Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Jerome,
Pax Christi semper vobiscum!
If you still remember, in June the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference launched the Eucharistic Revival Mission on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This initiative aims at renewing the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. (USCCB Eucharistic Revival Mission) The trajectory of the Eucharistic Revival Mission runs from June 2022 through June 2024, to culminate at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. The Catholic Bishops use as its theme the Gospel passage from John 6:51, “My flesh for the life of the world.”
I did not have an opportunity to speak about this important initiative before. What I remember is that our Corpus Christi procession in June offered a tremendous opportunity to assert our faith as a parish. Our children who received their First Communion provided for us a holy atmosphere as they were walking along the streets of our neighborhood in their white Communion outfits. However, we cannot simply end our adoration and reverence for the Holy Eucharist by doing processions and adorations without associating our prayers with our communal works of mercy. For this reason, I deemed it worthy to convey this message to our parish again in order to make the Eucharistic Revival a truly meaningful event by continuing our outreach to our homeless neighbors that was interrupted by the pandemic.
The Parish Council has been discerning about how to make our outreach to the homeless more efficient. The delay of its initial operation which was announced to be on Fridays raised some concerns regarding the availability of volunteers and conflicting schedules with other places that are already offering hot meals in the area. It was agreed upon that Sundays would be more feasible for our parish to do an outreach when more people are available for the task. We intend to serve our homeless neighbors who live in Touhy Park along Rogers and Clark Avenue. It is suggested that our first Hot Meal for this year would be offered on October 9th. More information will be provided in the coming days. It is important that we as a parish collaborate for this noble purpose. We will need volunteers for set up and clean up, hospitality and reception, kitchen helpers and donor coordination. As I mentioned in the beginning, our worship of the Holy Eucharist should and must be converted into a spirit of service for those who are less fortunate.
Our Gospel this weekend is right on target in terms of our responsibility for each other. Christianity is best lived when we have a conscientious intent to reach out to those who live in the margins of society. I have mentioned in my past homilies that homelessness is an issue that we ought to address as a parish. It is a difficult truth that our community ought to respond to and to find the best solution. The homeless men who occupy our parish property along Morse Ave. and Paulina St. often bring hygiene issues and even danger to the neighborhood as they set fire on a grill to cook their food. The police have been informed and yet no arrests can be made unless they commit a crime. In the end, we are left with the responsibility to find ways that should restore these homeless men to normal functioning. Our parish has been given this task to test our conviction on how to live Christianity at its best.
Please consider responding to this invitation to provide for the poor. They will be our companions to enter the Kingdom of God.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
