From the Rector

They Come as Guest, Leave as Family!

Their stories vary.  Some come to sleep at the shelter because they have lost all family members.  Some come because they have lost jobs.  Others are veterans. Many work and cannot afford housing.  Some even are moved into housing through the help of many agencies such as PADS.

They are our guests. We do not call them our homeless guests or the homeless.  We call them guests.

Yesterday, I presided at a Memorial Service for four people who had been with the PADS organization for several years.  They died from a variety of causes.  All died within the last month.

During the service, various people got up to share stories about those who had died. Stories of courage, joy, loss, redemption - many profound stories were shared yesterday.  More than anything, they talked about the four people as being family.

It is true that they are our guests on Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings. They are also our family.  God created each of us out of the dust of the earth and created us in God's image to be the household and family of God. We are indeed the Family Tree of God.

May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

shawnschreiner@sbcglobal.net  

On Sunday, June 2, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd invites children, their parents, and all members of the congregation to join us in the Parish Hall after the 9 a.m. service (approx. 9:35 a.m.) to make beautiful booklets for our children to journal in over the summer. These journals will offer the children an opportunity to reflect on the discussions their families have over the summer as they continue to engage them in their faith life. We hope to make the book-making an inter-generational event. Please bring an empty cereal box and one square foot of decorative paper. We will supply the rest of the materials.

Baptism: We will baptize Wyatt David Henry on June 9th at the 10:30AM service.  

Engagement:  Shawn Schreiner and Vicki Garvey are pleased to announce their engagement.  They will be married in Maryland this summer and come back to Chicago for a Blessing of a Civil Marriage.  More details to come.  

It seems like an endless and unsolvable conflict, doesn't it?  Just like the Troubles in Northern Ireland and apartheid did in South Africa.  For so many reasons we cannot give up on the pursuit of a just peace for our Palestinian and Israeli brothers and sisters. The diocesan Peace and Justice Committee is seeking 3-5 persons in 15 - 20 parishes to become catalysts for constructive engagement on behalf of a just peace based on a solid understanding of the history of the conflict and the narratives of the two people. If you're interested in hearing more, contact Cotton Fite at cotton.fite@sbcglobal.net.