July 6, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

A friend recently reminded me what St. John Vianney’s “pastoral plan” was when he became the pastor of his new parish in Ars in 1818. It wasn’t a pastoral plan at all. In fact, his first task was to work on the conversion of his own soul. The Curé d’Ars didn’t assess the capital and maintenance needs around the campus, nor did he focus on evangelization programs, increasing Mass attendance or improving the school. He looked at himself—his own weaknesses, his own desires—and asked what God was calling him to do. Because Vianney was a man of prayer, he heard the Lord’s voice and was obedient. Vianney was 32 years old when he became a pastor, and he would go on to serve as a pastor in that same parish for 41 years. In 1818, the parish had just 230 people and was on the brink of closure. By 1859, it had grown to over 5,000—and it remains active to this day. Vianney wasn’t the smartest. He was nearly expelled from seminary due to his struggles, especially with Latin. He wasn’t the most handsome. Wispy strands of hair, skeletal features with hollowed-out cheek bones, and missing teeth was his look on a good day. And he wasn’t the most eloquent. Many people had trouble understanding him, especially with most of his teeth having fallen out. And yet more and more people, year after year, were drawn to the parish in Ars. Why?

Because they saw Christ in him. And they saw Christ in him through his own heart, his own heart that loved God and was converted to the Lord. Again, I repeat, they did not see Christ in his intellect, looks, speech, or any other attribute.

I reflect on Vianney in light of this Sunday’s Gospel about Christ sending out the seventy-two disciples on mission to various towns. They were to preach and help draw people to Christ. They couldn’t rely on their intellect, looks, speech, connections, wealth, or anything else. “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” They were to rely only on the grace of God working through them. They were to put their energy into their own spiritual life—namely, loving God—and trust that everything would flow from that.

We all have missions set before us. How are you going to succeed? Allow me to give you some advice. Don’t get bogged down immediately in all the details. Don’t do a SWOT analysis or whatever. Work on the conversion of your own soul. If you fall even more in love with God and grow in holiness, the mission will succeed.

+

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July holiday and enjoy the holiday weekend. Just a reminder, even though it is the first Sunday of the month, we will not have Donut Sunday. We will resume Donut Sunday in September.

If you missed last week’s bulletin, we said farewell to Father Nick, who has begun his new assignment as the associate pastor at St. John Parish in Streamwood. We also said welcome to Sister Pia Shelton as our new campus and youth minister. Sr. Pia is a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, whose convent is located in Des Plaines.

A reminder about a few changes in our liturgy schedule. Daily Confessions will now be on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays at 8 a.m. There will be no daily Confessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, on Thursdays the 6:25 a.m. Mass will now be a Communion Service. We have trained a great team of volunteers with Deacon Ed Schipp who will conduct the 6:25 a.m. Thursday Communion Service. We will still have Mass Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. Finally, Confessions on Saturdays will begin at 3:15 p.m.

As you can see in the bulletin, we are hosting another Discern and Decide prayer workshop. This is a great opportunity to learn how to pray and specifically how to figure out what God is calling you to do. Everyone is welcome, even if you missed the first series back in June.

Although summer is a little quieter around campus with school out of session and not as many of the regular ministries meeting, we are busy with campus improvements and maintenance work. We recently power-washed the exterior of the church, removing decades worth of grime and soot from the brick and stone. We’ve also been repairing cracks in the stone and brickwork, not just on the church building itself, but elsewhere around campus and sidewalks. We will be resealing soon the main parking lot and repaving the alley and handicap parking zone. Upgrading our fire alarm panel, cleaning the outdoor statues, fixing the school bathrooms, painting, and replacing the gym bleachers and curtains are just a few other items on our checklist. A special thanks to Mike Einarsen, our Operations Director, Joe Levander, our head of maintenance, and some dedicated parishioner volunteers for helping beautify our campus.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace