Friday, November 10, 2023

The Feast of St. Josaphat

Sunday, November 12

Hello! My name is Ethan Buck, some of you may have seen me at JosaFEST, Alpha, or just lurking in the rectory basement. These past few months I have been working on reorganizing the archival material that has been collected by your church, and school, for the last 140 years. I am currently a 4th year student at the University of Chicago, and this project not only helps out the parish, but also helps me by serving as my culminating experience in the History department.

Since I’ve been here, the whole community has been so welcoming and kind, and I absolutely adored being able to chat with folks at JosaFEST about some objects I selected from the collection. In honor of the Feast of St. Josaphat, I will again be sharing some items with the community after 10:00 am Mass this Sunday, November 12. To build the excitement, and for those of you who may not be able to make it, I wanted to share a few items with you now.

The first is a photo that comes from a series of engraved copper plates that would have been used by parishioners when printing images in church newsletters, bulletins, and commemorative books. The photo I’ve chosen to share with you today depicts the steel skeleton of the church building, from 1899.

After the frame had been assembled, the workers went home for the day, awaiting the arrival of the bricklayers who would begin their work the following morning. However, that night, a cyclone struck and sent the steel beams toppling over into the combined school/church building. According to the Centennial commemorative book, the damage was not covered by insurance, but the will of the parishioners remained undaunted, and the cornerstone was blessed and laid just one year later in 1900. This photo reminds us of the hardships that previous generations faced just to forge a parish of their own, and makes it clear just how lucky we are to have such an amazing building.

Next, I wanted to highlight a set of ribbons that would have been worn by a member of St. Josaphat’s mutual aid society.

I have been fascinated by the colors of these ribbons ever since I first saw them. The red and yellow ribbon would be worn for special events and masses, while the black ribbon was reserved for funerals. The “Towarzystwo” translates to “society”, while “Pomocy” translates to “help,” showing that this group carried out charitable work within the parish. Mutual aid is quite common in churches, and in this case involved a group of men who would have pulled together support for parishioners going through a rough time. I selected this piece not only because of the beautiful sequins and metalwork, but also because it reminds us in the present to continue to support and uplift our fellow community members.

Last but not least comes an edition of the church bulletin.

While this selection may seem nondescript, I am choosing to highlight the use of Spanish to invite new worshippers. Even though I grew up in Chicagoland, I never knew the rich Latino history of Lincoln Park. During the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Latino families began moving to Lincoln Park, many of whom were Puerto Rican, some of the first immigrants from the island to arrive in Chicago. It is here in Lincoln Park that the organization known as the Young Lords, founded as a street gang, grew into an civil rights organization advocating for the poor and the Latino community. St. Josaphat itself had a significant Latino population and at one point offered four Sunday masses: two in English, one in Polish, and one in Spanish. In 1980, 30% of parish families were Mexican or Mexican-American, and there were certainly other Spanish speakers in the 20% of families designated as “other backgrounds.”

The use of Spanish to welcome new residents, and the ads on the back of the bulletin for “El Sombrero Restaurant” and “Migdalia’s Grocery: Mexican and American Foods” show that the demographics of the parish have always been changing. Unfortunately, due to urban renewal, much of the Hispanic population moved from Lincoln Park, but I hope this item demonstrates that St. Josaphat’s very existence helps to continue the legacy of all its former Latino parishioners. The fact that the demographics of the church have changed multiple times reinforces the idea that we should do our best to steward the parish so future generations can enjoy.

That stewardship is the main goal I would like to accomplish in my project: To make sure that the archival work of St. Josaphat Parish does not stop when I leave, but rather that the archive will continue to grow with the parish community. Thank you all so much for allowing me to be a part of your parish's storied history, and I can’t wait to talk to all of you on St. Josaphat’s feast day.

COMING UP...

Saturday 11/11 -Veteran's Day

4:15 pm Reconciliation

5:00 pm Mass

Sunday 11/12 - Feast of St. Josaphat

8:00 am Mass

10:00 am Mass & Parish Service Award Presentation

Monday 11/13

8:00 am Mass

7:00 pm Baptismal Preparation

Tuesday 11/14

8:00 am Mass

10:00 am Breaking Open the Word

7:00 pm Holy Hour

7:00 pm PTO

Wednesday 11/15

8:00 am All School Mass

8:00 am Morning Alpha

6:00 pm Middle School Youth Ministry

6:00 pm Liturgy Committee

6:30 pm Evening Alpha

7:30 pm Adult Choir

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

The Giving Tree

It's back! The Giving Tree is in the back of church now until Sunday, December 3rd. This ministry coordinates the needs of local partnering organizations and families with the generous spirit of our parishioners in order to provide gifts and the necessities of life (food, clothing, baby formula, diapers, car seats, etc.) to those in need in our neighborhood and beyond. If you are able to participate, just select a wish list tag off the Giving Tree or select from the online SignUp Genius. We need to collect all gifts by Tuesday, December 5th so that we can get them to their recipients before Christmas.

Advent Calendars for Sale

For their Christmas service project, St. Josaphat School’s FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) is selling chocolate-filled Advent calendars! Buy one for your family, or for a child in need at a neighboring school, and a portion of all proceeds will be donated to charity. Calendars will be sold before and after the 10 am Mass on Sunday, November 19. Help kids in need—and count down to Christmas!

Christmas Tree Lot

Each year, our Fr. Grassi Community Park is transformed into a Christmas Tree Lot! Since 2006, the Latzig family has been bringing beautiful fresh cut trees straight from their Wisconsin tree farm for you to purchase, and they donate a percentage of each sale back to our parish. The lot opens on Friday, November 24 (Friday after Thanksgiving) and stays open until the trees are sold out. In recent years, the lot has sold out in less than 2 weeks, so please plan ahead. Christmas Tree Lot hours are: Weekdays 11a-8p and Weekends 9a-8p.

Bethlehem Arts

Looking for a meaningful Christmas gift? On Saturday, November 25 & Sunday, November 26, we will host representatives of the Catholic Christian Community from Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the Holy Land, who will be displaying handcrafted olive wood religious figurines and articles for sale. Due to the reduction of tourism, the Catholic Community has come to depend more on the sale of these articles abroad to survive. The woodcarvings are beautiful and reflect faith and love for the Lord. Please consider purchasing a gift that will be remembered and cherished for yourself or someone dear to you. The handcrafted olive wood religious figurines and articles will be available for purchase after all the weekend Masses.

Advent Wreath Making

All Parish families are invited to join our annual Advent Wreath Making event on Sunday, November 26th. Those who have participated in the past will tell you that it is an evening that will warm your heart. It is a great family activity, but it isn’t limited to the “traditional” idea of family. All are invited! Each year we will gather in the gym to assemble our wreaths and learn the true meaning of the Advent Wreath. Invite Grandparents! We supply all the materials. We are asking for a donation of $50.00 per wreath to help defray costs. Please reserve your spot before Thursday, November 23rd so that we have materials for you.

Nativity Nights

Our Nativity Nights offer you the opportunity to take part in Eucharistic Adoration. The church will be open each week on Tuesdays from 7-8pm beginning November 28, until Christmas. The Eucharist will be present on the altar in the monstrance surrounded by candlelight. The lights in the church will be dimmed and there will be Advent music playing in the background. It will be a very warm and inviting atmosphere for you to come and enter into as you spend some quiet time in prayer with our Lord. The expectation is that people will come and go throughout the evening. This is simply a time for you to be free of the hustle and bustle that can sometimes overtake the Christmas season and just spend a few minutes in quiet prayer with Jesus.

Help for Migrants

Following St. Josaphat School’s very successful coat/shoe drive, we are partnering with the other Lincoln Park/Old Town parishes to provide continued assistance to migrants: a hot lunch for some 200 men, women, and children housed at the 18th District Police Station. They’re staying there under adverse conditions as they await placement in a shelter. Having very few, if any resources of their own, they rely on the generosity of others to fulfill their basic needs. Please join this multi-parish effort on Sunday, December 3 at 10:30am at Immaculate Conception parish hall (1431 N. North Park) to assemble and deliver a hot lunch - families welcome! (See signup below.) If you’re not available on that day and still want to help, sign up to provide any one of several items needed for the lunch: chili, cornbread, apples, cookies, water, lunch bags, containers for chili. There’ll also be boxes outside of Immaculate Conception that day to collect needed items such as backpacks, warm blankets, tarps, diapers, etc. And if you can’t drop off your donations, let us know - we’ll get it there!

SJS Tour & Coffee

Join us for a Tour & Coffee to learn all about St. Josaphat School! All tours begin at 9am on the following Fridays:

December 1st, 2023
January 12th, 2024
February 9th, 2024
March 15th, 2024

Unity Award Nominations

Every year we honor an individual or organization who has exemplified the spirit of bringing people together and making the Gospel present - as St. Josaphat gave his life in this effort - with the St. Josaphat Unity Award. The Award, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, is presented at the Unity Gala Kickoff Mass. Deadline for nominations is 12/31.