Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church 10600 S. Archer Avenue | Lemont, Illinois 60439-9344 (Ph) 630.257.7000 | (Fx) 630.257.7912 | E-mail: [email protected] |Website: www.historicstjames.org Facebook: https://Facebook.com/Saint James At Sag Bridge September 3, 2017 Twenty-Second Ordinary Sunday Schedule WEEKENDS: Saturdays: 5:00pm Sundays: 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30am HOLY DAYS: 8:15am & 7:00pm WEEKDAYS: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:15am & Fridays 6:00pm Wednesday: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 5:00-7:00pm, w/Confessions at 6:30pm & Mass at 7:00pm. CONFESSION SCHEDULE: Saturdays, 9:30am-10:00am Wednesdays, 6:30pm Otherwise by appointment BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS & FUNERALS: Contact the rectory office (630.257.7000). SICK & HOMEBOUND PASTORAL CARE: Please notify rectory.

RECTORY OFFICE HOURS: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu & Fri: 9:30am to REMINDER 1:00pm. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH LABOR DAY FIRST SATURDAYS: Beginning in MASS IS AT 8:30 AM June until October there will be an 8:30am Mass.

Page Two September 3, 2017

FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR, FR. THOMAS KOYS, M.A.,S.T.L. The universal eternal truth we hear when we open So, does this example mean that I am in favor of our minds to the great treasures of the Catholic faith smashing the statues of the Confederate soldiers? By shed light upon our modern issues. Here is another no means. What needs smashing is the belief in the example of how accurate this statement is. St. Augus- institution of slavery, not the institution of love for tine, whose feast we just celebrated (Aug 28) wrote and willingness to fight for one’s home land. It’s a the following. very good example to consider to accept the fact that people can be complicated. It is a mark of wisdom to “Many pagans have these abominations (statues to see that people can have multiple motivations. To their pagan gods) erected on their estates. Do we carry St. Augustine’s insight further, if the statues march in and smash them? The first thing we try to that are being attacked were statues that unambigu- do is to break the idols in their hearts. When they too ously praised slavery, it would be a much different become Christians, they either invite us in to perform story. If Richmond, Virginia had a statue, for in- this good work, or they get in first with it before us. stance, of a slave owner whipping a slave, it would The thing we have to do now is pray for them, not get be noble to smash it. But there are no statues of slave angry with them.” owners whipping slaves in the South. Why, because, as St. Augustine says, that “idol” has already been So, how is this related to events in the news to- smashed in the hearts of all Americans. day? It would be very wrong to make the comparison between ancient pagans and the Southerners of the Now, here is a point you will never hear on the Confederacy during and after the Civil War, in the news. It is a political fact, that the Southern States, sense that the South was a pagan culture. The South which were once predominately Democratic are now was preeminently a Christian culture. However, it predominately Republican. It is crucial to ask why. Is was predominately Christian in the Protestant sense it not obvious, that Southern Republicans have con- of Christianity. The power of St. Augustine’s words verted from the Democratic party, because, amidst a is found in the patient understanding attitude that number of reasons, the Republican party has become Christians are supposed to have with those that op- the part of the dignity of unborn children? Once this pose them. I’m sure that St. Augustine knew and hard truth is swallowed, a different twist on the loved many good pagan citizens of his day. Referring “dignity of the human person” immerges. If this to the smashing of a pagan statue as a “good work” makes any sense to you, please ask Fr. Koys for a can cause the modern college educated person to copy of his book, “The Ashes That Still Remain.” seek out the nearest “safe space”. But St. Augustine’s constant devoted affection and friendship with all the Thanks to all who contribute to the Maintenance pagans of his town demonstrates the fact that what fund. A new air conditioning condenser was installed Augustine wants smashed is the false ideologies of over the summer. the pagan gods. He wouldn’t want one finger on any pagan harmed.

Twenty-Second Ordinary Sunday Page Three

Heralds of the Gospel until we are given the grace by God to be such; and we won’t be given that grace until we want it. So let us start wanting it. The other pre-requisite, before we can even get started, is to get into the mindset of proclamation. There is only one Truth, that of Jesus Christ and His Church, and we should not allow ourselves to be infected with the heresy of indifferentism, the idea that every “truth” is somehow valuable. We have to be forthright, and we must not give an inch when it comes to the truth of the faith. Talking of which, I just love this story about Blessed Dominic: “[When a IF WE WANT CONVERTS, WE MUST BE AS UNCOM- Protestant minister] followed Barberi along a street shouting out various PROMISING AS BLESSED DOMINIC BARBERI arguments against , Barberi was silent, but as the man was about to turn off, Barberi retorted: ‘Jesus Christ said over the conse- Article taken from Catholic Herald crated elements, ‘This is my body.’ You say ‘No. It is not his body!’ Who Like Blessed Dominic, we have to tell it like it is, without coward- then am I to believe? I prefer to believe Jesus Christ.’” Like Blessed Dom- ice and without apology. inic, we have to tell it like it is, without cowardice and without apology. Something similar is happening today in certain quarters, as readers of On Saturday the in England celebrated the memorial the Catholic Herald will have noticed. Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, of the Blessed Dominic of the Mother of God, the Passionist beatus for example, has met challenges to the Catholic faith head on. This can- better known as Dominic Barberi, whose major claim to fame is that he not have been easy at all times for His Lordship, and he has had the received the Blessed into the Church. He is not equivalent on the stones and mud that Blessed Dominic endured thrown yet a saint, which means that his cult is only celebrated in this country at him, but he has stuck to his guns. As a result (and yes, I do think there where he spent a significant part of his pastoral labors; but even in is a direct connection between the two) the diocese of Portsmouth now England he remains too little known. Every saint has something to has 14 young men entering seminaries this year, the highest in living teach us, and Blessed Dominic is no exception. Newman had this to memory. say about him: Father Dominic was a marvelous missioner and a preacher filled with PRIEST USES HIS KAYAK TO REACH HURRICANE VICTIMS IN zeal. He had a great part in my own conversion and in that of others. TEXAS His very look had about it something holy. When his form came within sight, I was moved to the depths in the strangest way. The gaiety and Fr. David Bergeron of the Companions of the Cross is an associate affability of his manner in the midst of all his sanctity was in itself a director of Houston’s Catholic Charismatic Center. Marooned three holy sermon. No wonder that I became his convert and his penitent. miles from home on Saturday night by the flooding caused by Hurricane He had a great love for England. Harvey, the priest spent the night in his truck. On Sunday morning, he Blessed Dominic was known for his kindness and his sense of humor. decided to journey to the Center by kayaking and portaging when he He even cracked the odd joke. But it was zeal that was his chief char- reached dry road. A keen kayaker, he already had a vessel on hand. acteristic, which drew souls to God. He actually believed with all his When Fr. Bergeron found some people stranded along his route, he heart what he wanted other people to come to believe as well, and his tried to buy some wine so he could celebrate Mass with them. He was converts knew it. That was why there were so many of them. foiled by local laws prohibiting alcohol sales before noon on Sundays. Blessed Dominic’s life in England was remarkably short, less than a Instead, he bought some food for fellow priests and while in his kayak decade, and he was not a young man when he ministered here, but escorted a swimmer to safety. his efforts certainly bore fruit. Most of his energies went into preaching The French-Canadian Bergeron found his interview with ABC a teacha- retreats and holding missions. The retreats were important for the ble moment and explained that his mode of transportation was akin to clergy, religious and seminarians, who would, in their turn, pass on the methods used by French priests before him. what they had heard. They would be pretty full on “total immersion” “I guess this is the way the Americas were evangelized as well,” he told experiences with sermons, periods of silence, prayers and devotions the ABC reporter, “with the canoe and this is a kayak. … I hope that can lasting all day, from very early in the morning until late at night. As for bring a smile to a few people, and I’m praying for everyone who is in the missions, which would usually take place in industrial urban cen- need, obviously.” ters, these were pretty exhausting and exhaustive too, consisting of series of sermons early in the morning and late at night, for workers, Bergeron has been receiving text messages from parishioners who’d and various devotions during the day, as well as numerous opportuni- seen him paddling by on TV. He told the reporter about some families ties to go to confession. They certainly drew in the crowds, and in this endangered by the flood, and pondered psalms that mentioned rain: they probably got a free helping hand from the Protestant clergy who “but now we have enough rain, so we need to repent whatever we need would do all they could to try and dissuade people from going. to repent and go on.” Blessed Dominic was frequently assaulted in the street, verbally and Bergeron is continuing to kayak around the area to visit his parishioners physically, and had stones and mud thrown at him, as he walked along and give them hope. He tells them to be grateful to be alive and that in his Passionist habit, wearing his biretta. He did not mind at all, and “Jesus Christ is alive, and he is the One who wants for us to continue to perhaps knew that attracting any attention at all was always good for have hope,” as he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “As a the Gospel. Catholic priest, I know that our only hope is with our Lord and Savior.” Catholics today know that we should concentrate on mission not Reflecting on heroism, like that of neighbors helping neighbors in this maintenance. There can be no debate about that, but the truth re- catastrophe, Bergeron told the CBC reporter that it was “doing little mains that we have very little clue about how to go about mission. the things with great love that makes [all] the difference in the world.” first thing to do is to pray for these virtues. We won’t become heralds He has been praying for the Coast Guard and others helping the strand- of the Gospel until we are given the grace by God to be such; and we ed Texans and encouraged his countrymen to be in union with their won’t be given that grace until we want it. So let us start wanting it. suffering neighbors to the south.

Our Weekly Offertory collection from the weekend of August 27, 2017 was $3,810.00. The number of envelopes used was 96. OUR MANY THANKS TO OUR REGISTERED FAMILIES USING ENVELOPES & THE CASH-AND-CARRY FOLKS.

Our CHURCH CLEANERS FOR FRIDAY 9/08/17 Are Margaret, Grace, Bronislawa & volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the rectory office at 630.257.7000.

VOTIVE OFFERINGS FORTHE WEEK OF9/03/17 St. James Altar & Rosary Society Eduardo Carpio Get well Karyn Cimaroli Joseph Curry Health & healing for Aniela Pawlikowski In memory of Lillian Simanavicius

Our beautiful bouquets of flowers surrounding our altar were made available special int. of GUY & DOREEN PEARMAN &in loving memory of JAMES “JAY” SENDZIAK

23RD ORDINARY SUNDAY 9/09 & 9/10/17 Altar Celebrant Servers Lectors Dooley 5:00 PM Fr. Tom L. Koys Dooley Pieprzyca Zabilka S. Carver 8:00 AM Fr. Ed M. Gleeson (?) Dillenburg Dillenburg Dillenburg

9:30 AM Fr. Tom A.Bertucci P. Koys J. Strzelczyk Brunk J. Strzelczyk 11:30 AM Fr. Tom J.P. Colarelli M. Koys M. Colarelli Fleckenstein A. Gallager

Monday September 4th-Labor Day 8:30 AM Jim Gilboy

Tuesday September 5th 8:15 AM Patricia Carpino

Wednesday September 6th 7:00 PM Julianne Kalata & Julia & Frank Kalata & Guy & Doreen Pearman Thursday September 7th 8:15 AM Wtadyslaw Matlawski Family Friday September 8th-Nativity of the BMV 6:00 PM Blessing & thanksgiving–Pabin Family & In loving memory of John Nowocin

TWENTY-THIRD ORDINARY SUNDAY Saturday September 9th-St. Peter Claver 5:00 PM Barbara & Leon John Pieprzyca Sunday September 10th 8:00 AM Favorable decision on the Asphalt Plant 9:30 AM John Hanchar 11:30 AM Kathleen Biggane

Join Us for a Spin Back in Time ALVERNIA MANOR SENIOR LIVING 2ND ANNUAL SOCK HOP FUNDRAISER SAT., SEPT. 9th, 2017 6:00pm to 10:00pm At THE SLOVENIAN - CULTURAL CENTER 14252 Main St, Lemont, IL 60439 DINNER – DANCING – (CASH BAR) $25.00/INDIVIDUAL OR $200.00/TABLE OF 10 Don’t forget to wear your dancing shoes! for a hopping good time!