World Youth Day Madrid: 365 Days & Counting

Only one year to go to WYD 2011 in Madrid, Spain!

Twenty-two young adults from the Diocese of Joliet will depart for Madrid, Spain, in one year's time. The international celebration of World Youth Day will take place August 13-22, 2011 on the Iberian penninsula - and we'll be there to experience the big event!

This past week, WYD pilgrims from the diocese have celebrated their one-year pre-anniversary by gathering and sharing their thoughts on the notion of pilgrimage - and why this trip will be different than any vacation they have had or will ever have. As we look one year into the future, we can expect a journey of faith - both interior and exterior - that will transform their lives.

World Youth Day, begun at Pope John Paul II's suggestion in 1984, is now an international phenomenon. The audience for this event are young people ages 16 to 35 (the word "youth" in Europe is more indicitive of young adults than teenagers) - and the Diocese of Joliet is bringing a big contingent of those people to Spain next August.

In addition to the 22 young adults, the diocese will also send along older teens, chaperones, and young adult seminarians and priests - as well as Bishop J. Peter Sartain, who will accompany the pilgrimage overseas. Several diocesan agencies are working together to make this trip a reality: the youth ministry office, the campus ministry office, the vocations office, the Hispanic affairs office, and of course, the young adult ministry office for the Diocese of Joliet.

The young adult pilgrims include men and women from around the Chicagoland area: Joliet, Naperville, Morris, Clarendon Hills, Schaumburg, Buffalo Grove, Plainfield, Elmhurst, Lockport, Lisle, Frankfort, and Chicago. They are college students, recent grads, married couples, and singles - and they are open to the Holy Spirit as they make their way towards Madrid this year.

The coming year will feature retreats, days of reflection, catechesis, spiritual renewal, social opportunities, travel preparation, and other activities for these pilgrims. One major difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage is that the pilgrim's route is just as important as the destination. And this year, as we journey with these men and women, that route is full of great things.

Please pray for our pilgrims this year.

Summer Finale Celebration with Bishop Sartain

This Saturday, August 7th, 2010 - Finale Mass on the Grass

The summer is almost over - and what a better way to send off the season by being a part of a great Mass on the Grass with Joliet Bishop J. Peter Sartain and a crowd of your peers?

This Saturday, the Diocese of Joliet hosts its finale event at the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center in Romeoville (specifically at 101 W. Airport Road, Romeoville, IL 60446, just north of Lewis University on Rt. 53). Mass begins at 5:00 p.m., followed by a picnic dinner at 6:00 p.m.

The cost is only $5.00 per person in advance (call Nancy for tickets to be held at will call: 815-834-4048) or $10.00 if you buy them at the door. All young adults are welcome to attend, whether they came to Theology-on-Tap or not. We'd love to have you!

What Does the Mass Mean to Young Adults?

Catholic Mass: What's the Point?

This week at Theology-on-Tap, a panel of young adults will explore the meaning of the Mass and what it means to them today. The presentation takes place:

Thursday, July 29, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Christ the King Catholic Church
1501 S. Main Street, Lombard, Illinois

Katie Jennrich, a recent graduate of the University of Dayton in Ohio and a native of the Diocese of Joliet, will share her experiences with the liturgy and invite the panel and all participants that night to explore what the Mass means to them. Why is it important? Why is it so special? Why even bother waking up Sunday moring to take part?

Come and be a part of the discussion. We'd love to see you there!

The Spirituality of Sports

Fr. Burke Masters speaks @ Theology-on-Tap 2010

This week, among all the great opportunities to connect with the faith at Theology-on-Tap, take a break to hear about the more spiritual side to America's favorite pasttimes: sports.

Fr. Burke Masters, the vocations director for the Diocese of Joliet and former baseball player, will speak three times on this topic at the Theology-on-Tap series:

Monday, July 19, 2010 @ 7 pm
John & Tony's Restaurant, West Chicago

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 @ 7 pm
Cathedral of St. Raymond, Joliet

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 @ 7 pm
Benedictine University, Lisle

Prior to entering the priesthood, Burke was on the baseball team for Mississippi State University and played in the College World Series. He went on to work for the Kane County Cougars, a minor league team in Illinois, when he felt a call to the priesthood. He was ordained for the Diocese of Joliet in 2002 and now works at recruiting men to the ordained life.

Theology-on-Tap continues all around the Joliet Diocese this week. For the full schedule and details about each site, go to www.dioceseofjoliet.org/yam/theologyontap2010.asp.

Other featured speakers include Fr. Thomas Loya, an international presence who will speak on Theology of the Body; Tom Quinlan, the Director of Religious Education for the Joliet Diocese, who will go deeper into the meaning of the Eucharist; Dr. Jim Papandrea, a professor of church history at Northwestern University, who talks about the spirituality of everyday living; and Fr. Mario Quejadas, a new pastor from Kankakee who will touch on the art of happiness and taking risks in life.

The Tap Starts Flowing

Beginning this week, Theology-on-Tap starts flowing again...

For thirty years, Theology-on-Tap has been a part of Catholic culture in the Chicagoland area - and the Diocese of Joliet is proud to continue that tradition in 2010.

Way back in the summer of 1981, at a suburban church in Arlington Heights, the first Theology-on-Tap sessions were held for young adults wanting to go deeper with their faith. It worked so well that the program grew and continued for the next three decades. Soon after its beginnings, the Diocese of Joliet began hosting Tap nights and became a wonderful success.

Since that time, Theology-on-Tap has expanded beyond the Chicagoland area into other states across the country and overseas to other countries including Australia, China, and Italy. There are also some non-Catholic churches that are hosting Theology-on-Tap for their own young adults. While it has taken different forms and been hosted in a variety of ways, the basic premise remained the same: great theology, enjoyable conversation, good food, and opportunities to meet new people.

This week, nine locations across the Joliet Diocese will host a Theology-on-Tap night. Sr. Helena Burns from the Pauline Sisters in Chicago will tackle the issues revolving around media, movies, and Theology of the Body in Downers Grove and New Lenox. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Siegel will share words of wisdom at his alma mater, St. Raymond Cathedral in Joliet, and with young couples at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Aurora. Friar Johnpaul Cafiero will talk about war and peace in West Chicago and Lombard - and with college students at Benedictine University. Fr. Thomas Loya will open up the world of Byzantine Catholicism to young adults at his home parish in Homer Glen. And Fr. Pat Mulcahy will explain what we're supposed to do after Sunday Mass is over - in his presentation at the appropriately-named Tap House Grill in Glen Ellyn.

What a week! We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Bishop Siegel on Tap

Bishop Joseph Siegel speaks at Theology-on-Tap

This week, Bishop Joseph Siegel makes his Theology-on-Tap debut, speaking to young adults at two locations in the Diocese of Joliet.

On Sunday, July 11th, Bishop Siegel speaks to young adult engaged and married couples at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Aurora. And on Tuesday, July 13th, he meets up with young adults, both single and married, at St. Raymond Cathedral Parish in Joliet.

Siegel is the Auxiliary Bishops for the Diocese of Joliet, a role he began in January 2010. Raised on a farm in Lockport Township, he was baptized and formed at St. Raymond Cathedral - and so it is fitting that his Tap debut should be there as well. He attended St. Charles Borromeo High School Seminary in Romeoville, on the grounds of what is now the diocesan pastoral center, and St. Meinrad College in Indiana, completing his seminary formation in Rome.

Bishop Siegel has served at several parishes across the diocese - most recently as the pastor at Visitation Parish in Elmhurst. He has served on a number of commissions including being the chair of the Presbyteral Council, the Diocesean Board of Consultors, and his current role as the chair of the steering committee for the Diocese of Joliet Year of the Eucharist and Eucharistic Congress (which will take place in June 2011).

If you're in the area this Sunday or Tuesday night, stop by and greet our new bishop. He would be happy to meet you too.

Theology-on-Tap begins now!

Will you be part of a celebration that spans the globe?

Tonight - July 6th, 2010 - marks the beginning of the 30th season of Theology-on-Tap in the Chicagoland area. This series, begun in 1981 in the Chicago suburbs, has grown into an international phenomenon - stretching from across the United States to Great Britain, Australia, China, and even Rome, Italy.

Tonight, we join our special guest Bishop J. Peter Sartain as we kick off the summer season with a festival of music, food, and conversation. Rain or shine, this promises to be a great event. So bring some snacks and drinks - and if the weather is good, a lawn chair or blanket - and come down to Benedictine University campus in Lisle (at College Road and Maple Avenue, just a little west of the I-355 expressway). Signs will be posted on campus to show the way.

Hope to see you there. Be a part of a thirty-year, multi-national legacy - and above all, come and meet some really great people and talk about some really great stuff: theology, faith, and the spirituality of everyday life.

For more info, go to www.dioceseofjoliet.org/yam/yamtot.asp.