St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Church - November 21, 2021 - St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Parish
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St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Church
November 21, 2021
THANKSGIVING
MASS
November 25, 2021
9:00 AM MASS
Recognizing the King The mere daily act of focusing on our
blessings makes us more mindful, more
When I hear the word ‘king,’ there’s a couple present to God’s mystery and gifts, and more
familiar connotations come to my mind. First, I think aware of the needs of others around us.
Hollywood film, and second, British royalty. I think of
Aragorn when he is crowned king after a series of epic
adventures and battles in Return of the King; I think the You are invited to join us in giving thanks to
king-becoming of Peter in The Lion, the Witch, and the God for all the blessings He has shared with us
Wardrobe; I think King George III as depicted in the HBO at Mass on Thanksgiving.
mini-series, John Adams; I also think of the curious
reason why Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wasn’t Please accept our
entitled “king” even after he married Queen Elizabeth invitation to begin
II five years before she was crowned. Thanksgiving Day
Jesus’ kingship is altogether different. together as a parish family.
As we enter in this Gospel scene, we find Pilate
in a quandary in this interrogation. St. Cyril of faith. We prefer to see kings in splendid majesty, and
Alexandria explains: “Having nothing at all of which to here is Jesus bloodied and bruised. We prefer to see the
accuse him, and none of those crimes to allege against pageantry of the royal court, and here is Jesus standing
him that normally bring with them just punishment — alone. We prefer to see our kings with an enchanting
and Pilate persisting in inquiring why they had brought presence over the crowd, and yet, we see Jesus whose
him — they assert that Jesus had sinned against Caesar in presence seems to incite a riot.
assuming the dominion that Caesar had acquired over the And so, when we join our question to Pilate’s —
Jews and in changing the glory of his kingdom to suit his “then you are a king?” (18:37) — we betray our own
personal aspirations.” blindness to Jesus’ kingship. In the opening scenes of the
Pilate is unsatisfied with Jesus’ answer, so in an musical Camelot, we see King Arthur standing in a field
effort to placate the escalating tension in the gathered dressed in the clothes of a common peasant. To look at
crowd and to assuage the situation in the eyes of Roman him you would have no idea he was king. In fact, when
hierarchs, Pilate has Jesus scourged (in the following Guinevere first met Arthur, she didn’t have a clue that he
chapter of the Gospel text). Little did he know that he was king over all England. Arthur was, in fact, king, but
was preparing Jesus for his royal presentation. his outward appearance gave no evidence of this. Jesus’
kingship is hidden in plain sight, he stood literally next to
In my fascination with the royal throne, I enjoy
Pilate, who didn’t recognize him.
watching royal coronation ceremonies with all the pomp
and circumstance, the pageantry, the formality. I imagine Many of us are probably in the same situation as
there’s plenty of assistance given to the royals to prepare Pilate, unable to recognize the kingship of Jesus: maybe
them for such a momentous day. Jesus’ preparations are it’s due to a lack of faith, maybe it’s due to unrepentant
much different. Jesus is soon dressed in his royal sin patterns, maybe it’s due to unforgiveness in
wardrobe, after having been brutally tortured, and then relationships, or maybe it’s something else. Ask yourself,
returned to Pilate and the gathered crowd. “What would change if I really did recognize Jesus’
kingship over my life? Might things be better off? Same?
The paradoxical sight stuns them all, as it does us
Or worse?”
yet today. We are confused at the sight of the King in his
royal wardrobe precisely because we tend to view Jesus’ Br. John-Marmion Villa
kingship with human eyes instead of through the lens of
Prayer Requests Parish News
The following persons have requested prayers
from our parish community: Baptism
Joanne Monroe Beth Smith Spencer Mehr St. Mary of Gostyn Parish Family welcomed
the following children to the Catholic Faith
Madison Smith Mary Ellen Oliver Carmela Martini
through the Sacrament of Baptism recently:
Susan Conrad Kathy O’Keefe Jim Murawski
Beckett Wayne Olason,
Bonnie Pearsall Bernadette Zinzart Rudolph Spacal Son of Scott & Tamara Olason
Nicole Moyer Lois Bach Joseph Leto Riley Scott Olason,
Gary Berberich Dolores Mendoza Charles E. Zezulak, Sr Son of Scott & Tamara Olason
Hugh Toner Arlene Kucaba
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT ST. MARY’S
In Sympathy
Our deepest sympathy to the family of FULL-TIME BUSINESS OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Nancy Sterr, mother of Chris Walsh & Mary Beth Albian Primary Function: We are seeking an individual to aid the
Business Manager and Pastor in managing the financial
business of St. Mary of Gostyn Church and School. The
candidate must have the ability to work independently and
Religious Education maintain strict confidentiality.
Qualifications and Skills:
Experience in Microsoft Office, Google Docs, and
RE Calendar accounting software
Nov 24/25 - No RE - Happy Thanksgiving Bachelor’s Degree and Bookkeeping experience are a
Dec 1/2 - RE Classes plus
Advent Reconciliation for both
A more detailed description can be found on our website at
Wednesday sessions
www.stmarygostyn.org.
Dec 8/9 - RE Classes
Please send Resume and cover letter to Valerie Bava at
Advent Reconciliation for Thursday session only
vbava@stmarygostyn.org
Dec 15/16 - Advent Mass for all RE Sessions
Dec 17 to Jan 4th - No Religious Ed - Christmas Break PART TIME MAINTENANCE/HANDY PERSON OPENING
SERVICE OPPORTUNITY ~ FLEECE BLANKET DRIVE As we continue to rev up the activities going into the
C3 is collecting Fleece blankets to give to Cancer patients Advent Season, we are in need of a part-time maintenance/
undergoing treatments. handy person to augment our current staff. This position
You can donate a JoAnn Fabrics gift card to buy the will be three to four days a week, with flexible hours on
material for the blanket, you can donate the material to those days. The person will work in both the School and
make a blanket or you can donate a completed blanket. the Church. This is a great opportunity for someone who is
For more information, please go to: looking for 15-25 hours a week.
c3for cancer@gmail.com
A more detailed description can be found on our website at
~Parish Office Hours ~ www.stmarygostyn.org.
Please send Resume and cover letter to Terri O’Dekirk at
The Parish Offices will close at 12:00 Noon on
todekirk@stmarygostyn.org
Wednesday, November 24th.
The offices will also be closed Thursday, November 25th,
and Friday, November 26th for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
November 21, 2021 Page 3
Our Catholic Faith with Fr. Keith:
The fourth deck of King Hall at Naval Station
Newport is painted with many murals in each wing. The
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021 graduating classes of officers design the murals to depict
6:00 PM - Marguerite Weiss req. Jim & June Burke their time in training with encouragement for the classes
in the future. I spent many days reflecting on one in
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2021 particular which simply said “Home is wherever my
9:00 AM - Philip Vena req. Moira & Bruce Barker country needs me.” The long days of training were
physically and mentally exhausting to complete the
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021 various evolutions from firefighting, saving a sinking
9:00 AM - Deceased Members of the Metzger ship, drill, inspections, marching, and leadership. I was
& Stenner Families
consoled by offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each
day. The sailors in my wing became my parishioners
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021 - THANKSGIVING DAY
and the barracks became my parish. Living in and
9:00 AM - People of the Parish
among the sailors while ministering to them was an
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021 experience of priestly ministry in its purest form. Jesus
9:00 AM - Jerry Papievis req. Mary Ann Papievis lived with his disciples. He accompanied them along
Rita Blaney req. Martens Family their journey. And, most importantly, he was leading
them home. His home is the Kingdom Heaven, that far
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2021 distant shore to which we all sail. Home, in this sense,
4:00 PM - James Splawski req. Jim Splawski is wherever God needs us. These last five weeks were
challenging in many ways, especially being away from
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2021 family, friends, and the parish. Yet, I felt like a mission-
8:00 AM - Nancy Miriani req. Jan Miriani ary even in the experience of homesickness. At the end
10:00 AM - Marlene Schurr req. Mary Toth of this Liturgical Year our readings from the Lectionary
12:00 PM - Thomas McRickard req. St. Mary Parish & Staff focus on the end of all things: apocalypse, revelations,
Robert Earley req. Brian & Noreen Kordzinski Parousia, and the Second Coming. Perhaps, as this year
6:00 PM - People of the Parish draws to a close, we should reflect on where we have
been and where we are headed. Our true home is
heaven, where we will all be in eternal residence by
resting with the angels and saints. There, in the celestial
Stewardship homecoming, we will receive the love of God in a com-
plete manner. Many Americans will gather together with
their family and friends for Thanksgiving this week.
Spend some time giving thanks to God for the many
blessing we have received, and, as you enjoy your
A CALL TO STEWARDSHIP earthly houses, remember our heavenly home.
Weekly Collection 11/14/2021 $27,033.50
CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Weekly Goal (Fiscal Year 2021/2022) $28,000.00
Please be generous in this week’s special
Goals to Date
Sunday Goal to Date $560,000.00
collection for the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development. In the United States,
Collections to Date
Sunday Collection to Date $549,994.40
one in eight people lives in poverty. With
this collection, you support programs that
Total (Short of) Goals to Date ($10,005.60)
address the root causes of poverty and provide a sustainable
future for those struggling across the country. In addition,
Thank you for your support and generosity! 25% of the funds we collect remain in our diocese to fund
local anti-poverty projects. Please prayerfully consider how
For your convenience online donations can be made by going to: you can support this collection and those working on the
https://stmarygostyn.churchgiving.com/
margins. More information about the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development can be found at www.usccb.org/
Page 4 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King cchd.
CAMPUS UPDATES IN A YEAR OF COVID
As you can see with the financial reporting for our
fiscal year 2020-21, we have been fortunate to have
weathered the storm of lower than usual collections
November, 2021 due to the lower than usual attendance at Masses, yet
to still have a good financial report for the Parish.
Dear Parishioners,
We have also been fortunate to be able to continue
For the Christian steward, fall brings a renewed on our quest to maintain, repair, and improve the
sense of commitment. Many of us make our buildings and grounds for our campus. It has been a
commitment of time and resources to our parish busy year for the maintenance team.
during November or soon after. Stewardship renewal
brings a sense of excitement to the parish as we invite In the Church, we added automated doors at the
you to join in supporting the opportunities of service parking lot entrance to help those who have need
both at our liturgies and in our outreach. Our Catholic assistance to enter the building. We replaced the air
school and our Children and Adult Faith Formation
conditioning system in Apostles Hall, the Adoration
programs inspire hope and enthusiasm in renewing
our Church. Chapel, and the priests’ vesting room. The air condi-
tioning units serving the Business Office and the
I am proud to present our Parish Annual priests’ quarters in the Rectory were also replaced.
Report for the fiscal year July 1, 2020, to June 30,
We re-paved the crumpling concrete apron at one of
2021. Mrs. Val Bava, our Business Manager/
Bookkeeper, has been with us for 13 years. Her the entrances to our Church parking lot. Lastly, we
commitment to St. Mary of Gostyn Parish expresses converted half of the lower level of the Parish Center
her faith and love for this community. She has kept us to a pre-Kindergarten all day program classroom,
fiscally sound and mission-driven to be Christ to allowing us to still host a half day pre-school program
others. She will be retiring in January, 2022. I want to
in the LRC.
thank her for the many years of service to the priests,
deacons, and parishioners of St. Mary's. Blessings, Val, Across the street at School, we replaced the middle
on your retirement, and I look forward to you
school windows. Now all the windows in the main
continuing to be a parishioner of our parish.
school are new and energy efficient, as well as allow-
ing easier exit access if needed. Our boiler in the
Our parish faith community has been through
almost two years of dealing with the Covid-19 east side of the school was also replaced. We re-
pandemic. Yet, we have continued to stay connected, arranged and re-purposed the furniture and fixtures in
built upon our relationships based on our shared our upper level of the LRC to make way for two new
values and sacramental life. learning spaces for our STEAM lab first phase initia-
tives. We now have a Robotics/tech space as well as
Your Stewardship of Time, Talent, and a construction Makerspace. We demo’d the house
Treasure has assisted us in continuing the Mission of north of the school and expanded our playground
the Church during unusual and challenging times.
area, allowing our students to have recess there in
lieu of the Church parking lot.
I thank you for your prayers and support and
look forward to the coming year All of these improvements, repairs and changes are
Sincerely in Christ, possible due to your generosity and support for our
Parish. We are truly grateful for all that you do for St.
Mary’s.
Rev. James A. Schwab
Pastor
November 21, 2021 Page 5
PARISH HIGHLIGHTS 2020/2021
Throughout the Book of Psalms, we hear the words, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” As
I write my last Stewardship Report, these words have particular meaning for me. I am so grateful to the Lord for the oppor-
tunity to have worked and served the community of St. Mary of Gostyn for the last thirteen years, and I am thankful for all
of you and your commitment to this parish. More importantly, thank you for your support and generosity this past fiscal
year. We weathered the COVID challenges, safety requirements, and reservation system. We gathered for Mass in person
or by live streaming, and our faith remained strong. We thank all of our employees for their dedication and willingness to
keep the church and school open, sanitized, and functional this past year. And to finish this unusual year, St. Mary was the
beneficiary of two unique blessings: a generous bequest of $441,000 from a former parishioner; and forgiveness on our
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan of $522,000. Without these two extraordinary occurrences, we would have oper-
ated at a deficit instead of a surplus of over $700,000!
Our combined Sunday, Easter, Christmas and Holy Day collections ended the year $57,000 under budget.
Our CMAA Diocesan rebate totaled over $35,000, which helped offset the collection shortage.
We added $200,000 to our Maintenance Reserve for future projects and we paid off almost $300,000 on the
Activity Center loan.
The Religious Education program functioned throughout the year in a hybrid model with 343 students in
attendance.
The School operated classes during the year with an in-person, half-day hybrid model or fully remote learning. We
completed the year with 422 K-8 students and 38 Preschool students. Teachers, students, and parents all deserve
special thanks for their flexibility and commitment to teaching and learning in this unconventional manner.
School and Parish fundraisers brought in almost $150,000 despite the challenges posed by COVID restrictions.
Favorable school results due to an increase in enrollment allowed us to re-invest the $75,000 Endowment
distribution taken in July 2020, renovate half of the Underground to house our new PreK 4 program in 2021/2022,
and accrue for new Jr. High window replacements. Expenses of $81,000 were accrued for the School playground
expansion from funds raised at the 2020 Blue and Gold Gala.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS 2021/2022
Sunday collections are budgeted for $28,000 per week. Christmas, Easter, and Holy Day collections were based
on actual levels from 2019/2020 due to unusual activity in 2020/2021 and the pandemic.
Parish and school staffs were budgeted for a 2% salary increase.
The Religious Education program is budgeted for 400 students.
A part-time Director of Youth Ministry is included in the budget.
As a celebration of our school-home partnership, we froze tuition rates for 2021/2022 at the same levels as
2020/2021.
We are offering a new full day PreK 4 program (filled to capacity!) in addition to our half day preschool programs.
We budgeted for 400 K-8 students, 20 full day PreK 4 students, and 45 students in our half day 3 & 4 year old
programs.
This year’s small Endowment distribution of $19,200 will be used to help fund our new STEAM Lab improvements.
Parish fundraisers are budgeted to raise $122,500, net of costs, which is a decline from prior years. The Gala is
back in February, 2022, but the golf outing was not budgeted due to timing uncertainty.
A full-time Interventionist and part-time Math and Reading Resource teachers will continue to collaborate and
provide Student Support Team resources to students outside the classroom, most of which is funded by a generous
benefactor.
Over the summer our Learning Resource Center and School library were redesigned to allow for a STEAM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Lab to expand our program and develop new skills. Robotics activities
include drawing, programming, and coding, and Makerspace activities feature chemistry and science.
The average cost to educate one child (K-8) in 2021/2022 is budgeted at approximately $6,300 vs. the tuition rate of
$4,800.
The parish Investment in Education (subsidy) is budgeted at $420,000 for the school ($1,050 per child and 17% of
the Elementary School’s operating expenses) and $88, 327 for Religious Education and Youth Ministry.
Best regards,
Valerie Bava
Business Manager
School News
November 21, 2021 Page 9Adult Faith Page 10 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King
St. Mary of Gostyn Parish
445 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515 ~ 630 - 969 - 1063
NEW PARISHIONERS: We are happy to welcome new members to our SACRAMENT of ANOINTING: Due to Covid restrictions, you will need to
community, and encourage you to register either in person at the make arrangements by contacting the parish office.
Parish Office, or register online through our website,
www.stmarygostyn.org. FUNERALS: Arrangements are usually made by the Funeral Home or by a
family member. A member of our Bereavement team will meet with you
BAPTISMS: St. Mary of Gostyn offers baptismal preparation sessions on a
to plan the Funeral Liturgy. Eulogies can be given at the Wake Service,
monthly basis. If this is your first child, you will need to participate in a
baptismal preparation session before you can receive a date for your baby’s Interment at the Cemetery or at the Funeral Luncheon, but not at the Mass
Baptism. of Christian Burial.
Parents are the first and primary educators in the practice of the Faith. MARRIAGES: Arrangements should be made at least six months in
Godparents play an important role in the faith life of your child. While advance to provide ample time for preparation of this sacrament.
considering godparents for your child, be aware that at least one must be a
baptized and confirmed Catholic who is active in his/her faith. Please call RECONCILIATION: Confessions are heard Saturday, 8:30 to 9:30 AM in
the parish office at 630-969-1063 to register for a preparation class and to
church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also available by appointment.
schedule a baptismal date.
Please call the Parish Office (630-969-1063) to arrange to have your
BECOMING A CATHOLIC: The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) confession heard by a priest.
is a process of welcoming and preparing adults for the Sacraments of
Initiation - Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation - for full membership in the ANNULMENTS: We are available to help anyone who is in need of
Catholic Church. Unbaptized adults, adults baptized in another Christian information about how to apply for an annulment. Please contact the
faith, and baptized Catholics with little or no formal religious education are Parish Office at (630)969-1063.
invited to participate. Please call the Parish Office for further information.You can also read
