The Evanston Knights of Columbus Council 1077 has received the distinction of Star Council, the international organization’s top award for local councils. The Star Council Award recognizes overall excellence in the areas of membership, promotion of fraternal insurance benefits, sponsorship of faith formation programs and service-oriented activities.
Council 1077 earned this distinction through its contribution to the Pope John XXIII parish and Evanston Community. Notable activities include support for the Evanston soup kitchen, vocations assistance for aspiring clergy, parish social activities including the Lenten Fish Fry, pancake breakfasts, and the ever popular donut day in January! In addition, Council 1077 participates with other Knights of Columbus Councils in supporting persons with disabilities through our yearly Tootsie Roll Drive. The Knights of Columbus is one of the world’s leading fraternal and service organizations with over 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based councils. For information on joining the Knights of Columbus contact local Membership Director Greg Allen at [email protected]. To learn more about the Knights of Columbus, please visit us at kofc.org. We know from last year's listening sessions that St. John XXIII parishioners are passionate about our liturgies! There is no better way to channel that passion than to volunteer as a liturgical minister. Did you know that it takes 16 to 20 liturgical ministry volunteers to conduct each weekend Mass here at our parish? On the weekend of the Feast of Christ the King, November 23-24, we will offer a special opportunity for all parishioners to learn more about these important roles and to sign up as a volunteer.
What can you expect from participating in liturgical ministry?
We need volunteers for all ministries at all Masses. Please stop by our Liturgical Ministry Fair (held near the church entrances) after any Mass that weekend to chat with current ministers about their experiences and sign up! Usher, greeter, lector, altar server, music minister, Eucharistic minister, sacristan—which ministry is calling you? If you are unable to attend the Ministry Fair and feel called to any of our liturgical ministries, please contact the Dianne Fox, Director of Liturgy, at [email protected]. We are celebrating the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Presiders: St. Nicholas Saturday, November 9, 2024 4:00 p.m. (Confession) – Fr. Jean-Philippe 5:00 p.m. – Fr. Jean-Philippe Sunday, November 10, 2024 8:30 a.m. – Fr. Jose Manuel 10:30 a.m. – Fr. Jean-Philippe 12:30 p.m. – Fr. Bob Oldershaw St. Mary Sunday, November 10, 2024 8:00 a.m. – Fr. Mark Scalese 10:00 a.m. – Fr. Godwin Kornu The Second Session Final Report: Further Analysis, Responses, and Summing Up
A huge thank you to parishioner Charlie Koop, who has provided this Synod coverage for us for the last two years! A good place to start in summing up the Synod on Synodality is with the definition of Synodality given in the Final Report – “Synodality is a path of spiritual renewal and structural reform that enables the church to be more participatory and missionary, so that it can walk with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ.” (Final Synod Report No. 28) From this core focus, part 1 of the Final Report points to the baptismal call as foundational to the work of the Synod. “In baptism each one of us is called not just to membership in the church but to responsibility in the life of the church and responsibility, in part, for the mission of the church,” says Synod delegate Cardinal McElroy of San Diego in an interview with America on the day after the Synod ended. He also spoke about charisms, saying “Everyone receives charisms. . . specific calls and grace from God to contribute to the building up of Christ’s vision of what we are to be on this earth. And in the light of those charisms there are certain ministries we undertake to advance the life of the church. Some of them are formally recognized, some of them more loosely recognized, but they’re all meant to serve the people of God as a whole, and we are all called to enter into them at various moments in our lives.” From this foundation, the Final report moves in a discussion of Discernment in the Spirit and accountability – at all levels – parish, diocese, etc. “The emphasis in this is on discernment by a group of people who represent the community. . . And when they come to a decision, the pastor or the bishop makes [the decision] in light of their discernment, but then the pastor or bishop is also tasked with carrying it out, and that carrying out is part of the accountability, too. . . clericalism clouds that and gets in the way of that kind of accountability. . .the people of the parish, the people of the diocese, have a right to ask: ‘ What is happening to advance what we have decided on? What is going on in the life of our parish?’” – (Cardinal McElroy interview). Paragraph 91 in the Final Synod Report further says “that if those in authority, such as a bishop or parish priest, engage in consultation, they cannot simply dismiss the conclusions of that consultation at will, without providing a compelling reason for doing so.” Beyond these overall areas, the Final Report addresses the important specific issue of the role of women in the church. Despite the sometimes contentious meetings during the Synod with Study Group 5, which was charged with studying this area, the Final Synod Report gave a much needed status update on this issue in Paragraph 60. This paragraph begins by recognizing that “women continue to encounter obstacles” in exercising roles of ministry or leadership in the church. Then, after presenting Scriptural and historical evidence of women’s roles in the church, it goes on to call for “full implementation” of all the possibilities for women’s ministry and leadership which are currently available, saying that “no reason or impediment” should prevent this, saying: “what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.” It concludes by stating: “Additionally, the question of women’s access to diaconal ministry remains open. This discernment needs to continue.” Although this paragraph received the most “no” votes, it did get the required 2/3 vote to be incorporated in the Final Report. (A few observers have noted that some of the 97 “No” votes may have come from delegates who thought it did not go far enough.) It is also worth noting that Pope Francis, in signing and issuing the Final Synod Report, gave his approval of this statement as part of the official teaching magisterium of the church, despite any of his previous comments on these issues. Another complex reality which the Final Report addresses is the distinction between Unity and Uniformity. In this connection, Synod delegate Fr. James Martin, S.J. reflected on his experience at the synod by noting that the members of his table group came as strangers from all over the world, but they came together for this Second Session as familiar faces and friends. He stated, “We had very different approaches to many pastoral issues, [It was] our roundtable conversations and our... ‘down time’ talk at the tables that most signaled the presence of the Holy Spirit to me. . . And Cardinal-elect Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. started our retreat by quoting St. John Paul II, ‘Affective collegiality precedes effective collegiality’ in other words, it is easier to speak about difficult topics with friends than with strangers.” And Sam Sawyer, S.J. states: “the synod is searching for unity while recognizing that the experience and judgement on these matters (marital situation, identity or sexuality) is not uniform across the church.” (America 10-28-24) Summing up – Sawyer says “Some people will find that frustrating . . . after years of effort and consultation. But I found it a source of hope and a cause for gratitude. The complicated reality is where the church is, and where the Holy Spirit is at work. [The result] may look like a camel when we wanted a horse. Please God, it may also be able to walk across deserts where the horse would die of thirst.” Thanks to all the faithful readers who have stuck with me through the two years of the Synod’s twists and turns. The story is far from over, but one thing is certain: love, prayer, forgiveness and listening to each other and to the Spirit will continue to be necessary going forward. The final question is “Is the all-too-human church up to the task?” We, or our children and grandchildren, will see. By Charlie Koop, Parishioner Click here to start from the beginning of our Synod Session 2 coverage, or click here to start from the very first Synod article from last October! We are celebrating the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Presiders: St. Nicholas Saturday, November 2, 2024 4:00 p.m. (Confession) – Fr. Dan Hartnett 5:00 p.m. (Bilingual) – Fr. Dan Hartnett (This Mass for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time will also serve as our Mass of Remembrance for All Souls Day.) Sunday, November 3, 2024 8:30 a.m. – Fr. Jose Manuel 10:30 a.m. – Fr. Jim Halstead / *Deacon Chris Murphy 12:30 p.m. – Fr. Dan Hartnett St. Mary Sunday, November 3, 2024 8:00 a.m. – Fr. Dawit Wubishet 10:00 a.m. – Fr. Jean-Philippe 12:00 p.m. (French) – Fr. Godwin Kornu *Deacon Preaching It’s the time of year when we remember those who have come before us. Celebrate All Saints and All Souls Days at St. John XXIII Parish!
NOTE: The 7 p.m. All Saints Day Mass at St. Nicholas will be celebrated in ENGLISH. The 7 p.m. All Saints Day Mass at St. Mary will be celebrated in SPANISH. This represents a CHANGE from the schedule that was published in last weekend's bulletin. The following schedule is the most up-to-date (and will be sent out in an email tomorrow, as well). We sincerely apologize for any confusion. All Saints Day (Holy Day of Obligation) Friday, November 1
All Souls Day Saturday, November 2
The Second Session Final Report: Process, Context, and Content
The final week of the Synod session was structured differently from the earlier weeks. The delegates no longer met in the 10-person table groups, but gathered in general sessions to discuss and vote on the final report of the second session. During the prior weeks’ table group meetings, written reports from the tables were submitted to a coordinating group of Synod members who summarized and presented them back in general sessions for comment and suggestions for revisions. This eventually led to 155 paragraphs which were brought before the Synod in general sessions during the final week for discussion, possible amendments, and voting. All the paragraphs of the final report were approved by a two-thirds vote of the 368 synod members. It is worth noting that in most prior Synods, the results have been submitted to the Pope, who then decided what was to be published, often in a papal document expressing the Pope’s interpretation of the results. Pope Francis has expressly changed that process, stating that the Synod’s concluding report should be authoritatively and immediately published as a whole, describing it as a “gift from the Synod to the People of God” and saying that it “corresponds to the synodal style with which even the Petrine ministry is to be exercised: listening, convening, discerning, deciding, and evaluating. And in these steps, pauses, silences, prayer are necessary. It is a style that we are learning together, little by little.” As of this writing, total text of the report is available only in Italian and the document is being closely examined by experts and commentators, but some initial high points are worth summarizing. The document presents synodality as a style of Christian life and ministry based on the “equal dignity of all the baptized” with the recognition that all the baptized have something to give to the mission of the Church as a whole. Some of the practical suggestions coming from this include:
Immediate responses to the Synod report have been many and varied. Some are positive reflections, like that of our own Cardinal Cupich, who said that the final document makes it clear that the “whole hierarchy is called to embrace this important effort of building a synodal, missionary church” (NCR Interview, 27 October 2024). Others are cautious: “Without concrete changes in the short term, the vision of a synodal church will not be credible, and this will alienate those members of the people of God who have drawn strength and hope from the synodal Journey" (from the second Synod session final report). Some advocates of certain positions have voice their disappointments: “It [the Final Report] stops short of proposing certain dramatic changes – such as the restoration of the female diaconate or greater recognition of LGBTQ Catholics – that many reform groups have sought during the multiyear project” (National Catholic Reporter, 26 October 2024). There will undoubtedly be much further commentary over the coming days, which will be the subject of the next Synod article. Next Time: The Second Session Final Report - Further Analysis and Responses Click here to start from part 1 of our coverage of the second Synod session. Want to learn more? Check out our series on the Synod on Synodality, from the first session, to our parish listening sessions, to today! We are celebrating the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
(Happy birthday, St. Nicholas Church!) Presiders: St. Nicholas Saturday, October 26, 2024 4:00 p.m. (Confession) – Fr. Jean-Philippe 5:00 p.m. – Fr. Jean-Philippe Sunday, October 27, 2024 8:30 a.m. – Fr. Jose Manuel 10:30 a.m. – Fr. Bob Oldershaw / *Deacon Chris Murphy (Commitment of 2nd-Year Confirmation Candidates, English Program) 12:30 p.m. – Fr. Dan Hartnett (Commitment of 2nd-Year Confirmation Candidates, Bilingual/Spanish Program) St. Mary Sunday, October 27, 2024 8:00 a.m. – Fr. Jim Halstead 10:00 a.m. – Fr. Godwin Kornu 12:00 p.m. (French) – Fr. Jean-Philippe *Deacon Preaching
Dialogue at the Tables and Other Important Conversations
When conversations at the table groups began, synod members were expressing their hopes in words such as: We are in a pilgrim church and we need to bring everybody with us. The crucial act of the pilgrimage is finding your way together. We do this not by giving in to each other but by learning from one another. We must be willing to receive understanding from our walking mates. This is the essence of the church’s pilgrimage. - Gerry DeCubber, permanent deacon from Belgium and Synod member Please stay, whatever your frustrations with the church. Go on questioning! Together we shall discover the Lord’s will. - Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. And Jesuit Fr. James Martin, in commentating on the fact that Synod members are reconnecting with delegates they met at last year’s Synod, said, “Tackling tough subjects is easier when you know the person as a friend.” The table groups are continuing to meet about synodality and their discussions are being summarized and reported on a daily basis. But many believe that rather than talking about synodality in an abstract way, the most effective way is to do it would be in regard to concrete issues facing the church. In addition to the table groups, many evenings and Wednesday afternoons (theoretically, time off) are busy with additional meetings. Among others, these include official Synod Forums sponsored by the study groups, sessions with prepared texts that members brought to the Synod, and both official and unofficial meetings with advocates on controversial issues such as women deacons. Delegates have also requested to have additional direct input into the continuing work of the study groups before they submit their final reports in June 2025. With all this going on, it will be interesting to see how these elements will all fit together, including whether the final report of the synod will focus solely on synodality, or whether the delegates will also add their input to the work being done on the controversial subjects which are still being dealt with by several of the study groups. In any case, the next couple of weeks are certain to be significant time in the church concerning both synodality and other current issues. Next time: Updates on continuing developments at the Synod and the final report. Click here to start from part 1 of our coverage of the second Synod session. Want to learn more? Check out our series on the Synod on Synodality, from the first session, to our parish listening sessions, to today! |
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