Dear parishioners and friends of St. Hyacinth,
“The Lord Jesus said to his disciples: Whoever does not give up everything cannot be my disciple”(Lk 14: 25-33). Difficult words that Jesus addresses to his contemporaries, but also to us who make up His Living Church, today, here and now. Many times we ask about the condition of our faith; is it “sufficient” to undertake this restoration effort?
Prayer and more prayer; a living communion with the Lord in individual and communal dialogue while we kneel together and with the members of our family is what is needed – during the adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar, and finally the most wonderful prayer, which is the Eucharistic Sacrifice – the Holy Mass. From this lived dialogue flows our strength to take up the challenge to “Renew everything in the Lord.” I am beginning to “look” through the eyes of Jesus at our reality. The current perspective defines my belonging to the parish of St. Hyacinth. A community that is written with the history of our predecessors, or those of the Resurrectionist priests who have led this community spiritually from the very beginning. These are the faithful who have come here, 40 families, to create a new reality for the Avondale neighborhood. They are the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who for over 100 years built this parish through education in the school, caring for the church, and spiritual growth by sharing their testimony of life. Today their work continues through the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King who cooperate with the Resurrectionist priests. After all, it is the faithful believers who came to America, to Chicago, and here to this “Polish neighborhood” who founded a haven, St. Hyacinth, which became their second home. Even though the neighborhood is changing, the spiritual and cultural heritage remains. Not only in the architectural shape of the church, but in the constant prayers of the faithful who still create this spiritual reality. Tied to their patron saint, the parishioners have learned from him to worship the Holy Sacrament and to love His Mother Mary. This veneration is made visible in the care for cultivating spiritual values and passing them on to the younger generation at home, in parish groups, in the Polish Saturday school, in the catechetical program, and in the RCIA program.
What do the words of the Lord Jesus addressed to his disciples mean in the face of the “Renewal of My Church”: Whoever does not renounce everything he cannot be my disciple? I want to be and remain the Lord’s disciple to the end, otherwise my life has no meaning, it is empty, without direction, without a goal.What did the Lord Jesus mean when He spoke about leaving everything for Him? Changing the perspective of looking at the work of the church.
The community is the work of the Lord, he founded it. He called us by holy baptism so that we may be his children. From then on, all the baptized are brothers and sisters in Christ. We look at ourselves, our history, and the future from this perspective. In the spirit of the new evangelization, it is necessary to “go out” to the highways and byways of the present day and knock on the doors of our brothers and sisters who live next to us and do not know the Good News about Jesus. Are we ready to “go out and leave behind” this entire heritage of our ancestors? Are we bold enough to go and preach the name of our God to our brothers and sisters with determination? Are we able to “open up to others” and accept their spiritual achievements, written in the same hand of the Father? What’s ahead, what scenario awaits us? Would we like to share our thoughts on the future of our community? I am asking for proposals.
Fr. Stan
Your Pastor