Queen of Apostles Catholic Parish

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Letter from Fr. Larry McNally

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Dear Family of Queen of Apostles,   

Holy Week Greetings.  I am looking forward to celebrating with you the Triduum and celebrating Easter Sunday Morning Mass.  This is my favorite Church week of the year.

I want to tell you all that I am retiring after just about 44 years as a priest.  I love being a priest, and I have so enjoyed my life as a priest.   I have enjoyed my time here with you, and you have helped me grow as a priest.  I thank Fr. Jim for all his support of me and our parish over these past few years.  I thank him also for advocating for me and graciously inviting me to stay on for a few extra months after our merger to be here with you.  I am so grateful for the extra time to be here with you while the Cardinal and Vicar for Priests helped me to discern my next position.

To our St. Matthias Parishioners I am glad through your generosity we were able to paint the interior of the Church to help us to celebrate the Sacraments of our Church.  Yes, the last months have been at times painful and sad for us, but let us join now with Queen of Angels and be one with them now known as Queen of Apostles.

And to Queen of Angels Parishioners, thank you for your friendly welcome each and every Sunday Morning.

 I will be moving to the Bishop Lyne Retirement Home in Palos Park in April.  The room I have been assigned to is not ready for occupancy yet.

I will be back in the summer hopefully after the Covid 19 is mostly over to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for my wonderful time here.

Please know that you will continue to be in my daily Prayers.

I thank you so very much for your priestly support in my time here.  I so appreciate it.

As my Grandmother used to say, “God loves” and He does.  And I love you, too.

GOD’S BLESSINGS!

Fr. Larry

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Querida familia de la Reina de los Apóstoles,

Estoy muy agradecido por el tiempo extra para estar aquí con Uds., mientras que el Cardenal y Vicario de sacerdotes me ayudaron a discernir mi siguiente paso.

A nuestros feligreses de San Matías, me alegro por su generosidad de poder pintar el interior de la iglesia para ayudarnos a celebrar los sacramentos de nuestra iglesia. Sí, los últimos meses han sido dolorosos y tristes a veces para nosotros, pero unámonos ahora con la Reina de los Ángeles y seamos uno con ellos ahora conocida como ,

Saludos de Semana Santa. Estoy deseando celebrar con Uds. el Triduo Pasucal y celebrar la Misa del Domingo de Pascua por la mañana esta es mi semana favorita del año en la Iglesia.
Quiero decirles a todos que me voy a jubilar después de unos 44 años como sacerdote. Me encanta ser sacerdote, y he disfrutado tanto de mi vida como sacerdote. He disfrutado de mi tiempo aquí con Uds., y me han ayudado a crecer como sacerdote. Gracias a Padre Jim por todo su apoyo a mí y a nuestra parroquia en estos últimos años. También le agradezco que me haya abogado y me haya invitado gentilmente a permanecer unos meses más después de nuestra unión para estar aquí con Uds.  Estoy muy agradecido por el tiempo extra para estar aquí con Uds., mientras que el Cardenal y Vicario de sacerdotes me ayudaron a discernir mi siguiente paso.

A nuestros feligreses de San Matías, me alegro por su generosidad de poder pintar el interior de la iglesia para ayudarnos a celebrar los sacramentos de nuestra iglesia. Sí, los últimos meses han sido dolorosos y tristes a veces para nosotros, pero unámonos ahora con la Reina de los Ángeles y seamos uno con ellos ahora conocida como Reina de los Apóstoles.

 

Y a los feligreses de Reina de los Ángeles, gracias por su amable bienvenida cada domingo por la mañana.

En abril me trasladaré a la Casa de Jubilación del Obispo Lyne en Palos Park.  La habitación a la que me han asignado todavía no está lista para la ocupación.

Volveré en el verano, después de que con suerte el Covid 19 en su mayoría haya terminado para celebrar una Misa de Acción de Gracias por mi maravilloso tiempo aquí.

Por favor, sepan Uds. que seguirán estando en mis oraciones diarias.

Muchas gracias por su apoyo sacerdotal en mi tiempo aquí. Lo aprecio mucho.
Como mi abuela solía decir, “Dios ama” y lo hace. Y yo también amo a Uds.
¡BENDICIONES DE DIOS!

Padre Larry

Remembering Fr. Harry Bonin

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Father Harry Bonin passed into eternal life this past Monday, March 22, 2021. 

Father Bonin was the choir director while resident at Queen of Angels and teaching at Quigley North in the 1970s.  He later returned to help as a weekend celebrant in more recent years as a retired priest, until his health made the long drive from his home no longer safe  He was a great advocate for the poor and homeless, and fostered justice in his parishes by learning Spanish to better serve those in his local flock.  He will be greatly missed!

The funeral for Father Harry Bonin will be streamed live at 11 a.m. Monday, March 29, 2021 on the website of St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs (click on the blue banner for the live video broadcast).

Queen of Angels Choir with Father Bonin (right end of top row), c. 1980

Lent 2021

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Lent: Pray, Fast, GivePrayer

VIRTUAL RETREATS

  • Lenten Virtual Retreat in English, Saturday, March 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
    “Finding Christ in the Crisis: What the Pandemic Can Teach Us” with Fr. Harrison Ayre and Michael Heinlein, on Zoom with community and private prayer and discussion. Presented by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago & Young Catholic Professionals Chicago.
  • Retiro Virtual Cuaresmal en español, de las 8 a.m. hasta las 6:30 p.m. el sábado, 13 de marzo, y de las 9 a.m. a las 3 p.m. el domingo, 14 de marzo.
    “Tiempo de Cambio: Renuévate, el Reino de Dios está Cerca” con Rev. Guillermo (Memo) Campuzano, transmisión en vivo.  Presentación del Instituto de Liderazgo Pastoral en la Universidad de Santa Maria del Lago en Mundelein (USML).

PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

  • Stations of the Cross in-person will be offered in English at 7 p.m. on Fridays, February 26 and March 5, 12, 19 and 26 at Queen of Angels Church.  Please register in order to attend.
  • Stations of the Cross events in-person and in Spanish are still being planned.  Please contact Monsignor Jim if you would like to help.
  • You may wish to pray the Stations from home with this parishioner-made slideshow of Stations of the Cross in the Time of Pandemic, featuring the Stations artwork from Queen of Angels Church.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE WIDER CHURCH

Sacrificial Giving to Help Those In Need

Fasting and Abstinence

These laws are to be seriously observed unless there is a significant reason of health which would dispense a person from these laws.  Or, if you find yourself at a function where the menu is out of your control (such as a Friday wedding or business luncheon) and meat is served, Catholics may eat meat at that one particular meal on that Friday.  In this situation, the individual should then choose another meal on another day and not eat meat to make up for the Friday meal when meat was eaten. The Paschal fast and abstinence prescribed for Good Friday is also encouraged for Holy Saturday.

FASTING on Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2021) and Good Friday (April 2, 2021):

  • All Catholics who are between the ages of 18 and 58 are to fast, or take only one full meal on these days, with two other meals being substantial enough only to maintain minimal strength according to one’s needs.
  • All Catholics between the ages of 18 and 58 are not permitted to eat solid foods between meals on these two days. Liquids are permitted.
  • All Catholics not included in the above age span of 18 to 58 who are physically able to keep the laws are encouraged to do so as their own choice.

ABSTINENCE on Ash Wednesday, All Fridays of Lent and Good Friday:

  • All Catholics who have reached the age of 14 are not to eat meat at any meal or between meals. Fridays are totally meatless days unless a diet for the
    maintenance of health must include meat.
  • All Catholics, even those under 14, with parental consent and encouragement, are invited to join this Lenten sacrifice of not eating meat on Fridays.

MEATLESS MEALS

Changes to Weekend Mass Schedule

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Beginning on January 23-24, 2021:
Saturdays at 5 p.m. in English
Sundays at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. in English
Domingos de las 1 p.m. en español (de 24 enero 2021)
All Masses at Queen of Angels Church worship site, 2330 W. Sunnyside Ave.

Starting with the weekend of January 23-24, 2021, all regular Masses for Queen of Angels and St. Matthias Parish will be celebrated at our Queen of Angels Church worship site, 2330 W. Sunnyside.  In order to allow us to worship together with low capacities at each Mass, there will be a new Mass schedule for during the next phase of the pandemic and our merger:

  • We will continue the 5 p.m. Mass in English on Saturday evening.
  • We will now have two Masses on Sunday morning in English, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. 
  • Because we still need time to clean between Masses, the Mass in Spanish will need to move a half hour later, to 1 p.m.

This is a temporary schedule.  Capacity at these first Masses will be determined by the availability of volunteers.

Thank you for your understanding so that our new parish of Queen of Angels and St. Matthias can continue to grow together in faith and be light for others.  Please continue to pray for the unification of our parish community.

Confirmation Mass information for March-April 2021

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Please complete each step 1-3 to make sure your places are reserved for the Confirmation Mass of your choice. 

  1. SIGN UP FOR THE MASS TIME YOU WANT: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0944A8AD2CA02-confirmation
    Indicate which Mass your family will attend so that we have 16 families or fewer at each Mass — this is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
    Some families have been pre-registered for this step only by Ms.Hohner, but must still finish steps 2 and 3:

    • Families with special requests due to complications (cousins or Sponsors needing to attend the same Mass)
    • Students in Queen of Angels School cohorts (though you may at this time select a different Mass on another day if that would be more convenient for you)
  2. VOLUNTEER FOR A ROLE TO HELP OUT:
    https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0944A8AD2CA02-volunteer
    Volunteer someone from your family to serve and help at one of the Confirmation Masses to help make these events possible

    • Roles include helping with Livestreaming, greeting or ushering the people during the Mass, or sanitizing the church after the Mass.
    • This DOES NOT have to be at the same Mass when your student is being Confirmed. Some will prefer to get the volunteering done on the same day so they only need to come once, while others would prefer to enjoy the day of their student’s Confirmation and work on a different day.
    • Youth under 18 may help with sanitizing, and this could be a service opportunity for students who had trouble finishing their Christian service hours!
  3. GUEST REGISTRATION ON EVENTBRITE: (see separate links for each Mass below)
    Actually sign up each attendee who will be present at the Mass, giving their names, phone numbers and email addresses (if they have them). This includes the student(s) being Confirmed, their parents and siblings living in the same household, and their Sponsor(s).  Be sure you are signing up for the same Mass you named in Step 1.  All Masses below will be held in Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside.

WHO CAN ATTEND?

We ask you only to invite the Confirmation Sponsor(s) (up to 2 people in 1 household or different households) and the immediate family living with the student(s) to be Confirmed (their parents and siblings).
This unfortunately means we DO NOT have space in the church with social distancing to invite non-Sponsor grandparents or more distant family members, or even the other members of a Sponsor’s household (such as their children).  (If you have only 1 Sponsor, the Sponsor can bring up to 1 other person who lives with them; but if you have 2 Sponsors please only bring the 2 Sponsors.)   Thank you for your understanding and your planning for this event.  
If your Sponsor(s) cannot attend the Mass, there should be a Proxy designated to stand in for your absent Sponsor.  This could be a friend’s parent or a relative over 16 (such as an older sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin) who can be present at the Mass.  Your proxy cannot be your own parent.  If needed, a catechist or Ms. Hohner could stand in as the Proxy.

LIVESTREAMING

The Facebook Live stream for the Religious Education Masses were broadcast at https://www.facebook.com/qofachicago/ on the time and date of each Mass.  You can search for @qofachicago on Facebook or use a direct link for the particular Mass:

The Facebook Live stream for the Queen of Angels School Masses will be broadcast at https://www.facebook.com/Queen-of-Angels-School-77467313549 on the time and date of each Mass.

  • Facebook Event for Tuesday, April 27: link to come
  • Facebook Event for Wednesday, April 28: link to come

Please use these links to make sure you are checking the right page.  On Facebook there are many similarly named churches/parishes and even unofficial pages (not run by our parish staff) showing the same church.

PLANNING FOR THE MASS

  • Novena: Be sure to start your novena of prayer a little over a week before the Confirmation Mass.
    • Begin on Monday, April 19 if you will be Confirmed on Tuesday, April 27.
    • Begin on Tuesday, April 20 if you will be Confirmed on Wednesday, April 28.
  • Clothing: Students do not need to wear white.  They can wear white or any color of church-appropriate, special occasion clothing.
  • Nametag: Students and Sponsors will receive a stick-on nametag to wear during the Mass.  It is important that this nametag be visible when students go up to get anointed, as this is how Father Jim will know your Confirmation Name (in really big print) to call you by.  Please place the nametag on or close to your right shoulder so it can be seen by a tall person.
  • Offering: There will be envelopes for a Confirmation Mass offering.  The suggested donation is $25 from the Sponsor(s), and $25 from the family of the student(s) being Confirmed. Or you may use GiveCentral: https://www.givecentral.org/location/182/event/29801
  • Photos: You may only take non-flash photos from your seat, or outdoors or at home after the Mass. Students will not be able to pose for photos in the church after the Mass.
  • Candles:  You do not need a candle for the Mass.  If your Sponsor or family want to give you a candle for prayer, or other religious items, they can bring them to get blessed at the end of the Mass.  Do not bring them up with you when you go with your Sponsor to get anointed.
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