News from the Pews Feb 2010

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Our Parish Mission Statement We are a family of faith, entrusted with the gospel message ofJesus Christ. Rooted in a rich tradition of worship, service, and prayer, we foster the unity and faith of thiscommunity. Enlivened by the Spirit, we share our gifts, talents, and resources to bring about the Kingdom of God .

Quarterly News from SS. Cyril & Methodius Catholic ParishFebruary 2010

News from the Pews608 Sobieski Street Lemont, IL (630) 257-2776

It has beena long, hard, cold winter; onethat weighs on you like a heavy,oversized parka and leaves your muscles tired at the end of the day.

I guess thats to be expected if you

live where we do. It just comeswith the territory.

The gray days and dark nights of December, January and Februarycan easily zap your inner energy.I know some people where thehardest thing for them to do all dayis to just get out of bed and faceanother 24 hours.

I once lived with a priest whoabsolutely loved the snow. His

favorite comment to me was,Lar, you just have to embraceit. See its beauty. Enjoy it. Playin it. Its a gift.

I told him, Forget it. Youre nuts.Id rather put my toes in the warmsand on a sunny beach. It beatssloshing through wet, sloppy snowand dirty salt. Thats why Godmade Florida.

The world around us seemsso lifeless during the winter

months. The trees stand naked inhibernation. The grass is buriedunder a couple of blankets of snow; layered, hidden and asleep.The birds that usually announcethe rising of the sun on a summer morning now seem to suffer fromlaryngitis. Even the stars in thesky at night seem to work quietlyduring this ordinary time, tryingnot to disturb the peace.

In the dead of winter very littlemoves, grows or stirs. The nightsare dark and silent. The worldslows down. And maybe we dotoo, inside and out.

This is a powerful day when we publicly mark our special journeyof faith that takes us to PalmSunday, the rituals of Holy Week and the joy of Easter Sunday.

During Lent we are invited to pray,reflect, fast and offer works of charity so that our souls may findnew life. Lent has its own way of thawing away our sins as we

encounter the constant love andmercy of our God. Lent brings newlife to those parts of our life thatare spiritually dead. It is a time of grace for spiritual renewal.

My prayer is that you and your family will be able to embraceLent here at St. Cyrils. Dont

avoid it as you would a badChicago winter. Come and takeadvantage of all the opportunitieswhich will be offered through our

parish that will help us to growspiritually in our Catholic faith andlove for the Lord. See the beautyof it! It is a gift.

In particular, join us on Monday,February 15 at 7:00 pm for anEvening of Reflection with Fr.Paul Burak, who is the pastor of St. Michael Parish in OrlandPark. Fr. Paul isan experiencedSpiritual Director and inspirationalspeaker. Hewill help us to

prayerfully preparefor the coming of Lent by offeringus ways to use our time well sothat we may find new life.

So if you are looking for new lifethis winter, the good news is thatthis is the place to find it.

Alleluia!

Lookingfor new lifethis Lent?

By Fr. Larry Lisowski


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News from the Pews - February 2010 2

Quarterly publication for theSS. Cyril & Methodius parishcommunity.

Send correspondence to:

News from the Pewsc/o SS. Cyril & Methodius Rectory

608 Sobieski StreetLemont, IL 60439

(630) 257-2776Publisher: Rev. Larry Lisowski

Editor: Debbie Keppler

Editing/Proofing: Pat GraczykKay ManningRenata Teper

Polish Editor: Aneta Ustupska

Layout/Design: Liz Brohan

E-mail Address (Editor) :[email protected]

Parish Website: www.stcyril.org

The next issue of News from thePews comes out in spring 2010. AllParish Ministries are encouragedto submit articles to share thehappenings of parish life.

News from the Pews

While it seemedas thoughthere wassome sort of

event, celebration, or gatheringevery month during 2009, allof a sudden things are back tonormal. However, with so many

parishioners' involvement in theevents of 2009, I hope that the past

year has set a new standard for what is normal.

Recently the Parish Council addednew commissioners whose job itis to communicate to the variousclubs, groups, and organizationsthroughout the parish whatis happening at St. Cyril andMethodius. As we looked at the listof groups active in the parish, it wasamazing to see such a large number and vast variety of organizationsdoing great things for our parishand surrounding community. If youenjoyed working on an event duringour jubilee year, please consider helping at another event (block

party, unity mass, etc.) this year.

If you are someone who makes New Years resolutions (andkeeps them!), consider becoming

a member of a parish committee(Parish Council, School Board,Athletic Commission). If it makesyou feel good to help those lessfortunate, volunteer for the DayBreak soup kitchen, Helping Handsor the Tree of Love. The ParishCouncil has the opportunity to hear what the various organizations aredoing at our monthly meetings, and

one of the recurring themes is thateach group is always looking for new members. So please consider

joining one of these groups.

The Parish Council has continued toadd to the We Will Statementsthat were developed through the

parish-wide surveys conductedin 2007. These surveys provideda road map for the Council infour main areas: Education, Parish

Unity, Faith and Family Formation,and Space. As a parish, we haveaccomplished many of the goalsthat were established in the initialWe Will Statements. As part of this initiative, the Parish Councilcontinues to refine the existinggoals while adding new proposalsto build on our wonderful history asa parish family. We will continue to

keep you informed, as we do withthe renovation vision statement, of new ideas and creative solutionsthat will benefit SS. Cyril andMethodius Parish. n

Keeping the momentum goingin 2010 and beyond

By Kurt Korte , Parish Council President

Fish Fry FridaysThe Parish will be hosting a fish fry on two Fridays during Lent

this year. The dates are February 26 and March 12. The times are4:30 until 8 p.m. They will offer a white fish dinner, a meatless pasta dish for the kids, cash bar (beer and wine) and raffles.

The event will benefit the parish school.


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The winter fundraiser this year,sponsored by

the Mothers Club, was Late NiteCatechisms sequel series, TillDeath Do Us Part, by Mary PatDonovan. The evening was filledwith much laughter and joy. Youdidnt dare walk in too late to this

performance

The sold-out show had over 300in attendance. All enjoyed foodand beverages from Ali Tucker with hospitality provided by St.Cyrils teaching staff. DonovanEntertainments production of Late Nite Catechism 3 was simplyhilarious. Anyone who attendedCatholic school in the 1960s or 1970s would be instantly familiar with the sound and cadence of

Sister, who led the proceedings.Sister was in rare form, keepingan extremely orderly classroom as

she expounded on topics includingMarriage and the Blessing of theSick (humorously tying the twotogether). As with other Late Nite

productions, audience participationwas mandatory. Calling onnewlyweds, long-time-weds, andnot-quite-yet-weds, Sister keptthe audience involved, and her classroom echoed with laughter.An unscripted, show-stopping

highlight of the night was whenSister pulled the winning ticket for the Beat the Lotto drawing and readthe winners name: Father LarryLisowski. Fathers look of shockedsurprise was priceless.

Attendees bid generously on itemsdonated for the silent and liveauctions raising funds for the

parish school to be used towardsthe purchase of laptops, a newsocial studies curriculum series,and other necessary items that the

school needs in order to provide aquality Catholic education to thestudents. Mothers Club thanks allwho donated items, as well as thosewho won them. Mothers Club will

be sponsoring the Walk-a-Thon for the children in May.

The Beat the Lotto fundraiser was to benefit nine functions of our parish,which include School Operations,Religious Education Program,Polish Club, Mothers Club, SchoolBoard, Holy Name Society, Altar andRosary Society, Athletic Commissionand Overall Parish Operations.Congratulations to all, and a bigthank you to everyone for makingthis fundraiser a success. As youcan imagine, it was an unforgettableevening, packed with laughter andgood times. n

Support our school, contact your senator By Ed Andruszkiewicz

Hello, myname is EdAndruszkiewicz.

I am theLegislativeAction Person

(LAP) for SS. Cyril & MethodiusParish School (SSCM). It is myresponsibility to coordinate efforts tohave all concerned individuals contactlegislators to support legislationdeemed advantageous to our school by

the Archdiocese. Legislation can be onthe state or federal level. Our currentfocus is on funding at the state level.

The State of Illinois has variousgrants and programs to give financialsupport to nonpublic schools, whichincludes our school. This fundingin the past has totaled in excess of $20,000 to $30,000.

This value was directly beneficialto our school through the SchoolSafety Block Grant (cash

disbursement) and the Textbook Loan Program (books). It is likelythat our school will not be allocated

money or books this year. If we doreceive some funding, it will begreatly reduced. Other state funding,not distributed to the school itself butavailable to ease the cost of privateeducation to parents includes theParent Transportation ReimbursementProgram and the Tuition Tax Credit.

(continued on page 8)

By Laura Klimczak, Secretary of Mother's Club

Putting the fun in fundraising


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When it comes to taking care of families, children and neighbors inneed, the parishioners of St. Cyril'scan always be counted on to goabove and beyond. In the midst of recovering from one of the mostsevere economic downturns indecades, 2009 represented another year of overwhelming generosity for two of our beloved ministries.

Our parishioners selflessly giveevery time there is a need, saidKathy Jenner, who heads up theannual Tree of Love program. Its agreat tribute to the entire parish andwonderful to see firsthand.

And Kathywould know.She just

completed her fourth year spearheadingthe enormoustask of providing

over 1,500 Christmas gifts for 2009s Tree of Love campaign.Ilove this program because it getseveryone in the parish involved,said Kathy, from little kids to highschool students moms to senior

parishioners. It requires a ton of help,

and we always get it.In fact, Kathy and her team addedanother charity to this years program,

bringing the number of organizationsreceiving gifts to five, includingHelping Hands, Sister House,Womens Center, St. Adalberts andMercy Home for Boys and Girls.

I crossed my fingers that every childwould get what they wished for, andI was not disappointed, said Kathy.

You should have heard the screamsand squeals of delight, said Father Scott Donahue, President of MercyHome for Boys and Girls, duringhis homily as he

celebrated theEpiphany of theLord Mass atSt. Cyril's onJanuary 3. Your Tree of Love givesthese children morethan gifts. Its aboutgiving hope, and the understandingthat there are people like you outthere.

Drawing parallels from the gifts brought by the Wise Men, Fr. Scottreminded us what they represent.Specifically, that we are all called togive service to one another; called to

be healers. You have a wonderfulspirit at St. Cyril. Every year, Iwitness your generosity grow. Andseeing the joy you brought to our 135teenagers makes it all worth while,he concluded.

Bob Hinchley completely agreeswith that assessment. Bob is a long-time Helping Hands volunteer, whonow oversees the program on behalf of the parish. St. Cyrils has a veryhealthy spirit of giving, said Bob.We currently help twelve familiesin the area every month, and I knowwe could handle more.

Parishioners help stock the HelpingHands food pantry at the beginningof each month by leaving non-

perishable grocery items in the back of the church, continued Bob.But that is not the only way our

parish supports the program. Many people put special envelopes markedHelping Hands in the collection

baskets during Mass, and we getseveral RE teachers and aides whodonate Jewel Food cards every year as well.

Whats more, the success of thiswell-run program recently caughtthe attention of Jewel Food. In

November we received 47 turkeydinners from Jewel, all because wehave a built-indelivery system,

said Bob. Theywere looking for a partner that couldimmediately getthe food where itneeded to go, andour delivery team was the perfectanswer.

Like Kathy and the added charitiesfor The Tree of Love, resting on our laurels isnt part of Bobs plan for theHelping Hands program. One of hisgoals for 2010 is to better promotethe program among parishioners.By letting people know about the

program, we could do even more,said Bob. Id love to see us expandthe ministry to help people withlarger, more pressing issues likehousing: its the biggest problem toovercome. n

By Liz Brohan

Parish-wideeffort keeps charitable

giving strong


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Inspired Art Corner By Judith Mokelke

My husband Nick and I

love to travel,and one of our favorite citiesis Rome. Lastmonth we hadthe opportunity

to visit the Eternal City again, andspent the better part of a rainyafternoon at the Basilica of SanClemente.

San Clemente is important to artists

because of the magnificent mosaicsin the apse of the twelfth centurychurch, a painting of the martyrdomof Saint Clement on the ceiling,and the magnificent Renaissancefrescoes in the St. Barbarachapel. However, what makesSan Clemente incredibly uniqueis that, like nowhere else, youcan see the layers of Rome. Thetwelfth century basilica sits on topof a fourth century basilica, whichsits on top of a second-centuryMithraic (an ancient pagan cult)temple, as well as some older Roman buildings.

After paying admission, you canwander throughout all the levels with ancient frescoes, carvedaltars, a schoolroom, a Roman

home, and most important to us the burial site of St. Cyril! In the

eastern corner of the fourth century basilica, a small altar with a mosaicdepiction of St. Cyril above it, liesthe tomb of one of our patron saints.

Just how did St. Cyril come to be buried in Rome? In an earlier article, I wrote about the brothersCyril and Methodius being Greek,creating the Cyrillic alphabet,

preaching, and converting EasternEuropean countries, especially

Poland, to Christianity. One of the miracles said to have been performed by Saints Cyril and

Methodius was the discovery of the body of St. Clement. St. Clement

was the third successor to St.Peter in Rome. The Romans wereangered by St. Clement preachingChristianity, and had him martyred

by tying him to an anchor andthrowing him into the Crimean Sea.Eight centuries later, Saints Cyriland Methodius miraculously foundhis body (through an angel who

parted the sea), and returnedSt. Clements body to Rome for

burial. St. Cyril died while theywere still in Rome, and Pope Adrianinsisted St. Cyril should be buriedin the basilica that would be namedafter St. Clement.

St. Cyrils tomb in San Clementeis a pilgrimage site for many Slavs.Pope John Paul II came there onmore than one occasion to pray for the people of the Slavic nations.

Travel is a mind-opening experience.We are citizens of the USA, but alsocitizens of the world. The people wemeet, the things we learn and see, allmake us more understanding of othersas Gods people.

We traveled thousands of miles,and found a connection to our home here at SS. Cyril andMethodius. n

Traveling through time


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December 30was a very

special eveningat St. Cyrils.Approximately200 peoplegathered inour beautifully

decorated church to hear fifteencompositions, played by twelvedifferent composers on our pipeorgan. Our guest organist was DavidRichardson, and about half of the

pieces he played were sung by

sopranos Olga Bojovic and our veryown Mirosawa Sojka-Topr.

According to the concert program,David Richardson is a native of

Newburyport, Massachusetts, andhe is a pianist and organist who

performs frequently in the Bostonarea. He has worked on the musicstaffs at Boston University andthe Hartt School of Music, aswell as working with the Boston

Lyric Opera, Granite State Operaand the Boston University OperaInstitute. This past fall he wasthe music director and pianist for Lyric Opera of Chicagos Operain the Neighborhood productionof Donizettis Elixir of Love.During the summer he serves as avocal coach with the Brevard Music

Centers Janiec Opera Company.David currently is a music director

at St. Theresas parish in NorthReading, Massachusetts.

Olga Bojovic is originally fromSerbia. She earned her Bachelorsand Masters Degrees andCertificate in Vocal Performancefrom Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (New York), University of

NebraskaLincoln, and DePaulSchool of Music, respectively. Shehas received several awards andhonors in the U.S. and abroad. InMay 2006 she made her debut withIntimate Opera in Chicago.

Miras interest in music began athome at a young age as she wasexposed to numerous musical styles.She began formal piano lessons atthe age of seven at music school in

Nowy Targ, Poland. Upon arrivingin the U.S., Mira continued her musical education at the ChicagoCollege of Performing Arts atRoosevelt University, and DePaul,University. She has earned her Bachelors and Masters Degreesin Vocal Performance. In additionto concerts in Canada, Poland andnumerous U.S. cities, she is, of course, our music director, vocalistand organist here at St. Cyrils.

Our original organ in the choir loftwas installed in about 1929 whenthe church was built. That organwas blessed on May 30, 1930 andI understand a concert of religiousmusic was held, with six choirs

performing.

Unfortunately during the followingdecades, the organ fell into disrepair.It suffered water damage from theleaking roof, was subjected to dirtand paint debris, and over time

the old pipes and blower systemdeteriorated. Some parts had been

bandaged together, and many keys, pipes and sounds had not functionedfor years.

One of Fr. Larrys hopes for our church in this new millennium wasto do a complete, well-thought-outand thorough renovation of theorgan. A parish organ committeedecided to do the renovation as acombination Rodgers organ,a blend of wind-blown pipes andelectronic digital voiceswhichgives an amazing degree of sound,using traditional pipe work alongwith the best digital sound moderntechnology has to offer. The projectincluded removing all of our pipes,storing those which were still of anyuse, redoing the reservoirs and windchests, redoing all the electricalcontrols, reinstalling pipe work,adding in new pipes and organcomponents from the Franciscan

sisters, and interfacing with theadded digital components, voicingand tuning.

We are fortunate to now have twonew consoles, one up in the choir loft and one downstairs, both of which control the entire system.The current organ consoles and

pipes were blessed by BishopGustavo Garcia-Siller this pastOctober 24, 2009.

(continues on next page)

First-ever organ concert highlightsworld-class talent By Susan Dziekan


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(Continued from page 6) The concert was a great opportunityto showcase our beautiful churchand our newly renovated pipe organ.It was wonderful of David, Olgaand Mira to take time out of their

busy schedules to share their talentswith us. And it was nice to have an

opportunity to take time out of our hectic holiday schedules to take insome culture. As Fr. Larry wrote inthe bulletin, it was a classy evening.Hopefully, this was the start of anew St. Cyril tradition.

Of all the compositions played,I think my personal favorite wasVariations on Adeste Fideles. It

provided such an array of differentsounds, showcasing what I imagine

just scratched the surface of what our organ is now capableof. I personally witnessed sometoe-tapping and head-bopping.

Mira called this an AppreciationConcert. She said our organ wasold, broken and out of tune, and toldthose in attendance that becauseof us, and our support and financialassistance, we now have this

beautiful instrument. Hopefullywe will have many more concertsin the future. n

Youth ministrybrings "Songof the Stable"to lifeBy Mary Beth Rudis

So often we hear on TV and on theradio and read in the newspapersabout how bad teenagers are today,always getting in all sorts of troublein the street and in school, etc.

Well, on Sunday, December 20, ina full church, St. Alphonsus, here

in Lemont we saw a different sideof teenagers.

Mike Lundberg, our Tri-ParishYouth Minister, along with someof our teens in Lemont, presentedSong of the Stable, the nativitystorya very beautiful and moving

presentation.

In all of the preparations for Christmas shopping for gifts,wrapping, baking and cleaning

our houses we adults took timeout to attend this presentationand just how attentive, warm andhumble our teens can be.

The teens in the presentation werehigh school students, volleyball and

basketball players, cheerleaders,wrestlers and football players. They

put all of that aside and becameJoseph, Mary, angels, shepherds,Wise Men, and townspeople.

We congratulate them and MikeLundberg for putting all of us whoattended in the real ChristmasSpirit.

We have not forgotten baby Jesus,Cecelia, and the Little Drummer

Boy for their participation also.With a job well done by all, theycertainly brought teenagers up to ahigher level. n


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9/12


By Trish Nickleski, Religious Education Director Eighth-grade confirmation retreat

Every year our

8th-gradersfrom the parishschool andthe religiouseducation

program attenda Confirmation retreat in the fall.This is one of the requirementsthat they must meet in order for

them to receive the sacrament of

Confirmation. The retreat is run byFr. Terry and two adult helpers.The students participate in avariety of activities on a Saturdayafternoon, and we end with ateaching Mass for the students.One of the activities that thestudents are asked to do is work in groups on a parable describing

Church. Below I have included

several of these parables for youto read. I think you will findthem very interesting and a goodexample of how our teens work ona task given to them together, andhow creative they can be.

By: Sa ra h, Annie

,

Anne , Br idget , Ma rga re t a nd

Ma r ie

C h r is t ia n i t y is l i k e p izza:

C h u rc h is l i k e t he do ug h.

God is l i k e t he o ve n.

Jes us is l i k e t he sa uce.

Ho l y S p i r i t is l i k e t he e x t ra

c heese.

M i n is t r y is t he t i me r o n t he

o ve n.

T he B i b le is t he i ng red ie n ts.

Ba p t is m is t he c heese.

R eco nc i l ia t io n is t he

i ns t r uc t io ns.

E uc ha r is t is coo k i ng t he p izza

.

Co n f i r ma t io n is t h i n c r us t.

Ma r r iage is s ha r i ng t he p izza.

Ho l y O rde rs is t h ic k c r u

s t.

A no i n t i ng o f t he S ic k is g i v i ng

i t to t he poo r.

Hea ve n is a f res h l y coo k ed

p izza.

S i n is a b u r n t p izza.

B y : K y l e , S t e v e n , R o b , T r o y , P a t r y k

C hr i st i a ni t y i s l i k e a ma g a z i ne :C hu r c h i s l i k e a n a d .G o d i s t he p u b l i she r .J e su s i s t he c o v e r .H o l y S p i r i t i s t he b i nd i ng .Bi b l e i s t he p a g e s.M i ni

st r y i s t he w r i t e r s.H e a v e n i s t he st o r e .S i n i s t he p r i c e .

"I only included three of the parables, butall of the groups

did a great job!" Trish

By: Kelly, Clare,Lauren, and Claire

Christianity is like a marathon:

The Church is like the racetrack.

God is the organizer.

Jesus is the starter.

The Holy Spirit is the trainer.

Ministry is thewater boy.

The Bible isgym shoes.

Baptism is thestarting line.

Eucharist is the water.

Confirmation is the sign-up/registration.

Reconciliation is being niceto your competitors.

Marriage is uniting with therunners who have finished.

Holy Orders is comforting

others who are struggling.Anointing of the sick is themasseuse used for muscles.

Heaven is the finish line.

Sin is cheating or takingshortcuts.


10/12


W uroczystoTrzech Krlinie mona nie powiedzie odarach, ktreTrzej Mdrcy

przynieli nieznanemunowonarodzonemu Bogu.

Gdy Chrystus posya uczniw nacay wiat, powiedzia do nich midzyinnymi, Darmo otrzymalicie, darmodawajcie. Wszystko jest darem od Boga.Cae stworzenie jest darem od Niego, anajcenniejszym darem jest ycie ludzkie, bo sami nie stalimy si z siebie. PanBg ju w Raju da nam wszystko conas otacza, aby nam suyo. Tam te pogrzechu pierwszych rodzicw, obiecai da nam Syna Swego Jedynego abynas odkupi . Chrystus posuszny woliOjca, sam siebie ofiarowa i umar nakrzyu dla naszego zbawienia. Wczeniejzostawi nam swoje Ciao i Krew na poywienie, oraz inne Sakramentywite, ktre przez posug Kocioa zJego woli zaoonego cigle nam daje.W Pimie witym zostawi nam swoj

nauk. Moc Ducha witego dajenam rnorakie dary i talenty, abymykorzystajc z nich i nie zatrzymujc ichdla siebie, dzielili si nimi z innymi.ycie ludzkie jest bezcennym darem,ktre Bg przekazuje czowiekowi przez posug rodzicw. Jeeli ycie jest darem,to tego daru nie wolno nam zatrzymadla siebie, ale mamy obowizek przekaza go innym. Obecnie toczy si bezsensowna dyskusja na temat ochronyycia, a waciwie braku tej ochrony.Przeraajce w tym wzgldzie jest

ustawodawstwo, wynikajce z ludzkiegoegoizmu i nie respektowania Boego prawa. Niejednokrotnie spotykam siz opini kobiet, zwaszcza modych,niech mi one wybacz, e to jest mojeycie, to jest moje ciao i mog nimdysponowa jak zechc. To prawda etwoje, ale jest darem. Paradoksem jest,e wspczeni Chrzecijanie, naszaegoistyczna i hedonistyczna cywilizacja

nastawiona wycznie na uycie, a niena przekazywanie ycia , zmierza tymsamym ku upadkowi. Niektrzy z naswychowani jeszcze w socjalizmie ,nauczyli si cigle bra, twierdz, e imsi to naley, i tak cigle wycigaj rkdo blinich, do instytucji, do pastwa.Zapominaj, e cigle biorc staj sidunikami, a dug naleaoby spaci. A przecie wiksza rado jest z dawaniani z brania. W Ameryce mymysi przyzwyczaili do okazjonalnego,spektakularno-koniunkturalnego dawanian.p. z okazji urodzin a zwaszczaBoego Narodzenia i ulegamy w tym

wzgldzie komercji, to biznes namnarzuca zachowania. Jakkolwiek ideasuszna, to wydaje si by wypaczona.Jest w tym czsto zwyczajowy wymg,a moe nawet ch pozyskania sobie przychylnoci obdarowanego, iwkupienia si w jego aski. A to nie manic wsplnego z waciwym sensemdaru, ktry ma by bezinteresownymgestem wynikajcym z mioci. Bywae tumaczymy si tym: e nie mamyz czego da, albo nie mamy komu da, bo ludzi biednych ju nie ma. Wybacz

e ci zapytam. Ile ich masz ? Za ilekupia najmodniejsze buty? Ile razy wnich chodzia? Kupia je bo taka moda, bo koleanka ma takie, a ty nie moesz by gorsz. A ty ile kupie alkoholu nate wita? Czy ty wiesz, e za te zbdne buty, za t zbdn butelk, mgby,mogaby uratowa od mierci godowejkilkadziesit istnie ludzkich. WAfryce za dolara mona utrzyma jednogodujce dziecko. Jeeli mi nie wierzyszzapytaj misjonarzy albo zaprenumerujEcho Afryki tylko za 8 dolarw na rok inie tumacz si, e to duy wydatek, bowiem ile wydajesz na kolorowe pimidaz ycia ekscentrycznych, wyuzdanychgwiazd Hollywood. A jeli nie masz tego jednego dolara, moesz postpi jak w.Piotr po Zesaniu Ducha witego nadziedzicu witynnym, gdy nie majc przy sobie nic, aby da chromemuebrakowi, powiedzia Zota i srebranie mam, ale to co mam , to ci dam. W

imi Jezusa Chrystusa tobie mwi wstai chod. I tak si stao. Co prawda cuduuzdrowienia nie uczynimy, ale moemyda drugiemu wiar. Moemy te postpi jak w. Marcin z Tour onierzrzymski, pniejszy biskup, patron ks.Marcina, patron mojej rodzinnej parafii.Spotka kiedy zzibnitego starca, ite mu nie mia co da. Przeci swjonierski paszcz i okry nim starca,ktrym okaza si sam Chrystus. Wdawaniu trzeba nam mie wraliwodziecka . Jak wspomina Arturo Mariw czasie wizytacji papieskiej pewnejrzymskiej parafii, may chopczyk

zniecierpliwiony oczekiwaniem, przerwakordon ochrony, podbieg do Papiea, aw zacinitej rczce trzyma dla Niegocukierka , mwic, e nic wicej niema. Wzruszony Jan Pawe II przygarnchopca i powiedzia, przecie ja na tak prezent nie zasuguj .My wiemy jakieotrzymywa prezenty od bogatych i gw pastw.

Kiedy Chrystus stan sobie przyskarbonie witynnej i przyglda si ilekto wrzuca, tak zwyczajnie po ludzku,

zupenie jak my. Tylko e Chrystus chcianam da dobr nauk, za my zerkamyssiadom przez ramie, ile daj na tac,a pniej mwimy : widzis go, trzychapy mo a dularka cisnon. Bo te tendolar nie wiele dzi znaczy. Niektrzywrzucali bardzo wiele a pewna wdowawrzucia 2 grosze, najmniejszy pienidzw wczesnej Palestynie.

Chrystus zapyta. Jak sdzicie? Kto dawicej? I sam da odpowied. Ci daliz tego co im zbywao, za ona daa zniedostatku swego. W Boej ekonomiiliczy si nie ilo ale intencja i dar serca.W dawaniu trzeba nam by jak bochenchleba lecy na stole, do ktrego kady potrzebujcy moe podej i ukroi.Tak mawia i tak czyni w. Brat AlbertChmielowski. Tak dawaa siebie na posug najbiedniejszym w. MatkaTeresa z Kalkuty . Tak Suga Boy JanPawe II odda siebie bez reszty nawetw chorobie i cierpieniu, na posug

By Jan tek

Refleksja o darach na Uroczysto Trzech Krli


11/12


A vision for the youth 2010By Michael Lundberg

Kocioowi i wiatu. Bywa, e blini nie potrzebuje naszego materialnego daru,raczej umiechu yczliwoci ,dobregosowa, a zwaszcza modlitwy. Na takigest zawsze bdzie nas sta. Nie miaemzamiaru mwi o sobie, ale zobligowamnie do tego ks. Marcin. Moja ssiadkaz Polski, ley sparaliowana w nursinghome ju od ponad roku. Wiele razywybieraem si do niej, zawsze byy jakie przeszkody. Wreszcie w ostatni niedziel przed witami postanowiemsi wybra, zastanawiaem si co jejwzi na prezent. W kocu nie wziemnic. Kiedy mnie zobaczya, byaszczliwa i wzruszona. Dzi wiem,e bardziej od prezentw a nawetkwiatw potrzebowaa mojej obecnoci,wywntrzenia si, i wspomniez modoci. Z radoci nawet nieutyskiwaa na swj los. Stwierdziem,

e to ona mnie bardziej obdarowaa,

bo poczuem si jakbym co dopieroodszed od konfesjonau. Bywa e Bg ju tu na ziemi nas nagradza za dobreuczynki, cho bardziej liczymy nanagrod niebiesk. Znam autentyczny przypadek gdy pewien czowiek bardzozaangaowany przy budowie kocioa parafialnego, ktremu powici wieleczasu, si, zdrowia a nawet dozna odludzi nieyczliwych wielu upokorze.Zosta kiedy zaproszony do Warszawydo Domu Chopa, starsi wiedz oczym mwi. W kiosku zakupi losza zotwk, w tym losie nagrod bytraktor. Wtedy to by majtek. Uzna, ew ten sposb Bg go nagrodzi, chotego od Pana Boga nie wymaga. Odlat nurtuje mnie pytanie, jak ja bym sizachowa, gdybym by bardzo bogatymczowiekiem, tak e na niczym by mi niezbywao, ale mieszkabym w dzielnicy

ndzy, a z okna mojego domu musiabym

patrze tym ndzarzom w oczy. Nawetnie musiabym si ich obawia, bomiabym odpowiedni ochron izabezpieczenie. Czy mgbym yspokojnie? Czy bybym szczliwym?Drogie siostry, drodzy bracia, nanadchodzcy tydzie i na nowy rok pragn siebie i was pozostawi z tym pytaniem i yczy sobie i wam abymymieli sumienia wraliwe, otwarte na potrzeby drugiego czowieka .

I aby obdarowani umieli okazawdziczno Bogu i ludziom. Grzechmoe by nie tylko wynikiem zego postpowania, ale rwnie naszegozaniedbania i zaniechania, czyli brakudobra. Bo cokolwiek uczynilicie

jednemu z braci moich najmniejszych,tocie i mnie uczynili. A czego nieuczynilicie jednemu z braci moichnajmniejszych, tego i mnie nieuczynilicie Szcz Boen

Proverbs 29:18says, Without avision the peoplewill perish. In

other words, your dreams determineyour destiny. To accomplish anythingyou must first have a mission,a goal, a hope, a vision.

The past year has brought our youth program many good things. We couldnot have asked for a better start to our

program. First of all, the group of teensthat have restarted the program are greatkids. As youth minister I am so luckyto be working with such a wonderfulgroup. They are energetic, polite, andnever complain or protest any ideas.Second, what they have accomplished

since September has been truly amazing.In December they got together andrehearsed for a Christmas productionthat they had never seen before, Songof the Stable.

Along with the Christmas production, wehave had many good meetings. One wasa guest speaker, Coach Dunne, sharinghis faith story. Another was about the

journey we take in life. Others were

about, and the impact that faith and hopein God have in our lives. Besides allthat, the teens come together at the 5:00

pm Mass at St. Pats on Sunday nights.The teens are the lectors and cantors andsome are Eucharistic ministers.

This year, thirty of the teens have signedup for the summer mission trip led

by Allison Carmen. In fact, there is awaiting list for some teens who couldntget in. This shows how eager our young

people are to help others. The teenswill be working on fundraisers for themission trip in the months to come.

We are hoping to continue all this progress in 2010. We have a visionfor the future. Our goals include doingmore in regard to inviting more teens totake part. We are reaching out to newfreshmen by inviting them to a specialLent retreat. The eighth-grade classesof 2009 were filled with great kids,and its time to bring them into the foldof youth ministry. We will continueto produce good meetings and goodservice opportunities. We need to buildon our 5:00 pm Mass and be a strong

presence, there and continue to find

more readers and singers maybe evenstart a teen choir. One of our projectsincludes the teens serving soup after theAsh Wednesday service at St. Cyrils.Then the teens will be working on anew production for Lent called TheLiving Stations of the Cross. It will be

presented on March 26, 2010 at 7:00 pmat St. Alphonsus Church. The LivingStations is a moving production aboutour Lords Passion.

There is no end to how far our teen program can grow. One ultimate goaland ultimate vision is for the teens tohave their own youth center, with agym, pool table, air hockey, meetingroom the works. One could pictureit: its a lofty goal, but it never hurts to

have a vision, for Without a vision the people will perish, and we cant affordto have our young people perish. Theyhave enough to fight against as it is.Thank you for everyones support andencouragement in my first months asyouth minister. May God continue to

bless us in all our adventures. n


12/12

Worship ServicesSaturdays 7:00 A.M. 5:30 P.M.Sundays 7:00 A.M. 10:30 A.M. 12:00 Noon 5:00 P.M.

Masses in Polish 8:30 A.M. 1:30 P.M.Holy Days As Announced

Weekday Mornings 7:00 A.M. 8:30 A.M.Tuesday Evenings 8:00 P.M.First Fridays 7:00 A.M. 8:30 A.M.

Sacrament of ReconciliationSaturdays 4:30 P.M.First Friday 5:006:30 P.M.

PhonesRectory (630) 257-2776 Gym (630) 257-9844 Polish School (630) 669-9058School (630) 257-6488 Rel. Ed. (630) 257-9314 Counselor's Office (312) 655-7725Fax (630) 257-9372 Music Minister (630) 257-0100

PastorRev. Lawrence Lisowski

Associate PastorRev. Marcin Szczypula

Pastoral Ministry Deacon Norbert Lesnieski

Parish School PrincipalShirley Tkachuk

Music MinistryMiroslawa Sojka-Topr

Director of Religious EdTrish Nickleski

Liturgy CoordinatorMarietta Vargo

Business ManagerMary Beth Rudis

Tri-Youth MinisterMichael Lundberg

(St. Patricks)

SS. Cyril &Methodius Parish

(Polish)7:00 P.M.

Parish Information

http://stcyril.org/whatis.html There is a lot of newmaterial online. The various organizations in the parish and

school are all contributing new material to the website.The Parish bulletin is updated weekly, the school calendars and

homework are online, and much more information is available tohelp our parishioners stay up to date on parish and school activities. You

can also email articles for the News from the Pews at [email protected].

Check out the SS. Cyril & Methodius website!

(Polish)(Polish)

ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE February 17, 2010

7:00 am English Mass8:30 am English Mass10:00 am Polish mass12:00 noon School Mass4:30 pm Prayer Service

6:30 pm English Mass8:00 pm Polish Mass

Lenten regulations Abstinence from meats is to

be observed by all Catholicsfourteen years old, and older onAsh Wednesday and on all Fridaysof Lent.

Fasting is to be observed on AshWednesday by all Catholics whoare eighteen years of age but not yetfifty-nine. Those who are bound bythis may take only one full meal.Two smaller meals are permittedif necessary to maintain strengthaccording to ones diet.

Lenten opportunities ShhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhListen!

St. Als will have a Lenten BibleStudy for eight weeks, beginningFebruary 9 and continuing to March30. We will be looking at ThomasMertons Bridge to ContemplativeLiving. It is fitting for us to listenduring Lent, and this study will helpus to do so.

Please plan on joining us. Thematerials will be $8.00 per person.Everyone is welcome. If you haveany questions or are interested inattending, please call Doreen at(630) 257-2414 or (573) 680-3226.

We will meet in the St. AlphonsusMeeting Center from 78:30 pm.

Because materials need to be orderedit would be great if you could callahead, but if you are not sure andlater decide to come, that will work also. Please consider this as part of your Lenten experience this year.

Pre-Lenten eveningof reflection There will be a pre-Lenten evening of reflection on Monday, February 15,2010 at 7 pm in church. The speaker for the evening will be Fr. Paul Burak,who is pastor of St. Michael Parish inOrland Park. Fr. Burak will speak onthe theme, Lenten Challenges.Stations of the cross English each Wednesday during Lentat 7:30 pm (except March 17 andMarch 31).

Polish each Friday at 7:00 pm.

Soup and supper Mondays, February 22 and March1, 8, 22, and 29 at 7:30 pm at therectory.

Tri-Parishreconciliation service Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at7:00 pm at St. Cyrils. >

News from the Pews Feb 2010

Documents

Transcript of News from the Pews Feb 2010