A word from Pope Francis ~ “We are impatient, anxious to see the whole picture, but God lets us see things slowly, quietly.”
On this first Sunday of February, we celebrate the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. With our Easter celebration coming later this year on April 17, Ash Wednesday is not observed until March 2. This gives us a longer period of Ordinary Time during the January/February months of this year. We have a chance to hear some of the key introductory sessions of Luke’s Gospel – our primary Gospel for this year.
Our 2022 celebration of Catholic Schools Week got off to an excellent start last Sunday. It was also a celebration of the 100th birthday of our school. The St. Isidore Catholic School community did a wonderful job in providing the music for last Sunday’s 10:00am Mass. It was great to have our young people lead us in prayer at that Mass and serve the parish in different liturgical ministries. There was a lot of energy in the air from the moment our students greeted us as we arrived for Mass. Our principal, Mrs. Corie Alimento, extended a genuine thank you to the parish community for our support of the school. The Knights of Columbus sponsored their traditional pancake breakfast. The Grade School Open House welcomed many prospective families into our building. It was an awesome kick-off for our annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week and the 100th anniversary of Catholic education at St. Isidore.
The celebrations continued throughout the week. Each day of the week, we celebrated our School, our Students, our Parents, our Community and our Staff. CSW events included the School Mass on Wednesday, a Centennial Classroom Door Decorating Contest, a Spelling Bee, Grade-level Service Projects and the traditional 8th Grade vs. Teachers Volleyball Game. Thank you to all who helped make these various celebrations so memorable. It was a good week to celebrate 100 years of our parish’s passing on our faith tradition from one generation to the next.
When I celebrated the Grade School Mass last Wednesday, I had the chance to thank the men and women who serve on our Grade School faculty and staff. It was interesting to tally the combined years of service given to the St. Isidore parish community by our school faculty and staff – 277 years of service in Catholic education at our school and a total of 600 years of service in education overall. This is an astounding number of years of service to our parish through our school, especially when we remember that our country will be 246 years old this July! We offer our prayers and thanks for our teachers, administrators, staff and all who share in the ministry of Catholic education.
We are now less than three weeks away from our St. Isidore Dinner Dance and Silent Auction, the “Legendary Gala – A Tribute to Our 100th Anniversary.” This is a wonderful opportunity for coming together during the cold winter months to celebrate the first 100 years of our Catholic Grade School and to welcome the next 100 years. The Gala will be held on Saturday, February 26 beginning at 5pm with dinner and auction at 7pm at Belvedere Banquets, 1170 W Devon Avenue in Elk Grove Village. It promises to be a wonderful mid-winter evening spent with fellow parishioners. And this 100th Anniversary celebration is also a great opportunity for alumni to return and alumni parents to reconnect with each other. Call your classmates! Call your friends! Plan on getting a table. This event benefits our school. Grand Raffle tickets for the $10,000 grand prize are now available after mass, at the parish and school offices, and on our website. Additional information is available in the bulletin.
Happy Lunar (Chinese) New Year to our parishioners of Asian descent. The Year of the Tiger began last Tuesday, February 1. The celebration typically lasts 16 consecutive days. This year it began on Monday, January 31, Lunar New Year’s Eve, and concludes on Tuesday, February 15.
A lot is happening and will be happening all around us. Even in the midst of winter, there are signs of hope and of life. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy