Dear Friends,
This time of the year is so important in our lives. The new life that is beginning to bud and blossom, the number of days we have more warm weather and sunshine - all remind us that with spring, all of nature is becoming new again. This season of Easter - the time between Easter Sunday and Pentecost - is also a time in our church year when we are focused on spiritual growth. What does it mean to rise from the dead? What are the ways that we can grow in faith and in confidence in the risen Jesus, so that like the disciples at Pentecost, God can be manifest in our lives with powerful signs and wonders? How can we, like the first disciples, help to bring others to the faith, to the church, to this Christ crucified and risen from the dead?
I am very happy that it is in this Easter season that I am able to share news with you about some important new life developing here at Mary Queen. You may remember that last fall, we formed a Feasibility Study Committee to look at the possibility of beginning a pre-school. After the first phase of our study and working with a consultant, our Finance Council has given approval for moving forward with plans for opening our pre- school in September 2007. Barring anything unforeseen, we hope to begin marketing efforts by winter.
The committee has now begun work on developing the pre-school mission statement (strong in Catholic identity) and educational philosophy (based on multiple intelligence theory). Our pre- school will be mission-driven, a major ministry of evangelization for the parish, drawing young families to church. Children who participate in our pre-school will move into our religious education program, and as our parish begins more multi- generational catechesis (opportunities for families to learn together), something our Education Commission is currently working on, more adults, too, will come to learn the faith, all of this helping to build up the Body of Christ. It will benefit the parish financially, as well. I am very grateful to those who invested time in this project so far, including our parishioners Dr. Mary Selke, Associate Dean for the College of Education at Lewis University; Elizabeth Dierksheide, Assistant to the Director of Child and Family Services for the State of Illinois; Brenda Scanlon, former Catholic School Principal and current Parish Pastoral Council member; Pete DiCianni, Chairman of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce; and Mary Jean Adkins, Special Education teacher. I am grateful, too, for the assistance of those outside our parish who worked on this first committee: Bonnie Hurless of Dominican University Department of Early Childhood Education; and Roberta Vandevier, Principal of Emerson School.
Mary, Elizabeth, Brenda, Pete, and Roberta plan to continue their leadership involvement on the committee, which now welcomes parishioner Terri Kevil, who is a professional in working with pre-schools and furnishing them. Terri is very excited about this new venture for the parish. She has been eager to help from the beginning but I withheld Terri's participation during the first investigative phase because of a potential conflict of interest. Terri's company sells the equipment and supplies we will need! Now that approval has been given for moving forward, however, Terri has accepted the invitation to join the committee and offer her expertise. When the time comes, we will still go out for bids for furnishings, and Terri is happy to help us no matter who furnishes our pre-school. It is wonderful, however, to have her assurance that her company will offer to us a significantly discounted bid!
We will now be expanding this group to include others in committee work. At this time, we are especially looking for people who can help with funding research (we have lists of resources to explore and much of this is work that can be done from home), and persons who can be part of a marketing sub- committee. We have been in contact with the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the diocese and will be working to comply with all diocesan standards and requirements. Eventually, the Parish Pastoral Council will help to establish a Pre-School Board, which will oversee the hiring of a director and future operations.
This parish has always valued the Catholic education of children. We hope that former school alumni will work together with current parishioners to spread the word about our new pre- school. A special fund has been established for pre-school start-up costs in order to minimize the need for going into our savings. We have already had our first $1500 donation, and our first grant application was mailed last week. Once the pre- school is established, it will be a wonderful tool for evangelization. It is also expected to be financially profitable.
This development is happening in a time when we are working very hard to strengthen the financial position of our parish. Many of you know that the parish has operated at a significant deficit since the time before I arrived. Our Sunday collections have improved but, especially with rising utility and insurance costs, we still need a 20% increase in Sunday contributions in order to achieve a balanced budget within the next couple of years. I do trust that if we are faithful in fulfilling the mission of the church that God will provide what we need.
This pre-school development builds on all the hard work and dedication of people throughout the 50-year history of this parish. The mission of the church is not maintenance but evangelization. The more we work together in good faith, the more we share our time, talent, and treasure in ways we can, the more intentional we are about spreading the good news of God's love, the more our parish will continue to grow. For the measure with which we measure will be measured back to us.
Mary M. Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator
What a Glorious Easter! Many thanks to our Liturgy Committee for the planning of the Triduum. Everything was truly uplifting and inspiring. Thanks to our Proclaimers, Eucharistic Ministers, sacristans, ushers and servers for all of the time donated during these special days. We are especially grateful to the choir for the wonderful music throughout Holy Week, at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday. To all those who helped with Art & Environment, we are grateful for all the time and energy given to make our Church look so beautiful. Many, many hours in preparation are required and we want to thank the many extra volunteers who came out to help make everything so lovely. Thanks also to the audio visual group who made arrangements to transmit Mass into Barrett Hall for the overflow on Easter Sunday. We are also grateful to Mary Foley and Deacon Tom for all the planning they did to make Holy Week and Easter a memorable time for all; to Sister Marlene for the Triduum booklet and all her work behind the scenes, and to Mimi Wolak and the RCIA team for all their hours of teaching and preparing our Candidates for their special part in our Easter Vigil celebration. God Bless All! "Come follow Me" Allow the Word of God to Form you as a Disciple of Jesus - Are You a Bible Study Leader in Your Heart? Note: Corrected Date for training The two Bible Study programs within the past year have been very successful and faith-enriching for all the participants and the facilitators as well. We are planning to continue with some lighter study during the spring-summer and would like to invite you to join us in becoming a facilitator for the first of these Tuesday study groups - Introduction to the Bible. Studies begin Tuesday, May 23, and run Tuesdays, through the week of July 18. Very little training is needed, we will be working as one large team. The only training meeting we will need is on Saturday, May 6. The more leaders we have, the more groups we can breakout. The study evenings will have pre-planned prayer, video, and breakout discussion. Each session will be 1 hour in length, and we are vacation-friendly. Just be sure to come back to us refreshed. Please call Lynn Suwanski, since I know you are interested. 630-530-2523. (evenings) CCW Sponsors Plant Sale The Council of Catholic Women is sponsoring its 3rd Annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, May 13 at 10:30 a.m. in the church parking lot. We are able to offer the plants at the same price as last year. A price list and order forms are in today's bulletin. They can be turned in with your payment to the parish office, to a CCW representative at the table in the church vestibule after Mass, or placed in the collection basket. For information regarding the sale, please call Sheila Reiter (833-6657) or Phylis Twardowski at (279-6239). Liter Fare for Summer Wear "Introduction to the Bible" Have you ever wondered how the books of the Bible were chosen? Do you know the difference between the many versions and translations available today? These and many other questions will be covered the next Bible Study offering, Introduction to the Bible. This program is geared to help newcomers become comfortable with studying the Bible while offering the experienced new insights. Introduction to the Bible is designed as a weekly video presentation with small group discussion, a prayer service, and minimal personal preparation. Sign-up will be the weekends of May 6/7 and May 13/14. Participant books will be on sale for $5 the weekend of May 6/7. Our first meeting will be on Tuesday evening, May 23, in Barrett Hall from 7:30-8:30 p.m. We will meet each Tuesday evening through July 18, with a break for July 4. For more information, please contact Lynn Suwanski (630- 530-2523) or Alex and Marie Grozik (630-530-0503). Religious Education Congratulations to all our young people who were confirmed by Bishop Sabatini last Saturday, the 22nd. We are all very proud of you. Congratulations to our second graders who were welcomed to our Eucharistic Table for the first time last Sunday. They are: Thank you to all who made this RE year so wonderful. This past Wednesday, April 26th was the last class of the year. A special thank you to our almost 75 volunteer catechists, aides, office helpers, etc. Without you there would be no MQH Religious Education Program. We are all blessed by your presence. Hopefully we will see most of you back in the classroom in the fall. Mark your calendars: Saturday, May 6 - Celebration of our large group First Communion at11:00 a.m. in Church. Sunday , May 7 - Celebrations of our second small group First Communion at 10:30 a.m. in Church. Registrations for the 2006/2007 RE year. Please be sure to return them ASAP to insure your first choice of session. Remember classes fill up fast, especially for Pre-School and Kindergarten, as class size is limited at those grade levels. If you did not receive a registration or are new to the parish or know someone who is, please call the office and we will mail one to you. If you have any questions or need more information, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962. Christian Education Commission Destiny Youth group wants you to join us for: Youth Leadership Conference July 21-23 Any high school student (including 8th graders) interested in attending with our Destiny group this summer please call Mrs. Gusloff at 832-4348. It is a weekend filled with fun, worship and fellowship. We hope you will plan on joining us! Prayer Requests To pray for our sick is an important privilege of our parish family. We hope that you will pray for these persons every day, alone or as a family. Pam Bondfide Heather Brennan Kathleen Bryers Doresa Brugler Pat Caffarelli Rose Caffarelli Kathy Calzante Dennis Ciancio Cynthia Catalano Family Cosmore Ciancio Paul Cirone Rhonda Colletti Margaret Conroy Ida Corriedo Trudi Dolato Baby Dobrowolski Virginia Feret Modesta Goggins Mary Hagerty Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt Pat Holmes Michelle Humann Maureen James Tom Janicke Richard Johnson Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn Tim Kowalski Baby Emma Lynde Robert Manion Raymond Mitchell Bobbi Nannini Phyllis O'Donnell Geri Pstrzoch Baby Faith Reid Joaquina Scroppo Jess Smith Karen Sutkus Cathy Ward If you or a family member would like to be included in our prayers, please call the rectory at 279-5700. Also, please let us know when a name should be removed. Rest In Peace Nancy Sullivan CCW Mother's Day Tribute Mary Queen of Heaven Council of Catholic Women Respect Life Committee will be selling carnations to honor the nurturing women in our lives (mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, cousins, friends). The carnations will be placed at Mary's statue in the Gathering Place for Mother's Day, May 14. Carnations can be purchased for $1.00 each. Order sheets are inserted in this bulletin and should be returned by May 7. A CCW member will be in the church vestibule after all the Masses to accept orders. The names of all those being honored will be published as an insert in our parish bulletin the weekend of May 13-14. Proceeds will benefit Woman's Choice Services, a pregnancy center in the Catholic Christian tradition. Mother's Day May Crowning Our parish Woman of the Year, Mary Nanak, will crown the Blessed Mother on Sunday, May 14, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. On this special occasion, our First Communicants are invited to take part in the May Crowning Procession. Permission slips requiring parent signatures will be sent home by our Religious Education Office. Practice for the procession will take place on Saturday, May 13. Alexandra Ciullo Abigail Emich Jake Fejes Luke Ferzacca Jordan Less Montana Renno Elisabeth Trenta Seamus Ward Ian Weigel The Eastern DuPage Council of Catholic Women Spring Institute Dinner and Meeting Tuesday, May 9 At Ascension of Our Lord 1S314 Summit, Oakbrook Terrace Theme: "Faith-filled Family." Registration 5:15 p.m., Dinner 6 p.m. A general business meeting follows. The speaker for the evening will be Dr. James Healy, Director Diocesan Family Ministry and Marriage Preparation Office. The evening will conclude with Mass at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10/person. For reservations or more information, call Pam Sifuentes at 630-495-0557. Reservations are needed. M.O.M.S (Moms Offering Moms Support) Elmhurst Catholic M.O.M.S. is a social and spiritual organization that provides an opportunity for mothers of young children from Elmhurst Catholic parishes to meet other mothers. Bi-monthly meetings include a mother/child activity or a guest speaker with babysitting provided. There are no membership fees and everyone is welcome. To commemorate our year together, we will share in an in- home evening mass on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. Join us for an appetizer/dessert potluck and a chance to socialize. This event is in place of our regular Thursday morning meeting. For more information on location and to RSVP, please contact Kelly at 833- 7223. Peace Day Saturday, May 6 at 1:30-7:30 p.m. St. Charles Pastoral Center, in Romeoville The event includes Keynote address by Rev. Eugene Lauer (Director, National Pastoral Life Center) and a choice of 2 Workshops, with Dinner at 6 p.m. This day would be very worthwhile for all members of our parish, especially Pastoral Council members, Commission members, and all MQH staff. Suggested donations: Workshops only-$25; Dinner only-$25 (Seniors-$20) Entire day-$40 (Seniors-$35) For information or to register, call the Parish Office Diocese of Joliet Peace & Social Justice Ministry 2006 Diocesan Annual Appeal Diocese of Joliet Pledge Weekend, April 29/30 20 Years of Growing Ministry funded by the Annual Appeal This is Pledge Weekend for the 2006 Diocesan Annual Appeal. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of children in our schools and religious education programs, in our Catholic Charities Outreach, in the ministry and services offered each day through the diocese. Please be generous and make your pledge today. Healing Mass May 4 at 7:00 p.m. Feast of St. Peregrine, the Cancer Saint At St. Petronille Catholic Church 420 Glenwood, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 630 469-0404 x0 The Sacrament of the Sick will be given at this Mass, as we gather together to pray for healing and strength, through the intercession of St. Peregrine on his Feast Day. There will also be a blessing with his relic and the relic of St. Dymphna. Come and see the goodness of the Lord.