Posts in Parish Featured
 What’s with all the Candles on the altar?

I’ve had a few people ask me about the ‘new’ candles on the altar. There is a two-fold answer as to why we’ve decided to do this. The first part comes from The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, commonly referred to as the “GIRM”. This instruction can be found in the beginning of The Roman Missal, aka that big book that a priest uses to celebrate Mass. In the section where it lists things to be prepared for Mass…

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Christifideles Laici (Part 2)

Last week in my article I had written about the 1988 document Christifideles Laici. This was an exhortation written by Pope John Paul II. It was his follow-up to the 1987 synod of bishops. That synod took place during the whole month of October, and it gathered lay people from around the world to discuss with the bishops the role of lay leadership in the Church. That synod followed the lead of Vatican II, which had occurred 20 years earlier, in encouraging the need for active lay participation. It encouraged people to understand and appreciate their dignity and call to be missionaries for Christ…

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Thank you to all who attended the 2018 St. Benedict’s Oktoberfest!

Thanks to the generous support of our school and parish community and our visiting guests, the fest was a big success and we hope all had a wonderful time!

We’d like to hear your feedback! If you attended Oktoberfest, please CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE A SHORT SURVEY. Your input and suggestions will help us in planning a great Oktoberfest next year. Prost!

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Christifideles Awarded to Kathy Minneci

The Archdiocese of Chicago developed an award that is given each year for one lay member of each parish in the Archdiocese who lives a life focused on building up the Kingdom and serving people in the world who are in need. It is very difficult to choose only one person each year to receive this award and we spend a long time in discussion. This year our award winner was Kathleen Minneci…

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Capital Campaign: New Windows Have Arrived

The new windows for the school building on Leavitt Street have been delivered. Installation began last week. We hope to have all 70 new windows installed over the next three weeks.These new Gerkin windows are energy-efficient. They are insulated with argon. The bronze aluminum trim and hardware will surely enhance the look of our school building both inside and outside. The new awning window will make it easier for teachers and staff to open the windows. Again, thank you for your contributions to Forward in Our Faith used to fund these projects.


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Stumbling Blocks

This week’s Gospel begins with the disciples complaining, as they sometimes did, about someone outside their group performing works in Christ’s name. And, as is often the case, Christ immediately begins to correct them. “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us, is for us.” The disciples are engaging in a finger pointing exercise that back fires on them immediately…

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Sixty Nine Year's of Receiving God's Blessing

This school year we will be graduating our 65th and final senior class. We are not going to phase out the high school quietly and sweep it under a rug. Rather, we have planned a year-long celebration of the gift of our parish high school. For 69 years, the high school has been bringing teenage children to know God’s love for them. Our parish has been serving these young people for almost 7 decades, and that is something for which to be proud. From Father Fasnacht, the founder of the high school, to the School Sisters of St. Francis who dedicated their lives to teaching young people to the current faculty and staff today, we celebrate all those who dedicated themselves to the educational and faith formation of our parish and neighborhood teens...

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Small Changes for a Larger Purpose - Part 2

Our liturgy team has been working diligently, and we are excited to roll out our next set of revisions. You’ll probably notice that we have made some changes to the layout of the church. The server chairs and credence have been moved to the opposite side. This frees up space for the procession to leave the sacristy, and also eliminates the need for the servers to walk up the stairs with a heavy tray…

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JANUS Concert Series

Janus Concert Series is thrilled to open our inaugural season with a triple bill of selections from beloved musicalsCarouselShe Loves Me, and Guys and Dolls. Janus was started by St. Benedict's very own Choir Section Leader Kaitlin Galetti in an effort to create opportunities for young singers that bridge the gap between opera and musical theater…

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Listen with the Ears of Your Heart

Nine years ago, Brian Sieve, a new theology teacher at St. Benedict Prep, thought to revamp how we began our prayer each day in the Secondary School. He added an introductory line before the sign of the cross coming from the opening page of the Rule of St. Benedict: "Listen with the ears of your heart." This short phrase describes the disposition that we need to be in before coming to God in prayer. It is this characteristic of Benedictine spirituality that being receptive or open is emphasized before the mention of being active. For St. Benedict each of us is essentially a "hearer of the Word." Listening, as St. Benedict would later elaborate in his Rule, is the fundamental attitude from which all other attitudes flow...

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