SAINT ISAAC JOGUES PARISH 8149 Golf Road ~ Niles, IL 60714 847/967-1060 ~ Fax # 847/967-1070 Website: http://sij-parish.com Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. -Mark 16:16 The Ascension of the Lord May 20, 2012 Page Two The Ascension of the Lord May 20, 2012 OUR LADY OF KAZAN She was acclaimed patroness and protector of not only Kazan and Moscow, but all of Russia. In 1709, during a Swedish invasion and again in 1812, during the Napoleonic occupation, Our Lady of Kazan was again successfully invoked. While honored in Kazan, Yaroslavl, and Moscow, a new shrine was completed in St. Petersburg in 1821. Here the tsar and his imperial court regularly wor- shipped. In 1904, the image - - reputed to be the original—- was stolen. Since then, there has been little agreement about the whereabouts of the original. There were almost from the start, “copies.” Many of these were esteemed with the same reverence and devotion as the original. The holy icon of Our Lady of Kazan has had a long history. The original image may have its provenance in Constantinople. Some say it came to Russia as early as the 13th Century. The icon was first enshrined in Kazan, where Our Lady be- came the protector and patroness of that city. When the Tatars captured Kazan in 1438, they made it their capital. The icon of Our Lady disap- peared for more than a century. In 1552, Kazan was liberated by Ivan the Terrible, and the Tatars were defeated. In 1579, Kazan was destroyed by fire. Shortly thereafter, a ten year old girl named Matrona had a dream. Her dream dis- closed where the image of Our Lady of Kazan was Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan to be found. Matrona went to the Archbishop and civil authorities with her story, but no one believed. With the defeat of the Russo-Japanese War and Her. On July 8, 1579, Matrona and her mother dug the onset of World War I, the Russian Empire was up the image themselves. It had been buried un- torn by revolution and then beset by Godless der a house to protect it from the Tatars. The im- Communism. It is widely believed that the most age was beautifully preserved. When the venerated icon of Our Lady of Kazan had been Archbishop saw it, he accepted its authenticity. sold after the Revolution. Marvelously, a 1730 Venerated first in the Church of St. Nicholas, the copy was presented to the Blue Army in Fatima in icon was deemed “miraculous.” Hermogen, a the 1970s. Housed in a lovely onion-domed priest of that Church, would later become Metro- chapel, the icon drew many pilgrims to pray for the politan of Kazan and then Patriarch of Moscow. conversion of Russia. In 1985, I was one of them! The icon and the patriarch seemed inseparable. Since then, Our Lady of Kazan has joined other During the “Time of Troubles,” when Polish troops images of the Blessed Virgin that I personally occupied Moscow, the patriarch entrusted the icon honor and revere most. to Princes Minin and Pozharsky, the leaders of the military resistance. On October 22, 1612, the Rus- In 1993, the Fatima icon was given to Pope John sians recaptured Moscow. The victory was attrib- Paul II. He took it to the Vatican and kept it in his uted to Our Lady of Kazan. A shrine was dedi- study for 11 years. He said of the icon: cated to Our Lady of Kazan in the Kremlin. Page Three The Ascension of the Lord May 20, 2012 “it has found a home with me and has accompanied my daily service to the Church with its motherly gaze.” Pope John Paul yearned to visit Moscow and Kazan. He intended to present the icon to the Russian Ortho- dox Church in person. When this proved impossible, it was officially returned in August of 2004. Patriarch Alexis II placed it in Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin with great solemnity. I see the icon of Our Lady of Kazan as a symbol of restoration of the Faith to Russia and as an instrument of reconciliation between the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Communions. May Our Lady quicken our hopes and hasten the day of reunion! -Fr. Luczak SPIRITUAL LIFE LITURGY BOARD The Liturgy Board meets this Tuesday, May 22nd, at 7:30 p.m. in Rm. 6 of the school. The Corpus Christi Outdoor Procession and other special Masses to be held this summer will be discussed. Mass The Memorial Day Mass will be at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 28th. Please note that this will be the only Mass of the day. ALTAR FLOWERS The 2013 Mass Book is now CAN BE A available. Anyone wishing to BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE reserve Masses for loved ones or special intentions may do so. Parishioners are invited to decorate the altar with flowers in honor or memory of a loved one. There will be two ar- Please note: rangements each week. Your name and intention will be we will take only one intention for each liturgy. listed in the Bulletin. We suggest a $10.00 stipend for each Mass. According to the Code of Canon Law 948: Separate The cost of a flower arrangement will be $50.00. Masses must be applied for the intentions of those for After Pentecost, Altar Flowers will be available from the whom an individual offering, even if small, has been weekend of June 3rd through Thanksgiving Day, made and accepted. November 22nd. What is normative in the practice of the Church is that there be separate individual Masses offered for Dates fill up quickly, so please book well in advance. individual intentions. Please call the Rectory at 847-967-1060 to arrange a date and make your remembrance special! Page Four The Ascension of the Lord May 20, 2012 CHURCH IMPROVEMENT: Question & Response Dear Father Luczak, I have a suggestion as to how you can solve the problem of replacing the church carpeting without incur- ring an exorbitant cost and without entering into a challenging situation of asbestos abatement. I would have the carpeting professionally cleaned once more to ensure that it is as clean as it can possibly be. Then, I suggest that you install new carpeting right on top of the old carpeting, without removing any old carpeting. Since the old carpeting is glued to the asbestos tiles, there will be no chance of the tile becom- ing unglued to pose a health hazard. The asbestos tiles will remain in place and we will all benefit from having new carpeting in the church. The old carpeting will act as a liner…… J. Dear J. Thank you for you suggestion. It seems like a sensible solution to our problem. However, it actually adds another layer to the problem. Whenever we face a complex and potentially expensive project, we call upon the Archdiocesan Office of Facilities and Construction. After describing your suggestion, this is what we were told: • The Archdiocese of Chicago does not allow the “covering” of any asbestos materials and—any/all hazardous materials must be removed by approved vendors specializing in abatement • We can’t delay the cost of removal by “covering” the hazardous material Covering sub-standard materials (old carpeting, cracked tiles, etc.) actually weakens them, potentially resulting in asbestos exposure We are not allowed to increase the eventual cost of abatement resulting from the addition of new layers of flooring • Flooring warranties and guarantees are voided if new material is placed down over sub-standard or hazardous materials We understand your concern. We know that it is a concern you share with many parishioners. The ex- pense and inconvenience of addressing our asbestos problem properly is of secondary importance com- pared to the safety of our parishioners and the long-term functionality of our Church building. In our search for a permanent solution to this problem, we will continue to work with approved vendors and promise to share what they advise. We will keep the parish informed each step of the way. -Fr. Luczak Page Five The Ascension of the Lord May 20, 2012 HUMAN CONCERNS MINISTRY OF CARE The Ministry of Care will be on Tuesday, May 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Following dinner we will have a brief meeting to review next year’s calendar and discuss any issues and then have our discussion of the book Don’t Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart. RSVP to the RE Office by Tuesday, May 22nd, if you have not already done so. Thank you! JUNE 3 CHICAGO-WIDE “ECUMENICAL SUNDAY” On Sunday, June 3rd (Trinity Sunday in the Western Church and Pentecost in the Orthodox Church) St. Isaac Jogues Parish has the opportunity to join with other Catholics and Christians in the Chicago area at St. Hedwig Church for a Prayer for Christian Unity observance. Refreshments and conversation will be from 4-5 p.m. followed by a prayer service, 5-6 p.m. Cardinal George is scheduled to be present. Our parish has been asked to make a small display of what we did during the Week of Prayer for Chris- tian Unity in January of this year to share with participants. It is our plan to provide a bus to St. Hedwig if enough people indicate an interest. The church is lo- cated at 2226 N. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago. We would leave about 2:45 p.m. and return about 7 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to experience this special observance with other followers of our Lord Jesus Christ! Please sign up today in the Holy Family Room or contact the Religious Education Office, 847/966-1180, by Monday, May 21st.