november-december 2012 crux

THE CRUX

THE NEWSLETTER OF HOLY CROSS PARISH, CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PEORIA

405 w. Clark St., champaign, Illinois 61820 November — December 2012

Holy Cross is a community of one heart and mind de-voted to the Eucharist, the Word of God, and the sacra-mental life. United and guided by the Holy Spirit, we witness to the conversion that comes through faith in Jesus Christ and invite all to share in that experience.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: CRUSADER COR-

NER 2

WATCH WEEK-

END INVITA-2

FOCUS: FINAN-

CIAL UPDATE 3

SCHOOL KITS RESULTS

4

Feast week pictorial

5 - 9

CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAS

10

ETC. 11

Crux (krux, krooks)

n., pl. cruxes or cruces

1. A critical or crucial point.

[Latin, CROSS]

In this issue:

Pope Benedict 16th declared on October 11, 2012, a Year of Faith, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II. The Year of Faith challenges us to reflect on the beauty of our Faith. This gives us all the opportunity to once again reaffirm our faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In my Homily a couple of weeks ago, I quoted Bishop David Ricken on the10 ways to help us grow in holiness in this Year of Faith. The ten ways are: Participate in Mass; Go to Confession; Learn about the lives of the Saints; Read the Bible daily; Read the documents of Vatican II; Study the Catechism; Volunteer in the Parish; Help those in need; Invite a friend to Mass; and Incorporate the Beatitudes into daily life. I encourage all of us to make these an integral part of our lives next year.

I encourage everyone during this year to read about a Saint whose life you don’t know much about. Some of my new favorites that I have read about are St. Josephine Bakhita , Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, and St. Philip Neri. When we study and read about these Saints, we can see not only a common thread in their lives but also their unique-ness. Their common thread is their daily prayer life and love of the Eucharist. Their uniqueness is seen in how they spread the Gospel message by using the gifts and talents God gave them. Please introduce yourself to a new Saint or Blessed this year. If you don’t like to read, I know they are making more movies about many of these Saints.

I just want to say thank you all for your prayers for me and all the Pilgrims. We were overwhelmingly inspired and filled with joy as we traveled through Italy visiting the sites of the Eucharistic Miracles. God truly blessed us with wonderful weather so that we were able to see all the sites and get to our destinations safely. This pilgrimage was truly spiritually uplifting.

Once again as we come to a close of our 100th Anniversary, let us grow in faith each day through daily prayer and using our gifts and talents to spread the Gospel message of Love. Let us always remember to desire the Gift of the Eucharist as we attend Mass every week and make a special effort to attend extra Masses and Eucharistic Adoration. We must have that strong foundation of faith as we begin our next 100 years as a Parish and School. Remember, we are always home and always family. In Christ

Fr. Willard

2013: A year of faith to commemorate vatican ii

Christmas mass schedule

Christmas eve: 4:30, 6:30, Midnight (Music program begins at 11:15)

Christmas Day: 9:00 and 11:00

the crux November—December 2012

CRUSADER CORNER HAPPENINGS AT HOLY CROSS SCHOOL

BY ROSE COSTELLO, PRINCIPAL

What’s So Special about a WATCH Re-treat?

By Karen Wold

WATCH Board Vice President

In 2001, I came to live in Champaign after I accepted a job at the University. As I began to settle in to my new job, a new house, and a new city, I went “church shopping” and eventu-ally decided to make Holy Cross my spiritual home. Initially, I just went to Mass on Sundays with my Dad and, besides shaking hands of others around us with the sign of peace, I really did not interact with anyone. Then several months after I first joined Holy Cross, I noticed an announcement in the bulletin about a WATCH retreat. I had always enjoyed retreats, but I was some-what cautious with WATCH because I wasn’t sure what “We Are The Church” meant. Was this some kind of group that was anti-clerical? I did not know who the “We” was referring to. After some consideration, I decided to go on a WATCH retreat. I thought, at the very least, I could meet people outside of work. Well, I did that and so much more! I met many won-derful people on my WATCH weekend. I discovered that the “We” in “We Are the Church” meant the body of Christ, both clergy and laity, working together as a community to come

closer to God and to spread His love to all we encounter. This concept of the church as community was reinforced through the behavior of those on the team – those who gave talks, those who served us meals, those who took the time out of their busy schedules to come and pray for us - who treated us with love and compassion. Meeting other people was great for me since I was new to Champaign, but I ended up meeting some people who became very good friends. Through the sharing of others on the weekend, I learned that I was not alone. I also learned ways to grow in my faith from the teaching and experience of others. In fact, one of the best parts of the weekend for me was to hear about others’ experiences and struggles and how, through them, Christ worked to strengthen their faith. Besides listening to speakers, there is time for individual reflection and time for discussion and fun with your fellow par-ticipants. I encourage you to consider joining your fellow parish-ioners at one of the upcoming WATCH weekends for a time of rest and renewal. Be prepared to have a great time and enjoy wonderful company and delicious food! Hope to see you there!

Upcoming WATCH Weekends: December 7-9, 2012 & February 8-10,2013

We have good news for those of you who have suffered through the many games and assemblies and musicals in our hot and sweaty gym. A donor who wishes to remain anonymous has graciously given us the funds to specifically install air conditioning in the gym! We had solicited a design and quote this past summer, so we are ready to move on this as soon as the diocese gives us the okay and the contractor can schedule us. Additionally, the donor gave us enough money to replace the gold curtains on the stage as they are in great need of replacement. We are always so grateful for the many people who have supplied us with the funds for the projects we have needed over the years. The school community prays for our benefactors every morning at school. God bless them for their commitment to our school.

At the faculty in-service on October 5th, Monsignor Hallin spoke with the teachers about this year’s emphasis on Faith and how that pertains to us as Catholic educators. Also on that afternoon, Mrs. Sue Swartz, our Unit 4 Learning Disabilities teacher, presented ideas about working with students with dyslexia. Mrs. Swartz has been trained in the Barton Method in dealing with stu-dents who are dyslexic.

Our school has purchased the AimsWeb system that allows us to monitor student progress in reading and math throughout the school year. Students will be tested in the fall, the winter, and spring in these areas. In addition to the Lexia program for stu-dents needing additional support in reading, we have purchased the IXL math program. This is an online program as well that pro-vides help for students needing additional support in math. We were able to purchase AimsWeb and IXL math through the generos-ity of our benefactors.

We will be honoring our veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 13th. Students will be perform patriotic musical numbers. Our annual Grandparents Day is Tuesday, Nov. 20th. Grandparents and parents are invited to our all-school Mass at 8:30 a.m. followed by a re-ception and open house. School dismisses at noon on this day. Please check our school website for additional information about these events.

We will be accepting applications for the 2013-2014 school year beginning in January. Please check the school website for information about the Kindergarten Information Meeting as well as our Catholic Schools Week Open House. Please call the school office to schedule an appointment to visit the school.

Please know how grateful we are for your continued support. We are so blessed.


a closer look at the people, places, and activities at Holy Cross. In this issue, the parish financial

ledger

The Annual Statement represents a summary of income and expenses for Holy Cross Parish for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2012. These numbers include all of the operations of the Parish and have been summarized for easier comprehension. Addi-tionally, the results of fiscal years 2010 and 2011 are provided to allow for a comparison to fiscal year 2012, as well as to provide perspective to the trend of income and expenses. Finally, the Contribution Goals for the current fiscal year 2013 reflects the budget income for each of the categories and their respective pro rata results thus far.

As you can see, the income in 2012 was up slightly by approximately 1% over 2011. Ex-penses for the same period were down by $68,877 or ap-proximately 3%. The net result was an operating loss of $42,163. This loss was covered by drawing upon the Parish’s limited re-serves. The loss in fiscal year 2011 was primarily due to necessary repairs and improvements to the Church and School. These expenses were offset by revenues received in 2010 and prior periods to cover these types of outlays. The Con-tribution Goal for the current fiscal year reflects a defi-ciency of $64,402 due to a shortfall in each income cate-gory and is equal to only 74% of the funds needed ($245,129) for the Parish to operate, . In the coming weeks, these num-bers and the fiscal health of the Parish will be commented upon further by our Trustees.


Catholic moms group to form

By Joslyn Unger

Hey, Moms! Are you inter-ested in meeting other moms at Holy Cross? Then please join us for faith, food, and fellowship. We will meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month beginning November 14th from 9 – 11 a.m. Bring the kiddos and join us. If you have any questions or want to help plan the meet-ings, please contact me, Joslyn Unger, at [email protected] or (314) 791-6535.

A HOLY CROSS FAVORITE By

Cindy Howie There are many different collections we take up at Holy Cross, both financial and commodity related, and one of our favorites is the School Kits Project. Every year in cooperation with 10,000 Villages and the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), area churches, schools, and organizations collect supplies and assemble school kits. These much needed kits are given primarily to refugee and displaced children to help students and teachers add some normalcy to disrupted lives. They are frequently requested after natural disasters. MCC sends the school kits for use by children in places such as Bosnia, Haiti, Iraq, Nicaragua, North Korea, and the Ukraine, as well as to poorly funded schools in Canada and the United States. Holy Cross has always been one of the most generous contributors in the area, and this year was exceptional! People are so generous in purchasing items needed for the kits. Never do we get just one of something from someone, and often we have people who will order large numbers of items on-line and have them shipped to the Parish Office. This year, we even had a little elf who regularly placed 3 or 4 gray plastic bags filled with items for kits all neatly tied with a cord at the back of the church. After items are collected, our Holy Cross students, especially the ones who attend the Aftercare program, come over and after we talk about the program and pray for the children who will receive the kits, get down to business assembling the kits and making sure every bag has the right number of items so no one feels left out. This year the kids assembled 329 kits!! That’s the most we’ve done in several years. Thanks to everyone who participates in this project and embraces the calling to give of our time and treasure. May you all be blessed!!

A THANK YOU FROM 10,000 VILLAGES

Dear Friends at Holy Cross, We are pleased to report that the 2012 school kit project was a huge success. A total of 741 kits were delivered from our store to the Illinois collection point on Tuesday, October 9th! This is thanks in no small part to your very generous support of the project. We are very grateful for the 329 kits that Holy Cross donated to the cause. We know that the children who receive kits are even more grateful. God bless you for your generous and loving hearts! Gratefully, Nancy Olson Project Coordinator Ten Thousand Villages (PS—You are the best!)

Customers browse at the Arts & Crafts Fair held in the Parish Center’s Great Hall to benefit The Chil-dren of Hope and Faith. Over $2,200 was raised, with all non-commercial artists donating 100% of their ware’s selling price to the cause, truly selfless acts of charity.

mailto:[email protected]�


Feast ‘week’ pictorial September 9th — 19th

(above & right) Procession 9-9-12, (below) Parish History & Vol-unteer Appreciation 9-10-12

(below & right) Adoration/Veneration & Choir Concert 9-11-


(above, below, below right)

Healing Mass 9-13-12

(above & below) Coffee Shop 9-14-12


(above & left) Hot Dog Day 9-14-12

(below) Adult Social 9-14-12


(above) Adult Social 9-14-12

(below and right) Family Fun Day 9-15-12


(left) Living Rosary 9-17-12 (above), Sister Veronica’s ‘Meaning of the Cross’ talk 9-18-12, (below, below left,

facing page) Confirmation/Centennial Mass 9-19-12


2012 Confirmandees

News from the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA)

Some of those present at the June meeting of the CDA were in the left picture left-to-right Judy Schuster, Joyce Amacher, current Regent Patti McDaniel, Father Royer, Angie Poulson, and Margaret Smock. In the picture to the right, current Regent Patti McDaniel (right), is joined by former Regent Rita McMahon. The next meeting of the CDA will be on November 13th at noon at the Ribeye Restaurant (Dutch treat) at 1701 S. Neil Street in Champaign. Cindy Howie will be the guest speaker. Cindy will speak about the Elizabeth Ministry, as well as the Family Formation Program. All Catholic women are invited to come.


Wasn’t our Centennial Edition 11-day Feast Week a great time? The Procession on the first day is always special for me as we proudly and publically display our parish Catholic faith as we walk around the block, stop-ping to pray a portion of the Rosary at each of the four cor-ners. The Family Fun Day on September 15th was exactly what its name suggested…a lot of fun. The dunk tank was a popular feature which, incidentally, raised a good amount of money. Getting everybody formed up for our Centen-nial Parish Family Portrait felt at times like we were herd-ing cats, but the end result was well worth it. If you didn’t buy a print of it, you may still see what it looks like when a 20” X 30” version of it is hung in the Parish Center’s Great Hall sometime in the near future. The ‘best of the best’ event had to be the Confirmation/Centennial Celebration Mass presided over by Bishop Jenky which wrapped up our Feast Week. We are blessed to have such an openly loving and caring Bishop watching over us.

If you haven’t yet read Joy Pace’s article on the HHS mandate which is a separate item stuffed in this week’s bulletin, please do so immediately. In it, she re-

veals the consequences if it is implemented. It also shines a light on the disinformation that has been put before us by some segments of the media as being truth when, in fact, it isn’t. Again, please be an educated voter and read Joy’s article.

As our Centennial Year draws to a close, we can keep our spiritual edge by fully immersing ourselves in the Year of Faith that Pope Benedict has declared for 2013. In the coming weeks and months, I’m sure specific spiritual growth opportunities will become available. Catholicism is so much more than weekend Masses. It has to become a lifestyle if we are to gain the full benefit of our rich spiritual heritage. I grew up in the Protestant faith, and while our Protestant Brothers and Sisters are truly Christian people sharing in the salvation gained by Christ’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, theirs is a faith that too often for many of them just lies there. Take advantage of what the Holy Spirit burned into the hearts of our early Church leaders and take part in the Catholic Feast that con-tinues to this day.

I’ll bring this to a close with best wishes for you and yours this upcoming Christmas season. Dave Devall [email protected]

Etc.

Father Steve poses with fellow pilgrims about to set off on the parish’s Centen-nial Pilgrimage to Italy. The group returned safely, but exhausted, on October 10th after touring the Vatican and Eucharistic miracle sites. Welcome home!

On a roll!

Knight Mike Devall lends a hand dur-ing the K of C Tootsie Roll fundraiser.

Arrivederci!


THE CRUX

THE NEWSLETTER OF HOLY CROSS PARISH, CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF PEORIA

AVAILABLE ON-LINE IN COLOR AT WWW.HOLYCROSSCATHOLIC.ORG CLICK THE NEWSLETTER TAB

“For by grace you have been saved through faith....” Ephesians 2:8

The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

405 W. Clark St. Champaign, IL

Phone: (217) 352-8748 Fax: (217) 366-2929

Email: [email protected]

november-december 2012 crux

Documents

year of faith challenges

daily life

strong foundation of

daily prayer life

holy spirit

talents god

parish help

word of god