HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration happened at what is now known as Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, Virginia, on July 5, 1908.  It is believed that Grace Golden Clayton suggested the service to her pastor. Her inspiration may have been to celebrate the 361 men, many of whom were fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy, killed in a mine explosion in nearby Monongah some months before. Another inspiration may have been Mother's Day, which had been recently celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, just fifteen miles away. Yet another motivation for Father's Day originated with Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran and a single parent, raised his six children. The first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge recommended Father's Day as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made it a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was officially recognized in 1972.

The celebration of Father's Day on the third Sunday of June is shared by many countries around the world from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Because Saint Joseph, whose feast day is March 19, is the patron saint of fathers, Bolivia, Honduras, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland celebrate fathers on this date. (Sources: Wikpedia and The Oxford Companion to the Year)

Happy Father's Day to all men who have raised, cared for, taught or mentored us. You have helped us to become who we are. Blessings and thanks to you.

NOT ON THE NIGHTLY NEWS

Two weeks ago, as we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Trinity, a Chaldean Catholic priest and three deacons were rounded up, shot and killed after Mass in front of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, Iraq. Mosul is in the north of the country and is often described as relatively peaceful. But it’s getting more and more dangerous for Christians whose roots go back 1900 years.

Asia News Service identified the priest as Father Ragheed Ganni, 35, the pastor of Holy Spirit. The bodies lay abandoned on the street because no one dared to go and recover them as bombs were placed around the bodies.

Father Ganni was just ordained in 2004 after his studies in Rome. He was hopeful as he returned to Iraq. But then the bombings multiplied; the kidnappings of priests became more frequent; Sunnis began to demand taxes from Christians to remain in their homes. Water and electricity grew scarce, telephoning and communicating became difficult. In his last email of May 28, he admitted: "We are on the verge of collapse." And he told of a bomb exploding in the Holy Spirit Church, on the Feast of Pentecost, May 27; of the "war" which broke out a week before 7 car bombings, 10 explosions in swift succession, the three day curfew, "prisoners in our own home," of not being able to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, May 20.

He pondered the path his country had taken: "In a sectarian and confessional Iraq, will there be any space for Christians? We have no support, no group who fights for our cause; we are abandoned in the midst of this disaster. Iraq has already been divided; it will never be the same. What is the future of our Church?"

He concluded: "I may be wrong, but I am certain about one thing, one single fact that is always true: that the Holy Spirit will enlighten people so that they may work for the good of humanity, in this world so full of evil."

The news agency reported that attempts on Father Ragheed's life have been made before, and that the Church had been attacked and bombed in previous years, and again a few months ago.

Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.

VATICAN'S SUNNY DISPOSITION

The Vatican embraces solar power! Thanks to Pope Benedict XVI's enthusiasm for green friendly technology, many buildings within Vatican City will be employing solar power over the next few years. The cement roof of the Paul VI auditorium will be replaced with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into
electricity, for use throughout Vatican City.

Our Building and Grounds committee is projecting the need to replace our roofs over the next few years. It would be fantastic to do this along with a solar energy system.

AND REMEMBER THE BODY AND BLOOD

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi or the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is at the center of our lives as Christians. Indeed that is what brings us together this weekend as it has done for Christians every Sunday since the first Easter. What a treasure we share. I was reminded of this by an article written by a University of St. Thomas theology professor, Gerald W. Schlabach. A lifelong Mennonite, at Pentecost 2004, he entered into full communion with the Roman Church and became what he calls a "Mennonite Catholic." Catholic friends were gratified but puzzled. After all, this might not have seemed an auspicious time to join the church. The body blow of the sexual-abuse scandals; a shortage of priests that has left many parishes without regular Eucharists; a gnawing generation gap between incoming priests and the generation trained in the glow of Vatican II. "Thank you for joining us," his friends' faces read. "But why now?"

He gave a number of reasons for his decision. One was very intriguing:

"As a Mennonite, I grew up in a tradition of principled dissent from "mainstream," "established," "Constantinian" Christianity, whether Protestant or Catholic. So I share deep sympathy with Catholics who are sorely tempted to leave the church. Frustration with institutional inertia and self-serving clericalist policies, doubts about whether Rome is following through on its Vatican II commitment to full participation of the laity in the life of the church, concern that the pope has not consulted more fully with bishops around the world and those better attuned to local churches and their cultural and pastoral needs-plenty of issues can try one' s faith.  Over many years, however, the witness of Catholics who have remained with their church through difficult times strengthened my own commitment to the Mennonite Church. Particularly striking and inviting has been the witness of Catholic "dissidents" and their dogged loyalty. As grateful as I remain for the charism of the Mennonite tradition, the old reformers' justifications for leaving the ancient church eventually lost their grip on me, even as Catholic faithfulness made a deep impression."

Wow, I cannot dissent from that! But his last reason says it best for me, especially on this weekend.

"Enacted in the Eucharist. Both the eschatological "already" and the here-and-now "not yet" of everything I have written is made real and present in the Eucharist. In this time of great stress in Catholicism, Catholics continue to share the Eucharist with one another, even those they disagree with. St.  Paul, of course, warned against partaking unworthily, in a spirit of bickering and competition for places of influence in the church. The way to come worthily to the table is to recognize that none are worthy-that none may boast of their own special rectitude when all find the source of life and salvation in Christ Jesus. Precisely as we embrace one another in the awareness that we are "not yet" the fully realized body of Christ, we nonetheless celebrate God "already" having completed salvation. All this converges in the Eucharist. It is bread for those making exodus, as we pause and rest amid the haste of flight from every captivity. It is also a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, where we will praise the victorious Lamb from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Above all, it is Christ made present: the Lord who becomes our servant, the guest who becomes our host, the broken one who becomes our unity, feeding us on the journey. But perhaps I am now beginning to give reasons that one can know only through participation itself."

CON-GRAD-ULATIONS

Our parish community has people graduating from professional and technical schools, colleges and universities, high school, grade school, kindergarten and preschool. Congratulations to ALL and to the families of the graduates! Your efforts are to be commended. And as we gather this weekend, we appreciate that every ending is also a beginning, every goodbye is also a hello. Best wishes to your new beginnings!

NEW PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS

Two new adult Parish Pastoral Council members were selected last weekend and I am grateful for their willingness to serve our community. Those who are joining the PPC are Judy Heinen and William Timlin. Congratulations to them and thanks to all the candidates who were willing to be considered. I also want to thank those going off the Council, Youth Representative, Patrick Kent and Co-Chairs Tom Griffin and Kris McCullough.

PRIEST CHAPLAIN IN IRAQ

This past Monday, Memorial Day, we remember those who have given their lives for our country. Such sacrifices, but there are so many more when we also recall those injured and disabled from wartime service. A priest and military chaplain from our Archdiocese, Fr. Tim Vakoc, has received much local news coverage as he recovers from horrendous wounds received in Baghdad 3 years ago on May 29, 2004. There have been well over 20,000 other military personnel with life changing injuries. And we often overlook the private contractors, Iraqi soldiers and civilians who face death and injuries with much less support. And there are powerful stories of those who serve.

A profile of Army Capt. Father John Barkemeyer and his ministry as a Catholic chaplain appeared on the front page in the May 20, 2007 edition of the Chicago Tribune. Despite his moral misgivings about the war, Father Barkemeyer said, "I'm supposed to be here. This might not be the place on the face of the earth that I would choose to be if I could be anywhere, but knowing what I can do, what I can offer soldiers, I believed it then and I believe more strongly now." He joined the Army Reserves in 2003 thinking he would be a part-time touchstone for the troops in the states. But a couple of months after finishing chaplain school the Army sent him to Kuwait and Iraq. His home during that tour was Abu Ghraib Prison ministering to reservists there in the wake of the prisoner abuse scandal.

He contacted Cardinal Francis George in 2005 when it became obvious that he would be deployed again. He returned to his parish, St. Cajetan on Chicago's southwest side and broke the news that he would not be staying long. In December he left for Ramadi via the 3rd Infantry Division in Georgia. While there, car bombs hit police checkpoints and roadside bombs blasted Army patrols. Soldiers fell to sniper fire and gunfights. Across the street from his room, at the Camp Ramadi base, he spent hours at Charlie Medical; a military emergency room moving among mangled bodies and saying last rites, according to the profile.

Why did Father Barkemeyer become an Army Chaplain? "This is all about taking care of our sons and daughters," Father Barkemeyer said of his service in Iraq. "Not about the justness of the cause." He was moved to join the military as teenagers left church pews at St. Cajetan for the Army and Marines after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He knew about the chaplain shortage. "Anything I can do that makes life a little better for a soldier, makes a day a little better, that stuff is priceless," he said. "I'll go to whatever meetings I need to go through and all that stuff ... but I live for this."

A VERY FULL PENTECOST

Today we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the early church on the first Pentecost Sunday. This weekend is also a time of blessing for our parish.

Confirmation
Last Monday 69 of our 10th graders were confirmed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit at the Basilica. Congratulations to them and their families.

New Parish Council Members
This weekend we are selecting new adult and youth Parish Pastoral Council members and are grateful for their willingness to serve our community.

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

Although the roots of Memorial Day go back to honoring the Civil War dead, it was only in 1971 that Congress declared that Memorial Day was a national holiday and was to be celebrated the last Monday of May. This day commemorates all who have given their lives for our country. It has even
more powerful resonance as our Armed Forces are engaged in Iraq.

Jesus who gave his life out of compassion and commitment to us also said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." This is also an important time to remember those who have sought to bring about the prophet Isaiah's vision of turning swords into plowshares.

FIRST COMMUNION CONGRATULATIONS

I want to welcome all who come this weekend for our First Communion candidates as the Lord welcomes them to his table. I first met quite a few of these young people at their baptisms and it is delightful to see them come now to this most special day. I appreciate all the efforts that these young people and their parents have made in preparing for receiving communion. Thank you parents for sharing your faith in the Lord with them. And a special thanks to Judy Foster who directs the program.


AND CONFIRMANDI TOO
This Monday evening a great group of our teens are being confirmed at the Basilica. They have made a real commitment over the past two years in preparing for receiving this sacrament. I want to commend them and thank their parents and sponsors for sharing the journey with them. And a special thanks to Chad O'Leary who directs the program.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS

We continue to pray for our troops in Iraq and our hearts go out to the innocent civilians. For the past 4 years they have been experiencing Virginia Tech type atrocities as a daily reality. With all this suffering it is easy to overlook the special situation of the Christian community. Iraq has one of the earliest Christian churches, the Chaldean Catholics, and most are in full communion with our Roman Catholic Church. The Tablet magazine based in London had the following article April, 28th, titled "Christians flee worst sectarian violence since war." What can we do? Perhaps a letter, email or phone call to our Senators would be a start.

A Catholic archbishop has issued a desperate warning about the persecution of embattled Christians amid Iraq's worst sectarian violence since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk warned that attacks on Christians by radical Islamic groups, previously localized in sectors of cities such as Baghdad and Mosul, had now spread across the country, even into areas previously considered a safe haven for Christians.

"In Iraq Christians are dying, the Church is disappearing under continued persecution, threats and violence carried out by extremists who are leaving us no choice: conversion or exile," said the Chaldean archbishop.

Radical Sunni groups in areas of Baghdad were threatening local Christians with violence unless they paid a jizya, or "donation", towards the insurgency, immediately converted to Islam, or handed over their homes and fled the country, Archbishop Sako said.

He said a recent spate of attacks in traditional Christian areas was a political gesture intended to show that "nowhere is safe".

"We can no longer be silent. We have to remind the world of the importance of the Christian presence in Iraq, for the good of Iraq," the archbishop told Asia News on Monday. "Christians are suffering from forced evacuation, rape, kidnap, blackmail, scarring and killing. Forcing Christians to leave their homes destroys the cultural, civil and religious mosaic of which Iraq is considered to be the very cradle."

Bishop Shlemon Warduni, an auxiliary in Baghdad, said the capital's Chaldean church of Ss Peter and Paul had received the blunt warning: "Get rid of the cross or we will burn your churches." "In the last two months many churches have been forced to remove their crosses from their domes," the bishop told Asia News. Ten of Baghdad's 80 Christian churches have closed since 2003. Fifty thousand Iraqis are fleeing the country each month, according to the UN. While they make up 5 per cent of the population, Christians constitute 40 per cent of those fleeing.

Senator Norm Coleman: office phone 651-645-0323 or website at http://www.coleman.senate.gov/
Senator Amy Klobuchar: office phone 612-727-5220 or website at http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/