Dear parishioners and friends of St. Hyacinth,
In mid-October, we started the process of spiritual and structural renewal of our community. We have all been invited to this process. “Renew our Church” – the words our Lord Jesus addressed to everyone, we need to take literally and seriously, considering the possibilities each of us has, on what foundation of faith I stand here and now and what else I can do to improve and deepen my faith. This process is very important. If I take Jesus’ invitation seriously, my state of mind will be transferred, reflected in my concern for my church, for the Basilica of St. Hyacinth. First, I must look at my prayer life and my
participation in the sacraments; then relating my life of faith to my morals, my ethics of conduct. It is the
proverbial “litmus test”, a test of my lived faith. Structural renewal is not only about the walls of the
church, it is a broader look at the brothers and sisters living within the boundaries of our parish, but not only – it is care for those who live next to us, i.e. the parish communities of Our Lady of Grace and St. Sylvester. Structurally, these are parishes in Avondale and Logan Square – a large space with various challenges that we all face. The parish priests of these three parishes and the parishioners, are asked to develop different scenarios during this time; specifically, how do we see in practice the connection with these communities. Whatever scenarios arise, the final decision as to the shape of the merger and functioning of these three parishes is at the discretion of Cardinal Blase.
What could the scenarios be?
*Does it depend on the number of the faithful making up a given community? *Does it depend on the attendance of the faithful participating in Sunday Masses? *Can decisions be influenced by dedication, and at the same time a visible concern for the maintenance of the church and parish buildings? *Can our active participation in the life of the parish (groups, sodalities, fraternities, etc.) be the deciding factor whether the parish community “blooms” with God’s spirit or not? *Do we care about the Christian upbringing of our children and our youth (sending them to religion classes and taking care of the
sacramental life?) These are some of the factors that may influence the future shape of our parish.
I am asking all of you to pray. If you have any concerns or questions, they should be directed to the pastor or members of the RMC Group which represents our parish community to the Archdiocese and neighboring parishes. Those representing St. Hyacinth are: Joe Jurek, Nini Centeno, Kate Wietrzak, Izabela Bożek, Peter Mrugała.