Sunday, June 3

By Father Tom Hurley

I suppose the summer time surfaces a lot of feelings and memories for all of us: relief from the winter and cold temps; an excitement to be outdoors; memories of vacation places; or perhaps fond memories of what we did with our summer days since we were out of school on break.  One of my fondest memories that gets triggered by these summer days was growing up as a kid on the south side and playing on a baseball team at the local park district.  With the exception of a few other sports like youth football and basketball, baseball and being part of a team is perhaps my strongest memory of what it was like to enjoy the summer days on a baseball field  Of the many memories flooding my mind these days was the sense of “team” and all the various chants and cheers coming from both benches and which seem to be time-honored expressions made by players to this very day.  Perhaps the one chant I admired most was when certain teammates on the bench would try to get the rest of the team motivated, especially if the score reflected a deficit.  Almost every game, some team leader would blurt out  “Talk it up, bench!”  Translated, that means the team should make some noise, motivate each other, and get some energy if we’re going to have any chance of winning this game!  Though I haven’t been around too many baseball benches in recent years, I just presume “Talk it up bench” is still a motivating force for young sluggers hoping to put another W in the victory column.

My message to you this day is founded on that time honored chant from the baseball field:  Talk it up bench!  On Friday & Saturday, June 22 & 23 Old St. Patrick’s will be hosting the 34th annual World’s Largest Block Party.  Many of you have not only heard about the Block Party, but so many of you have both created and volunteered for this special event for many years. For those new to the scene, the World’s Largest Block Party is an outdoor festival featuring music, drink, food, and great people coming together for some summer fun. With an estimated crowd of more than 10,000 people, the WLBP is a major undertaking which requires the assistance of more than 500 volunteers and various committees who help make this event a huge success each year. Unlike 30 years ago when the WLBP was one of very few summer festivals in Chicago, today the WLBP is one among many.  The competition is more difficult today than years ago.  The presence of Lollapalooza, Northerly Island, Taste of Randolph, concerts at Wrigley Field and Soldier’s Field, and the numerous other street and neighborhood events has increased a hundredfold from the days when the WLBP was practically the only “gig” in town for young adults.

So, even though the World’s Largest Block Party enjoys a long, well deserved reputation of being a great summer party in the shadows of Chicago’s oldest church, I would ask you kindly to “talk it up bench!”  With so many options on the table every weekend for a young audience across this city, “talking it up” on social media, in your buildings, at your work place, at the gym, on the softball field or volleyball court, and in your neighborhood would be a terrific sign of support that we need to make sure the WLBP remains successful.  For the good of the overall mission and success of Old St. Pat’s, your grassroots marketing assistance will go a long way in helping us promote what we think is the “best” (pride intended) party of the summer.  Look for details in this publication about the WLBP and if I might be so bold in saying to you again:  Talk it up bench!

The other area where this expression might also come in handy is just the overall invitation I would ask you to make to others who you think should experience the hospitality and liturgical excellence of Old St. Pat’s.  Summer is a great time for all of us to be more deliberate at inviting other people into this community.  So, please: Talk it up bench!  There’s no better day than Sunday at Old St. Pat’s.  And then after Mass enjoying a day or night out on the town in Chicago’s downtown area or along the lakefront.

Thank you for being here today!  Blessings to all of us for a renewing summer!

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, May 20

By Father Tom Hurley

(I really need to preface my remarks on this Pentecost Day by just expressing my total, 100% empathy and reverence for those among us who struggle with fertility issues. This is something that I’ve witnessed in my own family and as a priest I have journeyed with many couples throughout my years in ministry who carry the incredible challenge of failed pregnancies. The only reason I bring this up is because I’d like to borrow the metaphor of fertility as it applies to the life and birth of the Church, as it applies to this Feast of Pentecost.)

I’ve never been a big fan of talking about the “birthday of the church” as it refers to Pentecost and yet I realize that such a theological stance is popular and perhaps accurate.  I know that many preachers around the globe will use that kind of comparison today from their pulpits today and good for them.  But other theologians will argue that the real “birth” of the church happened on Good Friday when “blood and water” flowed from the side of Jesus, thus marking the birth of something new, or a new body itself: the church. Instead of arguing who’s right on the actual birth, I’d like to go back to the moment of conception and fertility.

We are told that the moment of the Annunciation, when Gabriel came to Mary, that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and she would be with child, thus revealing to us the fertile power of the Spirit.  It seems to me, then, the fertile gift of the Holy Spirit struck again when, as tongues of fire and a driving wind, the spirit of the Risen Christ, came upon those first followers and called them to “birth” the mission of the Gospel.  I’m not a doctor but I think it’s pretty simple biology that before there’s birth, there has to be fertility and gestation.  So I would argue that Pentecost is not the celebration of a birth, but rather the feast of fertility and the openness to being born again by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Meaning, what will we give birth to this year?

Several years ago, those who were here making up the church of Old St. Patrick’s, gathered together in one place (as we hear again today in the Acts of the Apostles) and we proclaimed that we wanted to become pregnant with a thing called “Kinship.” Inspired by the passionate words of Fr. Greg Boyle and contemplated by those in leadership here in this community, we opened ourselves to the gift of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit might guide us, or “incubate” us, in how we would grow in our identity as the Church of Old St. Pat’s today.  Such a time of pregnancy brought us to “being” church in KINSHIP with a neighborhood called North Lawndale on the near west side of the city.  Guided and cared for beautifully by our own Vince Guider, our birth as a kinship church has been powerfully fulfilling for many people and so many bonds have been formed because of this relationship.  Such great accomplishments have been made in the areas of education, service, shared worship, youth athletics, and employment opportunities.  Like any development, we are still toddlers and likewise still learning how to grow in our Kinship model of church.

I know that in the coming weeks, you will hear more about opportunities to keep growing in this “body” of kinship.  Many of our good people have developed an “Orientation Session” on what this kinship model is all about and how can we better affiliate ourselves as members of Old St. Pat’s in relationship with the North Lawndale community.  I am looking forward to experiencing this kinship orientation in the coming days with members of our Board of Advisors.  I really want us to grow in this model of church.  We stand on fertile ground!

On this feast of Pentecost, may we allow ourselves to be more open to where the Spirit is both impregnating us and sending us to be Christ’s Body in the world.  What’s new that will be born in us this year?

Thank you for the outstanding joy and energy you bring to this experience of Church here at Old St. Patrick’s.  How privileged I am to be with you on this journey.

A blessed Pentecost to you,

Father Tom Hurley

PS:  Many have been asking about my 25th anniversary as a priest, which is officially May 22.  Because of Fr. Wall’s 50th anniversary celebration, I didn’t want to overwhelm Old St. Pat’s with two such events so close together.  So please mark the date of September 9th and we will celebrate OUR shared experience of Church together for these 25 years.

Sunday, May 13

 

Every now and then, after reading the tales of the early Church as it is told to us through the Acts of the Apostles or days like today in which the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, I begin to wonder what must have been going through the minds and hearts of those early Christians.  And likewise those first followers of Jesus who, 40 days after this Easter Resurrection experience, were now going to bid their friend a fond farewell as He prepared to Ascend to God’s right hand. I wonder what they must have they been thinking  In my wild imagination, I have a feeling some of them must have been whispering among themselves:  what did we get ourselves into?  With shaking heads and rolling eyes, as they confronted obstacles, heard of friends being arrested and thrown in prison for what they believed as early Christians, and still others who were being persecuted and scorned all because of this Jesus, I wonder if some of the first disciples weren’t asking:  are we sure about this?  Are we nuts for saying yes and following Him?  Is this going to be all that it’s cracked up to be?  Will it get any easier?

Although this year (because we are in Cycle B readings devoted mostly to the gospel of St. Mark) we are proclaiming a different text, the version of the Ascension that I most appreciate is from St. Matthew.  For it is in Matthew’s gospel that we hear two significant things as Jesus is getting ready to Ascend to Heaven:  first, that the disciples doubted and second, Jesus’ promise to his bewildered friends.  I remember several years ago, a Chicago priest named Fr. Leo Mahon wrote a small book about Jesus and in his writings Leo reflected on this scene from Matthew’s Ascension account.  He said, I take great comfort in knowing that some of the early disciples had doubts.  That gives me great peace, Leo said, knowing that it’s okay to have some questions and not have all the answers.  Mindful of the many challenges we face together on this journey of faith, I concur with Leo Mahon:  it’s more than okay to have questions, fears, and doubts.  It’s natural and it’s human!

I also appreciate Jesus’ most significant promise, as told to us by Matthew:  I will be with you always!  As He looked into the eyes of his troubled, doubting friends, all of them questioning what would life be like without his physical presence here among us, Jesus knew what to say:  I am for you!  And I will always be here for you!  In your doubts, with your fears, amidst your sorrow, among you in your good times and bad, sickness and health:  I will be among you now and always…no matter what…until the end of time!  Just as I take great solace in knowing that it’s okay to have some doubts and questions, I take even greater comfort knowing of the Promise the Risen Christ makes to all of us: to stand near us, to hold us, to be our strength.

When I think about the vocation of motherhood (and fatherhood too), I can’t help but associate the experience of the Ascension with that of our moms and dads.  When I think of the awesome responsibility so many of you as Mothers and Fathers take on, I immediately put you in the category of the first disciples.  Amidst your joy and speechlessness the first time a child was brought in to your life, through birth or adoption, how many of you may have been whispering to yourself or to your spouse:  oh my, what did we get ourselves into?  Are we ready for this?  Will we be good parents?  Do we have what it takes?

On this most sacred day as we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, I hope you all take comfort both in your questioning hearts and your dedicated vocations as Mothers and Fathers that the Risen Lord stands with you always.  It is the promise we need to hear perhaps more often than just on Ascension Day:  “I’m with you!  We got this!  It’s okay to know that being a Mom or Dad is not easy.  But what an incredible rewarding vocation to participate in this divine partnership with God as we care for the next generation!”

May the Blessings promised to the first disciples be the gift we receive today:  I am with you always!

Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Ascension Day!

Father Tom Hurley

Pastor

 

 

Sunday, April 26, 2018

By Father Tom Hurley

Click here to read.

Sunday, April 15th

By Bernadette Gibson

WITNESS AND RECOMMIT OURSELVES TO LOVE

This week’s Gospel is about witnessing and recommitting ourselves to Love. It’s important for us to remember that the last story Luke shared with us is when Jesus was joining the two downcast disciples on their walk from Jerusalem, seven miles to the little village of Emmaus. They didn’t realize it was Jesus at first. They were pouring out their hearts at how all their hopes had been dashed when Jesus, whom they had hoped to be the one who would redeem Israel, had been crucified. He had been delivered up by the very chief priests and scribes of the people, the most respected religious leaders, and that conversation is carried on. The other thing that really strikes me about this story is that the meal in which they finally recognize Jesus is not shared in some sacred space like a temple or synagogue, and neither is it a specifically religious meal. It is not a Seder, or even a Sabbath meal. It is a traveler’s meal, taken together in borrowed quarters at the end of a long walk. It is, if you will, a meal at a highway diner or a picnic at a rest stop, and nothing more than that. And yet it becomes a sanctified meal and a moment of deep encounter with the living Christ.

It’s a remarkable scene in a remarkable chapter. First there were the women, going to the tomb and not finding Jesus there. Mary, encounters the living Christ on her journey of sorrow. Then there were two disconsolate disciples, winding their way back to the little village of Emmaus, and suddenly He’s there with them but hidden from their eyes, teaching them the Scriptures, building the foundation of their hope up again from the shambles and then revealing Himself to them in the breaking of the bread; and suddenly the joy was there again and the hope returned and the life came to pass and they ran back to speak to the disciples and now they’re telling the disciples about that amazing journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus. And while the words are in their mouths describing their interactions with Jesus, Jesus appears there and He speaks to the disciples. And the very first word out of His mouth to His disciples is PEACE, Jesus says “May the favor of My Father that gives total wellbeing be upon you.” Remember, collectively, his disciples have denied Him, abandoned Him, and disbelieved in Jesus’s promises. And yet the first words out of Jesus’s mouth are reassurance, peace, and loving companionship.

And so today’s Gospel contains an important message for all of us – especially for those still searching for Jesus, or for those who feel like we have lost Jesus. There are some walks that are longer than others – not because of the miles or even because of the landscape, but because of the burdens. I suspect the walk to Emmaus was one of the latter type. The walk would have been difficult – because it was the walk of hopes in shambles. It was the walk through the valley of disillusionment. It was also a walk burdened with perhaps accusation and personal shame. I have thought, meditated in some quiet moments this week, sort of searching my own heart about times when I felt like I was lost to Jesus, or at least felt Jesus felt lost to me. I am reminded how when I allowed the Spirit of God to lead me, my mind has been flooded with peace and the knowledge that our God will always stand with me.

The church is a complex thing, and life in ministry work gets infinitely complex when we accompany those with losses and tragedies in our community.  Sometimes, it becomes so complex that we lose sight of the bottom line, the basic. I really think that the basic ingredient or element of our Christian life is to love and recognize Jesus’s presence before us in our lives, especially when we are afraid, lost, or broken.

Every Easter, I take the time to re-commission myself and to think about my participation in our mission. When I think of today’s Gospel, I believe that Jesus’s presence in the Gospel today was one of mandating his disciples. I imagine that Jesus was reminding His disciples of the mission. He was saying, “That’s what you are. You are My witnesses.” Jesus also calls us to be a witness, to view ourselves as one who was witness to the forgiveness that only comes through Jesus. Jesus reminds us to find His deep peace. Jesus once again teaches us the Scriptures patiently and opens our eyes to understanding. We stand as ambassadors of the exquisite love that was first shared with us. So come, Lord Jesus, in the dawning of each day, and make yourself known to us, wherever we find ourselves breaking bread. Send your Spirit upon us so that, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and your disciples praying for Your return to them, our hearts may burn within us as we seek You again in our Lives.

Bernadette Gibson is Director of Pastoral Care at Old Saint Patrick’s Church.

Sunday, April 8th

Daily Resurrections 

By Ron Rolheiser, OMI

What the Resurrection of Jesus promises is that things can always be new again. It’s never too late to start over. Nothing is irrevocable. No betrayal is final. No sin is unforgivable. Every form of death can be overcome. There isn’t any loss that can’t be redeemed. Every day is a virgin.

The Resurrection assures us that God never gives up on us, even if we give up on ourselves, that we can regain lost innocence and move beyond bitterness. In a scheme of things where Jesus breathes out forgiveness on those who betray him and God raises bodies from the dead, we can begin to believe that in the end all will be well, including our own lives.

However, the challenge of living this out is not just that of believing that Jesus rose physically from the grave, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, to believe that no matter our age, mistakes, betrayals, wounds, and deaths, we can begin each day afresh. No matter what we’ve done, our future is forever pregnant with wonderful new possibility. Resurrection is not just a question of one day, after death, rising from the dead, but it is also about daily rising from the many mini-graves within which we so often find ourselves.

We are human and we cannot avoid falling — into depression, bitterness, sin, betrayal, cynicism, and the tiredness that comes with age. Like Jesus, we too will have our crucifixions. More than one grave awaits us. Yet our faith in the Resurrection invites us precisely to live beyond these.

As John Shea once so aptly put it: What the Resurrection teaches us is not how to live — but how to live again, and again, and again!

This piece was taken from “Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter Week.”

Sunday, April 1, 2018

By Fr. Tom Hurley

Just a couple of weeks ago, as we celebrated the Feast of St. Patrick, I shared with those who gathered here for the civic and community celebrations about my experience of sharing some pictures with my dad last year.  Similar to Tuesdays With Morrie, I do Mondays With My Parents and I enjoy spending the second day of the week with them, almost religiously every week.  Last year, on the Monday following our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations of 2017, I went home with my laptop and walked into the kitchen where my dad was sitting in his wheelchair reading the newspaper and enjoying some Irish music that the caregiver had put on.  After catching up with each other for a few minutes, I then asked my dad if he would like to see some pictures that were taken from the weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities.  After firing up the computer, I pulled in next to my dad and began scrolling through the wonderful photos taken by our very own Mike Lyons.  He enjoyed seeing the Shannon Rovers, the Irish Dancers, the Parade Queen and Grand Marshall, the numerous people dressed in green, as well as the extraordinary shots of the Celtic interior of this church.  As he was soaking in the pictures from my laptop, I could tell that he was pondering a thought and getting ready to make a comment.  Sure enough, a few moments later, my dad asked me:  “Are you on a leave of absence to be at this church?”  Huh?  I thought.  What do you mean?, I asked him. “To be at this church HERE IN IRELAND, are you on a leave of absence?”  He thought he was in the Emerald Isle. Getting close to 91 years of age, he often times gets confused 🙁

I did my best trying to help him recall that we are here in Chicago and these photos are from the church where I am pastor, Old St. Patrick’s.  Look, I said, there’s a picture of the archbishop, Cardinal Cupich!  My dad said:  “Cupich, that doesn’t sound Irish?”  I responded and said we call him O’Cupich and he’s from County Croatia….I laughed, he didn’t.  I then pointed out the Mayor, Rahm Emanuel.  “Emanuel, that doesn’t sound Irish either!”  I said he’s not.  He’s Jewish!  My dad was surprised and said:  “Galway has a Jewish mayor?”  I said:  I guess we do now!  Again, I laughed.  He didn’t.  My parents lived in Galway city from 1953-1958 while he attended medical school.  Often times, because of an aging brain, he will find himself going to Ireland.

On one hand, we can join together and lament the aging process and the onset of dementia.  It’s no fun watching our loved ones lose their physical and mental faculties.  But even though I wasn’t able convince my dad that he was sitting in his home of 55 years on the southside of Chicago on Monday in March of 2017, he himself was delighted to be in Ireland, even if it was just for a few hours.  He wasn’t frustrated, questioning, nor angry.  He was peaceful and actually enjoying himself as he looked at the pictures of most things Irish (with the exception of the Croatian cardinal and Jewish mayor) with the Irish tunes delighting his soul in the background.  Okay, I thought, you’re in Ireland!

With the exception of John’s gospel, the Easter texts all tell us about the importance of going back to Galilee!  Go back to Galilee, that’s where you’ll find Him, is the message conveyed by angels and other first proclaimers of the Lord’s Resurrection.  Go back to the place where the Mission began!  Go back to the place where He healed, He preached, He ate with the imperfect, and where He proclaimed Mercy.  Go back to the place where He walked with the troubled and where He helped those on the margins to believe in their essential goodness as the Beloved sons and daughters of God.  Go back to the place where He gave people a second chance and instructed them about how they could be and should be builders of the Kingdom of God.  Go back to the place where people were intrigued by Him and where it was perfectly okay not to have all the answers to life’s most difficult questions.  Go back to the place where His only desire was to bring the message of Peace, Love, and Justice.  Go back to the place where people live and where they experience the joys and struggles of life.

My dad’s “trip” to Ireland (and he’s been there a few times since) brings him to a place of peace, security, and joy.  On this Easter Sunday, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to this holy space.  I hope that this Easter will be another reminder, as well as another invitation to keep coming back to the Galilee moments of our lives.  Go back to the Holy.  Go back to the place in our hearts where we are most at peace and where we are most in touch with the presence of the Living God.  Go back to the basics of what it means to be a daughter and son of God, as well as a fellow disciple on the journey.

Thank you for being here today!  Thank you for creating a Church that welcomes all.  May you be blessed abundantly and gently on this Easter day.

Father Thomas J. Hurley

Pastor

By Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, March 25th, 2018

I know it’s Palm Sunday and in this column I should immediately be focused on the Triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and the Passion of our Lord BUT for a few quick sentences I’m hoping you’ll let me do just a little “venting” in the aftermath of St. Patrick’s Day.  As I wrote last week in this publication, despite all the work, anxiety, and preparations that go into the “high holy days” of St. Patrick’s Day, I really do love it.  I appreciate the celebration of Patrick and I love everything about the Irish saints and the mysteries of faith shared with our ancestors who, in turn, brought that wonderful heritage to our immigrant shores.  I love the music and the pride of the Irish.  I love the magnificent ways we have creatively shared the richness of Irish culture through our annual Siamsa Na nGael concert.  I love the Irish dancers and the Shannon Rovers.  I love our choir and the hours of rehearsals they log in order to fill our sanctuary with celtic tones.  I love our staff and all of the many volunteers who work tirelessly to make sure our several hundred visitors on parade day are showered with the best of Old St. Pat’s hospitality.  I love the kaleidoscope of colors and the celtic knotting that draws us into the mystery of creation, helping us be mindful of God’s presence and God’s desire to breathe life into us.  How blessed and fortunate are we to have this extraordinary sanctuary to pray in each day.

 

So what’s my venting moment?  In the interest of full disclosure, I probably spend too much time on Twitter and Instagram and last week was no exception.  I thought last weekend was magnificent:  our civic mass went well, the parade was festive, there were loads of people in downtown Chicago, and the sun was shining brilliantly.

By Saturday night, after a full day of activities, I finally arrived home and as I was sitting on the couch both watching the news and scrolling through Twitter, I couldn’t believe what I found.  For all the beauty and significance of this annual festive moment honoring the life and sacrifice of this ancient Missionary who brought the faith to Ireland, the only story I could find receiving top billing on all of our local stations was about one thing:  the dyeing of the river green!?!??  Huh?  The pictures dominating Instagram last Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day, were countless photos of people standing on the banks of the Green Chicago River.  Besides coverage of politicians at the parade in pre-election mode, that was pretty much it.  If you knew nothing else, one would think that the river and the parade are what define this feast day in honor of St. Patrick.  Oh I realize that making a 5th century saint is not exactly the top story for the 10:00 p.m. news in 2018, but what about this historic church and the many other places of worship that literally suspend our season of Lent for a couple of days in order to honor the one for whom we have this holiday in the first place?  Not wanting to sound overly critical, but where was the religious significance of this moment?  Isn’t that more important than a batch of chemicals being sifted into a river to make it turn green?  One friend of mine who I ran into at a party benefiting the great mission of Misericordia actually used the “S” word with me as we were commenting on the large crowds and the incredible energy being poured into the St. Patrick’s Day “weekend” each year:  secularization.  I told him:  say it ain’t so!  Has St. Patrick’s Day been hijacked for the purpose of partying, liquor sales, and buying all things green and goofy?  Rick Kogan wrote an article in the Chicago Tribune last week pondering the same kind of question.  I recommend you read it.

While I don’t want to nourish my soul on sour grapes, as the pastor of the shrine dedicated to this missionary to the Irish people, the events of last week just have given me a moment to pause.  Are we losing the religious significance of St. Patrick’s Day?  I cringe just typing those words.  Is spending time watching a river turn green more important than the brilliant, beautiful prayer we lifted up together last Saturday and Sunday in this holy place?

Likewise, welcome to Holy Week.  Palm Sunday and the days to come this week define who we are as a Christian people.  They defined St. Patrick and why he dedicated his life to the preaching of the Gospel. I hope you will not only carve out time in your busy life to be here for some of the many services this week, but I also hope you will invite someone else to join you, especially someone you may know who might be drifting away from the faith.  These are special, holy days that renew us in this identity.  Many people are working hard to make sure those who come into our sanctuary are nourished in prayer, showered with hospitality, and renewed in soul.  I hope you will be among them.

Thank you for being here on this Palm Sunday.  May it truly be a Holy and Renewing Week for all of us and may the Paschal Mystery guide us with Hope through all the dying and risings of our lives.

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, March 18th, 2018

If you come near me in the weeks leading up to the patronal feast and ask me about the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations associated with Old St. Patrick’s Church and around the city, some of the staff already know my annual response (or I should say my “beef”).  For with rolling eyes and often a shaking head, I am quoted as saying:  “my next parish is going to be a small quiet place in the country!  Get me away from the Irish!” Well, first of all, Hurley, you are Irish and you live in the city and there’s really no small parishes or even country space anywhere in the vicinity of the Archdiocese of Chicago, so that’s not going to work.  And secondly, I don’t really mean it!  Truth be told, I love this time of the year and all the excitement that goes along with the various celebrations honoring St. Patrick and the many ways we express that devotion through the events associated with this magnificent church and our community.  Oh I admittedly get anxious about what I’m going to say for our civic and community masses on this festive weekend, but when I put all that behind me, I really am deeply grateful for the chance to celebrate in this historic church and in a city that is home to a large number of the Irish diaspora.

 

St. Patrick’s Day (or what has become St. Patrick’s MONTH) reminds me (and I’m sure many of you) about the gift of family and heritage.  Back in October of 2015, about 40 people from Old St. Pat’s went on a trip to Ireland with the purpose of participating in the Dublin marathon that year, which we did.  Afterwards we spent the next 5 days traveling around Ireland and enjoying the incredible beauty of its landscape and people.  As we made our way from Killarney up the west coast towards Galway City, we found ourselves at one point in County Clare.  Though I was admittedly dozing off during the bus ride, I immediately perked up when the driver announced that we were approaching a little town called Milltown Malbay.  I had never been there before and even though the bus wasn’t able to stop, when I heard the name of this town I immediately thought of my long deceased great aunt, Helen.  She was born in Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare.  Helen was not my aunt by-blood, but by adoption.  She was born Helen Looney but because there were so many Looney children and the family was not able to care for all of them, my great grandfather John J. Hurley adopted Helen and likewise brought her, as a child, to the United States when he immigrated here.

When I heard the name of Milltown Malbay  a rush of memories flooded my head as I fondly thought about Aunt Helen.  She was one of my earliest heroes.  With the hint of an Irish brogue and always laughing, Helen taught us some of the old familiar Irish tunes.  She never married and worked in retail at Marshal Fields her entire career.  There was no one more supportive and excited about my decision to enter the seminary than Aunt Helen.  I will always be grateful to Helen for the incredible sacrifice she made by putting the down payment on my first real car as I began the seminary, knowing that I’d needed transportation to and from St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein.  I absolutely adored this holy, simple woman from Clare!  Her great spirit continues to nourish my soul.

Today is not only a day to remember our heroes of the past but to keep singing the tunes and celebrating the faith and heritage we are called to hand on, joyfully, to the next generation.  Helen Looney Hurley was a “Dreamer” and she made the United States (Chicago) a great place because of her incredible love, goodness, culture, and sacrifice that she brought to this country.  On this St. Patrick’s Day, may we continue praying through the intercession of Patrick the missionary and immigrant, for all those Dreamers from so many cultures who came here as children and continue to make this country the great place that it is.

Welcome to all of our visitors today celebrating this Holy festival in honor of Patrick.  We are glad you’re here!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day,

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, February 18th

By Fr. Tom Hurley

Earlier this past week, on Fat Tuesday, the priests of the Archdiocese of Chicago were asked to come together for our February gathering to discuss issues related to our mission as a church in Cook and Lake counties. Cardinal Cupich began this practice a few years ago of calling us together at least three times during the course of the calendar year. I enjoy these times to both reconnect with friends and colleagues in priestly ministry, and to share ideas related to the life and vitality of the church. As you may recall, just over two years ago, Cardinal Cupich announced that our local church of Chicago needs to take a more serious look at our reality, especially as it relates to our parishes attendance numbers, finances, and the deferred maintenance of our church properties.  Mindful that no organization can simply just go on ‘business as usual,’ the Cardinal and his team took on an ambitious and in-depth look at what’s happening “under the hood” of our car. As you can clearly imagine, we have some issues. No surprise there. So for the past two years, the Cardinal and the Archdiocese (all of us!) have been on this journey that we are calling “Renew My Church.”  Taken from the inspiration of St. Francis of Assisi, Renew My Church is now the coined battle cry for our need to make some definite changes in our daily organizational practices as a local church.

As the Cardinal has stated numerous times, Renew My Church is NOT Close My Church. We presently have about 350 parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Will some parishes close and consolidate? Yes.  However, the point of this journey is not just transactional decisions or survival of the fittest.  It’s not just about numbers. The Cardinal was very clear at the beginning that EVERY parish will be involved in the process of RMC. What does that mean? Well, instead of having 350 “franchises” operating as independent contractors, there are ways in which resources can be shared so that areas and regions can better serve, and hopefully become more alive and vibrant.

My point today is not to bore you with details related to archdiocesan functions. But what really caught my attention this past Tuesday was our focus, as a presbyterate, on not just Renew My Church, but more importantly on Renew Ourselves. We contemplated, more intentionally, on the ways in which WE need to be renewed as priests and as disciples on the journey. There’s no way in which the Renew My Church enterprise is going to have any fruitful success unless we first renew what our faith in Jesus is all about.  By the way, this is not just something related to a bunch of priests. This question is for ALL of us who make up the church in the upper Midwest.  

The Cardinal himself gave a great talk which really inspired me. He spoke about growing up in a big family in Omaha (he was one of 9 kids, like me) and all the first moments of inspiration that influenced not only his vocation to the priesthood, but more importantly his formation as a believer and a man of faith. The main point of his inspired words that captured me was his reflection on the gospel text when Jesus, on the day of Easter, told his friends to go back to Galilee. “Going back to Galilee” is a great message. Jesus told his disciples to go back to the place where it all began. Go back to the shore of the Sea of Galilee where he first called people to follow him and his mission. Go back to the place where he asked Peter, “Do you love me?”…And as Peter answered in the affirmative….Jesus tells him, “Then go feed my sheep!”

What does this mean for us today on the first Sunday of Lent? I don’t mean to jump ahead 40 days to Easter already and totally bypass Lent, but we’re an Easter people already. We celebrate Easter every time we get around that Table. My hope for me and for all of us this Lent is that somehow we’ll keep working at getting back to the origins of who we are and what this journey of faith is all about. Like Jesus himself in the desert for 40 days, it’s about getting in touch with the Source of Life, the One who sustains us when we’re hungry, tempted, lost, and feeling alone. Let this time of Lent be our own personal “Renew My Church,” so that as we Renew My Soul and take better care of our spiritual house, then we’ll be able to better care for the larger house of the church to which we belong. Let’s Get Back to Galilee and remember our call and our relationship with the Risen Lord whose only desire is to fill us with more Hope and more Life.

Blessings to you always,

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, January 7th 2018

By: Father Tom Hurley

JoAnn O’Brien, our long-time, extraordinarily gifted and outrageously kind Wedding Coordinator here at Old St. Pat’s, came back to work this week and discovered what she always discovers every year after Christmas, a voice-mail box filled! As you can imagine, Christmas is a pretty popular time for guys to get down on their knees and “pop” the question with a ring ready to go.  Likewise, couples will rush to the phones and start inquiring about potential dates with Old St. Pat’s and our availability to have their weddings.  God bless JoAnn, and the countless phone calls and emails she handles on a daily basis!  Wow…

In case you ever wondered how us clergy find our way into the wedding scene, what normally happens is that we receive a call or an email from the couples asking us to preside on their special day. No matter how many weddings we do here at Old St. Pat’s, each one is unique and special and I am always honored by the invitations to play a special role in the nuptials.

That was certainly the case this past week with two exceptionally beautiful email invitations by some young adults whose weddings will be taking place here at Old St. Pat’s in this calendar year. One email came from Bill and the other one came from Nicole. While unique in their own way, both emails from this aspiring bride and groom were two of the most delightful reflections about their experience of finding Old St. Patrick’s as their spiritual home. You would think that some bride or groom could just easily write, “Can you do my wedding on such-and-such date?”, but to Bill and Nicole’s credit (and by the way they are not a couple…just two separate individuals who wrote to me!), they both spent a lot of time crafting and being extremely intentional about their emails and their way of inviting me to preside at their weddings. I was so impressed with their deep sense of spirit and their desire to seek out a church that would both welcome them and challenge them to be better disciples and people of faith.  Common to both emails from Bill and Nicole were young people who were very conscientious and deliberate when it came to finding a church that they could call their “spiritual” home. Old St. Pat’s wasn’t just the “pretty” church to have a wedding, but both of these couples searched diligently a few years ago for a place to enrich their spiritual lives. Each of them spoke of the encouraging, inspiring experience they have received when they come to this place. They highlighted the special atmosphere of hospitality and the profound sense of belonging they felt as they continued coming into this community, and from their experience of calling Old St. Pat’s their church, both Bill and Nicole expounded on the fact that they have felt a deeper sense of mission (my words, not theirs) in living out their faith on a daily basis.

I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to receive such emails from people for whom church is an extremely important part of their life’s journey, especially some of the young adults among us. Being intentional and finding a place where the gospel comes alive and it connects with our spirits is a great sign of life and hope for the church.

On this Epiphany Sunday as we contemplate again the ride of the Magi, let’s continue to be aware of the travelers who come in to our midst. Like the Magi, we seek Holiness which is expressed in so many ways, including a place of welcome and challenge. Like the Magi, once we’ve discovered a place of nourishment, it’s then time for us to bring the gift of God’s life and love and be on our way, back into the world which is waiting for us. Like the Magi, we may travel far and wide to find the kind of reception they found. May the Spirit of God keep guiding us gently on our path and lead us deeper into the Mystery of Love.

Happy New Year. Be well and be blessed in 2018.

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, July 2, 2017

by Fr. Tom Hurley

It seems like everyone has been curious to see how the World’s Largest Block Party worked out for us last weekend since we brought it back to the block. In a word, I would say that the 33rd WLBP was GREAT! First of all, a big huge THANKS to everyone who had something to do with making it GREAT! From the many volunteers and committee members who put in long hours of planning, serving, and hosting this awesome summer time party to all the staff folks here at Old St. Pat’s who worked so very hard on every aspect of the party of setting up, tearing down, and advertising, and of course, ALL the many people who generously supported us by their presence.

Many people asked me about the changes to the Block Party and why we made them. First of all, as I’ve explained a few different times publicly, the Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party carries a notable, recognizable name for people around the Chicago area, including the media. We were on every major network this year. People know about this party and they like the tame, friendly environment we foster for this event. For many years, as the party was growing, OSP didn’t have much competition when it came to summer festivals. Now, in 2017, there are multiple fests, street fairs, and concerts happening in almost every neighborhood of Chicago and out in the suburbs. As we kept chasing after big name bands to be our headliner for the event, it became apparent to us financially that we could no longer keep up with the major concert venues such as Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, and Lake Shake, to name just a few. This year, we made a strategic decision to bring the WLBP back here and make it what it was originally meant to be, a block party. Using local musical artists and therefore decreasing our expenses (and risk, with an outdoor event), we appealed to a crowd that just basically likes Old St. Pat’s and enjoys a summer street fair on a city street in the shadows of our beautiful downtown. In addition, mindful that the West Loop neighborhood has grown tremendously these past several years and with the large number of families both in the neighborhood and within our membership, we decided to create a more “family friendly” event beginning earlier in the day on Saturday. Thankfully, it worked! Families came out in great numbers and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the park at the Block Party KidZone. It was a steady flow all afternoon. So, overall, Old St. Pat’s did very well. We believe we hit the budgeted number that was planned and likewise we created a fantastic buzz about the fun and enjoyment of this signature summer event. Again, thank you for your support and encouragement.

After the 8 am mass today, I will tkae off with our Foundations Teens and young adults on a summer Worktour to eastern Kentucky. I’m honestly not sure where I’m going or the details. I’ll find out when Courtney tells me in the van. Please say a prayer for a safe and enriching experience for these delightful, hardworking, and faith-filled young members of Old St. Pat’s. It is always a great time for me to be inspired by this “next generation” by their fun, conversation, music, and wild antics on these trips.

Enjoy the 4th of July. As I write this, I’m not sure where our state lawmakers are with the budget or where the federal government is going with the health care bill, but let’s pray for wisdom and courage to do the right thing for all people, especially those who are poor and most at risk by these critical decisions.

Prayerful best for a restful, renewing summer. See you next weekend!

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, June 25, 2017

by Fr. Tom Hurley

THANK YOU!!!

For all that you did to make the World’s Largest Block Party a wonderful success, a big hearty thanks to all of you. The people of Old St. Pat’s are an amazing bunch! Your generosity of spirit and treasure, your witness of hospitality, and your willingness to jump in and make this party happen is truly amazing. On this day, after the WLBP, I also want to extend a big word of welcome to all those who came to Chicago just for this party! Each year, we have people who travel back to Old St. Pat’s just to attend the Block Party because of its great atmosphere, fun spirit, and long history as one of the greatest summer time festivals in the city of Chicago. Welcome to all of our friends and visitors today! Also, thank you to the many many volunteers who made the Block Party happen! Thank you to the great staff of Old St. Pat’s especially our fearless leader Sheila Greifhahn, thank you, thank you, thank you! Sheila has a kindness, a calmness, a persistence, and a joy that is second to none! We couldn’t do these wonderful events at Old St. Pat’s without her and her dedicated leadership.

For many of you this might be a reprise to what I announced last week, but I just want to share an update with respect to our music ministry here at Old St. Pat’s. After long, careful discernment Jennifer Budziak our music director has decided to step down. One of the great liturgical music publishing company’s called GIA approached Jennifer and offered an editorial job that she feels is right up her alley as a teacher and musician. Also mindful of the demanding schedule and responsibilities of being music director at a place like Old St. Pat’s, along with her commute from the western suburbs, and being a full time mom, this shift seems to be a better fit at this time in her professional journey. I am grateful to Jennifer for her great work here at Old St. Pat’s! Because of her great strides with our children’s choir and teens, Jennifer will continue to be with us on a part time basis during the school year to assist with our young people.

Likewise, I announced last week that Mr. Mark Scozzafave will be assuming the new role as Director of Liturgical Music. Mark, and his wife Aimee, have been around Old St. Pat’s, deeply involved in our Sunday music, for the past ten years. Many of you who often attend the 5 pm Sunday mass know Mark as the faithful piano player. Mark is passionate about music. While working in consulting, he put himself through a Masters program in music at Northwestern University. He is bright, creative, unassuming, organized, and has a great ear for music. Mark has been around Old St. Pat’s long enough to know and to share in our commitment to excellence when it comes to music.

In addition to Mark, we are being blessed with the part time presence of Mr. Dominic Trumfio, our Music Director just before Jennifer. Dominic is an awesome musician whose energy and skills will be an added bonus to our music program.

With all of these shifts in the music ministry, the one person who continues to be a great presence and a wonderful blessing to all of us musically and otherwise at Old St. Pat’s is Laura Higgins. Laura has been with Old St. Pat’s for a long time, well over twenty years. Her dedication to this church and our music ministry has been, and continues to be, a tremendous gift. In addition to Music, Laura will also be doing more in the area of Pastoral Care and helping our members and friends plan funerals, weddings, etc.

Last week when I shared this news, the people of God at the 11:15 am mass lovingly and deservedly gave Jennifer a standing ovation. Rightfully so, as we are grateful for her three years of ministry to us. But I also mentioned that the standing ovation was not only a gift for Jennifer, but a wonderful sign of the importance we devote to our music. It cannot and will not be mediocre. When we come together in this holy place, we give God our very best praise. I am grateful to both our talented staff and to all of you for helping us keep the bar high.

Another way we keep the bar high at Old St. Pat’s is through the deep, abiding value of hospitality. Please help us never waiver when it comes to welcoming the stranger, the new comer, and the seekers. We were all there at one point in time. Keep inviting others to come join you at Old St. Pat’s on a Sunday. We have to keep sharing this gift of Faith with the next generations.

A blessed, holy, and renewing summer for all of us!

Father Tom Hurley

Sunday, June 18, 2017

by Fr. Tom Hurley

Not to bore you with a lot of historical detail, but did you ever wonder why the Church marks and celebrates this Sunday as “Corpus Christi,” or what is formally known today as The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ? Introduced centuries ago by St. Juliana during the 12th century and subsequently reinforced and enhanced by others throughout the years, this special feast that highlights the importance of the Eucharist came as a result of some folks not wanting to forget. Complete with processions and other acts of devotion, the feast of Corpus Christi essentially came about because many thought the Holy Thursday liturgy focused so much on the great command to Wash Feet, the institution of the priesthood, and the agony in the garden, that the importance of the Eucharist was somehow being diminished. So, through her own vision Juliana and the popes of her time set aside a special Sunday in order to call everyone’s attention to the sacredness of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist. Thus, every year the Sunday following Trinity Sunday is now known as the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.

Again, while I don’t mean to just offer some quick, simple facts as “filler” about a Catholic feast day, I do think today’s liturgical focus (aside from also being Father’s Day which really has no liturgical relevance per se) is a good reminder for us in terms of the centerpiece of our Tradition. Maybe the situation in the culture of Juliana during the 12th century is not so far off from what’s happening today in our own.  With more and more people not participating in the Sunday Eucharist, perhaps maybe this is our moment to remind ourselves of what the Eucharist is all about for us. Such a reflection probably deserves a lot more time and space than this short column can offer, but I would suggest if we believe that at the heart of our Catholic identity is gathering at the Eucharistic table to break open the Word and break the Bread, and hopefully this gives us a renewed sense of our life as disciples in the world, perhaps this is our moment to keep inviting and reminding our sisters and brothers of the importance of why we come together. Maybe it’s days like today being the Feast of the Body of Christ that we are reminded again that the Risen Christ is truly present to us and calls us to be the Body of Christ for one another and for the world. May the One who nourishes us help us to be on mission to find ways to nourish others and to invite them to join us at the Table of Mercy. Like I said, such a reflection deserves more

time and energy that this short column is offering, but I would really invite us all to consider how we as the Body of Christ can become a more “Inviting” Body of Christ.

Likewise, it’s Father’s Day in our country! A special blessing and prayer of thanksgiving for all of those who are called to this special vocation of being Father! And to all those men and women who raise children on your own, we are with you in prayerful solidarity today. Thank you to all who are great examples and wisdom figures, “fatherly” in so many ways! We are lucky to have you in our lives and to our God on this special day, we give thanks!

I do hope you’ll join us this week for the World’s Largest Block Party! We need you! We need your prayers for a successful two day event which benefits the overall mission of Old St. Pat’s! Thanks to all who are stepping up as volunteers and hosting this signature summer event for our many guests!

A blessed Summer,

Father Tom Hurley

by Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, June 4

You may have heard by now a concept floating around the church world here in Chicago about “Renew My Church.” Cardinal Cupich coined the phrase for the purposes of looking at our present situation here in Chicago and trying to determine what direction we should go for the coming years. The idea of “Renew My Church” comes from the conversion experience of the beloved saint of the 13th century, Francis of Assisi. Sitting in the church of San Damiano one day, meditating on the mysteries of the cross, Francis heard the voice of God say to him “Renew my Church!” At first, Francis thought the Lord meant “fix” my church so he grabbed a hammer, nails, and other instruments to help literally fix a church that was falling down. Upon further review, Francis discovered that what the Lord really wanted was for Francis to help breathe some new life into, at that time, a tired lifeless experience of church! Thus began the ministry of Francis and his followers who helped to transform and renew the life of the Church during that medieval period in our history.

That of course is a nutshell version of the story of Francis and his mystical call to help foster the life and energy of the church. Putting aside all the inaccuracies of history that I more than likely just shared with you in the previous paragraph, one thing is clear, the church is always in need of renewal! And so are we!

I applaud Cardinal Cupich’s passionate desire to have us look critically and creatively at the life of the church here in Chicago. It’s long overdue. The tide of culture has shifted dramatically these past dozen years and it continues to shift each and every day. But as the culture has continued to move, I’m not convinced we as a church have been able to keep up by responding with more creative ways of proclaiming the Gospel in 2017. As a result (though there are many factors involved), we have witnessed a growing lethargy and likewise a softening in the numbers of people engaged in the life of the church. It’s time for renewal! No doubt about it!

Unfortunately, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, many people have misunderstood “Renew My Church” to solely mean ‘the closing of parishes’. Will so me parishes likely close in the coming years? Yes, but if closing and boarding up old church buildings, school, and convents is all that we mean, then we’ve lost touch with what “Renew My Church” is all about. God didn’t suggest to Francis that he should close down the church. God called upon Francis and his companions to renew themselves and likewise to renew the face of the church in the world in their day.

Today is Pentecost, which traditionally is our great feast day to celebrate the life of the Spirit who breathed life into the hearts and souls of the early church. What I would like to suggest to us today is that the Holy Spirit breathed life and called those early Christians to be the “first” expression of what church meant for them in their day. But that was just one expression of the church in a certain time period and in a certain culture, responding to a certain set of challenges. The church has changed over time and will continue to do so. The church today doesn’t look like the church of the first century, nor the church of Francis’ time, nor the church of my early childhood. So that means the church is constantly in need of renewing itself. That’s what today is all about.

I hope you will join me in renewing our experience of church here at Old St. Pat’s today and in the new year to come. I know that I’m feeling a need and an appetite to be renewed. I pray that God will help me and all of us to not only receive the breath of the Spirit in some new creative way, but I sure hope God will help me and all of us to figure out how to share that gift of the Spirit with this world around us.

Let’s all do our best to keep asking God to help renew our prayer life, renew our relationships, renew our commitment to the poor and justice, renew our commitment to hospitality and welcome, renew our dedication to diversity, renew of level of commitment to this community of faith. May God’s gentle, yet challenging Spirit, help us all to renew the face of the earth.

Happy Pentecost Day to all of you,

Father Tom Hurley

by Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, May 28

Next Sunday, June 4, is the culmination of the Easter Season, and thus the celebration of Pentecost! In case you’re wondering, it has been 50 days since we gathered and celebrated the Resurrection.

I am pleasantly amazed at so many inquiries people have made regarding our celebration of Pentecost. Many of you have been asking me, “So what are we doing for Pentecost this year? Are we doing the big mass outside again?”

On one hand, I’m really grateful that the One Big Mass for Pentecost has made such a large impression on a lot of people. For those who were with us last year, we not only had an awesome Pentecost liturgy—all of us together in one place at one time—but we also said goodbye to the parking lot on the southeast corner of Desplaines & Adams, making way for the present construction of the office tower that will eventually give us a parking garage and a new great space for our use. In other years, we’ve celebrated Pentecost in the intersection just outside the church and we’ve gathered at the UIC Forum. As you know, we can’t do something like that every year. First of all, it’s expensive and secondly we’d like to try doing something different on the “off” years.

So that brings us to next week. Our Kinship Initiative was born on Pentecost Sunday several years ago. It was on this magnificent feast day celebrating the church’s birthday that we gave birth to a new reality and a new way of “being church” by entering kinship with the people of North Lawndale. It wasn’t a commitment to another “project.” But rather, we were pledging our desire to enter into a long, life giving relationship with a community and her people.

For Pentecost next Sunday, June 4, we are going to offer four opportunities for us as the people of Old St. Pat’s to pray with our friends in North Lawndale at 4 different churches. As our wonderful Director of the Kinship Initiative Vince Guider said last Sunday, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, “Sunday is the most segregated day in America.”

Our hope for next Sunday is to shake that up and integrate our communities in prayer and fellowship.

The masses here at Old St. Pat’s will remain the same next Sunday, but I am hoping you’ll also consider going to one of the 4 locations listed on page 5 of this publication and also on our website at www.oldstpats. org/pentecost. I anticipate attending the service over at the Stone Temple Missionary Baptist Church for the 11:00 a.m. service. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to see, meet, and experience church in North Lawndale, celebrated in a different tradition.

Today, May 28, I am traveling up to St. Norbert Abbey in DePere, Wisconsin to celebrate a First Mass for the newly ordained Fr. Michael Brennan, O. Praem. Mike was with us this past school year serving his Deacon internship as he finished his studies at Catholic Theological Union. Mike is a fine young guy who will serve the church well as a Catholic priest. He will be celebrating another First Mass of Thanksgiving this Thursday June 1 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Rita High School Chapel (7740 S. Western) and all are welcome!

Blessings to you this Memorial Day weekend and to all those who put on uniforms for our country.

Father Tom Hurley

by Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Last week during the announcements I realized as I was speaking down in the Hall at the end of the 11:15am liturgy that I really need to explain more an important part of our life that’s been going through a change the past few years, THE WORLD’S LARGEST BLOCK PARTY! I know this may not seem like a real compelling topic for consideration but I’m hoping you’ll keep reading on….

The World’s Largest Block Party started back in 1984 here at Old St. Patrick’s Church under the guidance of Fr. Jack Wall and the few people who made up this community back then. If you know the history of Old St. Pat’s, you realize that back in the mid 80’s, this place and the city itself looked so different. There were not many people coming here, the church was in terrible disrepair, and as a result, there was really no money to support any kind of mission. So 33 years ago, Fr. Wall and a few folks came up with the idea of having a block party. (If you grew up in Chicago you knew what a block party was! Get your neighbors, close off the street, play some music, and enjoy the company of others on a summer night.) Pretty easy chemistry when you think about it. “Back then” the World’s Largest Block Party (WLBP) was a pretty simple formula and likewise the only party in town, literally. There wasn’t much competition when it came to having a summer festival. Many young people thought it was a great idea that when the whistle blew at 5:00 p.m., they could easily wander over to this part of the loop and enjoy a summer evening of music, food, beverages, and people.

As the years progressed, the WLBP became more popular and the crowds increased to some pretty impressive numbers. One part of the block party that became widely publicized was the fact that many young people were meeting each other at the WLBP and to their surprise they had found their future spouse and were married! Though we don’t have an accurate count, we know there are over 100 couples who met at the block party and were married. The WLBP turned into a major concert back in the early 90’s. And still, without much competition in the Chicago area, we enjoyed many years of great success through what had become a very large event.

As you can imagine, life in Chicago these past twenty years has changed dramatically and the development of properties and many more venues in-and-around the downtown area has made it much more challenging to maintain the WLBP as we know it. Fifteen to twenty years ago, there was no such thing as Northerly Island, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, the Taste of this, the Taste of that….and the list goes on. It’s great stuff for Chicago as a whole, but the competition for the WLBP has increased dramatically. We are no longer the only summer concert in town like we essentially were back in the 80’s and early 90’s.

What does that mean for us today? In recent years we have tried to reimagine the WLBP and we have tried to keep up with the major concert venues in the city. We even moved it over to the UIC festival lot the past two years. But quite frankly, we were investing a lot of money and resources for something that was getting to be over our head.

We need and we will keep the World’s Largest Block Party. This year, we are moving it back to the block and we are returning to a two day event. So what’s different? At the recommendation of some young adults, we are focusing on more local talent and not chasing after the “big name” artists. We are being more realistic with what we can offer and likewise what we can raise. We are having a Saturday afternoon family-focused part of the WLBP called the KidZone (which we’ve never had before) from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

If we are going to be a strong vibrant experience of church, then we have to keep the mission strong and likewise we need to raise some money in order to achieve our goals and aspirations. We need the Sunday experience to be life-giving and the Sunday contributions to be strong as well. My hope is that you will help us spread the word, support the WLBP, and always say a prayer for good weather!

More information will be forthcoming but I hope this gives you a little glimpse of where we’ve been and where we’re going with this “historic” and signature event for the summer.

Follow the World’s Largest Block Party on Facebook (World’s Largest Block Party), Twitter (@wlbp_chicago), and Instagram (@worldslargestblockparty).

Have a great week,

Fr. Tom Hurley

by Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, May 14, 2017

We often joke in Chicago that there’s basically two seasons of the year, Winter and Road Construction!  And neither is a welcomed guest. Both seem to linger around too long and often make our lives hectic, as they press on our nerves and heighten our frustration levels. Although many of us usually appreciate the beauty of the snow as it comes down, I haven’t heard of anyone who has ever uttered a word of appreciation for road construction. “Gee, isn’t this back up in traffic fun?” No! It’s something else that quite honestly can’t be written in a church publication! Isn’t it true that when driving our cars around this big metropolitan area and we come upon those awful orange signs which unpleasantly announce, “Road Construction Ahead” or the new one that really gets under our skin, “Expect Delays”, one of our first reactions might be,  “What now? What could they possibly be doing on this roadway? Didn’t they just fix it last year?”

Despite the inconvenience the dreaded construction season brings to our lives, the truth of the matter is this,  we need the roads. In order to get from point A to point B, we need a pathway. It’s that simple.

Some of us who grew up in Chicago remember many years ago the famous “S” curve, located around what is present day Randolph and Lake Shore Drive. Driving north on LSD, I remember being in the car with my parents and how each driver had to literally come to almost a complete stop in order to make the very careful 90 degree turns, a required maneuver on The Drive. Thanks be to God to those who straightened out the road for us, making it less dangerous and more easily passable.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled!” I imagine many of us could recite this passage from John’s gospel by heart because we hear it proclaimed so often at Catholic funeral masses. It’s a powerful text and the part of it which intrigues me is Thomas’s reaction, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going? How can we know the way?”  You can almost hear the frustration in Thomas’s voice,  I’m lost. I don’t know how to get there. There seems to be a lot of detours. My road in life is terribly congested, torn up, broken, and in need of great repair. I’m confused with the path I’m on. I often times feel lost. The signs are not clear and most days I feel like I’m driving my life down a road that leads to nowhere.

We often speak about “spinning our wheels” (as if stuck on the ice!) and we’re driving in circles.

Two reactions to the Thomas frustration. First, in Jesus’s response to him (and to the group of disciples gathered in the Upper Room), he says, “ I AM the Way.” I think a lot of times we feel that if we just make a few quick adjustments or re-construct our pathways, our calendars, and our habits, we’re all good to go. Any many times, those minor adjustments are good, healthy and helpful.  And we should make adjustments when necessary in our behaviors.  But notice what Jesus says to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” What Jesus offers is not a map but a person. He offers Himself. His path will lead to life, hope, and love. This is the invitation of the Risen Christ. We can travel the road more confidently with the One who is the Way.

Second, I so appreciate the energy, spirit, and the clarity of the Pope these days. I love Francis and I think he hits one home run after another. Among the many pieces of wisdom he shared that is being quoted often is, “Build Bridges.”

Bridges help us connect. They make it easier for us to get from one side to another. As we find ourselves on the path of life, remember the constant invitation of the Risen One, Come to me.  Take my hand. Cross the bridge. The prayer after communion in today’s liturgy says it so beautifully, “Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have filled with heavenly mysteries to pass from former ways to newness of life.”

May the Risen Christ lead us on our journey. May Jesus our Brother be the Way that leads us in this often confusing crazy life we live. In our conversations, among prayer groups, contemplating scripture, during the rush hour commutes, may we help each other find the bridges that will show us the way to Hope.

A blessed Sunday to all and a Happy Mother’s Day to all the great Holy women of our lives.

Father Tom Hurley

By Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, April 30, 2017

For the past year I have become so much more mindful of the gift of mobility and literally the ability to walk. Watching my parents navigate with walkers, and not without tremendous difficulty, has been nothing short of stark and sobering.Though despite the challenges of health and the aging process, I am grateful for fond memories.

When we were younger, one of the activities I so enjoyed was walking around the neighborhood and the local park with my dad. With a dog on the leash and bags in hand, we would set out on our journey, and I remember feeling both pride and comfort as I walked up and down the various city streets within our parish listening to my father’s wisdom and, often times, the whistling of show tunes or Irish songs.

Perhaps the greatest walk with my dad that I will treasure is the one we took on Saturday morning, May 22, 1993. Away from our familiar routes and finding ourselves in downtown Chicago, I found myself walking with my dad on the morning of my ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood. After finishing morning prayer and a breakfast with the late great Cardinal Bernardin at the former Quigley Seminary chapel at Rush & Pearson, my dad asked if we could walk together over to the Cathedral for the beginning of the ceremony. (My mom took the shuttle!) Though it’s only a few city blocks away, our walk from Quigley to Holy Name was perhaps one of the most grace-filled moments I can remember. Though my dad has never been a very talkative person, I knew that spending these last few moments prior to my ordination was something special that he wanted to claim for himself. Somewhere between Rush and State streets, I remember him asking me, “Are you okay?”  To which I responded with a few tears attached, “I’m kind of scared.”  To which my dad responded, “You’ll be alright. I’m very proud of you.”

A day later, on Sunday, May 23, 1993, I celebrated my first mass as a priest and the gospel I proclaimed was the one we hear today from Luke, the powerful and delightful text of those first disciples on the way to Emmaus. This is perhaps one of my favorite passages in all of Sacred Scripture. Filled with wonderful symbolism and an intriguing message, Luke tells us about some of those first disciples who find themselves walking together on a road, going from Jerusalem to Emmaus. We’re told it’s about 7 miles, but to this very day scholars still aren’t quite sure where Emmaus is actually located. There is no Emmaus on the map of the Holy Land today. Scholars like Ronald Rolheiser say that Emmaus may have been a village that existed during Jesus’ time but it was equivalent to a “spa” town or like Las Vegas! (His words, not mine!) The friends of Jesus were scared, frustrated, and uncertain of what the future would hold, so where do they find themselves but running away from it all to the spa town of Emmaus.

In this sacred walk, they discover in the midst of their confusion and fear, their faithful friend is on the road with them, accompanying them through their confusion and bringing them to a sense of peace. “Were not our hearts burning within as he walked with us on the road and opened the scriptures for us?”  You see, I think the beauty of this remarkable Easter text is a great reminder that the life of discipleship is how we walk with one another on the road of life. Jesus led them not only to a moment of “turning around” and going back to Jerusalem, but he accompanied them and opened up their minds to the Scripture and to the power of what can happen when we gather together at the Table. Our eyes might actually open to a deeper Mystery of Holy Love and to the One who says to us:  you’ll be alright. To all who walk with us on the road (literally and symbolically) and through their prayer and goodness lead us into the deeper mysteries of Easter faith, today is a great day to say Thanks. I am so deeply grateful for the ways all of you at Old St. Pat’s do that for me.

Happy Easter to all!

Fr. Tom Hurley

By Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, April 16, 2017

HAPPY EASTER!  How good it is for us to be here today to celebrate the Resurrection! In my own name and on behalf of all those who make this Church come alive each day, welcome to all of you who have entered this sanctuary for the very time today. We are thrilled and overjoyed to welcome so many people who have come to celebrate again the mysteries of Faith and our shared call to be witnesses of the Resurrection in our world today.  If you’ve come from the West Loop, the suburbs, or you are visiting Chicago this Easter weekend, please know that it is our privilege to open wide our doors in the spirit of radical hospitality, for which Old St. Pat’s has become widely known.  If you’re here for the first time or perhaps you’ve not been to church in a long while, just know how grateful we are that you are here today and what a blessing it is to celebrate the cornerstone of our faith together on this Easter day.  

In a very short article on the mysteries of Easter, author and biblical scholar Ronald Witherup reflects on the city of Jerusalem.  During Holy Week, we hear a lot about Jerusalem as the place of suffering, death, and resurrection.  Often times, we think of Jerusalem as strictly a metropolitan location on the map and solely as a “place” where people jeered, violence erupted, fearful disciples huddled in upper rooms, ‘doubting’ Thomas wandered, and post-resurrection sightings were reported.  But as Witherup points out, no one develops the iconic religious perspective of Jerusalem more than St. Luke in his gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles.  After the Resurrection, Jerusalem itself takes on a whole new meaning and the place where Jesus’ earthly life ends will now be the place where the mission of the church begins.  Thus, Jerusalem is more than just a location; it’s more than just an old city 6,000 miles away from Chicago.  It’s a symbol, a reborn entity that will be the source and destiny of our life in God.  Prophets, psalmists, and other biblical writers saw Jerusalem in a whole new way.  They saw their place of misery and challenge to be a place transformed by God’s power and God’s call to live anew.

Back in February, I had the privilege of being in Jerusalem with other members of Old St. Pat’s.  While it was sacred, fun, and spiritually moving to walk amidst the old streets of Jerusalem and Galilee, nothing captured me more than what all this meant to my life back in Chicago.  If the Resurrection is about living within the New Jerusalem and doing as the Risen Lord had instructed his disciples, “Go to Galilee, that’s where you will see me,” then it seems to me that the New Jerusalem is right here in the upper Midwest.  Where will we encounter the Risen One?  Right here in the Land of Lincoln, in the Windy City!  All that took place two millennia ago in Jerusalem on that first Easter morning is the renewed vision of what we are called to live today right here in our city.

You see, Good Friday is over.  We are a people of Easter Sunday, always and eternal.  That’s our message and that is our mission for the world in which we live.  Against the backdrop of violence that plagues our city and has infested so many parts of our world, the Easter mission is to envision a New Jerusalem, a New Chicago, a New Humanity.  Let Easter renew not only our vision of Jerusalem, but let it renew our offices, our homes, our neighborhoods, our friendships, our Church, and our young.  Let the vision of what Jerusalem could be drive human hearts to envision what Syria can be, what North Lawndale can be, what lower Wacker can be, what Egypt can be, and what we can be.  

I hope and pray this will not just be “another Easter” for us.  I hope it will be the start of something new in our lives as people of Faith.  May the joy and hope of the New and Eternal Jerusalem stir within us so the world will see in us the beauty of the Risen Christ.

A Blessed and Hopeful Easter to you!

 

Father Tom Hurley

By Fr. Tom Hurley

Sunday, April 9, 2017

It seems every year as we approach the “high holy days” of Holy Week in our Catholic Christian Tradition, my mind automatically wanders back to my childhood. I’ve mentioned many times before (for those who have been around Old St. Pat’s for a while) that my childhood home was located directly across the street from my Catholic parish and grade school of St. Cajetan in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the city’s south side. Some of you may be tired of me talking about it and/or writing about it, but my involvement in church life from an early age was a significant contributor to my vocation as a priest and certainly to my faith formation as a disciple. I loved growing up next door to the Catholic parish. Though I certainly had plenty of friends to play with growing up, I do recall that much of my time in junior high and high school was spent helping out at the parish. I admired and I was intrigued by the goodness of the Dominican Sisters and our parish priests. They were, and continue to be, some of the finest heroes who positively impacted my life from a very early age.

Holy Week reminds me of my earliest days of formation in the Catholic faith and likewise my first exposure to the liturgical celebrations of this most sacred time in our calendar.  I’m almost certain, from an early age, my parish priests knew or could sense that I had a vocation to the priesthood.  I was very fortunate and wonderfully blessed by their goodness and example.  They were all excellent priests!  I think it was probably when I was in the sixth grade that the pastor Fr. Schomburg invited me to play (what I thought anyway as a sixth grader) a crucial role in pulling off the success of the Holy Week services.  Just being present, setting up vessels, following the scripts for the mass parts, arranging the church furniture, lighting candles for Holy Thursday, stripping the altar for Good Friday, turning lights on and off at the appropriate cues, and setting up the fire for our Holy Saturday Vigil are just some of the fond memories I have of this most sacred week in our Tradition.  I know, it might sound like I was a church nerd, and I probably was, but now that I’m 50, I’ve gotten over it!  In fact, I’m more grateful now for that early formation than you can imagine!  I loved it and I’m grateful for it.

I know times have changed and certainly Old St. Pat’s is not the neighborhood church, per se.  But the Holy Week liturgies continue to, and will forever, speak of the wonderful mysteries that call us to be disciples and help us embrace further the richness of our identity as Catholic Christians.  Despite all the details related to this week and making sure we celebrate each liturgy well, I love everything about Holy Week.  As an adult, and certainly as a priest, I am intrigued and so profoundly grateful to watch almost 30 adults say “yes” to joining the Church and all the pageantry surrounding the rituals of initiation.  I am so moved by the crowds that come here on Holy Thursday for dinner and then join in the Feast of the Lord’s Supper!  The somber tone of Good Friday, during the Passion liturgy and the Stations of the Cross, continue to move my heart as they did many years ago when I watched them unfold at my home parish.  Nothing compares to the hype, beauty, and joy of Easter at Old St. Patrick’s Church.  It’s one of my favorite days here with all of you and the many visitors who join us as well.

I hope to see you this Holy Week at our services.  Come to as many as you can.  I think these services help form and renew us in our identity as people of Faith.  To our parents:  bring your kids!  I’m so glad my mom and dad encouraged me to say “yes” to the invitation by the parish priests to help out at my home parish when I was young.  It made a huge difference in my faith formation and likewise my understanding of the Catholic faith and stories of Jesus.

A blessed and inspiring Holy Week to all of you!

Father Tom Hurley

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