March/April Crux

THE CRUX

THE NEWSLETTER OF HOLY CROSS PARISH, CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PEORIA

405 w. Clark St., champaign, Illinois 61820 march - april 2012

Holy Cross is a community of one heart and mind de-voted to the Eucharist, the Word of God, and the sacra-mental life. United and guided by the Holy Spirit, we witness to the conversion that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and invite all to share in that experience.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Crux (krux, krooks)

n., pl. cruxes or cruces

1. A critical or crucial point.

[Latin, CROSS]

In this issue:

Spiritual growth & spiritual gifts During this Lenten Season we are called to deny ourselves, take up our Cross, and

follow Him. We are all blessed to be a member of this Parish named for Christ’s Victory on the Cross. As we continue our year-long celebration, we are called to grow in holiness each day.

Once again I encourage every parishioner to join in with all the spiritual and social events we are offering in the Parish. I would like to especially challenge everyone to attend at least one or more of our Spiritual Events the Parish is presenting. This will help all of us grow in faith and aid us in understanding our Faith which ultimately guides us to live and practice our faith in its fullness. Whether it is a Bible Study, Marian Consecration, Novenas, WATCH weekend, Special Speakers, and other mini-spiritual seminars, we can grow in holiness and become more of a family of one heart and one mind.

Our Catholic Heritage is filled with many special Devotions. Some already exist in our Parish, like Eucharistic Adoration, Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays, and praying the Rosary after Daily Mass. I believe some devotions have been lost but now are coming back strong in our parish. They are Novenas and Spiritual Bouquets. Novenas are nine straight days of Prayer for a particular intention. This year we will be having a Pentecost Novena. Our Grade School and RCIA team the past couple of years have been making Spiri-tual Bouquets. Spiritual Bouquets are prayers or devotional acts that someone (the giver) has or will offer for someone else (the recipient). It can be given from an individual or group to an individual or group to express joy, sorrow, or best wishes, often in commemoration of a special occasion. The recipient is given a card or something similar indicating who the giver is and what the spiritual bouquet consists of. This can be the number of Masses attended, Holy Communions offered, Rosaries, other prayers said, or good deeds performed. It should in-clude the sender’s name and the number of times each offering was or will be done.

These are just some of the examples that one can do this Lenten Season to grow in holiness. Our true desire is to fall in Love with the One who is True Love. This Lent open up your hearts and fully be open to the Love of Christ.

Remember: Always Home, Always Family In Christ, Fr Willard

The parish directories are in! You can pick up your copy at the parish center office.

Lenten regulations/Holy Week schedule on pages 10 & 11

CRUSADER CORNER

2

CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK

PHOTOS

2—4

EASTER FOOD BASKET HOW-TO

5

FOCUS: WATCH 21

6

BOOK REVIEWS 7

WHAT’S COOK-

ING? 8

CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY ARTICLE

9

the crux March—April 2012

CRUSADER CORNER HAPPENINGS AT HOLY CROSS SCHOOL

BY ROSE COSTELLO, PRINCIPAL

Our annual spring musical this year is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. There will be three performances: April 13th, 14th, and 15th. The evening performances will begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday performance will be at 2 p.m. Please check the school website (www.holycrosselem.org) or call the school office (217-356-9521) for additional information. All are welcome to come and enjoy the many talented students we have at our school. In addition to being recognized and accredited by the state of Illinois, Holy Cross School has also earned North Central accreditation. This means that our school has attained a level of excellence and is committed to a process of ongoing improve-ment. A team visited our school on February 9th, meeting with teachers, parents, and students and examining our documentation and test results. We are proud of this accreditation and what it says about our school. Catholic Schools Week was a wonderful time of celebrating those special aspects of a Catholic education that create a foundation for a spirit-filled life. You can see that on display in the pictures below and to the right. And, as always, I invite you to come see for yourself what a great bunch of kids we have here at Holy Cross.

Sock Hop January 28th

Highlights from catholic schools week

http://www.holycrosselem.org


Catholic Trivia Contest January 31st

Talent show February 3rd, additional talent show pictures on the following page


Nun’s Night Out: Holy Cross was the site of the Knights of Columbus annual appreciation dinner to honor our nuns. In addition to the dinner, the nuns received coffee mugs with saint’s pictures on them, as well as coffee and chocolates. Knight Denny Santarelli chaired the event. Standing from left to right: Sister Mary K. Himens, Sister Sara Koch, Sister Charlene Cesario, Sister Paulette Jor-ger, Sister Yvonne Brais, Sister Mary George, Sister Mary Anita Tapocik, Sister M. Vianney, Sister Veronica McDermott. Sitting/Kneeling: Sister Agnes Cunningham, Sister Mary Robert Morton


Easter Basket 101 By

Jola Swiech

Welcome to Easter Basket 101! The only prerequisite for this class is that you are Catholic and proud to be so! Easter Bless-ing of the Foods on Holy Saturday afternoon has become a cherished tradition at Holy Cross Church. If you want to join the group of parishioners from area Catholic churches and have your food blessed, be sure to carefully select and prepare your basket. Let’s take a look at what is contained in a typical Easter basket. The following is a meticulously crafted composition, albeit a suggestion; neverthe-less, pay particular attention to your own ingredients. You may choose to add some of your own specialties. Just keep a fine eye tuned in to your masterpiece! Get your baskets ready with the following goodies! Here goes…

Bread – symbolic of Jesus, the Bread of Life! Either sliced or unsliced, but it definitely should be rye bread. Whatever you do, use absolutely, positively, no white “Wonder” types.

Butter –reminding us of Christ’s reference to God’s care of animals in his teachings. You can use a stick of butter and preferably shape into a lamb. Remember to keep it cool. No margarine, please!

Sausage –the variation in its spice and flavor symbolize our Lord’s generosity and the prosperity of a good life. Please use smoked Polish sausage only. Oscar Meyer is verboten!

Horseradish –symbolizes the Passion of Christ and his Resurrection. You can take the horseradish root and shred it by hand (be sure have lots of tissues handy) or use the ready-to-eat variety.

Small Ham –the symbol of happiness and plenty. A good brand name will suffice.

Eggs – symbolize new life through Christ’s resurrection! You should have a minimum of 5 colored and 1 white uncolored. Assign the coloring chore to your children and boil the white egg so that you can eat the white blessed egg during the Easter feast.

Salt – Pure sea salt please, which is healthier for you. It adds more flavor to your blessed food. “We are the salt of the earth,” as it was said.

Cheese – is a symbol of cooperation between people and nature in order to maintain a healthy life. Any favorite brand will do.

Wine – symbolizes Christ’s blood. A bottle of your favorite table wine will add a touch of joy and recalls the wedding feast at Cana.

Cake – is a symbol of fine baking skills and a good life. Under no circumstances should you buy it at the store. Show off your skills and baking expertise.

Ribbon – Decorate your filled basked with colorful, festive ribbons.

If you hear a knock on your front door early in the morning on April 7th, it’s only me doing spot inspections! I suggest you begin or-ganizing and gathering ingredients one week earlier in order to pass this test. Put all your favorite goodies into your Easter Basket and come to the church at 1 pm on Holy Saturday to bless your food. See you there…if not earlier at inspection time!


a closer look at the people, places, and

activities at Holy Cross. In this issue,

making a WATCH weekend

Do yourself a favor. No, do yourself a BIG favor and sign up for the next available WATCH weekend. I had the pleasure of being a member of WATCH 21, February 17 - 19, and the only negative aspect was that I have been kicking myself ever since for not having done it sooner. The weekend was composed of talks, meditations, plenty of food, and fellowship with parishioners whom I have known for quite awhile, but whom I now know much better...did I mention there was plenty of food? You probably can conjure up several reasons why you don’t sign up. I know I did: too busy, an unease about “opening up” to other people, thinking that you had nothing to share in a spiritual environment, perhaps some skepticism, or you don’t need anything to bolster your spirituality; you’re fine just the way you are. My particular list featured all five in one

form or another. Once it begins, your reservations soon melt away, and by the time it’s over, you find yourself feeling quite unlike you’ve ever felt before. Some of life’s barnacles have been scraped off. You’re able to lower those fences you’ve built up over time and can now better relate to those around you: your family, friends, and other parishioners. Most impor-tant of all, though, is you’re able to allow God to come into those private places you have been denying Him access to and enable yourself to be filled with His cleansing, loving presence. So, there you have it. It’s nothing strange or cultish. There are no secret handshakes or decoder rings. There’s just God in the form of a loving, caring parish WATCH team who do more good than they will ever possibly know.


By Catherine Barbercheck

During a recent lunch with one of the avid readers of

our parish, I was introduced to two fascinating books. After reading them both, I can also recommend them as very illumi-nating, although both in a different way.

The first book is The Gift of Peace, Personal Reflections by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin (Loyola Press, 1997). Written in 1996 during the last two months of his life, Cardinal Bernardin used the opportunity to reflect on three great challenges he had recently experienced; in the false allegations of sexual miscon-duct against him, the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and the fatal return of the cancer after months of remission.

The small book (153 pages) is easy to read but pro-foundly moving. It is a highly personal account of his difficult experiences, but more importantly, it is the story of his spiritual growth and understanding which developed out of those experi-ences. It reveals a great insight into the personal philosophy of Cardinal Bernardin as well as his response to public humiliation and both emotional and physical pain.

In the course of his observations, Cardinal Bernardin exhibits true Christian charity, forgiveness, and acceptance. Reading this book is truly a “Gift of Peace”.

The second book is A People of Hope; Archbishop Timothy Dolan in conversation with John L Allen, Jr. (Image Books, 2012). As Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and a Vatican analyst for CNN and National Public Radio, the author brings a global perspective to the career and prospects of an emerging Catholic leader, Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan.

Between 2009 and 2011, the author accompanied Archbishop Dolan to many personal appearances and public events. The author also spent nearly 30 hours in personal inter-views with him, discussing the major issues in the Catholic Church today. Loosely patterned after Vittorio Messori’s book The Ratzinger Report, the author sets the scene, frames the questions, and allows the Archbishop to speak for himself.

In the course of the book, the reader has an opportu-nity to see the real person beneath the Cardinal’s zucchetto. In his candid responses to the questions, we discover a pleasant, down-to-earth, small town pastor with a historian’s perspective and a politician’s savvy.

It’s too early in his life for a biography of Archbishop Dolan, but for anyone interested in the present and future status of the Catholic Church in the United States, this is an excellent--and timely--book to read. Both of these books can be found in the parish library at the Parish Center.

Some scenes from watch 21

Good reading from the parish library


What’s Cooking at Holy Cross?

By The Parish Center Staff

It all started last summer. In June 2011, we had a fu-

neral for a former alumna, and as always for this sad occasion, a group of women under Ruth Branaman’s supervision decorated the Great Hall tables and prepared lunch and desserts for the family and friends of the deceased. A former parishioner, who is also a Holy Cross School alumnus, went to the kitchen after the luncheon to thank all the women for their hospitality. He was surprised to see that the delicious funeral luncheon was made using a very old, stubborn, and ugly looking stove. It came to his mind that he could make the cooks happy by donating some money to start a fund for a new stove. His idea was a spark that turned into a flame as more parishioners began giving to the same cause. After four months, the New Stove Fund received donations totaling $7,365.00!

At that point, the Parish Office staff started to look for ideas on how to design a new cooking area to satisfy each group that uses the Great Hall kitchen. There are many church activi-ties like fish fries, Feast of the Exaltation, WATCH, Senior Pot-luck, Family Formation, and funerals, to name just a few, making

use of the cooking equipment. After consulting the main user groups, it took three months to get the final proposal to meet their needs shoehorned into a very small space. A local company - KEC Design - developed a wonderful, very modern, and unique design. The new set of kitchen equipment has three major appliances: a full size professional gas convection oven which will satisfy all baking and warming needs, two deep fryers which the Lenten fish fry crew will really love, and a double electric induc-tion range making the preparation of meals safer and more en-ergy efficient.

The attached photos show what these groups had to work with before, and what they have now, thanks to the gen-erosity of our parishioners. It is amazing what can be accom-plished when we all come together to make our “Home” a better place. If you see a need, a new fund can always be initiated, such as new landscaping in front of the Parish Center or something else. It’s up to you. The other option is to contribute to existing funds such as The Automatic Doors for the Parish Center Fund, The New Boiler for the Church Fund, The Choir Fund, and The Organ Fund. These funds are still open because the total of the donated money is not high enough to ensure completion of these projects. Your donations to these funds could help finance and finalize existing projects sooner.

before after

Feeding the Multitudes

Judging by the size of the crowd, the first fish fry of the Lenten season, March 24th, was an overwhelming success. Fish fries will continue every Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. through March 30th.


Catholic politicians who attack Church should remember

God’s judgment Catholic politicians who attack Church should remember God’s

judgment

By David Kerr

This article is reprinted with permission of the Catholic News Agency. It has been reformatted for space considerations. Ed.

Rome, Italy, Feb 11, 2012 / 11:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Politicians who consider themselves Catholic but col-laborate in “the assault against their faith” should remember they will one day have to give account for their acts before God, Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Illinois said Feb 10. “There is a last judgment. There is a particular judgment. May they change their minds and may God have mercy on them,” he told CNA during his visit to Rome. When asked specifically about recent actions of De-mocratic Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Se-belius and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Bishop Jenky replied “I am utterly scandalized.” “The Lord once said ‘if you deny me at the end, I will deny you,’ this from our most merciful, good Savior. And so if it is a choice between Jesus Christ and political power or getting favorable editorials in leftist papers, well, that’s simply not a choice.” Both Sebelius and Rep. Pelosi have been at the fore-front of attempts to force Catholic institutions to cover contra-ception, sterilizations and abortifacients as part of their staff’s health insurance plans. Bishop Jenky said there are too many Catholic politi-cians in the U.S. who “like to wear green sweaters on St. Pat-rick’s Day and march” or “have their pictures taken with the hierarchy” or “have conspicuous crosses on their forehead with ashes” but who then “not only do not live their faith they col-laborate in the assault against their faith.” The 64-year-old Chicago native is currently making his “ad limina” visit to Rome to discuss the state of his diocese with the Pope and the Vatican. He is part of a larger episcopal delega-tion from the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Bishop Jenky said the issue of religious freedom in the United States has featured in all their meetings so far, including their audience with Pope Benedict XVI Feb. 9. “Determined secularists see the Catholic Church as the largest institutional block to a completely secularized society

and not for the first, and probably not for the last time, we’re under assault,” he said drawing parallels with the anti-Catholic “Kulturkampf” in late 19th century Germany or the anticlerical laws in France in the early 20th century. “I am a Holy Cross religious and my own community had six colleges in France and they turned our mother house chapel into a stable,” he said. As for the United States in 2012, “it is always difficult to predict the future but the intensity of hatred against Catholic Christianity in elements of our culture is just astounding.” He believes the present White House administration is also motivated by a “determined secularism,” while Communist dictator Joseph Stalin would “admire the uniformity of the American press, with some exceptions.” In 2010 the Illinois legislature voted to legalize same-sex civil unions, a move which led to the closure of Catholic foster care services. This, said the bishop, took the Church “entirely out of the work that we started when the State of Illi-nois could not have cared less about beggar kids running up and down the streets.” Bishop Jenky is very conscious of this patrimony of Catholic schools, hospitals and other social services “built by the sacrifice of Catholic believers” in previous generations of Illinois Catholics. “There weren’t a lot of multi-millionaires who built the churches, opened those orphanages or built those schools,” he said. The bishop fears that socially liberal elites ultimately want to secularize such institutions by stealth. “I assume that is the underlying goal,” he suggested, “so that is robbing Christ but it is also robbing the heritage of generations of believers. So we would try to resist this in every way possible. It would be an incredible injustice.” In conversation, he quoted the stark 2010 prediction of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, “I will die in bed, my suc-cessor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.” So is Bishop Jenky prepared for prison or worse? “I hope I would always prefer Christ to anything so, if it came to it, yes but I would be one of the trembling martyrs.” He recalled how in ancient Rome some Christians would run towards their martyrdom. He, on the other hand, would “probably be walking down the Forum with eyes down-cast a little.” “I think most of the bishops of our Church, though, would be faithful to Christ above anything, including our own personal freedom.”

retro t-shirts on sale at fish fries! While you’re in the parish center at one of our Friday fish fries this Lenten season, why not swing by the table just inside the Great Hall and check out our parish’s retro-design t-shirts. The t-shirts cost $10, are available in 10 colors and sizes from youth X-small to adult 3X. Orders will be taken at all fish fries through March 30th and may also be ordered in the school cafeteria from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday through March 29th with the exception of spring break March 19 - 23rd.


REGULATIONS FOR LENT AND EASTER TRIDUUM

Lent is the pre-eminent season of penance in the Christian Year. Priests, religious and laity are strongly urged to develop and follow a program of volun-tary self-denial, attentiveness to prayer, and especially to works of charity and mercy. Everyone 14 years of age or over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012 and all the Fridays of Lent. Everyone 18 years of age and un-der 59 years of age is bound to fast on Ash Wednesday, February 22, and Good Friday, April 6, 2012. On these two days of fast and ab-stinence, Ash Wednesday and Good Fri-day, only one full meatless meal is al-lowed. Two other meatless meals, suffi-cient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one’s needs, but to-gether they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days, but liquids including milk and fruit juices are al-lowed. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. To disregard completely the law of fast and abstinence is a serious matter.

Etc. Check out Principal Rose Costello’s column on page 2, and you’ll have further proof of what a great school we have due to its dedicated staff and faculty. The addi-tional accreditation we earned from North Central is a sig-nificant feather in our school’s cap. It shows a focus on quality education and speaks well of the culture of excel-lence at Holy Cross School. Also check out the pictures from Catholic Schools Week. Whenever I photograph school activities, I’m always struck by how upbeat and happy the students are. The talent show in particular was such a joy to see. I’m always grateful when I receive such quality input for articles like I did for this edition. Catherine Bar-bercheck’s book reviews are always on the mark and are an excellent source to help you make your reading decisions. The “What’s Cooking at Holy Cross” article highlights how you can target your money for a specific project. The gen-eral collection is just that, a general collection that can go toward many parish expenses. And finally, Joy Pace, on whom I always count on for a vigorous Pro-Life input, forwarded the article from the Catholic News Agency which quotes Bishop Jenky at length regarding the Health and Human Services Admini-stration’s controversial birth control decision. He pulls no punches in his criticism and rightfully so. It is further proof of the Obama administration’s secular agenda and a direct attack on our religious beliefs. So, where do you stand on this issue? If we as a Catholic community fail to defend our beliefs, we are just postponing the time when we’ll be faced with further at-tacks and again face the choice to either fight or acquiesce. There is no middle ground, no grey area before us in this confrontation. The slippery slope of appeasement is as much a danger today as it was just prior to World War II. In John’s gospel, we find a similar situation. When Jesus’ preaching got too uncomfortable for some of his fol-lowers, they left him. “’You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.“ And in his great affirmation of faith, “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” Will you be counted among the crowd who de-parts or will you be counted among the twelve who stay? We may have lost our collective stomach for making hard choices in our society that preaches compromise and wor-ships consensus, but it is simply time to take a stand. May your Lent be cleansing and your Easter a blessing. Dave Devall [email protected]


THE CRUX

THE NEWSLETTER OF HOLY CROSS PARISH, CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PEORIA

AVAILABLE ON-LINE IN COLOR AT WWW.HOLYCROSSCATHOLIC.ORG ONCE THERE, CLICK THE NEWSLETTER TAB

“Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

405 W. Clark St. Champaign, IL

Phone: (217) 352-8748 Fax: (217) 366-2929

Email: [email protected]

School talent show more pictures inside

March/April Crux

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Transcript of March/April Crux