Follow us on Twitter!Issue of December 6th – December 19th
Archdiocese invests $500K in affordable housing
The Archdiocese of Chicago is investing $500,000 from a fund set aside to create affordable housing into efforts by The Resurrection Project, a not-for-profit organization active in Chicago’s Pilsen, Little Village and Back of the Yards areas.
Church takes page from apostles with initiative
Media watchers say using tv ads to invite Catholics back a good idea
When television commercials urging Catholics who no longer practice their faith to “come home” to the church begin to air on Dec. 16, Catholic media watchers will be ready to stand up and cheer.
Sacred vessels have deep meaning for priests
How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me? I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”
Simplifying John Paul’s theology of the body
Between September 1979 and November 1984, Pope John Paul II devoted a series of general audiences to what he later called his “theology of the body.” It is considered by many to be a profound and deep catechesis on the human body and sexual love. His theology of the body is a timely teaching and one that has been embraced especially by younger Catholics.
Study groups provide support in understanding theology of the body
When Daughter of St. Paul Sister Helena Burns first set her eyes on the text of Pope John Paul II’s series of addresses that are now known as theology of the body, she knew that she was looking at something significant. She was only 19 at the time and was one of the first people to see the English text, which she was proofreading for Pauline Books and Media.
Loyola University soccer player shows faith in trying times
Senior Cynthia Morote-Ariza played on Peru’s under- 20 women’s national team while at St. Ignatius Prep
After being the Most Valuable Player in the Horizon League as a sophomore and junior and rewriting the Loyola University women’s soccer record book during the past three seasons, Cynthia Morote-Ariza had every reason to believe that her senior season would be a stepping stone to a professional career.
Deaf Catholics find willing audience at Vatican conference
Eleven from archdiocese also in attendance
For Father Joseph Mulcrone, the point of attending a three-day Vatican conference on “The Deaf Person in the Life of the Church” wasn’t so much to hear the talks, although they were worthwhile, or for the 400 registered participants — about a quarter of whom were deaf or hard-ofhearing — to get to see the pope.
Snuggle up with some Christmas favorites
‘Tis the season to watch your favorite Christmas movies. Here are the results of an informal poll of folks’ favorite Christmas flicks.
Sloth: Keeping the main thing the main thing
Poor sloth. As far as the seven deadly sins go, sloth gets no respect. It’s not as sexy as lust or as dramatic as wrath. It’s not as juicy as envy or as flashy as greed. It’s not as lurid as gluttony or as attractive as pride.
Saints in the air — November is almost gone, but saints are everywhere all the time. They inspire — light our lives. What about our youngsters? Outside of the name they choose for confirmation, (“No, you can’t pick ‘Ashlee’”), do they come home in those primary grades breathless about the Lily of the Mohawks or Peter Claver? There are at least four “Little Books of Saints” each 20 pages — each story one page with a side-by picture page. They are perfect for 8- or 9-year-olds, or to be read to younger kids. Price: $4.95 each.
My kids don’t have a whole lot of experience with death.
There was One Fish, of course — the bowl-mate of Two Fish, who eventually morphed into Three Fish and Four Fish without any undue attention being drawn to the fact.
A little more than a year ago, our dog Kirby died. We made the decision to have him put down as cancer robbed him of his appetite, his mobility and finally his joy in life. Frank has memorialized him with a drawing taped on to his bedroom door, marked with a sign that clearly directs, “Don’t take this down.”
When John David Mooney was fresh out of college at the University of Notre Dame, he headed to Rome as an artist-in-residence with the Second Vatican Council.
It was the best education he had, Mooney said. And it ended with Christmas Mass with Pope Paul VI and a private audience. The young artist had met the then- Cardinal Giovanni Montini a few years before at Notre Dame and the pope recalled the meeting and asked Mooney a question.
“It was the nicest thing. He said, ‘What can the pope do for you?’ And I simply said ‘Take my hands, your holiness. Bless them that I can do the Lord’s work.”
Mooney has been working and creating ever since (his work includes a sculpture on the southwest lawn of the Adler Planetarium and a set of hand-sewn vestments for Old St. Patrick Parish), most often in a secular environment but always with his heart tuned to the Lord.
