Libro diario para los medios

WHAT: Queen of Martyrs School in Evergreen Park will be the new home for a statue, which features children of a parish family from more than 70 years ago, that was originally located at the former St. Bernadette School in Evergreen Park. On Friday, May 26, 2023 at 1 p.m., the Queen of Martyrs School community will gather to dedicate the statue with pastor Fr. Benedykt Pazdan who will also offer a blessing.

The six-foot marble statue features Jesus flanked by a toddler boy and young girl who were siblings and parishioners of St. Bernadette Church. Bill Hardy, now in his 70s, is the boy in the statue and he will be on-hand for the dedication and blessing, and he will share with students how he and his family were part of the statue’s creation.

The statue was restored by a current parishioner and he will also attend the gathering.

Queen of Martyrs Church and St. Bernadette Church unified in 2022 as part the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Renew My Church initiative. The unified parish’s new name is St. Gianna Molla.

WHEN: Friday, May 26, 2023. Students will gather at 1 p.m. with dedication and blessing starting at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: Queen of Martyrs School, 3550 W. 103rd St., Evergreen Park

WHAT: Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago’s West Loop, more commonly known as Old St. Pat’s, will host a homecoming for its online community at the parish’s novel "Extended Family Weekend" from Friday, May 19 to Sunday, May 21. Old St. Pat’s online ministry has been a lifeline and spiritual home for many Catholics and the parish is excited to connect its online members to its community for fellowship and connection, and to experience the special grace of coming together, in person.

For eight years, Old St. Pat’s has livestreamed Masses and during the last three years with the COVID-19 pandemic, its ministry has expanded across the United States. The parish will host nearly 75 Catholics from suburban Chicago, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Florida to meet in-person and experience a weekend of events, including: a church tour, dinner, Mass, brunch, and the parish’s lively Broadway on Adams musical cabaret show, featuring songs from Broadway performed by the parish’s music ministry.

Registration is full but media are welcome to cover the weekend of events. Interviews with the pastor Fr. Pat McGrath, pastoral staff and participants can be arranged.

WHEN: Friday, May 19 – Sunday, May 20. Events to cover include:
Friday: Broadway on Adams performance at 7 p.m.

Saturday:
10 a.m.: Coffee reception and church tour
5:30 p.m.: Dinner hosted by parish members
7 p.m.: Broadway on Adams musical show

Sunday:
10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: brunch reception

WHERE: Old St. Pat’s Church, 700 W. Adams St., Chicago

WHAT: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, will ordain five priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago at 10 a.m., on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., Chicago.

The newly ordained priests, ranging in age from 30 to 35, hail from Barrington, Burr Ridge, Crystal Lake, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The ordination will be livestreamed on the archdiocese’s YouTube channel Catholic Chicago https://www.youtube.com/live/M-wVjJnBL0Q?feature=share.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITH CANDIDATES FOR FRIDAY, MAY 19 from 10 – 11:30 a.m.:

Two candidates will be available for interviews in English and Spanish ahead of the ordination Mass on Friday, May 19 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at Holy Name Cathedral’s chapel.

If interested in interviewing the candidates, please reach out to the media contacts below to RSVP for an interview time slot.

CONTACTS:
Susan Thomas
Archdiocese of Chicago
[email protected]
312.805.9102

Al Castillo
Archdiocese of Chicago
[email protected]
708.837.7556

WHAT: The Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach of Chicago (AGLOChicago) is partnering with Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies (IPS) to present a spring retreat series on what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic. The four-part retreat is open to all as a unique learning opportunity for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those who do not. The group will meet once per week for four weeks online or in-person at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Ministry Center from May 24 – June 16, 2023, starting just after Pentecost and ending on the Feast Day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Registration is $40 for the series and is available now at https://www.aglochicago.org/retreat.

Last fall, AGLO and IPS hosted a similar series and received inquiries from family members and friends of the LGBTQ+ community who were seeking information on what they could do for those who have left the Church and how they can support their children and friends. AGLO and IPS are answering that call by offering the retreat again for anyone seeking to understand what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic, and for those struggling to reconcile and unify these sometimes-competing identities.

The retreat is steeped in biblical tradition and will examine specific texts from Sacred Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. The goals are to help understand God’s desire to be with those present on the margins and to create an authentic community by growing in faith and sharing in meaningful discussion.

Additional note: AGLO will celebrate its 35th anniversary of ministering to the LGBTQ+ Catholic community in Chicago with a special Mass on Sunday, June 18, 2023.

WHEN: Retreat runs from May 24 – June 16, 2023

WHERE: Online or in-person at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Ministry Center, 708 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago

WHAT: Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan is teaming up with the WaukGrow Food Forest Project to plant 11 trees, including eight fruiting trees, on the Holy Family Church grounds on Friday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The produce from this nascent food forest will be used in the parish’s food pantry and soup kitchen.

WaukGrow Food Forest Project is led by Faith in Place, an interfaith environmental non-profit, the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, and supported by the Morton Arboretum's Centennial. The garden is part of an effort by Most Blessed Trinity Parish and community organizations to address food insecurity and food deserts where it is difficult to buy affordable or high quality fresh food in urban areas.

The event is free and open to the public; volunteers are needed, and advance registration is required in case of weather-related scheduling changes. Volunteers will learn how to properly plant and care for recently planted trees, and about food forests and how they can be used to help address issues of food insecurity. Guests are asked to wear long pants and closed toe shoes, and to bring a full water bottle and a mask. No planting experience needed. Guests and volunteers can register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/most-blessed-trinity-parish-holy-family-church-planting

Most Blessed Trinity Parish’s food pantry, located at 912 8th St., operates every Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It served food for 848 persons last week and can be reached at 847.623.2112.

Most Blessed Trinity’s soup kitchen, located at 914 8th St., operates every Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It served 554 meals last week and can be reached at 847.775.0116.

More information can be found on partner websites:
Faith in Place: https://www.faithinplace.org/
Morton Arboretum: https://mortonarb.org/news/morton-arboretum-plants-3000-tree/

WHEN: Friday, May 19, 2023 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

WHERE: Most Blessed Trinity Parish at the Holy Family Church site, 450 Keller Ave., Waukegan