We know these are difficult times for our Church, and you probably saw the headlines in the last few days regarding the Attorney General’s report in Illinois. The Church everywhere and in the Archdiocese of Chicago recognizes and mourns the grave damage done to many people harmed by clergy sexual abuse and regrets the failures to respond. The report released by the Illinois Attorney General refers to the entire State of Illinois, and the statements made do not refer specifically to our archdiocese. Contrary to what has been reported, the Archdiocese presented clear evidence to the Attorney General that it has reported all allegations to law enforcement and has reached out to all those bringing allegations and offered pastoral care. Please visit the website https://heal.archchicago.org/ for more information about the sex abuse crisis and the steps the Archdiocese of Chicago continues to take to prevent abuse and offer healing to victims. Please continue to pray for the victims of sexual abuse and for our Church in making the reforms needed for healing and accountability. 

In the Spirit of Christmas, the spirit of salvation and healing, we ask forgiveness and we ask for the grace to forgive. May the true hope of Christ born anew be our light and our healing. 

While our Crossroads teens lead this grand collection of food for the needy, parishioners of all ages help collect, sort and deliver items for area food pantries every November.

Flyer Day – November 10

Distribute flyers to homes in Western Springs from 9-11am. Sign up coming soon.

Box Night – Friday, November 16

Confirmation candidates are invited to help assemble the boxes from 6-7:30pm in the Parish Center. No need to sign up.

Harvest Saturday – November 17

We will gather for 8:00am Mass in church, then meet in the Parish Center to start our day. Drivers, check back for sign up. Other volunteers can just show up and you’ll be put to work sorting and boxing the donations, and loading the trucks.

Questions? Contact Kim Sarros sarros@ameritech.net

Harvest Saturday Sign-Up

https://www.stjohnofthecross.org/blog/harvest-saturday-food-drive/

Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 2:30-4:00pm in church
For adults and high school youth of the Parish who are fully initiated Roman Catholics.

I would like to clarify a couple of things in my recent column on Suicide and Despair – and offer an apology/retraction a misquote:

1. The reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church should not be in quotes. It is not a quote but a commentary (and partial quote) of two articles in theCatholic Catechism.
   • 2091 The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption: By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice – for the Lord is faithful to his promises – and to his mercy.
   • 1864 “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.
2. My text read this way: “DESPAIR is the most serious sin a person can commit! … Like presumption, despair is a sin against the First Commandment. It steers us away from hope, which is an infused virtue received at Baptism together with sanctifying grace and having the possession of God as its primary object. In Mark, 3:28-29, we read that: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”
3. I apologize for the quotation marks around the text. That was a mistake, pure and simple. I took it off the internet without checking it against the text in the Catechism itself and found out too late (when people questioned me) that it was a commentary on the Catechism and not the text of the Catechismitself. I am sorry, that was a mistake for which I now publicly apologize.
4. However, that being acknowledged, the text itself, I submit, is a pretty accurate commentary on the substance of what the Catechism teaches and what the Catholic Churches teaches. There is nothing in that text that a Roman Catholic might challenge, except the quotation marks enclosing it (and for those I apologize – this is one of the hazards of doing one’s research on the internet instead of in a library).
5. Further … This line has caused some confusion: “Many church people still see suicide as an act of despair and as the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit. Roman Catholics sometimes reinforce this notion by their reading of the Catechism of the Catholic Church …”
   Two things I want to clarify here:
   • I say “by their reading of the Catechism“. This is not the same thing as saying that this is what the Catechism says. There is a popular notion that is pretty common both inside Roman Catholic and other religious circles that believes: i) Suicide is an act of despair, and ii) this is a sin which cannot be forgiven. The Catechism of the Catholic Churches teaches neither of those beliefs.
   • I was not trying to disparage the Church’s teaching on either despair or suicide – I was trying to teach it more accurately. The same holds true for people who still believe that suicide is an act of despair and an unforgiveable sin. I am not disparaging their belief but trying to free them from a false fear (based upon a misunderstanding of church teaching) which surely must cause them some deep grief and anxiety vis-à-vis loved ones who have died by suicide.

I am sorry about the misunderstandings -and take full responsibility for the misquote.

Gaudete et Exsultate or “Rejoice and be glad!” is the title of Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation on holiness in everyday life. The path to holiness, he wrote, is almost always gradual, made up of small steps in prayer, in sacrifice and in service to others. You do not need to be a bishop, a priest or a member of a religious order to be holy.” Read it here.

Unlocking Freedom and Joy
Guest Speaker James Bishop

International Coordinator for Prison Outreach
The World Community for Christian Meditation
Author of A Way in the Wilderness,
A commentary on the Rule of Benedict with Fwd by Laurence Freeman

James Bishop, an oblate of The World Community for Christian Meditation, spent ten years as an inmate in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Center and State Prison.  While there, he discovered Christian meditation.  And it changed his life.

Few people would be grateful for having spent ten years in prison. But James Bishop was imprisoned for a decade, and hails it as a lifesaver.”    Mary O’Regan, Catholic Herald, London

   As James meditated, his mind became more clear.  Soon James, an alcoholic with severe obsessive compulsive disorder, began to heal.  Drawing on his years of experience in artificial intelligence computer software and his experiences in prison, James tells a compelling story of tragedy and triumph, and how Christian Meditation helped him discover the causes of his problems, as well as how to deal with them.

James has spoken to audiences all over the world and has given guest lectures at the University of Southern California and Georgetown University.  His compelling and gripping story tells of the power of Christian meditation and how it can help those who feel imprisoned in their lives.  For more information about James Bishop, visit his website at wccmprison.org

All are invited: Those who meditate
Those who want to know more about meditation

Saturday, February 24
9:00 – 11:30am, hospitality 8:30am
Parish Center

 Sponsored by the Christian Meditation groups
(wccm-usa.org, wccm.org)
Free will offering appreciated
Reservations requested but not required
Contact: Betsy—708-246-8315 or wccmchgo@gmail.com

All parish volunteers who work with children and teens are required to attend a Protecting God’s Children (Virtus) Workshop. SJC will be hosting workshops on the following dates:

September 26 at 9am and 6:30pm.
Click here to register today.

St. John of the Cross Parish School is hiring a 7th and 8th grade Science teacher.

Send your resume and cover letter to Marybeth Wingert, Administrative Assistant to the Principal, at wingert@sjc.pvt.k12.il.us

SJC Parishioners wishing to carpool should meet in the Parish Center parking lot between 9:15 and 9:30.

The Archdiocese has not forgotten the power and peace born of praying together. Cardinal Cupich invites all people of good will, including civic, education and religious leaders from across the city to join him for a Walk for Peace through Englewood on Good Friday, April 14.

The walk will begin at 10:30 a.m. at St. Benedict the African Church, at the corner of 66th Street and Stewart Avenue. During the walk, participants will trace the Stations of the Cross and pause along the way to remember those who lives were lost to violence

Start
St. Benedict the African Catholic Church
340 W 66th Street
Chicago, IL 60621 773.873.4464

Parking
Parking will be available in the parish lot at St. Benedict the African, and in the Kennedy King College parking lot on 65th St. between Halsted and Green. Street parking will be available along Stewart between 63rd and Marquette.

Public Transit
The 63rd Street Red Line stop and Halsted Green Line stops are within walking distance of St. Benedict the African.