To the Great People of St. Matthias and Transfiguration,
The Easter season is filled with such compelling stories of the people who formed the earliest community of the Church. This weekends Gospel is a great example. Jesus appears to the Disciples who were huddled in the upper room, afraid, confused and uncertain about the future. Jesus appears to them and conveys a three-fold message. First he offers them peace. Secondly instills in them the power to forgive. In doing so he connects human forgiveness with Divine forgiveness and lays the groundwork for what we call the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Thirdly he connects his own breath with the reception of the Holy Spirit.
Next we hear about Thomas who doubts that Jesus actually appears to the rest of the Disciples because he was not with them. The next week Jesus repeats his appearance and with Thomas present there is a specific set of actions in which Thomas touches Jesus, inspects his wounds and ultimately believes in Jesus as his Lord. As we heard from many of the Gospels during Lent; it is believing in Jesus as Lord that is the most important in the end.
As we move through the Easter Season I am aware that the groundwork has been laid by the best Holy Week and Easter in my time as the Pastor of both St. Matthias and Transfiguration. The success of our liturgies this past week were due to the hard and creative work of so many people. Both church conveyed the importance of Holy Week because they were so beautifully decorated. Thanks to Deacon Roland Merced, Fr. Rene Pareja and their helpers for making Transfiguration look so beautiful. Thanks to Jim Ward, Roine Michaels, Terry Tuohy and Sr. Vincentius for their magic at St. Matthias. Thanks to our musicians and singers, particularly Daniel Jennings, Audrey Bickle, Amor Saenz and Maria Caparosa, our Choirs and Cantors for leading us in song and helping us to pray in such a special way and Richard Shoff for making them all sound so good.
Congratulations to the adults who were received into full communion with the Catholic church and the newest parishioners of St. Matthias and Transfiguration parishes.
Our Candidates and Catechumen have helped us to see the new life of the church enfleshed in their commitment to join the Catholic Church. The Scrutinies at Mass the past three weeks have helped us to both welcome these adults and to mark their commitment to accept our faith. The following adults will be received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 pm at St. Matthias.
Candidates
- Jason Jewgieniew an Assistant Manager of the Starbucks on Lincoln Avenue
- Paul Adds a Field Service Engineer for Microsoft Corporation
- Greg Shaskan a Physician specializing in Sports Medicine
- Timothy Wolf an Actor
Catechumens
- Michael Corwin Advertising and Finance Manager at the Chicago Tribune
Next Sunday at the 9:30 Mass and in a reception following in the School Hall please join us to say thank you to Joe Doty who has retired as our Maintenance Man at St. Matthias after 32 years of dedicated service. Joe has created, repaired and maintained just about every inch of our plant. He has carried. polished, hammered, set up, taken down, shoveled, watered, painted and scraped to make our Church, Rectory, Convent and grounds a holier place. We thank you Joe and wish you well. Again, please join us to say thanks to Joe.
A special thanks to Alderman Gene Shulter and the Chicago Cubs for the generous $1,000 donation to St. Matthias Transfiguration School from the Memorial Day concert at Wrigley Field by the band The Police.
Once again, please consider buying a raffle ticket to win a sporty, red 2008 Nissan Versa. Tickets are only $10 a piece with incentives for multiple tickets. Proceeds benefit Transfiguration Parish.
A La Gente Maravillosa de San Matías y Transfiguración,
La temporada de la Pascua esta llena de muchas historias de las personas que formaron la comunidad más antigua de la Iglesia. El Evangelio de esta semana es un buen ejemplo. Jesús se aparece ante los Discípulos que estaban en el cuarto de arriba, con miedo y confundidos sobre el futuro. Jesús se les aparece y expresa un mensaje con triple sentido. Primero les ofrece paz. Segundo infunde en ellos el poder de dar. Así esta conectando el perdón humano con el perdón Divino y también esta preparando para lo que llamamos el Sacramento de la Reconciliación. Tercero el conecta su propia respiración con la recepción del Espíritu Santo.
Después escuchamos sobre Tomas quien tiene dudas de que Jesús apareció delante de los otros Discípulos porque el no fue uno de ellos. La semana después Jesús vuelve a aparecer y esta vez frente a Tomas. En la presencia de el hay unas acciones especificas donde Tomas toca a Jesús, revisa sus heridas y ultimadamente cree que Jesús es su Dios. Como hemos escuchado muchos Evangelios durante la Cuaresma; es creyendo que Jesús es Dios que al final es lo mas importante.
Mientras seguimos por la Temporada de la Pascua, estoy seguro de que esta fue la mejor Semana Santa y Pascua en todo mi tiempo como Pastor en San Matías y en Transfiguración. El éxito de las liturgias de la semana pasada fue gracias al trabajo duro y creativo de tantas personas. Ambas parroquias demostraron la importancia de la Semana Santa porque estaban decoradas hermosas. Gracias al Diacono Roland Merced, el Padre Rene Pareja, y sus ayudantes por hacer que Transfiguración se viera hermosa. Gracias a Jim Ward, Roine Michaels, Terry Tuohy y la Hermana Vincentius por su magia en San Matías. Gracias a los músicos y cantantes, especialmente a Daniel Jennings, Audrey Bickle, Amor Saenz y Maria Caparroso, nuestros Coros y Cantantes por guiarnos en canto y por ayudarnos a rezar en manera tan especial y a Richard Shoff por hacer que todos sonaran tan bien.
Felicitaciones a los adultos que fueron recibidos en comunión completa con la Iglesia Católica y son los nuevos feligreses de las parroquias de San Matías y Transfiguración:
Candidatos
- Jason Jewgieniew un Asistente del Manager del Starbucks en la Lincoln Avenue
- Paul Adds un Ingeniero de Servicio de Campo para la Corporación de Microsoft
- Greg Shaskan un Doctor especialista en Medicina Deportiva
- Timothy Wolf un Actor
Catecúmenos
- Michael Corwin un Manager de Publicidad y Finanzas en el Chicago Tribune
El próximo domingo en la Misa de las 9:30 y después en la recepción en el Salón de la Escuela, por favor acompañen a Joe Doty en su retiro como nuestro Hombre de Mantenimiento en San Matías por 32 años de servicio. Joe ha creado, reparado, y mantenido prácticamente nuestra planta completa. El ha llevado, pulido, martillado, arreglado, cavado, regado agua, pintado, y raspado todo para hacer nuestra Iglesia, Rectoría, y Convento un lugar sagrado. Te agradecemos Joe y te deseamos suerte. Por favor acompáñennos para agradecerle a Joe.
Un agradecimiento especial al Alderman Gene Shulter y a los Chicago Cubs por su donación generosa de $1,000 a la Escuela de San Matías y Transfiguración del concierto del Día Memorial en Wrigley Field por la agrupación The Police.
Por favor consideren comprar un boleto de la rifa para ganar un deportivo 2008 Nissan Versa rojo. Los boletos solo valen $10 cada uno con incentivos por comprar más boletos. Lo recaudado será en beneficio a la Parroquia de Transfiguración.
To: The Good People of St. Matthias and Transfiguration Parishes
From: Fr. Frank Cimarrusti
Re: My time frame at Infant Jesus of Prague Parish
Easter Sunday, 2008
First an apology to all of you: I had intended to write you for Easter, but that got away from me. You have been in my thoughts and prayers all along, especially during the days of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. I found myself thinking of you and the beautiful liturgies you were experiencing on these special days.
The liturgies here at Infant Jesus do have a special quality about them. They are well put together as are yours, but it is not the same as when one is at home.
It is close to 16 weeks now since I left you. The forensic audit has taken place and on March 12th we had a large parish meeting with 600 + people in attendance. (At the end of this letter I’ll share a summary of that meeting with you.) During the meeting, when someone asked Bishop Perry how long I would be here, he said, “through June”. He answered, without missing a beat, but my heart skipped a beat when I heard that. I had thought I would be home by Easter, and when that seemed to be out of the picture, I figured by the end of April. At this point it is, and I am, in God’s hands and I couldn’t ask for more than that.
I wish you all the blessings of Easter. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I miss you and look forward to the beginning of July as a time to come home.
The people here are most good to me. They are grateful for your sacrifice and mine. Their goodness makes all this much easier and is very comforting. I am grateful to them and to you for your prayers and notes. May the Risen Jesus continue to bless us all.
Fr. Frank Cimarrusti
Summary of Infant Jesus of Prague Parish Meeting, March 12, 2008
* The forensic audit showed that a former employee misappropriated nearly $260,000 of Parish funds. No priest or other staff member was shown to be involved in the theft.
*Cardinal George does not believe that our Parish should suffer the consequences of the lost funds. His Eminence has extended Infant Jesus a grant in the amount of the funds taken and the interest accrued through two loans made to the parish.
*The funds were taken over a period of 18 months through check forgeries. Strict financial oversight has now been implemented in accord with Archdiocesan Best Practices.
*Cardinal George and Bishop Perry are in discussions with Father Killeen concerning the results of the audit. A decision concerning the Pastorate will be made based on the best interests of the Parish.
*Some parishioners stated that earlier concerns regarding financial oversight were ignored. Parishioners were asked to contact the Dean of the Vicariate directly should they ever again have concerns regarding Parish operations. (At my direction, his contact information will be listed in the Campanile.)
*It was reported that the State’s Attorney’ Office continues its investigation into the financial wrongdoing. . Many of you expressed concerns that no criminal or civil complaint has yet been filed; some also expressed concerns that the Parish bank did not discover the wrongdoing sooner. Hearing this, I will be looking into these matters to see if progress can be expedited, and to learn why the Bank did not act more quickly to alert the Parish.
* Concerns were expressed that budget cut-backs could impact the quality of our School. With nearly 43 years of my priesthood spent working to enhance the Catholic school system, I assure you that I will do all possible to ensure our Blue Ribbon status. I invite you to come to the Rectory for a copy of the statement I prepared for teachers and staff concerning the budget review at Infant Jesus School.
