Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 27, 2008

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MASLENITSA: CARNIVAL IN OLD RUSSIA Lent will arrive early this year. I can hardly imagine Ash Wednesday on February 6! Cultures that take Lent very seriously also celebrate “Carnival.” Carnival is a reluctant farewell to “la dolce vita” — the “sweet life.” I must admit I have a fascination bordering on obsession for the culture of pre-Lent — whether it’s called Mardi Gras, Fasching, Karnival, or Maslenitsa. Last year I offered a reflection on the elegant, often other worldly, Masquerades of Venice. This year, in the arctic blasts of late January, my imagination transports me to the Nevsky Prospect and old St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg — Tsar Peter the Great’s “window to the west” — is like a haunted passage to another time. It doesn’t seem much of a “stretch” to envision ghosts of civil servants, ladies, and gentlemen of fashion, monks and scholars floating freely about this “Venice of the North.” Pushkin’s lines speak of a lost enchantment even as we shiver in the old: “The glories of these frosty days like the secret promenades in sleighs…” In old Russia, the period before Great Lent was called Maslenitsa — Butter Week. The fast of the Orthodox Church was very strict — excluding even dairy products— during Lent. Maslenitsa was Russia’s Mardi Gras. Dur-ing Maslenitsa, traveling players would perform in the streets. Slides were constructed on ice. Skating and sleighing parties occurred by day, and, at night, the dizzy whirl of masquerades and carnival balls. Fairs were held near the Winter Palace. There was something for every-one — puppet theatres, swings, dancing bears, vendors of pies and spiced drinks. At Cinselli Circus on the Fan-tanka Embankment the chief attraction was a crocodile and woman crazy enough to put her head in its mouth. The police tried to shut down the attraction as too dan-gerous. The woman protested: “It’s the only way I can make an honest living!” The police relented and the woman was eventually eaten by the crocodile! Above all else, Maslenitsa was all about eating and drink-ing. Mountains of blini (buckwheat-yeast pancakes)

were consumed. Dripping with butter, heavy with sour cream, rolled with caviar or smoked fish, blini were often eaten at all meals. But Maslenitsa was not just a Rab-elaisian “blini– bust.” It was also a vodka “death wish.” There are reliable accounts of rich merchants who literally ate and drank themselves to death during Maslenitsa! This led Leo Tolstoy, among others, to condemn the ex-cesses and follies of Carnival time. Others ignored the perils, shrugged their shoulders, and chose another form of “Russian Roulette.” The last day of Maslenitsa produced a picturesque para-dox. A straw “Prince Carnival,” seated at magnificent ta-ble, was propped up on a sled and drawn through the streets. People cried out: “Stay! Stay! Stay with us for-ever!” But alas, Prince Carnival’s reign was over. After his triumphant progress through the city, he was tossed on to a bonfire at sundown… again to the cheers of a crowd! Carnival in old Russia was “wild and crazy,” but, like Mardi Gras in all its forms, it remains a FAREWELL! On the threshold of Lent, Carnival teaches us the profound truth of Thomas Merton’s insight: “We were not made for pleasure. We were made for joy.” — Fr. Luczak

Special Projects Update - Have you seen what’s going on in the Holy Family Room? Last July I wrote that contributions to the Special Projects Collection would be used to complete some very necessary changes to the Holy Family Room. Those changes were the replacement of the carpeting with a hard surface floor, reno-vation of the restrooms, and upgrading of the kitchen facili-ties. Your very generous contributions over the past months have raised over $23,000 toward the completion of these projects. As a result, work on the laying of a new floor, began this past week. We anticipate that work will be completed by February 1st. Work on the renovation of the bathrooms will follow in the next weeks. We will be continuing our monthly Special Projects Collec-tions from February through June. We ask for your contin-ued support as we work toward our goal of raising an addi-tional $23,000 for the completion of these needed projects. Please stop by and take a look at the new floor. Thank you for your support! Robert Kerls Business Administrator

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Stewardship ………………………………………………….Sunday Collections

Weekly (This Year) 1/20/08—$8,883.33 (Last Year) 1/23/07—$9,530.72

The watchword today is “immediately.” Peter and Andrew, James and John all respond immediately to the call to the call of Christ. May I be as open to God’s call and as ready to use my talents in His service as those first disciples were!

SPIRITUAL LIFE

FROM THE LITURGY BOARD Lent overviews and Operation Rice Bowl materials will be distributed next weekend. Please be sure to check the overview for the many events the parish is offering to assist us in this Lent season of purifica-tion and enlightenment, assemble your rice bowl for your alms, and begin to learn with the home materi-als how our brothers and sisters of the world live and how our prayer and support aid them. ALTAR SERVERS DINNER AND MEETING A Pizza Dinner and brief meeting will be held on Monday, January 28th, 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. New weekend schedules will be handed out, along with the schedule for Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Please be on time. We will finish in time for RE classes. FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD Mass will be celebrated next Saturday, Feburary 2nd, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas), at 8:00 a.m. instead of the Commun-ion Service. ST. BLASE BLESSING A general St. Blase Blessing will be given at the end of all Masses next weekend, February 2-3. When Mass is finished those who wish to come forward may do so to receive an individual blessing by a priest, deacon or lay presider. ASH WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE Masses for Ash Wednesday will be at 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. A Liturgy of the Word will be held at Noon and 4:00 p.m. Ashes will be distributed during all four services. This is a day of fast and abstinence as well.

STORIES AROUND THE TABLE DINNER SERIES Plan now to participate in the Lent Soup and Stories Around the Table series which will be on Thursdays, February 7, 14, 28 and March 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., in the Parish Hall. Topics will include Divine Mercy and St. Faustina (Joan Heffernan), Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart (Fr. Luczak), Christian life as being in the world but not of the world (Fr. Kalas), and Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows (Fr. Robert Warsey, OSM). A simple soup and bread supper followed by “stories”/presentations to enlighten our journey to Easter and beyond! There is no charge for the evening but free will donations are appreciated. RSVP to the RE Of-fice, 847/966-1180, for meal-planning purposes. LENTEN PARISH MISSION The Parish Mission will be Feb. 17-20 and will focus on spirituality and different kinds of spirituality. On Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3:00 p.m. Fr. Bernard Kennedy will speak about Franciscan spirituality. The presen-tation will be followed with a pot luck dinner down-stairs in the Parish Hall (accessible by elevator) and end with Evening Prayer. Meat and beverages will be provided. RSVP to the RE Office, 847/966-1180, and let us know what salad, side dish or dessert you will bring. Monday-Wednesday the mission sessions will be at 7:00 p.m. in Church. Sr. Kathleen Maloney will talk about Benedictine spirituality on Monday, Fr. Karl Langsdorf, of the St. Patrick Missionary Society will speak on mission spirituality, and Fr. Francis Hoffman (aka Fr. Rocky of Relevant Radio) will speak about the spirituality of Opus Dei. Prayer will frame each of the presentations and hospitality will follow in the Holy Family Room. Free will donations will be gratefully accepted each evening. Babysitting will be Provided those evenings, as well. For those who prefer a day time option, we will meet Tuesday-Thursday, Feb. 19-21, at 9:30 a.m. in the Holy Family Room to view the previous evening’s presentation on video tape. Hospitality will be pro-vided and free will offerings will be gratefully ac-cepted.

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All sessions are self-contained so come for one, two, three or all four! Give yourself the gift of time as we journey through Lent and prepare to celebrate the deepest mysteries of our faith. The Spiritual Life Commission looks forward to being with you. VICARIATE PRESENTATION On Sunday, February 10th, the Office for Racial Jus-tice and Catholics United for Racial Justice are proud to sponsor a Vicariate II presentation of Story-teller Susan O’Halloran’s “Stories of RACE, Stories of PLACE, Stories of GRACE” which celebrate Car-dinal George’s pastoral letter on racism, “Dwell In My Love” and highlights the four types of racism out-lined in the pastoral. The program (appropriate for children 10 years and older and adults) begins at 3:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, 1775 Grove Street in Glenview. There is no charge for this event; however, a free will donation would be appreciated. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. For information or directions, please visit www.dwellinmylove.org.

READINGS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (green)

Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13

Psalm 146:6-10 I Corinthians 1:26-31

Matthew 5:1-12a ABOUT NEXT WEEK’S READINGS Zephaniah: “Zephaniah was a prophet who lived 700 years before Christ. These were bad times for Israel, marked by idolatry and unfaithfulness to the law. The prophet calls the people to become part of a remnant, that is, a select few who would carry their holy tradition into future generations.” I Corinthians: “The majority of early Christians were of the lower class. When Paul left the Greek city of Corinth (a major seaport of the ancient world), he was succeeded by Apollos, who was apparently a more polished preacher. Paul grew concerned that the Corinthian Christians were becoming more capti-vated with oratory than with the heart of the Gospel message.”

Today parishioners had the opportunity to make a pledge to the Annual Catho-lic Appeal which is a very positive, concrete way we can assist the Archdio-cese in providing needed ministries and services in the Archdiocese and beyond. If you did not make a pledge today, we ask you to give the appeal further thought and prayer during the week. Then next weekend, February 2-3, put your completed appeal envelope (if you received one in the mail or took one home with you) in the Sunday collec-tion basket. Or come to the Holy Fam-ily Room after any of the Masses and fill out the Annual Catholic Appeal pledge form which will be available. Pledges are payable over five months, longer if that is what you need to fulfill your pledge. Remember that once we reach our goal in support of the Arch-diocese, the rest of the money comes back to our parish to carry on our min-istries and work. Thank you for your prayerful consid-eration and generous response.

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HUMAN CONCERNS

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EDUCATION

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS *Children in Grs. 3-4 will have a safe environment session with Mrs. Stanton during class on Monday, Janu-ary 28th. Parents /guardians are welcome. We will begin at 6:50 p.m. in Rm. 12. The Fifth Grade Class will have a safe environment session with Mrs. Sanders that same evening in Rm. 11. *Confirmation Year I Retreat permission slips are to be returned to your Catechist or the RE Office by this Monday, January 28th. *The Confirmation Year I Candidates will gather for retreat at 1:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall on Saturday, Febru-ary 2nd. A meeting for parents/guardians will be held at 4 p.m. that same afternoon in the Holy Family Room. Then the Candidates and their families will attend the 5 p.m. parish Mass and participate in an Enrollment Rite during the Mass. *Next Sunday, Feb. 3, the Confirmation Year II Candidates will participate in a Commitment Rite during the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Please pray for our young people who will complete their initiation in April.

OPEN HOUSE KICKS OFF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK AT ST. JOHN BREBEUF

Don’t forget to join St. John Brebeuf School, 8301 Harlem, Niles, today for our annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week. This is a time each year when we celebrate what makes Catholic education special and honor those who contribute to our school’s excellence. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools Light The Way.” We’ve planned a variety of events that focus on different aspects of Catholic education, beginning with an open house from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Attendees will tour the school, meet the teachers and staff, partici-pate in a scavenger hunt and raffle. Snacks and beverages will also be served. Come see how St. John Bre-beuf School lights the way! St. John Brebeuf serves students in preschool through eighth grades of all religious, racial, ethnic, and in-come backgrounds. For more information on the curriculum, admissions, and registration, contact the school office at 847-966-3266 or visit our newly designed website www.sjbschool.org

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SNOWFLAKE CARD AND BUNCO PARTY

There are still tickets left for

our Women’s Club Card and Bunco Party

Tuesday, January 29th, 7:00 p.m., Church Hall.

There will be snacks, coffee, treats

and Table Prizes.

Spend an evening having a really good

time Playing the game of your choice with

your friends or making new friends.

Donation is $10.00

Tickets can be purchased at the Rec-tory, or from a member of the SIJ

Women’s Club.

PARISH LIFE

LENTEN MORNING OF REFLECTION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 09,2008

Catching a Sense of How God is Revealed in the Stories of Our Lives."

The Women's Club and the Ministers of Care of St. Isaac Jogues Parish invite everyone, men and women, to a Lenten Morning of Reflection on Satur-day, February 9, 2008. The morning will begin with the usual Saturday Communion Service at 8:00 a.m. in the church. This will be followed by Continental Breakfast in the Holy Family Room. At approximately 8:45 a.m., Morning Prayer will be celebrated. Then Fr. Ron Kalas will offer two reflections on the power of sto-ries in our lives. After each reflection participants will be offered some quiet time for personal prayer, then some time will be given for those present to share some stories from their life or the life of people they know, or events that have touched them and re-vealed the presence of God. The morning will con-clude around 11:30 a.m. As Fr. William Bausch writes in his book, "Touching the Heart Story” is human imperative. Story defines our humanity, lends identity to tribes and nations, asks questions, poses our problems, cuts us down to size, and dangles mystery before our eyes. The great-est storybook is the Bible for it tells many stories and reveals God's presence and God's relationship with us. During the Lenten Season we could do no better than to make time to reflect on the Lenten Bible Readings and understand how they intersect with our lives. Catching a sense of how this can happen for you will be the reward of the morning. Plan to come and bring someone with you. Tickets will be available at the door and the donation is $10 per person. Please RSVP to Alice Flanagan at 847-966-9832.

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“CONSIDER YOUR OWN, CALLING, BROTH-

ERS AND SISTERS.” Today's Second Reading inspires us to live for God in our daily lives. Come and let your vocation of Marriage be renewed on a Worldwide Marriage En-counter Weekend! The next Weekends are February 8 -10, April 11 -13, or June 6 - 8. For reservations, call Jim & Kris at 1-800-442-3554 or contact us at www.wwmechicago-gary.org.

Sunday, January 27 7:30 am Vicente & Leda Serrano 9:00 am Stanley Banas & Raymond Zabarowski 10:30 am Melva Barker 12:00 pm For The Living & Deceased Members Of St. Isaac Jogues & Their Families; Mary Splinter Monday, January 28 8:00 am Purgatorial Society; Maciej Wojcik Tuesday, January 29 8:00 am Carl R. Clark Wednesday, January 30 8:00 am Friedrich Krauss Thursday, January 31 8:00 am John Burke Friday, February 1 8:00 am William Gaines Saturday, February 2 8:00 am Sr. Mary Ellen Luczak & Virginia Luczak 5:00 pm For The Living & Deceased Members Of St. Isaac Jogues & Their Families Sunday, February 3 7:30 am Richard Arendt 9:00 am Steven Zourkas 10:30 am Marius Zurat 12:00 pm Eduardo Rodriguez & Erlando Giron

Reconciliation

Fr. McGlynn

Liturgies next weekend February 2—3

Presider

5:00 pm Fr. Kalas/Deacon Stanton 7:30 am Visiting Priest/Deacon Sia 9:00 am Fr. Stagaman/Deacon Sia 10:30 am Fr. Luczak/Deacon Stanton 12:00 pm Fr. McGlynn/Deacon Ranola

Altar Servers

5:00 pm Fiona Vachachira, Adam Ratner Anissa Vachachira 7:30 am Oskar Bednarek, Max Mattappillil, Chrystal Mattappillil 9:00 am Katherine Lenart, Christy Manaois, Christian Manaois 10:30 am Pamela Lerias, Nilakshi Fernando, Samantha Lopez 12:00 pm Kathleen DeLeon, Thomas Malitz, Ian DeLeon

Sacristy Committee Diane Bauer, Janet Grant

Relatives & Friends

Please remember the sick and hospitalized: Glori Anderson, Bob Arns, Lisa Danielle, Margaret Dietz,

Steve Farago, Philip Godfrey, Fr. Bernard Kennedy, Lawrence Kotwica, Mark Koz, Maria Ladd,

Megan Lawler, Jeffrey McCarthy, Lillian McCloud, Bob Meyers, Marilyn Michaels, Dana Michelle,

Tammy Heffernan Propst, Tony Romito, Joseph Sclafani, Paul Sitkowski, Pat Terzakis, Esther Turner, Joseph Vasile, Chuck Watson,

Joe Wleklinski, Mary Zimniewicz, Megan Zimniewicz Upshaw

Also please pray for the faithful departed:

Fred Berresheim, father of Margaret Bolger

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Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:14

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PASTOR: Rev. Andrew Luczak PASTORAL STAFF: Mr. Bob Kerls, Parish Business Administrator Mrs. Dolores Stanton,Director of Religious Education Mrs. Patricia Kellen, Parish Nurse Mrs. Lisa Hall, Music Director DEACON COMMUNITY: Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. O’Keefe Mr. Rod Ranola Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Stanton WEEKEND LITURGY PRESIDERS: Rev. Ron Kalas Rev. Larry Janowski, O.F.M. Rev. Bernard Kennedy, O.F.M. Rev. Philip McGlynn, O.S.M. Rev. David Stagaman, S.J. Eucharistic Celebrations: Sunday: 7:30, 9:00, 10:30, & 12:00 Noon Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM Saturday: 8:00 AM & 5:00 PM Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturday, 11:00 - 12:00 Noon or anytime by request.

Sacrament of Matrimony: Must be registered for six months prior to setting the wedding date with an addi-tional six months for necessary preparation. Note: The following wedding times can be scheduled: Friday at 5:00 p.m.; Saturday at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.; Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (Ceremony only) Sacrament of Baptism: Second and fourth Sunday of each month at 1:30 PM. Baptism Preparation Session must be completed before Baptism. Contact the Parish Office as soon as possible for details. Parish Office Website: http://sij-parish.com E-mail: office@sij-parish.com 8149 Golf Road, Niles, IL. 60714. . . . . . . 967-1060 Mrs. Janet Piovosi (Parish Secretary) Mrs. Emilie Casacchia (Data Processor) Mrs. Marlene Garber (Data Processor) Mrs. Jane Piper (Bulletin Editor) Religious Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 966-1180 Staff Secretary Parish Nurse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 967-1094 Music Ministry. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 967-1091 Parish Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965-1091 Ministry Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 965-6911 Parish School: St. John Brebeuf School. . . . . . . . . 966-3266 Principal: Mrs. Margaret Whitman

ADDING NAMES TO THE PARISH SICK LIST It has always been the policy of St. Isaac Jogues to offer our parish community an opportunity to pray for those parish-ioners who are ill and in need of our prayers. We have tried to keep close track of these names for our Bulletin as they are made available to us. However, now we face an important privacy issue, very much like the issues faced by hospitals, health institutions, and certainly by other parishes. We cannot (by law) publicly let our parish community know the health status of any of our members without their permission. We appreciate the fact that often friends, neighbors, and acquaintances wish to do something special for a person who is ill, and ask to place their name on the list to be prayed for. While their intentions are surely good, we simply can no longer accept names in this manner. We will institute a new process regarding calling in names for the Bulletin list. Names for the sick list placed in the Bulletin have to be called in by the person who is ill, or by a member of their family. At the time they call in the name, they will be asked whether they are the sick person him/ herself, or a member of their family, and if they give permission for the name to be placed on the list. They will be asked for the cor-rect spelling of the sick person's name. If a family member, they will be required to give their name for our records. Thank you for your patience regarding this new process. We wish to do all we can to offer our parish community the opportunity to offer prayers for those who are ill — but we must also be cognizant of the fact that all members of our con-gregation are entitled to their privacy in this regard.