“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh for the life of the world.” JOHN 6:51
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A Letter from Father Mike Solazzo
Thank you for your hospitality
Dear Friends,
FIVE SHORT MONTHS AGO, I arrived at St. Matthias Parish. I had always heard of St. Matthias and known of it's location, but never knew anything about the parish. Well, now I do. In the few months that I have been here, I have discovered the warmth, charm, and beauty of this parish community.
From day one, all of you have been most welcoming and seemed genuinely happy to have me here. You have made me feel very much at home here and a part of the St. Matthias family. While I have thoroughly enjoyed being here, my assignment was an interim one, temporary, with the expectation that eventually I would be assigned somewhere else as pastor. I was asked by Bishop Kane to come here to assist Fr. John as associate pastor to help alleviate his work load; and I hope that in some small way I have done that for him.
have come to know Fr. John Sanaghan as a man who is deeply committed to the parish and its parishioners; someone who is friendly, easy-going, fun, and just downright likeable. He is also very faith-filled, generous in spirit, and able to make everyone feel welcomed, including me. He loves the people of St. Matthias and they love him, and that's no surprise.
While I would love to stay here at St. Matthias, unfortunately the Archdiocese has other plans for me. As you know, I have been appointed pastor of St. Tarcissus Parish on the Northwest Side of Chicago. That appointment becomes effective July 1, so at the end of this week, I will be moving from here to there to begin the pastorate at St. Tars as they call it (also known as the Superdawg parish.) Before I depart, I want to express my deep gratitude to all of you who made me feel so welcomed here and have made it such a joy for me to be here.
You were so easy to get to know that now I am saddened to leave but comforted to know that I will take much of St. Matthias with me to St. Tars. I can only hope that they will be as warm and welcoming as you have been. But really, can anyone else be like St. Matthias?
I am deeply grateful to Fr. John for inviting me here and making me feel so at home. I regret leaving him alone again, but hope that someone will come to help out on weekends to share the load, so to speak. Please take good care of him. He is a gem of a pastor whom you simply can't afford to not have here.
I do hope that he and you will come and visit me at St. Tars. You will always be welcome at my door. Who knows, there may even be a Superdawg in it for you! May God keep you all in His loving care and let us pray for each other. I will need it!
With deep gratitude and much love,
Fr. Mike Solazzo
School and Religious Education News
Religious Education Volunteers Needed
WE HAVE A NEED for many volunteers to help with Religious Education at our parish. You do not have to be a certified teacher (though teachers are always welcome!). You just need the willingness to share your time and talents with our young children as they learn about our faith. We provide all training and materials. Please look at the opportunities below and contact Karyn McGovern, 773/506-2191, kemcgovern@juno.com.
Children’s Liturgy of the Word: CLW takes place during the 10:30am Mass beginning in September and ending in early June. Teachers take the children to the sacristy during the Liturgy of the Word and teach the readings at a level that is understandable to the children. This is a once a month commitment. We need 2-3 adults or high school students to help each week.
Religious Education/CCD: CCD takes place on Sundays from 9-10:15 am from September until April. We need adults who are willing to teach or co-teach a class, from grades 1-8, including preparation for First Reconciliaton/ First Communion and Confirmation. We can also use adults or high school students who are willing to help as assistants. This is a great chance to grab a spouse or friend and volunteer together
I look forward to hearing from you!
Karyn McGovern, Director of Religious Education
School Registration is Underway
Come for a tour of St. Matthias. We provide excellent Catholic elementary education with individualized instruction. Spanish, computer lab, library, art, music, recess, and physical education are part of the curriculum— not to mention superior reading and math. There are openings in most grades. Learn more at www.values4life.com or call 773-784-0999.
Students Prepare for the Dalai Lama’s Visit
TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 4 PM TO 6 PM, is the final evening for work on the art project for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Chicago. The Dalai Lama will give a talk on July 17 at 1:30 pm at the UIC Pavilion. The topic will be finding common ground between faiths throughout the world. Tickets are available through UIC.
St. Matthias finishes 5th in Field Day
Children and adults representing the 93 Big Shoulders schools, auxiliary board, and patrons competed in a Field Day on Saturday, June 16, at De La Salle High School. The St. Matthias team finished in 5th place, excelling in the academic quiz, relay, and ball toss.
Recycle Paper to Help School and Environment
Thank you for continuing to recycle catalogs, junk mail, newspaper, and magazines in the green and yellow bins on the West parking lot. Recycling benefits the environment and school fundraising.
For every ton of paper recycled through Abitibi Paper Retriever bins:
Gallons of water saved : 7,000
Kwh Electricity saved: 4,102
Lbs of Air pollution avoided: 60
Remember, Abitibi pays on a sliding scale. The more we recycle in a month the more money is earned.
Our Account Statistics Current Year to Date vs. Year over Year
15.27 tons recycled vs. 11.83
45.81 cubic yards of landfill saved vs. 35.49
62,637.54 KWH energy saved vs. 48,526.66
Keep up the good work!
Take Five for Faith
Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow - a day at a time.
Look up the daily passages from the New American Bible online at www.usccb.org/nab/bible.
SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
Don’t forget where you come from
When the Israelites stood on the verge of entering the Promised Land, Moses, who was standing at the end of his life, told them not to forget the God who had led them out of slavery and sustained their lives in the desert. Saint Paul also had a reminder when he wrote the Corinthians not to forget that their sharing in the bread and wine made them one. And Jesus reminded his hearers that partaking of his body and blood led to eternal life. On a day such as today, when we celebrate something as familiar to us as the sacramental presence of Christ, it’s good to remember what it means.
TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 (167)
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life."
MONDAY, JUNE 27
FEAST OF CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
No one is an island
We proudly claim to be rugged individualists. Surely the joy of the American experiment is that we can be whatever we want, try new things, reinvent ourselves more than once along the way. Yet we don’t exist alone on this planet, nor do we live without meaningful commitments and obligations to others. As Saint Cyril said: “By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one.” If we follow Jesus, we bind ourselves to his way. If we emphasize our relationship to more worldly things, we are bound to those instead.
Today's Readings: Genesis 18:16-33; Matthew 8:18-22 (377)
"Jesus answered him, ‘Follow me.’ "
TUESDAY, JUNE 28
A calm port in a storm
The world has seen its share of disasters, both natural and of human origin: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, oil spills, and wars, to name a few. People also experience their own personal catastrophes: illnesses, deaths, losses of jobs and homes, the crumbling of families and relationships. Such events can give us some perspective on biblical stories like the one about the sleeping Jesus and his scared-to-death disciples on a storm-tossed boat. It can be hard to trust God—or anyone for that matter—when events threaten to overcome us. It is at those times, though, that trust is most needed. Take some biblical advice. Jesus “rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.” In the face of calamity, the voice of God is not in the sound and fury but in the stillness of your heart.
TODAY'S READINGS: Genesis 19:15-29; Matthew 8:23-27 (378)
"Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29
SOLEMNITY OF PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
An odd couple but a good team
Saints Peter and Paul are forever linked as key figures in the success of the newborn Christian way. It’s unlikely, however, that there will ever be a buddy flick about them. Peter was one of the first apostles called, and Paul the last; Paul was an educated Pharisee, Peter probably illiterate; Peter was a companion of Jesus, Paul never knew Jesus until after the Resurrection. The thing that linked Peter and Paul was their passion to tell the world the good news about Jesus. Oh, and both of these pillars were flawed by bad choices, stubbornness, disloyalty, hotheadedness. Peter and Paul were made saints by God’s grace, just as you and I will be if we commit ourselves entirely to Jesus and his mission.
TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19 (591)
"The gospel preached by me is not of human origin. . . . but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ."
THURSDAY, JUNE 30
Get moving!
Paralysis takes two forms: physical and spiritual. Spiritual paralysis prevents us from moving forward, speaking out and speaking up, saying or doing what we know is right. All we have to do is look around at the unprecedented shape our country is in—fighting two wars, at a time of high unemployment, with an over-extended budget that leaves no money for infrastructure, healthcare, or education—to know that paralysis is epidemic in the United States. Today is a good day to pray that our world leaders, elected officials, and we ourselves may be healed of our spiritual standstill.
TODAY'S READINGS: Genesis 22:1b-19; Matthew 9:1-8 (380)
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
FRIDAY, JULY 1
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS
Follow a heartwarming devotion
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus emphasizes the long-suffering love and compassion of Christ toward all humanity. Compassion is the sum of wisdom and grace. If we choose to embrace it as our guiding principle, it can point the way to a generous and virtuous life. A litany to the Sacred Heart includes the following lines—perhaps you will want to make them your own today: “Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven. / Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity. / Heart of Jesus, vessel of justice and love. / Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love. / . . . . . / Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise.”
TODAY'S READINGS: Deuteronomy 7:6-11; 1 John 4:7-16; Matthew 11:25-30 (170)
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
SATURDAY, JULY 2
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
Clean up your act
The word immaculate means “clean”—more specifically “without flaw.” The church calls the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary immaculate because she was the mother of Jesus, who was without sin, the major human flaw. That’s the theological reason. But how can we imitate such perfection? Humanity is anything but immaculate. Our limitations frequently point to our distance from divine perfection. What Mary had, though, is purity of heart: She always sought to understand, open herself to, and follow God’s will for her. Her intention was to listen for God’s intentions. While we may not be able to achieve Mary’s perfection in responding to the promptings of God, we can imitate her willingness to seek God’s desires for ourselves.
TODAY'S READINGS: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29; Matthew 9:14-17 (573)
"His mother kept all these things in her heart."
©2011 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. PHONE: 800-942-2811; E-MAIL: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; WEBSITE: www.takefiveforfaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New American Bible.
