Issue of January 31st – February 13th
Seeing the face of God
Local Catholics respond to the devastating earthquake in Haiti
Dawn Ribnek was on a hillside 10 miles from Port-au-Prince in Haiti when the now infamous 7.0 earthquake hit the poor country on Jan. 12. The nurse practitioner and St. Mary of the Angels parishioner, was part of the Little By Little medical mission team from Chicago that just closed up shop after seeing 1,000 patients at a small mountain clinic for six days.
‘Offer him the weight of our grief and the sacrifice of our tears’
On the first Sunday following the earthquake, Bishop Joseph Perry presided at an evening Mass at Our Lady of Peace Parish, 7851 S. Jeffery Blvd., which is the weekly Mass for the archdiocese’s Haitian Catholic Mission. During the homily, Bishop Perry delved into where God is during times of great tragedy. The following is his reflection from Jan. 17
Two local parishes pledge to support Haitian friends
On the morning of Jan. 9, with NFL football playoff games waiting and chilly temperatures inviting most to enjoy the warmth of their homes, a diverse crowd of more than 100 men filtered into the basement of St. Victor Church in Calumet City for a mixture of food, faith and a firm challenge.
College student: March for Life changed my life
Monday mornings I am usually asked a typical college question: “What did you do this weekend?” The answer varies but is usually something like “I slept, I ate, I watched movies, I went to a party, etc...” This Monday morning I gave what seemed to be a very strange answer.
Catholic schools highlighted in 2010 annual appeal
Announcement weekend Jan. 30-31
When Catholics attend Mass in the Archdiocese of Chicago the weekend of Jan. 30-31, they will hear a message they hear nearly every year: All have the opportunity to demonstrate discipleship and stewardship by giving to the Annual Catholic Appeal.
Deacons of the church unite
Be yourselves and don’t let anyone diminish your role in the church, motivational speaker Samuel Betances urged some 700 permanent deacons and their wives at a Jan. 23-24 diaconate convocation at Rosemont’s Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare Hotel.
Unemployment Mass seeks to offer hope, reminds of God’s presence
They entered, one after another, carrying briefcases and business cards alongside their hopes and prayers. Men and women — husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, parents and children — ventured into St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Orland Hills on Jan. 12 to see light as many of them travel a path mired in darkness.
Catholics Come Home already bearing some fruit
In a parish of approximately 300 families, it’s easy for Father Mike Knotek, pastor of St. John de La Salle, 10205 S. King Drive, to pick out the new faces. In the last month, Knotek has seen a rise in fresh faces filtering into his South Side church, an upsurge he credits to the archdiocese’s Catholics Come Home initiative.
The Word used as a tool in ‘Eli’
The latest in a spate of bleak apocalyptic (and post-apocalyptic) films, “The Book of Eli” adds a new dimension. Eli (Denzel Washington) is a lone wanderer in a post-war-to-end-allwars America. But his meanderings have a goal: Go West. In his backpack, Eli carries a precious bible, the last one on Earth. How he knows that, well, just go with it or you won’t enjoy the movie.
Seen Umbert? — Umbert the Unborn is on pro-life t-shirts, bumper stickers, tote bags and more, but he/she started out (and still is) a cartoon strip in the National Catholic Register and 100 other Catholic papers. The feisty prenatal character first appeared in 2001. Umbert loves life and wants respect.
I’ve had lots of people praying for me for the last several months.
Not just me — I should say us.
Our family of four recently became five, with the addition of Teresa, born Jan. 19.
