostles: "Do this ... in memory of me" (1 Cor 11:25). With these words he entrusted to them his own sacrifice and, through their hands, communicated it to the Church for all time. By entrusting to the Apostles the memorial of his sacrifice, Christ made them sharers in his priesthood. For there is a close and inseparable bond between the offering and the priest: the one who offers the sacrifice of Christ must have a share in the priesthood of Christ. Consequently, the vocation to the priesthood is a vocation to offer in persona Christi his own sacrifice, by virtue of sharing in his priesthood. From the Apostles, then, we have inherited the priestly ministry.”

It is no small thing to pray for an increase in vocations to the Priesthood, to encourage our young men to pray if the Lord is calling them to be His priests, to speak of this to your sons and grandsons. In every age Our Lord Jesus calls the hearts of men to be His priests, but are we supporting them?

This Monday, June 29th will mark my 6th year anniversary to the Priesthood. It is a wonder to now live out my priesthood here at St. Andrew Parish, and with great joy to announce that effective July 1st, I will officially be the Pastor. With first time pastors, the Archdiocese places the new priest as an Administrator in the first year, though he carries out the role and function of a Pastor. With the first year completed, I have received my Appointment Letter which states I will stay on as Pastor of St. Andrew for the next 5 years. Once again, I am very grateful for your prayerful and energized support and I’m very much looking forward to our future together, as we grow closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ in our discipleship and strengthen our bonds of community in our Parish so that St. Andrew will continue to be a beacon of His Light to Lakeview!

School is out for summer! ☀️ Please check out our summer offerings below: 

We are thrilled to offer summer options for our families.

• Saint Andrew Summer Adventure Camp will be offered for the majority of the remaining summer weeks. Adventure Camp Registration for SA students, their friends, and neighbors in the community is open. 

• Music and story time is coming to our campus turf lot on June 30th from 4-5. This free event is open to all ages. RSVP Here!

• Join us for a playdate on the school campus Ackermann lot, July 11th and August 8th at 10am. 

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