PASTOR'S CORNER

Pope and Politicians During the visit of Pope Benedict, the media, at times, highlighted reception of Holy Communion by some Catholic politicians who support abortion directly, or, as a choice. I thought it would be helpful to print another section of the US Bishops Letter on the Holy Eucharist which has already addressed this not only for politicians, but for us all. As Catholics, we believe what the Church authoritatively teaches on matters of faith and morals, for to hear the voice of the Church, on matters of faith and morals, is to hear the voice of Christ himself. To give selective assent to the teachings of the Church not only deprives us of her life-giving message, but also seriously endangers our communion with her. Some Catholics may not fully understand the Church’s doctrinal and moral teaching on certain issues. They may have certain questions and even uncertainties. In these situations of honest doubt and confusion, they are welcome to partake of Holy Communion, as long as they are prayerfully and honestly striving to understand the truth of what the Church professes and are taking appropriate steps to resolve their confusion and doubt. Individuals who experience serious difficulties with or doubts about Church teaching should carefully study those Church teachings from authentic sources [the Catechism of the Catholic Church] and seek advice from a confessor or pastor. If a Catholic, in his or her personal or professional life, were knowingly and obstinately to reject the defined doctrines of the Church, or knowingly and obstinately to repudiate her definitive teaching on moral issues, however, he or she would seriously diminish his or her communion with the Church. Reception of Holy Communion in such a situation would not accord with the nature of the Eucharistic celebration, so that he or she should refrain. “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper” Letter of the US Bishops Different bishops have applied this is in different ways, as is their responsibility. Some politicians have said, “This is a private matter of my faith.” As Pope Benedict reminded us, faith is not a private matter but brings us into communion with the whole body of Christian believers. Certainly, some people do reject the teaching of the Church, to their own spiritual harm. Still, they ought to be people of integrity and respectful of the faith of others. If someone is not in communion with the teaching of the Church, they should not receive Communion in the Church. There is a body of Christ’s teaching that we must receive in order to receive His Eucharistic Body. With my prayers, Fr. Jerome Kish

COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN

Women of St. Joseph’s Parish You are cordially invited to St. Joseph’s Council of Catholic Women LIVING ROSARY May 21, 2008 at 7:30 pm St. Joseph Church, 4801 Main Street, Downers Grove A Wine and Cheese Social will follow in the Church Hall $5 offering suggested RSVP via email is appreciated to lifjump@gmail.com

CORPUS CHRISTI

Keeping Vigil through the Night The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Saturday, May 24, 6:00 pm through Sunday, May 25, 7:00 am Our parish prays before the Blessed Sacrament The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on Sunday, May 25. Saint Joseph Church will keep vigil through the night before the Blessed Sacrament for the needs of the Church, our nation, the world, and for all of God’s creation. Prayer begins following the Saturday, 5:00 pm Mass, continues into the night, and concludes before the Sunday, 7:00 am Mass. Keeping vigil is one way to: - proclaim our belief in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist; - extend our time of prayerful communion in Christ; praise and thank God for all the gifts lavished upon us in this life; - strengthen our commitment to one another as members of the Body of Christ; and - pray for the needs of the world. You are invited to give an hour for this prayer during the course of the night and come to the Church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. A sign-up sheet is in the narthex. At least two people are needed for each hour of prayer in the Church beginning on Saturday, May 24 at 6:00 pm and concluding on Sunday, May 25 at 7:00 am. Join with our parish as together we keep vigil, praying through the night on Saturday, May 24 through Sunday, May 25.

ST. JOSEPH FRIENDS IN FAITH

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19 St. Joseph Friends in Faith Evangelization Team Invites you to Serve. Do you have passion for spreading the Good News of the Gospel to others? By our baptism we are all called to become disciples of Jesus Christ. The Friends in Faith Evangelization team invites you to discern for serving Christ and St. Joseph Church. Members of the Friends in Faith team are individuals with a passion for their faith, who want to ignite our faith in others, and bring the Catholic faith to our community. Our mission is simply: Be Christ. Share Christ. Bring Others Home to Christ. Perhaps you know Friends in Faith by some of the initiatives last year: Newcomers Pot Luck Dinner, Singles Mass, 100 Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving Bookmark. You may have seen some of our communications in the bulletin for Advent and Lent under Living and Sharing our Faith. We ask that you call upon the Holy Spirit in prayer to guide you as you discern for this ministry. As you discern, we ask for the following qualifications: 1. Desire to serve the Church and grow spiritually. 2. Willingness to devote time and effort to meetings and projects. 3. Willingness to learn and promote Evangelization. 4. Ability to relate to others as a team, and work for the good of the community. 5. Acceptance of Church teachings including Vatican II. Please contact Michele at michelelking@netzero.net or 630.968.7164 with any questions or the desire to serve in this ministry. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pastoral Council New Membership

Update on Pastoral Council New Membership Many of our parishioners are responding to God’s call. We, on the Recruitment and Discernment Committee, are committed to sharing any information that will help you in discerning your call. As of mid-May, we have received, and are contacting, several individuals nominated for the Pastoral Council. Those of you who have expressed interest should be: • Gathering information or have attended the question/answer sessions held April 26 and 27; • Reviewing your personal qualifications; • Assessing your availability; and • Discerning for membership. We are looking forward to the month of May during which time we hope to have scheduled and completed the discernment process for new Pastoral Council members. This process, depending on the number of interested parishioners, may take two to three meetings before we can announce the new members. By the end of June, we hope to announce the new Pastoral Council members. They will begin their three-year term starting in July, 2008. Please take the time to pray for those who are volunteering in all of St. Joseph’s ministries and those in the process of discernment. If you know of someone volunteering, please take a moment to express your appreciation! Thank you for your positive response to our communications. If you have any additional questions or comments, do not hesitate to approach any Pastoral Council member or contact Michele at michelelking@netzero.net or 630.968.7164.

PASTOR'S CORNER

It’s important not to let our thoughts and prayers for Pope Benedict fade, now that he has returned to Rome. Here are some excerpts. First, a segment of President Bush’s greeting to the Pope: In a world where some invoke the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and hate, we need your message that God is love. And embracing this love is the surest way to save men from falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism. In a world where some treat life as something to be debased and discarded, we need your message that all human life is sacred and that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, and each of us is necessary. In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth. In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but in a spirit of mutual support. Holy Father, thank you for making this journey to America. Our nation welcomes you. We appreciate the example you set for the world. And we ask that you always keep us in your prayers. And here is the prayer Pope Benedict prayed at Ground-Zero: O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain. We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here—the heroic first-responders: our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work, or service, brought them here on September 11, 2001. We ask you, in your compassion, to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness. Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope. We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Our hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering. God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth. Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events. Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all. Our beloved Holy Father planted seeds of the gospel while he was here. Those seeds need to be nurtured in order to bear fruit. With my prayers, Fr. Jerome

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CLOTHING DRIVE

Spring Cleaning? Why not spruce up those closets and cabinets. Clear your home of all that extra clutter! We are having a collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They are looking for clean or gently-used clothing, shoes, cookware, linens, dishes, knickknacks, toys, books, lamps, etc. Your donation will benefit the needy. Please fill your heavy-duty bags and boxes and bring them with you when you come for Mass on May 17 and 18. NO HANGERS PLEASE!!! For donations of furniture and other large items, please call 630.231.4658 to schedule the truck to come to your home. Furniture will not be accepted at the clothing drive. Receipts are always given.

Attention Prayerful Single Men

The New Melleray Trappist Monastery in Peosta, Iowa, will be hosting an exciting “Live-in Experience” vocational retreat soon. They only host this retreat once a year, so don’t miss it. Work and pray with the monks on their 3,500 acre farm and enjoy the vocational talks. The date is Memorial Day weekend, May 23-26. There is no cost, but space is limited. For more information, call 1-800-221-1807

COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN

St. Joseph Parish Council of Catholic Women SURVEY CCW is short for the Council of Catholic Women. It is affiliated with the �gNational Council of Catholic Women which acts through its membership to support, empower and educate all Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service. NCCW programs respond with Gospel values to the needs of the Church and society in the modern world. All adult women members of St. Joseph Parish are members of our CCW chapter. A number of interested women have gathered in the past two months to begin the process of organizing the group and planning future activities. FIRST EVENT: May 28, 2008 - An Evening with Mary and the Rosary. We will have a speaker and recite the Living Rosary, followed by refreshments and fellowship. In order to plan events and service opportunities, our membership will not only be interested in attending and participating in, but also supporting their planning and development. WE NEED INPUT FROM THE WOMEN OF ST. JOSEPH PARISH. Please take a few moments to respond and return your completed form to the basket located in the narthex of the church. As described above, CCW is dedicated to education, support, and empowerment in spirituality, leadership and service. Please indicate on this form what YOU would either enjoy learning about, or service type activities you think we might work on as a group (being mindful that several small groups might work on different projects). Please also indicate needs you think the women of the parish could actively work together to meet. If you can�ft participate in person, can you participate via email? What programs are you interested in participating in? Please check the items you would be interested in: �  Craft Night �  Environmental Awareness �  Evening of Reflection �  Gardening �  Mother/Child Luncheon �  Salad Supper �  Tea �  Wine & Cheese �  Spiritual Development/ �  Speakers or videos �  Pot Luck I am willing to assist in the organization of an event for the CCW (for example the May 28 event). Please remember the more individuals willing to help, the more evenly the work will be dispersed! Please list things you can/would be willing to do to assist: �  Typing �  Set Up �  Clean Up �  Email Secretary �  Phone Tree Service ideas I would like to see implemented by the women of the parish could be: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Would you like to be a part of CCW to help bring the women of St. Joseph together? �  Yes �  No Also, please indicate if you will be able to attend the event on May 28. �  Yes �  No NAME: _____________________________________________________ ADDRESS: __________________________________________________ TELEPHONE: ________________________________________ EMAIL: ____________________________________________ Please indicate the best way to contact you: �  Telephone �  E-mail Thank you for your participation. We look forward to seeing you April 30.

Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary’s of Gostyn Your Eucharistic Adoration holy hours will convert the whole world to Christ! This is witnessed powerfully in the life of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux. Although she never left her convent, and only lived to the tender age of 24, St. Therese accomplished great things through the power of Eucharistic Adoration. The Church made her the patroness of Missionaries to emphasize this most important truth: one soul coming before the Blessed Sacrament can change the world! We have great news! St. Mary’s of Gostyn has added a new day to the Eucharistic Adoration schedule in the Son of Mary Chapel. The hours are 7:00 am Thursday to 11:00 pm Tuesday. We are in need of regular adorers for 7:00 pm Saturday, 4:00 pm Sunday, and 9:00 am Monday. Call Judy at 630.969.8016.

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