page 1 the baptism of the lord january 10, 2010 …...the things you have in your life, but value...

The Baptism of the Lord January 10, 2010

Saint Mary of the Woods Faith Community

Rev. Gregory Sakowicz, Pastor

January 10, 2010

The Baptism of the Lord


Dear People of God, Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus. What does this mean? We speak of Jesus getting bap-tized by John — a powerful story we have heard many times in our lives. It’s not so important to say how many times we have been through this Gospel passage. More importantly, how many times has this marvelous Gospel story of Jesus’ Bap-tism been through us? The Baptism of Our Lord must also make all of us reflect upon our Baptism. What does it mean to be a baptized disci-ple of the Lord? What difference should it make as I live my life at home, school or in the workplace? How does my Bap-tism shape my attitudes regarding relationships in terms of loving, giving and forgiving? Regarding Social Justice? I share with you this marvelous story which connects Jesus’ Baptism by John and our Baptism. We need to continually love this world back into life! Read….and pass it on……

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument; and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

“Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

“Today my best friend saved my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now you write on a stone. Why?” The friend replied; “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.” Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone. Take the time to live! Do not value the things you have in your life, but value who you have in your life!

Baptism involves not only what I do, but what I allow God to do through me —— keep reading!

Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend a weekend at the husband’s em-ployer’s home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband’s employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about the enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long silent mo-ment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single dark-ened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually men-tioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man’s face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it our for her to see. She has seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? “Look at it.” He said. “Read what it says.” She read the words, “United States of America” “No, not that; read further.” “One cent?” “No, keeping reading.” “In God we Trust?” “Yes!” “And?” “And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. “Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him! Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at the moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God’s way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!” When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, In God We Trust, and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.

Walking with you,

Fr. Greg


SEARCH FOR GOD — Part II

When: Tuesday, January 26th Time: 7:30 p.m.—-9:30 p.m. Where: Parish Hall Facilitator: Fr. Sakowicz Topic: Video — “The Fourth Wise Man.”

In life, what are we searching for? What are we finding? It can truly be stated: “The destination is not as critical as the journey.” The goal of this evening is to allow us in this journey called life to better con-nect the mystery of God with our lives. This is an outstanding video! Any questions? Please call Fr. Greg at 773-763-0206. All are invited.

The Lector's Role

The role of the Lector is to proclaim God’s word. This is different from reading. To proclaim the word, the lector must be so familiar with what is being read that it becomes a statement of faith from the lector. In order to gain that familiarity, the lector must read the selection during the week and pray about it in order to know how best to proclaim it to make the meaning clear to God’s people. It’s less like reading a story than like telling a story. The word is personal and is to be delivered in a personal manner with eye contact, because the word that is read/proclaimed is the word from God to each of us and to all of us.

Copyright © 2008 Resource Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Liturgical Bits & Bytes

A CHANCE TO WELCOME THOSE WHO HAVE DRIFTED AWAY Perhaps you have heard of the massive outreach to Catholics who have drifted away from the Church. The Archdiocese of Chi-cago along with the Diocese of Rockford and the Diocese of Joliet are undertaking an evangelization initiative - Catholics Come Home - that invites our sisters and brothers back to the practice of the faith. This evangelization initiative began this week and will continue through the end of January. Over 2,000 television ads will air on the major area networks in English, Spanish and Polish. These ads encourage those who have drifted away to come back home. There are 20 million Catholics in the USA who no longer practice the faith or do so sporadically. This is in addition to the 70 million Catholics who are more active. In fact, if one takes the number of those who have drifted away, it adds to the second largest religion in the USA, practicing Catholics being the first. Amazing, isn't it, that so many have drifted away. We need to invite our brothers and sisters to join us! The ads airing on television are the first step - inviting - in this evangelization initiative. The other two overlapping steps are welcoming and accompanying. The site www.catholicscomehomeCHICAGO.orq will help you with additional information. While ads might help, nothing is more effective than a personal invitation. Invite someone you know to come back home to the Catholic Church. And to anyone reading this bulletin article that is returning to the Church this Christmas season, welcome! Check out the website!

CatholicsComeHomeChicago.org 2009-2010 ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO OFFICE FOR EVANGELIZATION


The St. Sylvester's Christmas Basket Committee would like to take this oppor-tunity to thank all of our generous parish-ioners for providing Christmas happiness and cheer for over 200 families. Christ-mas dinner baskets as well as gifts and gift cards were presented to the many grateful recipients. The coordinators of the program at St. Sylvester's reported that a number of our parishioners added "extras" such as food for the food pantry, turkey certificates, gifts and so on in addi-tion to their baskets. Words cannot ex-press how the warmth and generosity of our parish has affected the lives of many St. Sylvester's families. Thank you again for your love and thoughtfulness.

FIREPROOF the movie is an action-packed love story about the world of a firefighter, his wife, and a marriage worth rescuing. Millions have seen the movie in theaters and now St. Cornelius is bringing it to our own Pacocha Center (church basement). The movie is more than entertainment, it is a story about marriage relationships. It's free and everyone is wel-come to attend. So, please plan on coming to the 4:30 Mass on Saturday, January 23rd with the movie to follow at 6 PM. Refreshments will be pro-vided; appetizers and desserts are welcomed! Please contact Tony Weyers with questions at([email protected], 773-447-6075)

Want a preview? See this website for a trailer with some highlights from the movie! www.fireproofthemovie.com.

Mass & Healing Service

Thursday Jan. 14th, 2010

St. Peter's Catholic Church 8116 Niles Center Rd., Skokie, Il.

(1 block north of Oakton)

Celebrant: Fr. Bob Sears

Sponsored by The Light of the Risen Christ Prayer Group

Beginning at 7:15pm with songs of praise & worship

Prayer teams are available for any

individual seeking additional intercessory prayer after the mass &

Fr. Sears' personal/individual blessing of attendee.

Parking: 1/2 block north of St. Peter's

church, in the school's lot.

For more info phone: Kevin Patterson (847) 724-1218 or

Bill White (773) 774-2839

Town Hall Meeting Wednesday, January 20 7:30 p.m.

Parish Hall

Our Town Hall Meeting on

Wednesday evening,

January 20

will provide more information

about recent funding and timing

questions which have arisen re-

garding the Capital Campaign.


Today’s Separate Second Collection is for

The Church in Latin America

PLEASE REMEMBER ST. MARY OF THE WOODS WHEN MAKING OUT YOUR WILL.

ALMS COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND FOR LITTLE BROTHERS — FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY

The Alms collection next weekend will be donated to the Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly. Little Brothers reaches out to the Chicago elderly, helping relieve isolation and loneliness. Nearly half of their clients live alone and have no family help. With the extensive help of volunteers, the Little Brothers provide a variety of “celebrations of life” for seniors, includ-ing weekly luncheons and outings, monthly birthday parties, seasonal holiday festivities and yearly summer vacations to the Little Brothers vacation home in Rochelle, IL. They also provide supplemental groceries to more than 150 elderly each month. There are nearly 1,000 seniors served by the Little Brothers...with an average age of 80. Please be as generous as you can with your contribution next weekend.

Crisis Pregnancy Hotline — 800-400-4205

Post Abortion Healing — 888-456-HOPE (4673)

PRAY THE ROSARY FOR PEACE

Every morning after the 8:00am Mass, the Rosary is prayed. Please consider joining us in this very powerful prayer for peace.

BOOK DISCUSSION WITH FR. KURT

Father Kurt and fellow book lovers invite you to join them for their next book discussion experience. They will meet on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at Jubilee House be-ginning at 7:30pm. They will be discussing the book “Open: An Autobi-ography” by the former professional tennis player Andre Agassi. The book is currently on the New York Times best seller’s list and is available at most bookstores in the area. Sam Tannenhaus, in his book review, shares these thoughts: This book is “not just a first-rate sports memoir but also a funny and yet anguished and soulful book. It confirms...that this showboat was not clamoring for atten-tion but rather conducting a struggle to wrestle some sem-blance of selfhood from the sport that threatened to de-vour him.” Please feel free to join us for what promises to be a lively discussion. All are welcome.

Respect Life Committee Respect Life Reflection

"There are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have; graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life. The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against pov-erty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings." Pope Benedict XVI, "Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace," Jan. 1, 2009 USCCB Word of Life; January, 2010

ATTENTION ALL GATE KEEPERS AND SCORE KEEPERS

There is a meeting on January 24, 2010 at Noon in the Gym Meeting Room for the

upcoming Volleyball Season.

Please bring paper and pencil.

If you have any questions, please call Jon LeBaron at 773-909-4958.


The M.O.M.S. (Making Our Motherhood Sacred)

group meets once a month to discuss topics of parenting and spirituality.

The one-hour meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, with refreshments provided.

So, please join us on…

Tuesday, January 19th 7:30pm

Gym Meeting Room Topic:

Genesis, Creation and New Year’s Resolutions: Renewing our

relationships in 2010! Questions? Suggestions? Interested in attending?

Please email to Amanda Thompson at [email protected]

READINGS FOR THE WEEK:

January 11, 2010—January 17, 2010 Monday: 1 Sm 1:1-8; Mk 1:14-20 Tuesday: 1 Sm 1:9-20; Mk 1:21-28 Wednesday: 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20; Mk 1:29-39 Thursday: 1 Sm 4:1-11; Mk 1:40-45 Friday: 1 Sm 8:4-7; 10-22a; Mk 2:1-12 Saturday: 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a; Mk 2:13-17 Sunday: Is 62:1-5; Ps 96; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Jn 2:1-11

SAVE THE DATE – SMOW BLOOD DRIVE

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2009

8:00 am to 1:30 pm

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, please call Jennifer Golembiewski at 773.467.0667

or

Call LifeSource at 1.800.486.0680

or

Go on line at www.lifesource.org

Save a Life – Be a Blood Donor!

SMOW SCHOOL GOLF PROGRAM!!

The SMOW Athletic Board is looking for parent and non-parent coaches and a team man-

ager(s) to initiate a new golf program for grades 5-8 in spring 2010. Coaches and/or program managers interested in assisting with this new program should contact Mike Hoff-man or Jon LeBaron. All coaches interested in golf will be required to fill out an applica-tion this spring.

Calling Moms of all ages…

The M.O.M.S. group is back!


Kids Day Out! SMOW 7th grade class will provide a safe, fun-filled day of sports, games, arts and crafts, drama and puppet shows appropriate for each age group. A light snack will be available, however kids planning a full day should bring a sack lunch and beverage. Proceeds donated to the Class of 2011 Washington D.C. trip. Who: Boys and Girls ages Pre-K through Grade 5 Where: SMOW Gym and Meeting Room When: Jan. 18 (Martin Luther King Day) 10 am to 3 pm Cost: $25 for entire day or $7 per hour Space is limited to the first 35 children who register. Please register by contacting: Maureen Vance-- [email protected] or 773-631-7098 Liz Cheevers-- [email protected] or 773-844-6565 All 7th grade students will be under the direction and super-vision of parent volunteers. All questions welcome.

The Women’s Center Bulletin Announcement for January, 2010

Volunteers are needed Monday through Saturday to organize and sort clothing donations, to answer calls in our counseling offices. For more information call 773-794-1313. We desperately need a used cargo van in good working condition. We need diapers in sizes newborn, 4, 5 and 6. If you can organize a diaper drive, perhaps as a service project for Scouts, Confirmation, service hours, etc., call Peg at 773-794-3292 (for more information on diaper drives only). Thanks to those who have responded. We also need new layette items, infant sleepers, crib sheets, bumper pads, new clothing for infants (newborn to 9 months) and winter coats and boots (especially for children). Due to space limitations, at this time we can-not accept any other clothes. We need 7 baby cribs, odd crib parts for repairs, 3 toddler beds, infant car seats, 4 bouncers, 5 pack and plays, 7 strollers, 3 changing tables and 6 baby swings. It will be a great help if you can de-liver these to us. For our address, or if a pick up is needed, please call 773-794-1313. All clothing needs to be dropped off unless accompanied by baby furni-ture. We need more volunteers to pick up baby furni-ture. The families who receive these items are grateful for your generosity. If you shop at Dominick’s Food Stores and register your Fresh Values card with The Women's Center, we earn a percentage of what you spend. You can shop any day and at any time of day. Please call us at 773-794-1313 to register your card.


A New Year’s Meditation ESSAY IN THEOLOGY By Rev. Richard P. McBrien

Some 35 years ago my New Year's column was on the "Hopeful Promise of Newness." It noted how often the word "new" is used in modern advertising. New and improved anything is announced with appropriate flour-ish.

Political parties look for new faces. Fashion design-ers dream up new styles, Architects develop new forms. Athletes attempt to set new records. Journalists search for new angles. Many conversations begin with the cas-ual greeting, "What's new?"

Indeed, the news itself fills key moments of the day: reading the paper at breakfast (or checking the news on one's cell phone or other electronic device), listening to the car radio on the way to work, watching the local, network, or cable news throughout the evening.

There are few holidays more popular with adults than New Year's and few moments more dramatic that the midnight passage from one year to the next, heralded by party hats, horns, orchestras, dancing, and, of course, the slowly falling illuminated ball from atop the old New York Times building in Times Square.

This fascination with the new is rooted in an innate sense that the new gives promise of something better than the old. The human spirit is suffused with the hope that tomorrow can be better than today.

Few of us readily concede that we have reached the limit of our possibilities, except perhaps those who are close to death and ready for it.

It was this basic human instinct of hope that Jesus Christ touched by his preaching of the "Good News" of salvation. That is what the word "gospel" means. Jesus came to announce a "new covenant" (Hebrews 12:24), to give us a "new commandment" to love one another (John 13:34), to offer us the possibility of be-coming "a new creation" (Galatians 6:15), a "new self” (Colossians 3:10), with a "new heart" and a "new spirit"(Ezekiel 18:3 1), called to live in the "newness of life" (Romans 6:4), and to serve in the "newness of the spirit" (7:6).

"Behold, I make all things new!" (Revelation 21:5) is the stunning promise of the Christ-figure. Those who heed the Word shall enter the "new Jerusalem" (21:2) and dwell in a "new heaven" and a "new earth" (21:1; Isaiah 65:17).

While this may be empty poetry for many, these words of promise are at the core of Christian faith, "the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

How we and the Church at large translate that hope into language that is intelligible, and how we and the Church communicate it in a manner that is compelling and persuasive, are challenges that are never fully ad-dressed this side of the Second Coming of Christ.

But we are never exempted from making the effort, and the beginning of a new year is as suitable a time as any to be reminded of that and to recommit ourselves to the task.

Often that determination to turn over a new leaf in life and to rededicate ourselves to our highest ideals takes the form of New Year's resolutions.

The "realist" insists that such resolutions are made to be broken. On the other hand, resolutions do serve a purpose. They help to define our hopes, whether about ourselves, our family and friends, our Church, or the world around us.

But resolutions are also an implicit admission that we and the objects of our resolutions are not what we and they ought to be.

Thus, conscientious religious educators may resolve to explore more deeply the Catholic tradition they are called to impart, but never simply to equate fidelity to that tradition with an uncritical loyalty to the pastoral leaders of the Church and their specific interpretations of every aspect of that tradition. Thoughtful Catholics in one of the major professions may make similar resolutions to raise their own under-standing of faith to a level commensurate with the intel-lectual competence expected in their respective occupa-tions, but again never uncritically.

Pastors and all priests and deacons may resolve never to deliver a homily without adequate preparation, and in the meantime to deepen their own understanding of the faith through more reading and even occasional course-work.

Religious women, who ought never to forget that the success of the Church's ongoing mission has depended in such large measure on their own continued commit-ment to, and engagement in, the life of the Christian community, must resolve always to be mindful of the extensive support and gratitude they enjoy from the great majority of the Church's membership, notwith-standing Vatican "visitations" and "doctrinal assess-ments."

As this new year begins, each of us should resolve never to lose hope.

©2009 Richard P. McBrien. All rights reserved. Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology

at the University of Notre Dame.


Monday, January 11 6:30——Deceased Parishioners 8:00——Mike Vilumis Tuesday, January 12 6:30——Deceased Parishioners 8:00——Jim Fallon Wednesday, January 13 6:30——John Bazik 8:00——Jack & Luke Kaspar Thursday, January 14 6:30——Joseph Hinkamp 8:00——Richard Maher Friday, January 15 6:30——David Moriarty 8:00——Andrew Krylow Saturday, January 16 8:00——Deceased Parishioners

6:30 am 1/11——M. Lynch 1/12——J. Macias 1/13——A. Machnik 1/14——A. Murray 1/15——C. O’Rourke 8:00 am 1/11,12——A. Bartolomei, S. Bayless 1/13,14——E. Feeley, D. Gernady 1/15,16——J. Talaga, M. Mullen

SACRISTANS TEAM #1 January 16, 2010

Julie Albaugh Amelia Faxel Lorraine Klinkenberg Rich Klinkenberg Kathy Pascente Patty Stapleton Chuck Ulie

ALTAR SERVERS

ALL THE DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE ST. MARY OF THE WOODS FAITH COMMUNITY

“Look what Fr. Greg gave me for coming to last Wednesday’s

Pastor Search Meeting!”


C. O’Rourke K. O’Rourke A. Connolly J. Loftus A. Machnik W. Dunderdale D. Gernady K. Stapleton C. Widelka K. Dunham J. Talaga C. Cassidy M. Imburgia G. Illing T. Imburgia

4:30 p.m. Fr. Maher Homilist: Fr. Maher 7:30 a.m. Fr Maher Homilist: Fr. Maher 9:00 a.m. Fr. Boras Homilist : Fr. Mahon 10:30 a.m. Fr. Headley Homilist: Fr. Headley Noon Fr. Boras Homilist: Fr. Headley

Werner Galowitch/ Mary & Clarence Derksen/ Mil & Bill Murphy Frances Dwyer/ Robert O’Neill Vincent Magrino/ Danny Stanton Robert Boyle/ Ron Dorsen/ Julian Garcia Anne Hack/ Joseph Thomas/ Raymond Gloeckle

P. Drozt R. Goggin T. Guagliardo* B. Hennig M. Killackey P. Lowe J. Thilmany L. Thilmany M. Wambach* M. Bansfield* D. Draper D. Draper M. Jegen* D. Kaspar M. Markiewicz J. Maurice K. Murray R. Naegele S. Bomba* D. Fanuelsen A. Faxel J. Gabagat J. Kosicki B. Kudlinski* P. Loftus B. McCormack S. Sullivan K. Ables B. Bullock E. Estrada J. Fitte* J. Kelly S. Kelly C. Mateo S. Mesa J. Wood* B. Blank K. Dickholtz L. Dougherty J. Foran A. Goodwin K. Hack* C. Kolak M. Sandell B. Weber*

M. Rabbitt M. Healy T. Machnik J. Sweany L. Wood E. Schuster E. Schuster G. Saffa J. Padar J. Bransfield

Eucharist Ministers

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, January 16 & 17, 2010 Mass Mass Time Presider Intentions Servers Lectors

PLEASE NOTE Submissions for the Parish Bulletin must be delivered to the rectory or e-mailed to [email protected]

no later than Thursday, at 4:00 p.m. of the week before publication. (Ten days prior to the weekly publication date.)

Call Bill Mages at the rectory with questions (773-763-0206), or e-mail him at [email protected]. Thank you!


BAPTISM PREPARATION PROGRAM The St. Mary of the Woods Baptism Preparation Program is for all parents who wish to have their children baptized. The program consists of one evening meeting with a leader couple and Fr. Kurt. The meeting takes place at 7:15pm.

The dates through April of 2010 are as follows: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Tuesday, April 13, 2010

If you are expecting a child or already have a new addition to your family and have NOT been through the preparation program, please call Bill Mages at home—773-763-7133, or at the Rectory—773-763-0206, in order to sign up for one of the meetings. Please remember that you need to attend a meeting be-fore we can schedule a date for a baptism.

God bless you!

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