‘We are a people of hope’

On a frosty Friday afternoon, more than 400 Catholics gathered on Federal Plaza at Adams and Dearborn streets in downtown Chicago to publicly celebrate the Eucharist in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Thousands brave cold to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe

They came wrapped up in scarves, hats and thick winter coats. They came pushing strollers with children bundled up inside and holding banners bearing Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image. They came bearing roses to lay at the feet of Mary at her shrine. And they came and came by the tens of thousands, late into the cold, December night and throughout the next day to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the shrine at Maryville in Des Plaines.

‘Holy pilgrims’

Walking in the steps of Mary and Joseph

More than 1,000 people crowded onto the sidewalks around Holy Name Cathedral Dec. 14, walking in slow procession to reenact the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

Unite suffering with Christ’s through anointing

This life is passing, not meant to last. While on earth, as the Baltimore Catechism so simply stated, we must know, love and serve God, in preparation for eternal life.

New Cardinal Meyer Center opens on S. Side

For the first time, the Archdiocese of Chicago will have an “institutional” presence on the city’s South Side. Cardinal George noted this development Dec. 10 at the dedication of the Cardinal Meyer Center, 35th Street and Lake Park, which will serve as one of two pastoral center locations for the archdiocese.

More than a music director — for 60 years

Robert Shack, 81, has never counted the number of Masses in which he has participated. Being a parish music director for 60 years, playing one Mass every day and at least three every Sunday would make the number over 31,000 Masses he’s been a part of in his adult life.

Paul wanted us to be ‘thoroughly Christified’

The Apostle wants us, not to simply admire the accomplishment of Christ, but rather swim in it, participate in it

In a previous article, I considered the life and times of Paul the Apostle, the great saint whom Pope Benedict XVI has invited us to examine with special attention this year. In this piece, I would like to explore the teaching of this pivotal figure.

Loyola history offers insight into city too

If you have a Jesuit in the family or enjoy Chicago history, check out “Born in Chicago: A History of Chicago’s Jesuit University,” (Loyola Press, $25) by Ellen Skerrett — a thorough account of Chicago’s Jesuit university, founded in 1870 by the “Hollander” Father Arnold Damen.

Grave film says people must change

“The Day the Earth Stood Still,” is a remake of the 1951 movie by the same title. The latest version has kept many — even seemingly outdated — elements of the 1951 film, most likely as a reverential nod to sci-fi film history, but the story-line is also very similar. What’s new is the new threat to planet Earth.

Pathways Awareness workshop: Understanding brings inclusion

Representatives and clergy from parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago joined theology students on Friday for a workshop, “That All May Worship: Creating the Inclusive Community,” cosponsored by Pathways Awareness and the Emmaus program at Catholic Theological Union. Participants learned from the moving stories told by a panel of clergy and lay people living with disability.

Keeping the faith — for 99 years

Collenane Cosey displays her faith on the wall, in the form of an oversize marble and resin rosary and a clock with the face of the Virgin Mary. They are mounted over the TV where she watches Mass from the chapel at St. Joseph Village, the Northwest Side nursing home where she lives.