Deacon Ordinations – Congratulations to the following men who were ordained deacons recently: Mark Bernhard and John Honiotes from the Diocese of Joliet; Wayne Stock from the Diocese of Springfield, IL; and Tom Orlando from the Diocese of Stockton.
Other members of the Class of 2016 being ordained deacons over the next few months are: Radley Alcantara, Moises Navarro, Przemyslaw Tomczyk and Miguel Venegas for the Archdiocese of Chicago; Brian McNavish from the Archdiocese of Atlanta; Ralph Davis, Kevin Earleywine, Andrew Marr and Austin Wilker from the Archdiocese of Dubuque; Greg Bim-Merle and Nate Edquist from the Diocese of Gary; Stephen Durkee, Steve Geerling and Kyle Kilpatrick from the Diocese of Grand Rapids; Jon Thorsen and Zach Weber from the Diocese of Green Bay; Daniel Coronado and Michael Guastello from the Archdiocese of Kansas City, KS; Colin Easton from the Diocese of Rockford; Josh Gray from the Diocese of San Angelo; Jeffrey Moore and Colin Parrish from the Archdiocese of Seattle; Callistus Iyorember and Martin Moreno from the Diocese of Tucson; and Andrew Bergkamp, Kyle Dugan, Clay Kimbro and Jorge Lopez from the Diocese of Wichita.
Congratulations to all of these candidates. We assure them of our prayers and support as they continue their preparation for priesthood.
Profession of Faith / Oath of Fidelity – On Tuesday, April 26, the remaining third year men preparing for diaconate ordination will make their Profession of Faith and take their Oath of Fidelity. In the context of a simple prayer service, they will make their formal commitment to uphold all of the teachings of the Catholic church and to faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ as they serve God’s people. Please keep these third year theologians in your prayers as they continue their preparation for diaconate ordination.
Visitors – Most Reverend Michael Sis (San Angelo), Fr. Alan Wierzba (La Crosse) Fr. David Kime (Gary), Fr. J Friedl (Springfield-Cape Girardeau), Fr. Keith Romke (Rockford), Fr. David Hasser (Lafayette, IN), Fr. Brian Alford (Springfield, IL) and Fr. Dan Schuster (Green Bay) will be visiting over the next few weeks. We are grateful for their hard work and support of vocations to the priesthood. Please extend a warm welcome to our visitors.
Jeremiah Day – The seminarians from the Joliet Diocese hosted 40 young men on the campus of St. Mary on the Lake on Saturday, April 23rd for Jeremiah Day. The young men, from grades 7 through 10, enjoyed a full day of sports such as basketball, football, and soccer. The Joliet Seminarians also included time for Adoration, prayer, Q&A from the Joliet Seminarians, and ended with a Mass celebrated in our Chapel of the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Burke Masters. The inspiration for inviting these young men to the seminary comes from Jeremiah 1:4-8.
Community Activities – Over Holy Week, Fr. Elmer Romero, Director of Hispanic Ministry, and four seminarians (Paul Porter, Arturo Vigueras, Nelson Cintra and Patrick Gorman) travelled to San Jeronimo parish in Huandacareo, Mexico. They were overwhelmed by the faith, joy and generosity of the wonderful people in this small pueblo in the state of Michoacan. They were also able to visit with members of our community in their hometown, including seminarian Alonso Alfaro (in Morelia), and Mabel Cisneros and Elizabeth Cisneros. They are grateful for this experience which will help prepare for future celebrations of Holy Week in the United States, particularly to Mexican communities.
Celebration of Mundelein – Over 550 people joined us for the 23rd annual Celebration of Mundelein: An Evening of Tribute. Held on Wednesday, April 13, 2106 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, this year’s event not only had one of the largest attendee turnouts, but also raised an incredible $447,000. Honored were Father Ken Simpson and Charles (Chip) and Ellen Mulaney of St. Clement’s Parish in Chicago. Father Ken received the As Those Who Serve award for his service to the Church and to our faith. The Mulaneys received the Christo Gloria award, which is given to outstanding laity whose life and work exemplifies the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The event was emceed by Allison Rosati, NBC5 news anchor. Music for the evening was provided by City Lights Orchestra under the direction of Rich Daniels and performances were given by the Mundelein Seminary Choir, and Brass and Handbell Ensembles under the direction of Linda M. Cerabona. A beautiful evening showcasing Mundelein Seminary was enjoyed by all. Click here to view the St. Clement honoree video.
