June 9, 2024
Now that our observance of Lent and celebrations of the Easter season are concluded, and we have celebrated the major Solemnities of Trinity Sunday and the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we now return to the cycle of Sundays in Ordinary Time, “the green Sundays.” We re-enter this season at the 10th week, where we left the season at the beginning of Lent. We will continue reading from Mark’s Gospel, section by section, until we begin the season of Advent on December 1. Since Mark is the shortest Gospel, we will take a break in mid-summer to read from John 6 – the great Bread of Life discourse. Ordinary Time reminds us that we are called to steady and regular growth as we tell the story of the ordinary events of Jesus’ life. It is good to be back in this regular cycle of our Church Year.
“The question of truth is really a question of memory, deep memory, for it deals with something prior to ourselves and can succeed in uniting us in a way that transcends our petty and limited individual consciousness. It is a question about the origin of all that is, in whose light we can glimpse the goal and thus the meaning of our common path.”
Pope Francis
Thank you to Father Benzes and all who worked with him in coordinating last Sunday’s Corpus Christi Eucharistic procession through our parish campus. Representatives of the Filipino and Spanish communities were an important part of the planning process. Thank you also to our Knights of Columbus, who joined in as an honor guard, and to all the volunteers. Thank you to those who joined in from the 1:00 pm Mass and those who attended an earlier Mass and returned to honor our Eucharistic Lord. The procession was a great way to pray for the various needs of our parish and to celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Prior to the pandemic, we had held this procession for at least four years. It is great to resume this practice on this special feast at our parish. Thank you again to all who made this possible and to all who participated.
Next Saturday, June 15, we will observe the anniversary of the death of our second pastor, Father John Ott. He was appointed pastor when our first pastor, Father John Wester, retired in 1925. During his first year as pastor, he lived in the room above the Church sacristy at the northeast corner of the current chapel building. A Rectory was built next to the Church in 1926, and that building now serves as our Parish Office. He also acquired a convent for the School Sisters of St. Francis, who taught the students of St. Isidore Catholic School. He was instrumental in founding the parishes of St. Walter in Roselle and St. Peter Damien in Bartlett. Father Ott was pastor of St. Isidore when the Diocese of Joliet was formed in 1949. After 30 years as pastor, he retired in 1955 and Father John Klaes was appointed the third pastor. Fr. Ott retired to Backus, Minnesota, and lived another seven years until his death on June 15, 1962. His funeral was celebrated here and he is buried in our parish cemetery. We stand on the shoulders of this faithful pastor and prayerfully remember him on Saturday – the anniversary of his death and entrance into eternal life.
Three years ago, Bishop Hicks asked us to take up a “Father’s Day Special Collection for Diocesan Priests’ Care & Support.” We will take up this special collection next weekend on Father’s Day. This is a special collection to care for our infirm and retired priests. The Fund for Diocesan Infirm and Elderly Priests is a special way for us to express our concern for the welfare of those who have dedicated their lives in service to our pastoral care. The money in this fund assists diocesan priests who need help with extraordinary medical expenses or suffer a catastrophic illness. It also provides for the care of the St. John Vianney Villa in Naperville, home to several retired priests in the Diocese of Joliet. Envelopes for this collection have been included in the May-June packets mailed to our homes. Or you may use one of the white pew envelopes and mark it “Retired Priests.” Online contributions are also welcome using the Giving link on the parish website. Thank you for your generosity in responding to this appeal for our diocesan priests.
It feels like summer has finally arrived! May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
– Father Jim Murphy