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Greetings once again from The Basilica of Saint Mary. I hope this message finds you and your family continuing to stay well during these still challenging times.
Today I would like to begin by inviting you to join us for Mass on Thanksgiving Day at 10:00am. The last couple of years have been very difficult for all of us. Yet, despite the difficulties and the stress, there have also been moments of great grace, as God’s love has broken through and blessed us.
Mass on Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful way for us to gather as a people of faith to celebrate and thank God for the many ways God has blessed us in our lives. I hope you will be able to join us for Mass at 10:00am that day.
I also wanted to talk with you today about our Christmas schedule. A little over a week ago Archbishop Hebda gave parishes in our Archdiocese the option of celebrating a Mass on Christmas Eve at 2:00pm.
Given this, we will have Masses on Christmas Eve at 2:00pm, 5:00, 7:30 and Midnight. On Christmas Day Masses will be at 7:30am, 9:30, 11:30 and 5:00pm. We hope you will plan on joining us for one of these celebrations.
While it is heartening for me to see so many people back at The Basilica after so many months, we want to make sure we are continuing to make The Basilica a safe place for people to be. For this reason, if you are able to join us at Christmas, I want to strongly encourage you, and in fact urge you, to wear a facemask when you come to church. We will have masks available at the entrances if you should forget.
We will also be sanitizing the church pews in between services, and as I have mentioned previously, we have installed a new air purification system that continually purifies the air in the church. We will also have extra security for our Christmas Masses and will be increasing the lighting around the church grounds to help ensure people’s safety. I hope you will plan on joining us for one of our Christmas Masses.
As I have also mentioned previously, in welcoming people back to worship, one of the challenges we face is resuming, renewing and in some cases rebuilding our liturgical ministry teams. If you have been involved in our liturgical ministry and not been contacted yet, or if you are interested in becoming involved please contact our Liturgy Office and let us know.
And, as always, if you are not able, or don’t feel comfortable joining us in-person for any of our liturgies, we invite you join them via livestream. A schedule of our livestreamed liturgies is available on our website.
Finally, I want to close today by thanking all those who have made or increased their commitment of financial support to our Basilica Fund. Your commitment of financial support, no matter how small or how large, enables us to continue to do those things that fulfill our vision here at The Basilica.
I will continue to keep you informed as we move forward into our new normal, whatever that may be. As always, though, if you have any questions or concerns I invite you to contact me at the parish office. My contact information is available on our parish website.
We look forward to welcoming you home to The Basilica for Christmas.
Let me close today in prayer.
Dear God –
You have made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son:
Look with compassion on the whole human family;
take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love;
and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth;
that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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Prayer for Peace in Our Communities
For an end to the violence perpetrated by harsh words, deadly weapons, or cold indifference. May our homes, our nation, and countries around the world become havens of peace, let us pray to the Lord…
For the grace to see every human being as a child of God, regardless of race, language or culture, let us pray to the Lord…
For the strength to teach our children how to resolve differences non-violently and respectfully, and the courage to model it in our own behavior, let us pray to the Lord.
For our faith community, that we may respond boldly to the Holy Spirit's call to act together to end violence and racism, let us pray to the Lord…
For healing and justice for all those who have experienced violence and racism, let us pray to the Lord.
For the protection of all police and first responders who risk their lives daily to ensure our safety; for fair and just policing that will promote peace and wellbeing in all our neighborhoods, let us pray to the Lord…
For the courage to have difficult conversations about racism, and for a better appreciation of how our words and actions – or even our silence – can impact our communities, let us pray to the Lord…
For solidarity in our global human family, that we may work together to protect those who are most vulnerable and most in need, let us pray to the Lord…
Full text
https://www.usccb.org/prayers/prayer-faithful-day-prayer-peace-our-communities
The Fall 2021 issue of BASILICA Magazine
Beauty that Saves: A Basilica Celebration of the Sacred Arts
Inside this issue
6 Angels Unawares
A sculpture by Timothy Schmalz
by Johan M.J. van Parys, Ph.D.
11 Basilica Homecoming
Renew & Reconnect
by Mae Desaire
12 Shelter Me
Our hearts’ song during the pandemic
by Teri Larson
14 Archbishop Hebda
Celebrating five years
by Eileen Bock
16 From Patent Law to Priesthood
Fr. Mike Reinhardt
by Rachel Newman Hogness
18 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
Our call to heal and grow together
by Frank Christopher
20 New Faces, New Roles
Welcoming team members to The Basilica staff
by Elyse Rethlake
22 Welcome Dr. Katherine Crawford Luber
Mia’s Nivin and Duncan MacMillan
Director and President
by Johan M.J. van Parys, Ph.D.
24 Our Sacred Arts
New acquisitions to The Basilica collections
by Kathy Dhaemers
27 A Virtual Basilica
Expanding our online ministry
by Mae Desaire
28 The Spirit of Generosity
Reflections on giving
by Sue McGuigan
30 Basilica Block Party 2021
Back on the block
The cover features the Angels Unawares sculpture on display at The Basilica in August 2021.
Thank you to the dedicated team of volunteers who created this piece.
The award-winning BASILICA magazine is sponsored by The Basilica Landmark, a 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to preserve, restore, and advance the historic Basilica of Saint Mary for all generations.
Each issue includes in-depth features about the people, art, history, and spirituality that make The Basilica a vibrant community.
BASILICA is published twice a year with a circulation of 15,000.
For advertising information please contact Carla Piazza Marchio.
Our Immigration Support Ministry has been busy preparing for the resettlement of Afghan refugees. We have been in many conversations with Lutheran Social Services, our co-sponsor in this effort. They have provided excellent training about how to work with families, what the expectations are and how to best support them. During this time, we have recruited Circle of Welcome members who will walk beside these families as they begin their new lives in the United States.
Our first Circle of Welcome team of five was notified that a family of 10 would be moving into a house, after spending 3 weeks in a hotel. LSS was lucky enough to find housing suitable and large enough for their family. Finding permanent housing is one of the most difficult services for LSS to secure currently. The Basilica was able to utilize our partnership with the St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Store to find furniture and furnishings for the home. In all things, LSS has reminds us, we need to be flexible because things are happening at a fast pace.
The day before the family was to move into the home there was a cadre of volunteers cleaning, setting up and moving furniture. Asia, Muhammad and six of their children made a surprise visit to the house and dropped off items they had been storing in their hotel. Their children range in ages from infant to 17 years of age. As with many rental properties, there are several items the landlord will need to attend to.
The Circle of Welcome team hopes to meet the entire family of 10 people and their case worker early in the week of November 15th. They will be meeting with them regularly the next six months, and maybe longer. During this time some of the things they will do is help the family tackle the outstanding items on the fix-it list, practice English with the children and mother (the father speaks English very well), show the family how to ride the transit, help locate Halal grocery stores and take them shopping. They may need to help set up bank accounts, take family to doctor or dentist appointments. The goal is to help this family achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible and make the experience as welcoming as possible.
As our partner at LSS has said, “this is an historic time!” We hope to make their resettlement as positive as possible.
Dorene Wernke
Immigration Support Ministry
