The October edition of The Crux is now online.

Go to the Crux Newsletter page to download a pdf copy or look for a hardcopy in the back of the church.

The Feast Week celebration dates are set!

It takes place September 8 - 14, 2013.

Here’s the day by day schedule for the week.

Sunday, September 8

10:00 AM Special Exaltation Celebration Mass with participation of 2012 1^st Communicants and the Knights of Columbus

11:15 AM Eucharistic Procession begins in the church & processes around the block

Monday, September 9

6:30 – 8:00 PM Holy Cross Coffeehouse Presents: Fr. Dave Sajdak, Fr. Santa Bibiani, and Fr. Bill Bucciferro

Enjoy coffeehouse pastries, desserts, and drinks while getting to know our Salesian Priests and learning more about what it means to be a Salesian Priest and parish

Tuesday, September 10

7:30 AM – 7:00 PM Adoration and Veneration of the Holy Cross

      (The True Relic will be displayed for veneration.)

7:00 PM    Benediction with Vespers 

7:30 – 8:30 PM Concert featuring Holy Cross organist Scott Montgomery

Wednesday, September 11

6:30 – 7:30 PM Living Rosary presented in the church by the students of Holy Cross School and the Family Formation Program offered for the intentions of Holy Cross Parishioners

Thursday, September 12

5:00 – 6:00 PM Sacrament of Reconciliation

6:30 – 8:00 PM Healing Mass: Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick for anyone in need of spiritual, physical, or emotional healing

Friday, September 13

8:15 AM All School Mass

9:30 AM Eucharistic Adoration and Veneration of the Holy Cross  

    (The True Relic will be displayed for veneration)

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Holy Cross School’s Hot Dog Day (All are welcome)

3:00 PM Chaplet of the Divine Mercy

4:45 PM Benediction

6:30 – 10:00 PM Adult Social Celebration: Join the fun with a cookout, libations, and music presented by The Live Jukebox Show Band (featuring parishioner David Howie. All request!! Covering music that spans 60 years!

Saturday, September 14 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

12:00 – 3:00 PM St. John Bosco’s Family Fun Day Potluck: Complete with cookout, kids games, and inflatable fun (and the dunk tank!) Watch the bulletin for information on what you can bring!!

If you’ve had any conversations with our new pastors, I’m sure you’re as impressed as I am.

Salesians have a different mindset and spirituality. Their focus on the young is fresh and exciting, especially for a family oriented parish like Holy Cross.

Here’s an excerpt from an article I found on the Salesian spirit. It’s called “For Don Bosco and the Salesians, the Young Are the Masters.” [Read more...]

Have you met our new priests yet?

If not, I’m sure you will this Sunday.

Fr. David Sajdak, our new pastor arrived in Champaign last Wednesday, and was very busy receiving the passdown from Fr. Willard. He took over officially at noon last Monday, July 1.

Fr. William Bucciferro, who is assigned to Holy Cross but will work primarily with the Newman Center at St. John’s, arrived on Monday night.

Our parochial vicar, Fr. Jose Santa Bibiana, is not here yet. He will arrive sometime in August.

They’re Salesians, the order of priests St. John Bosco started in the late 1800′s. They’re called Salesians after St. Francis de Sales, a patron saint of Don Bosco.

Be sure to stop by after Mass and say hello this weekend. They are very friendly and eager to meet everyone.

Below is an excerpt from a Catholic Post article on our new priests.

Father David Sajdak, SDB, has been named pastor of Holy Cross Parish here by Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC. He succeeds Father Stephen Willard, who has been appointed pastor of St. Patrick in Washington and St. Monica in East Peoria.

Joining Father David as parochial vicar will be Father Jose Santa Bibiana, SDB. He will also assist with Spanish Masses and ministry at St. Malachy Parish in Rantoul.

A third member of the Salesian community, Father William Bucciferro, SDB, has been named assistant chaplain at St. John’s Catholic Chapel and Newman Center.

Their names were put forth for consideration by Father Thomas Dunne, SDB, provincial of the Province of St. Philip the Apostle of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and accepted by Bishop Jenky. The appointments for Father David and Father William are effective July 1, while Father Jose’s appointment is effective Aug. 1.

FOR HOLY CROSS PARISH
Born and raised in Chicago, Father David comes to Champaign from Surrey, British Columbia, where has been parochial vicar at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish for six years. Prior to that he ministered at Salesian parishes in Toronto and Chicago and at two parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Father Thomas said the new pastor has worked with students in Catholic schools throughout his priesthood, is an excellent youth minister and works well with young adults.

Father Jose was born in Spain and came to the United States as a seminarian. He has served as a principal, catechist and financial administrator at his community’s schools and for 26 years has been the pastor at three Salesian parishes serving mostly poor Latin American families.

Prior to this appointment in Champaign, Father Jose worked with migrant laborers from Mexico and Haiti as pastor of St. Philip Benizi Parish in Belle Glade, Fla., for nine years. Father Thomas said when he tried to move Father Jose a few years ago, Bishop Gerald Barbarito of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., asked him to reconsider.

Father Thomas described him as “energetic and passionate about ministry in the Salesian style.”

Click here to read the entire article at The Catholic Post’s website.

“We must promote religious liberty for all people. Every man and woman must be free to profess his or her faith, whatever it may be. Why? Because that man and that woman are children of God.” – Pope Francis

June 21 began the second Fortnight for Freedom dedicated to prayer and action against the proposed HHS Mandate that is to take effect on August 1, 2013.

This mandate would force Catholic institutions to provide coverage of sterilization, contraception, and abortion-inducing drugs. This is a serious threat to the religious liberty of all Americans…a freedom that has implications for the common good of our nation and world.

The Fortnight for Freedom is a call to action for Catholics all over this nation to understand what’s at stake in the infringement of Catholic religious liberty.

It’s also a call for Catholics (and all American people who value freedom) to stand firm and not allow the government to trample the First Amendment rights that have protected the free exercise of religion since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789.

What can you do?

1. You need to pray!

Pray that our leaders see this threat to our basic freedoms and don’t carry out the mandate on August 1.

There are Fortnight for Freedom prayer resources available on the USCCB website including downloads for a Litany for Liberty, a template for doing a Religious Liberty Holy Hour , and a Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty you can say daily.

If you want to go even further, do penance and make some sacrifice for this intention.

2. Educate yourself about this threat so you can talk about it to others and then spread the word

There is a very comprehensive FAQ page on the USCCB site that gives the basics of the issue and what’s at stake.

Also, check out this page of downloadable PDF’s that explain the different aspects of the issue. You could print these and hand them out to friends and family.

3. Finally, take action

Contact representatives in the Senate and House and ask them to overturn the HHS Rule. Here’s an Federal Legislative Action Alert link  you can use to email them.

Last weekend began the 2013 Annual Diocesan Appeal.

Our goal this year is $77,991. Much less than last year.

We easily met last year’s goal so I’m sure your generosity will carry us through this year as well.

The Annual Diocesan Appeal is a very necessary fundraiser for our diocese and our parish. Basically, it’s how the diocese pays the bills. You financially support the parish, and the parish financially supports the diocese.

There are many services you benefit from in giving generously to the Diocesan Appeal. Funds are used to:

• Educate our future priests
• Support retired clergy
• Fund Catholic Charities relief services
• Pay salaries and fund programs in the departments of Catholic Schools, Religious Education, Evangelization, and Family Life
• Support the Catholic Newman Centers on the many college campus’ around the diocese
• Support the office of Divine Worship ensuring the integrity of our Catholic liturgies

Your financial gift is necessary for the administration, oversight, services, and programs that run our diocese and keep our parishes running smoothly. It would be impossible to operate this large operation spread across the entire east/west borders of Illinois without these funds.

Please consider giving generously to this year’s Annual Diocesan Appeal. And don’t worry that you’ll give too much and go over our goal. If that happens 100% of the funds go back into the parish.

You can get donation slips in the back of church or in the parish office. Call 352-8748 for more details.

Thank you for your support.

Save the date!

The 5th Annual Catholic Connected will be on Saturday, June 1st.

This year the guest speaker is author and radio personality Elizabeth Ficocelli. Elizabeth is the author of 14 books including Seven From Heaven: How Your Family Can Find Healing, Strength and Protection in the Sacraments; Lourdes: Font of Faith, Hope & Charity; Shower of Heavenly Roses: Stories of the Intercession of St. Thérèse of Lisieux; and The Imitation of Christ for Children.

Elizabeth is a frequent guest on EWTN television as well as on Catholic radio. She is the host of “Answering The Call” on St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820, in which she interviews priests, deacons, and religious about their spiritual journeys.

Elizabeth talk is called, “The Year of Faith: Encountering Christ Through the Sacraments.”

We hope every Catholic wil plan to be a part of this great event.

In mid-May, the Parish Office will have free tickets/name tags for attendance.