This is the fourth year we’ve had the pleasure of recommending parishioners for this award which Cardinal George inaugurated nearly two decades ago to honor parishioners who contribute in a significant way to the life of their parishes. The awards were presented on Sunday, October 7
th (same day as the Chicago Marathon, which made for a traffic nightmare) at Holy Name Cathedral, and this year’s honorees from St. Joseph were
Paul & Chris Lynch. Like those we’ve honored in the past, they didn’t feel they deserved it, but that’s one of the key reasons they were chosen by the parish pastoral staff. The Cathedral celebration included over 200 other honorees, their friends, family member and pastors, as well as all the auxiliary bishops of Chicago and the Vicar General, Bishop Ron Hicks, filling in for Cardinal Cupich who was in Rome for meetings with Pope Francis and other bishops.
Those who know Chris & Paul are aware that they always seem to work behind the scenes, most often in the Sayers Hall kitchen for the Lenten fish fry, when we were doing the Winter Picnic, and at pretty much every other event in that place. When they’re not in the kitchen, they’re either setting up, cleaning up or taking down—all in relative anonymity, except to those who work with them. And they do all that with incredible patience and good humor, which makes their contribution to the life of the parish all the more valuable.
The witness of all the parishioners throughout the Archdiocese who are honored each year with this award is a reminder to all the baptized that everyone is called to a life of service in the community of the Church, whether that’s a formal ministry within a parish or a commitment to the larger church or civic community. Our participation in the PADS shelter at St. Lawrence O’Toole which I wrote about last week is just one example of that beyond-the-parish commitment to service. And the ongoing
Renew My Church initiative aims to invite more and more Catholic Christians to live their baptismal calling by discerning the best use of their gifts and talents as disciples of Jesus.
So we congratulate Paul & Chris Lynch and thank them for their generous service to our parish. I’m personally grateful to them and to all who serve St. Joseph and our surrounding communities in so many ways. And I’m also grateful to the 38 new people who expressed an interest in learning about a parish ministry during our annual Stewardship appeal last month. It’s never too late to consider joining them; just check out the Stewardship booklet on the tables in the rear of Church and then contact the Rectory office for more information.