a column of benevolent gossip

• Traveler’s ‘aid’ —

  What a joy to tell you about Sister Agnes Cunningham’s
  Prayers for plane travelers by Sister Agnes Cunningham.
  newest book of airy prayers, “Traveling Graces — A Little Book of Plane Prayers.”
  Prayers for plane travelers by Sister Agnes Cunningham.
  She is said to be the first woman theologian in the church, and definitely the first to teach seminarians at Mundelein. Her other degrees are many, with an expertise in early church saints and scholars.
  But she started first grade at age 4 at Nativity Parish in the arch’s Bridgeport neighborhood! Eventually the family moved to St. Gall’s (S. Kedzie), the only school here staffed by Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary. And that is the order she entered in 1940. Now, after travelling the globe, giving retreats, workshops and teaching, she’s penned this delight.
  Sister Agnes, though grounded at age 87, has an airborne heart. These 31 prayers reach out on behalf of pilots and passengers. They even address stand-by problems, turbulence and carry-ons. Her meditation, “Waiting Room,” concludes after 18 lines with: “Lord, you who are Alpha and Omega, / the beginning and the end, / the first and the last, / grant me the wisdom / and the imagination / to know the worth of rubbing shoulders / with these men and women in their waiting. / If you will, bless them. I entrust us all to your never-failing care. Amen.” (Each prayer is followed by a fitting Bible quote.)
  The booklet’s 79 pages are dedicated to O’Hare’s airport chaplain from 1981-2000 — Father John Jamnicky (now pastor of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in Antioch). (Be sure to read “Five Minutes with Father” on Pages 20-21 this week, and meet O’Hare’s current chaplain, Father Mike Zaniolo.)
  “Traveling Graces” is a gift to give or to hold, from Liguori Publications, $7.99 + shipping at (800) 325-9521.

• Christmas in August —

  The religious ed ministry at St. Catherine/St. Lucy Parish (Oak Park) is looking forward to Christmas. They plan to let the children “deck the halls” in December and are accepting used Christmas cards. After the holidays the cards will be recycled. Send cards now to St. Catherine/St. Lucy, c/o Religious Education, 38 N. Austin Blvd., Oak Park, IL 60302.

• SUPERintendent —

  Moses Tate, chief maintenance man at St. Dorothy’s (S. Eberhardt) for 25 years, let pastor Father Bob Miller know he would retire this summer. After the shock waves abated and a farewell party took place, the search was on to find another visitor from the planet Krypton to try and fill his shoes. Walter Thompson has been hired, knowing he’ll need “powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men” to come close to the handy and hardworking Mr. Tate.

• Spirited assembly —

  When the Chicago Archdiocesan Holy Name Societies gathered at St. Priscilla’s (W. Addison) June 11 it honored Stanley Ksiazek
  Chicago Archdiocesan Holy Name Societies Man of the Year, Stan Ksiazek, left, and President John Ortiz.
  of St. Bruno’s (S. Harding), as “Holy Name Man of the Year,” and re-elected president John Ortiz of Our Lady of Victory Parish (W. Agatite).

• Parish potpourri —

  The Hooks and Needles club in St. Michael Parish (Orland Park) offered lessons to parishioners this summer on how to knit or crochet. . . . St. Matthew’s (Schaumburg) “Garden of Eden Ministry” helps maintain and beautify the parish’s 16 acres and has fun doing it. . . . Notre Dame de Chicago Parish Fest Aug. 14 will have Filipino and American food, games and the ever-popular “Dunk the Priest” feature. . . . St. Barnabas (S. Longwood) delivered hundreds of diapers to Birthright, a profamily outreach, after a recent parish Diaper Drive. . . . St. Anne’s (Barrington) is one of those rare parishes that still offers a library of good books, magazines and audio-visuals. . . . Our Lady of the Wayside (Arlington Heights) is signing up their youth group members for next August’s World Youth Day in Spain. OLW kids can also take a side trip to see the sacred sites in Italy. . . . Old St. Mary’s (S. Michigan) has a new music director, Scott Will. He’s founder of Bach and Beyond Ensemble and has a broad experience in performance, teaching and directing. . . . St. Jerome Croatian Parish (S. Princeton) will have its first-annual Velika Gospa Soccer Tournament Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. at Armour Park (S. Shields). To register as a team, call Stanko at (773) 410-4396.

Send your benevolent gossip to Church Clips, Catholic New World, P.O. Box 1979, Chicago, IL 60690-1979; or e-mail to dmadlener@catholicnewworld.com.