 Here is a group photo of our RCIA catechumens, candidates, and sponsors from the recent Rite of Election held at Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday. Mary, Mother of God Parish is excited to be accompanying so many who wish to join the Catholic Church! What is RCIA and the Rite of Election?
Each year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, thousands are baptized into the Catholic Church in the United States. Parishes welcome these new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The Rite of Election is part of the process of RCIA and includes the enrollment of names of all the Catechumens seeking baptism at the coming Easter Vigil. Typically, on the first Sunday of Lent, the Catechumens, their sponsors, and their families gather at the cathedral. The Catechumens publicly express their desire for baptism to the diocesan bishop. Their names are recorded in a book, and they are called the Elect. On Saturday, February 24, nine of our children’s choir members participated in the Pueri Cantores Choir Festival at Holy Name Cathedral. Pueri Cantores in an International nonprofit and is the official student choral organization of the Catholic Church. 220 children from Illinois (local and around the state, MI, IL and IN came together to rehearse and sing for the evening Mass at the Cathedral, with guest conductor, Carling Fitzsimmons, Artistic Director of the Spirito Singers, La Caccina, and a local conductor, singer and arts educator. It was truly an uplifting and inspiring experience of Holy Mass and we are so proud of those who participated. Congratulations!  El sábado 24 de febrero, nueve de los miembros de nuestro coro de niños participaron en el Festival Coral Pueri Cantores en la Catedral del Santo Nombre. Pueri Cantores en una organización internacional sin fines de lucro y es la organización coral estudiantil oficial de la Iglesia Católica. 220 niños de Illinois (locales y de todo el estado, MI, IL y IN se reunieron para ensayar y cantar para la misa de la tarde en la Catedral, con el director invitado, Carling Fitzsimmons, Director Artístico de los Spirito Singers, La Caccina, y un director local, cantante y educador de las artes. Fue realmente una experiencia edificante e inspiradora de la Santa Misa y estamos muy orgullosos de los que participaron. ¡Les felicitamos!  Photographs from Ash Wednesday at Mary, Mother of God Parish. 8:30 AM Mass at STC12 PM Mass at Saint ItaPhotos courtesy: Dina Kwit & Damian Chlanda
 Today is Ash Wednesday! Here are some fun facts about this special day... Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence and fasting. In addition to personal penance, Catholics are expected to go without meat on Fridays during Lent. Why does Lent start on Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent because it falls 40 days (minus Sundays) before Easter. The Bible recounts 40 days of rain during the flood, Israel’s 40-year journey through the desert, Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert, and the 40-day period of post-resurrection formation Jesus gave to his disciples before his ascension. At the end of each of these scriptural 40s, the things involved are changed: a sinful world is reconstituted, slaves become free, a carpenter begins a messianic ministry, and fearful followers are ready to become Spirit-filled preachers. Lent and its 40-day fast offer the Church the same opportunity for transformation. Why do we use Ashes? The ashes are meant to represent dust. When receiving ashes on your forehead, you will hear the words: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is a reference to what God says to Eve and Adam when exiling them from the Garden of Eden. On Ash Wednesday, the saying is a reminder to be humble in the face of mortality. “Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.” (Genesis 2:7) “You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. You were made from soil, and you will become soil again.” (Genesis 3:19) Where do the ashes come from? The ashes for Ash Wednesday normally are made from blessed palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. The ashes are sprinkled with Holy Water and incensed before distribution. MASS SCHEDULE: Mary, Mother of God Parish is offering multiple Masses throughout the day so you can begin the Season of Lent by receiving ashes. Check out the full schedule here. Mardi Gras: a moment of communal joy before a season of communal fasting.  Celebrations of Mardi Gras have gained attention in popular culture, but they seriously misrepresent the Catholic intent of the holiday. Mardi Gras – aka Fat Tuesday – is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. When you think of Mardi Gras, festivals and food come to mind. This is because Catholics are preparing for the self-sacrifice and repentance of the Lenten season. In Catholic countries, Mardi Gras offered an opportunity for households to use up the foods they would not enjoy again until Easter. (Like butter, eggs, lard, meat, milk, sugar, etc.) These would be turned into rich treats to share together. Mardi Gras was thus a moment of communal joy before a season of communal fasting.
Certain cities around the world like Venice, Rio de Janeiro, and New Orleans have become known for elaborate festivities leading up to Mardi Gras. (In fact, in Louisiana, Mardi Gras in an official state holiday.) These festivals are usually known as Carnival – meaning "Farewell to Meat" – a name that conveys the celebration’s religious character. In summary, the original intent of Mardi Gras has always been to indulge, within the context of Catholic morality and reason. So, take this opportunity to enjoy good food and good company in preparation for our next Liturgical Season! The Mary, Mother of God Parish Building & Grounds Committee has been busy since our last report. This newsletter brings you up to date with projects completed by our Facilities and Maintenance staff since then.
One of the more visible projects are the lantern lights in front of Saint Ita church. The solid bronze fixtures were completely restored and are now lit for the first time in decades. Many thanks to Mike Mahoney at Mahoney Metals in Niles, IL who donated his time and material to recast one of the missing doors and repair many of the other bronze components. Also, to one of our parishioners, Sheila Stranc, who lent her stained-glass artesian skills to hand fit and replace all the glass. The lanterns were installed with solar controlled LED lights. A new sound system was also installed in the church. At St. Thomas of Canterbury, the church wireless mic system was replaced. The panic bar exit door hardware was upgraded on all church doors. With the Parish assuming operation of the Food Pantry and the continued operation of the Soup Kitchen, new equipment was installed, and the space was thoroughly cleaned. Numerous projects were completed at the St. Gregory the Great campus. At the Msgr. Klassen Memorial Gymnasium, several steam heating pipes were replaced. The gym level bathrooms were cleaned and painted, new lighting was installed, and repairs completed on bathroom fixtures and privacy stalls. Annual maintenance of the gym floor was completed over the Christmas holidays. The Social Hall kitchen was deep cleaned and painted. Old cabinets were removed and replaced with chrome wire shelving. New flooring and ceiling tiles were also installed. Refinishing of the exterior church doors was started in the Fall and will be completed once Spring arrives. The Committee is working on the 2024/2025 Capital Project Plan and Budget for the Parish which will be presented to the Finance Council in April. The Parish maintenance staff routinely completes a variety of projects in-house, too many to elaborate here, enabling the Parish to redirect its financial resources elsewhere. Many, many thanks to Ed Prause, Facilities and Maintenance Director, and his staff for their excellent work. Best regards, Ed Stranc Jr. Chairperson - MMoG Building & Grounds Committee On Sunday, February 11 the Vietnamese Community hosted a Lunar New Year Mass at St. Thomas of Canterbury church. Mary, Mother of God Parish would like to thank the visiting Vietnamese clergy who helped celebrate the Mass: Fr. Joseph Bang Cong Tran, SVD, Fr. Joseph Ton Nguyen, JMJ (Pastor Associate of the Cathedral), and Deacon Joseph Thuan Than, Holy Child Jesus Parish. We are grateful for your assistance and participation on this special day. During the service, the God Spring Blessing Cards and a small red envelop of lucky money were given to each of the participants. After Mass was a very nice and great reception together. Message from the Vietnamese Catholic Community: "On behalf of the Vietnamese Catholic Community, we want to thank all the priests, the Laotian Catholic Community, parishioners, guests, and especially the St. Thomas Vietnamese choir who participated, donated, and made the celebration remarkable. Thank you, and Happy New Year. In Christ." THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU Wow, we packed the house and sold out our Annual Spaghetti Dinner! Over 300 people dined in Jubilee Hall, while another 20 had ordered take-out meals! All prepared in a tiny, little kitchen and served by wonderful volunteers! Thank you to all that attended the event by buying tickets and to each one of you (around 60 volunteers) that helped make this event such a success – our largest one yet! Not only did we act as a unified Mary, Mother of God Parish and built community among our three churches, but we also raised much needed money to close the gap in our Parish budget. So, mark your calendars for next year’s Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, February 8, 2025! DinnerVolunteersPhotos courtesy: Dina Kwit & Damian Chlanda
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