LUMEN
For friends of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Habemus Papam
Join us for the
GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Celebrate fifty years of faithful service — a lifetime of leadership, compassion and dedication — that has changed countless lives.
Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Hilton Chicago 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Let us gather in faith and gratitude to honor Cardinal Cupich who has given so much to the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Visit archchicago.org/goldenjubilee to purchase tickets or become a sponsor.
Front cover: Pope Leo XIV appears on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica May 8 (© Vatican Media).
Brendan Keating, JD Chief Development Officer
312.534.5271 bkeating@archchicago.org
Melissa M. Babcock, CFRE Senior Director of Development 312.534.8197 mbabcock@archchicago.org
Barbara Shea Collins Director, Annual Catholic Appeal 312.534.7944 bcollins@archchicago.org
Jose Piñones Director of Giving 312.534.8278 jpinones@archchicago.org
Carla Beecher Editor, Lumen magazine
Tricia Koning
Parishioners gathered in candlelight during the Night of Light prayer service at St. Dismas Church of Little Flower Parish on March 27, 2025. The evening offered a peaceful space for reflection, hope and unity during the Lenten season.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Welcome to this summer edition of Lumen magazine. As we continue to celebrate this Holy Year of Jubilee centered on the theme of hope, the articles and personal witness in this issue support the true source of our hope, the Risen Lord who is always exercising his priestly ministry in our midst. For this reason Saint Paul assures us that this hope will not disappoint us.
Across the years, I have discovered that the key to renewing my sense of hope is being ever grateful. That gratitude begins with the awareness of what God has done in raising Christ from the dead. It is a gratitude that empowers me to look ahead in hope to the future of God’s unfolding plan both in my life and in the world. It is the hope that allows us to proclaim with St. Paul, “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Perhaps the same is true for you.
As a Church, as God’s pilgrim people, in this moment in our history we must lift up a prayer of deep gratitude to the Lord for both the life and ministry of Pope Francis and the blessing of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. God has been good to us, providing us with shepherds to lead, guide, and direct the Church. This grace gives us hope as together we face the challenge of being “a united Church, a sign of unity and communion that becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.” (from Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass)
At a personal level, this year 2025 is a particularly important time of gratitude for me. Fifty years ago on August 16, I was ordained a priest. The words of the psalmist come to mind as I think of the many blessings over these five decades, “How can I thank the Lord for all the good He has done for me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” It is in the great prayer of the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, that I recall with deep gratitude all those before and since my ordination — my parents and family, the religious women and men who taught me and encouraged me, brother priests who supported and challenged me, and, in a special way, the people I have been privileged to serve.
Karen Callaway/ Chicago Catholic
Over this half century people shared their lives with me in the joyful moments of baptizing a child, in First Holy Communions, in the exchange of wedding vows and in the ordinary but extraordinary celebrations of the Sunday Eucharist where we shared God’s living Word and broke the Bread of Life. The people of God also opened their lives in their darker moments of pain, setback and suffering, as they grappled with sin and reconciliation, or bid farewell to loved ones, or when they themselves faced the challenges of serious illness. All these are privileged moments that have been gifts from God.
How can I thank the Lord for all the good he has done for me? I will continue to take up the cup of salvation, confident that Christ will continue to walk with me and the Church. We know the future is uncertain and out of our control, yet there is the assurance that the Risen Lord has not left us orphans. That is the source of our hope, a hope that calls us to embrace a path of stewardship with eyes to passing on the faith to future generations. If you are reading Lumen magazine, you probably already know what this means. You recognize, as I have in my anniversary observance, all the gifts that God has placed in our lives through the generosity of those who came before us. It is a recognition that prompts us to reflect on our responsibility for those gifts and how we will keep alive this legacy of passing on the faith by sacrificing for the good of future generations. The words of Jesus as he sends out in mission his disciples echoes in our ears: “Give what you have received.” (Matthew 10:8).
The motto for this Holy Year Jubilee is Peregrinates in spem, which literally means “pilgrims journeying into hope.” In other words, hope is a destination, towards which we travel together. Being pilgrims together into hope is precisely the beauty and the challenge of the Church that I have been honored to serve. We have not yet arrived, but together we press forward, undaunted by the challenges but convinced that the Risen Lord is alongside us each step of the way.
Through prayer let us hold one another in gratitude, and in the words of St. Paul to the ancient Christian community in Philippi, strain forward to what lies ahead and continue the pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)
Sincerely yours in Christ,
CHICAGO NATIVE CARDINAL PREVOST IS ELECTED POPE AND TAKES THE NAME LEO XIV
Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, the Chicago-born prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, was elected the 267th pope May 8 and took the name Pope Leo XIV.
He is the first North American to be elected pope and, before the conclave, was the U.S. cardinal most mentioned as a potential successor of St. Peter.
The white smoke poured from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel at 6:07 p.m. Rome time and
a few minutes later the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began to ring.
About 20 minutes later the Vatican police band and two dozen members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard marched into St. Peter’s Square. They soon were joined by the marching band of the Italian
Carabinieri, a branch of military police, and by units of the other branches of the Italian military.
As soon as news began to spread, people from all over Rome ran to join the tens of thousands who were already in the square for the smoke watch. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri was among them.
French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s
© Vatican Media
Basilica at 7:12 p.m. He told the crowd: “I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope (‘Habemus papam’),” saying the cardinal’s name in Latin and announcing the name by which he will be called.
Twenty minutes later, the new Pope Leo came out onto the balcony, smiling and waving to the crowd wearing the white papal cassock, a red mozzetta or cape and a red stole to give his first public blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).
The crowd shouted repeatedly, “Viva il papa” or “Long live the pope” as Pope Leo’s eyes appeared to tear up.
“Peace be with you,” were Pope Leo’s first words to the crowd.
“My dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for God’s flock,” he said, praying that Christ’s peace would enter people’s hearts, their families and “the whole earth.”
The peace of the risen Lord, he said, is “a peace that is unarmed and disarming.”
Signaling strong continuity with the papacy of Pope Francis, Pope Leo told the crowd that God “loves all of us unconditionally” and that the church must be open to everyone.
“We are all in God’s hands,” he said, so “without fear, united, hand in hand with God and with each other, let us go forward.”
He thanked the cardinals who elected him, apparently on the fourth ballot of the conclave, “to be the successor of Peter and to walk with you as a united church always seeking peace, justice” and together being missionary disciples of Christ.
Telling the crowd that he was an Augustinian, he quoted St.
Augustine, who said, “With you I am a Christian and for you a bishop.”
“Together we must try to be a missionary church, a church that builds bridges and always dialogues, that is always open to receiving everyone like this square with its arms open to everyone, everyone in need,” he said.
The new bishop of Rome told the people of his diocese and of the whole Catholic Church, “We want to be a synodal church, a church that journeys, a church that seeks peace always, that always seeks charity, that wants to be close to people, especially those who are suffering.”
After asking the crowd to recite the Hail Mary with him, Pope Leo gave his first solemn blessing.
In addition to Cardinal Cupich, other American cardinals included Cardinals Seán P. O’Malley, the retired archbishop of Boston; Donald W. Wuerl, the retired archbishop of Washington; and Marc Ouellet, retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
A longtime missionary in Peru, the 69-year-old pope holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship.
La Repubblica, the major Italian daily, described him April 25 as “cosmopolitan and shy,” but also said he was “appreciated by conservatives and progressives. He has global visibility in a conclave in which few (cardinals) know each other.”
That visibility comes from the fact that as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops for the past two years, he was instrumental in helping Pope Francis choose bishops for many Latin-rite dioceses, he met hundreds of bishops during their “ad limina” visits to Rome and was called to assist
the world’s Latin-rite bishops “in all matters concerning the correct and fruitful exercise of the pastoral office entrusted to them.”
The new pope was serving as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, when Pope Francis called him to the Vatican in January 2023.
During a talk at St. Jude Parish in Chicago in August, the then-cardinal said Pope Francis nominated him “specifically because he did not want someone from the Roman Curia to take on this role. He wanted a missionary; he wanted someone from outside; he wanted someone who would come in with a different perspective.”
In a March 2024 interview with Catholic News Service, he said Pope Francis’ decision in 2022 to name three women as full members of the dicastery, giving them input on the selection of bishops “contributes significantly to the process of discernment in looking for who we hope are the best candidates to serve the church in episcopal ministry.”
To deter attitudes of clericalism among bishops, he said, “it’s important to find men who are truly interested in serving, in preaching the Gospel, not just with eloquent words, but rather with the example and witness they give.”
In fact, the cardinal said, Pope Francis’ “most effective and important” bulwark against clericalism was his being “a pastor who preaches by gesture.”
In an interview in 2023 with Vatican News, then-Cardinal Prevost spoke about the essential leadership quality of a bishop.
“Pope Francis has spoken of four types of closeness: closeness to God, to brother bishops, to priests and to all God’s people,” he said. “One must not give in to the temptation to
Left: Pope Leo XIV greets well-wishers who crowded St. Peter's Square to welcome him as the new pope.
“HERE [WE] HAD 133 CARDINALS FROM 71 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ABLE TO COME TO A DECISION WITHIN 24 HOURS. HOPEFULLY THAT’S A SIGN OF UNITY THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN EMBRACE.”
Cardinal Cupich told Martha Raddatz, ABC News “This Week” co-anchor, on May 11.
live isolated, separated in a palace, satisfied with a certain social level or a certain level within the church.”
“And we must not hide behind an idea of authority that no longer makes sense today,” he said. “The authority we have is to serve, to accompany priests, to be pastors and teachers.”
As prefect of the dicastery then-Cardinal Prevost also served as president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, where nearly 40 percent of the world’s Catholics reside.
A Chicago native, he also served as prior general of the Augustinians and spent more than two decades serving in Peru, first as an Augustinian missionary and later as bishop of Chiclayo.
Soon after coming to Rome to head the dicastery, he told Vatican News that bishops have a special mission of promoting the unity of the church.
“The lack of unity is a wound that the church suffers, a very painful one,” he said in May 2023. “Divisions and polemics in the church do not help anything. We bishops especially must accelerate this movement toward unity, toward communion in the church.”
Pope Leo was born Sept. 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics
from the Augustinian-run Villanova University in Pennsylvania and joined the order in 1977, making his solemn vows in 1981. He holds a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
He joined the Augustinian mission in Peru in 1985 and largely worked in the country until 1999 when he was elected head of the Augustinians’ Chicago-based province. From 2001 to 2013, he served as prior general of the worldwide order. In 2014, Pope Francis named him bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, and the pope asked him also to be apostolic administrator of Callao, Peru, from April 2020 to May 2021.
The new pope speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and can read Latin and German.
Excerpted from Catholic News Service.
Cardinal Cupich, second from left, appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica with others members of the conclave of 133 cardinals who elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8.
Photo: © Vatican Media
Pope Francis, global pastor
In word and deed, pope preached mercy, outreach
Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of at age 88, gave new energy to millions of Catholics as he transformed the image of the papacy into a pastoral ministry based on personal encounters and strong convictions about poverty, mission and dialogue.
His simple lifestyle, which included his decision not to live in the Apostolic Palace and his choice of riding around Rome in a small Fiat or Ford instead of a Mercedes sedan, sent a message of austerity to Vatican officials and clergy throughout the church. He reinforced the message with frequent admonitions about the Gospel demands and evangelical witness of poverty and simplicity.
Although he repeatedly said he did not like to travel, he made 47 foreign trips, taking his message of Gospel joy to North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city, Dec. 17, 1936. He earned a chemical technician’s diploma from his high school and entered the Jesuit novitiate in March 1958. After studying liberal arts in Santiago, Chile, he returned to Argentina and earned his licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio San Jose in San Miguel.
He was ordained a priest Dec. 13, 1969, and after his perpetual profession as a Jesuit in 1973, he became master of novices at the Seminary of Villa Barilari in San Miguel. Later that same year, he was appointed superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina, a role in which by his own account he proved a divisive figure because of an “authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions.”
In May 1992, Father Bergoglio was named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. He was appointed coadjutor archbishop five years later and became archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998; Pope John Paul II named him to the College of Cardinals in 2001.
As leader of an archdiocese with more than 2.5 million Catholics, Cardinal Bergoglio strove to be close to the people. He rode the bus, visited the poor, lived in a simple apartment and cooked his own meals.
Cardinal Bergoglio was a known and respected figure within the College of Cardinals, so much so that no one disputed a respected Italian journal’s report that he received the second-highest number of votes on all four ballots cast in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Elected March 13, 2013, Pope Francis was the first pope in history to come from the Southern Hemisphere, the first non-European to be elected in almost 1,300 years and the first Jesuit to serve as successor to St. Peter. He chose the name Francis to honor St. Francis of Assisi, “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation,” he said.
“Go out” was Pope Francis’ constant plea to every Catholic, from curial cardinals to the people in the pews. More than once, he told people that while the Bible presents Jesus as knocking at the door of people’s hearts to get in, today Jesus is knocking at the doors of parish churches trying to get out and among the people.
Photo: Boris Stroujko, Shutterstock
The Sacred Heart of Jesus: An essential and sustaining devotion for the spiritual journey
Recently, I spoke with a Jewish friend who was very curious about Catholic devotions. He wondered about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Growing up with this devotion, I never found it strange. Still, to someone outside the family of faith, attachment to a particular bodily organ of the Lord could seem odd.
To respond to my Jewish friend, I drew on a classmate’s research in graduate school. Fortunately, he did his doctoral dissertation on the Sacred Heart in the theology of Karl Rahner, a giant of Catholic theology in the 20th century. My classmate uncovered the central dimension of this devotion.
According to Rahner, devotion to the heart of Jesus enables believers to anchor themselves in a true sense of the humanity of Jesus, who is, of course, true God and true man. The human heart of Jesus, who is one person, encapsulates both his human and divine love for us. In a most extraordinary way, the infinite and otherwise inaccessible love of God becomes close, accessible, and even palpable for us in the heart of Jesus. When we look at devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in this way, it is clearly an essential part of our spiritual journey.
an encyclical letter on the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Dilexit nos: On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ (Oct. 24, 2024). It is available online by searching Dilexit nos Pope Francis.
This encyclical will be a major part of the spiritual legacy of Pope Francis. It is truly worth reading, pondering, and using as a resource for prayer and inspiration. Rather than trying to summarize this rich text, permit me to offer a sampling of passages that spoke powerfully to me.
The heart of Jesus and the emotions of Jesus. After describing the human heart as the seat of our feelings, Pope Francis speaks of Jesus’ deep emotions: “Jesus’ words show that his holiness did not exclude deep emotions ... He could be deeply moved and grieved, even to the point of shedding tears. It is clear that Jesus was not indifferent to the daily cares and concerns of people, such as their weariness or hunger …” (n. 44) That God feels for us through the human heart of Jesus is an extraordinary and consoling truth that we all need to absorb.
endless love ... In gazing upon the Lord’s heart, we contemplate a physical reality, his human flesh, which enables him to possess genuine human emotions and feelings, like ourselves, albeit fully transformed by his divine love.” (n. 60) The heart of Jesus helps us to know that God understands us and our human condition in all its dimensions from the “inside” of our human experience.
The social dimension of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If, in the past, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was deeply personal and perhaps even individual and private, Pope Francis opens up larger social dimensions of the devotion. For example, in Numbers 167 and following, he speaks of “extending Christ’s love to our brothers and sisters.” In Numbers 205 and following, he reflects on “the social significance of reparation to the heart of Jesus Christ.” We can see in a new and fresh way the inextricable link of the love of God and of others.
Pope Francis has furthered Rahner’s thought and blessed us with
The mystery of the union of human and divine love in the heart of Jesus. “The eternal Son of the God, in his utter transcendence, chose to love each of us with a human heart. His human emotions became the sacrament of that infinite and
Dilexit nos is a precious gift that Pope Francis has given us. Take it up and receive it.
Father Louis J. Cameli, STD, is the cardinal’s delegate for Christian formation and mission for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Natalie Battaglia Photography
Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
A saint who walked the streets of Chicago
In December of 1917, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini died at Columbus Hospital in Chicago. The room where she died has been preserved and now belongs to the national shrine dedicated to her located at 2520 N. Lakeview Ave. It is very much worth a visit.
The 2024 film “Cabrini” accurately describes her arrival in New York in 1889 to care for impoverished Italian immigrants. She and her fellow sisters faced stunning challenges that included blatant prejudice against the immigrants and even the reluctance of Church officials to accept her service and support her efforts. Mother Cabrini, however, had the heart of a committed missionary. She persevered tirelessly and drew strength from Saint Paul’s words that became her motto: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
The film “Cabrini,” although set more than 136 years ago, has a very timely quality. Then as now, we are grappling with the phenomenon of immigration or, more precisely, with our response to persons who are immigrants. Then as now, in the Church, we struggle to find ways to support the mission and ministry of women. Then as now, we search for practical pathways to serve those whom Pope Francis has called “people on the margins.”
Saints have this effect on us. Even though they lived in their particular social, cultural, and historical circumstances, they challenge us today to carry the Gospel forward through our lives. In a particular way, Mother Cabrini’s life presses us to bring our faith to bear on the world in real and practical ways. She would see a need and move to respond directly to it. For example, there were orphans in New York, and so she built an orphanage. There were children to be educated and catechized, and so she established schools. There were sick people without ready access to health care, and so she built hospitals, two of them in Chicago.
For Mother Cabrini, faith was not simply about what we believe, although she was certainly firm in her convictions. Faith also meant an undying and trusting reliance on God. Finally, faith meant the works of love in caring for our brothers and sisters that found practical expression in the institutions she founded.
Recently, I spoke with one of our priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Father Michael Zaniolo, the
chaplain at O’Hare and Midway airports, and recognized that we have real connections with this holy woman. When Father Zaniolo was a young priest in the early 1990s and serving as associate pastor at Saint William’s Parish, he would bring Holy Communion to Carmelinda Nuti, who was 103 years old and cared for by her 88-yearold son, John. In 1909, when Carmelinda was 20 years old, she came from Italy to Chicago and founded Nuti Bakery on the city’s West Side with her husband.
Carmelinda described how Mother Cabrini would regularly come to the bakery to retrieve empty burlap flour sacks to recycle them as bed linens for her hospitals. This story amazes me. Certainly, it amazes me that there is a living memory of and link to Mother Cabrini carried forward by Carmelinda Nuti through Father Zaniolo. Even more amazing, in my estimation, is Mother Cabrini’s practical detail in living out the Christian virtue of charity—burlap flour sacks! It gives me pause. It makes me question myself: How do I embrace the call to love God and my neighbor and move it beyond an abstract conviction? How do I translate it into practical action?
This saint who walked the streets of Chicago was close to us and remains so even today. We can admire her, of course, but we also recognize that she makes us take another look at our lives and commitments to God and each other. That is the blessing and the grace of the saints that God has given to us in the Church.
Photo:
The National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Can we
count on God? The question of our trust and hope.
Can we count on God? It sounds like an odd or strange question. Of course we can count on God. Still, when we look around us at our world in disarray, or when we look at our own lives that can seem ready to unravel, the question can gain some legitimacy. Can we really count on God? We are not the first to raise the question. The Bible itself asks the same question. The Book of Psalms poignantly asks:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
You are far from my plea and the cry of my distress. O my God, I call by day and you give no reply; I call by night and I find no peace. (Psalm 22:2-3)
Jesus repeats these words on the cross, just before he dies. It is a real question and a real prayer in his agony, as it is for people we may have known who face crushing struggles and inconsolable loss. It may have even been a part of our own spiritual journey: Can I count on God?
Why is this question so important? The answer to it determines whether we can have hope. If we can count on God, we can have hope. Even with our struggles, challenges, and difficulties, hope enables us to move forward confidently into the future. That hope marks out the theme for the 2025 Holy Year Jubilee (Pilgrims of Hope) and our theme for this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal (Together We Bring Hope). All of this, however, holds together only if we can count on God. Now, I invite you to reflect and consider how and why we can have confidence in God, who anchors our hope.
THE HUMAN FOUNDATION FOR
CONFIDENT TRUST
Before we look to God as the foundation of our confident trust, we need to look at the human ways that we come to trust and genuinely know that we can count on someone. For many years, I have found the writings of D. W. Winnicott to be an invaluable resource for identifying the human foundations of trust.
D. W. Winnicott was a 20th century pediatrician and psychotherapist. He carefully observed the interactions of infants and their mothers. In that relationship, he discovered the full range of foundations for our psychological lives that would shape our capacities or, sadly, our inabilities to relate to others in every season of our life.
In my understanding, for Winnicott, the essential component of the mother-child relationship that enables a child to grow and flourish is reliability. If there is that primordial experience of reliability in the motherinfant relationship — and again, this is my condensed interpretation — then the infants who are closely bonded with their mothers would be able to separate from their mothers, differentiate themselves, and begin to achieve their own unique identity. The key in this process is the quality of reliability that enables confident trust that, in turn, enables an identity distinct from the mother.
When we consider the human foundations of trust, we see reliability as a key component. If I can rely on you, I can trust you. I know that I can count on you. Similarly, in our relationship with God, we need to experience and affirm God’s reliability. With that in place, we can hope, and know that our hope has firm foundations.
GOD’S PROVEN RELIABILITY
The Bible gives abundant witness to God’s proven reliability by identifying what God has done for his people. In the Old Testament, or Hebrew Scriptures, for example, we see what Scripture scholars have determined to be Israel’s earliest profession of faith. It describes what God did for his people and establishes a reliable foundation for Israel’s hope:
A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor
on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, and with signs and wonders. … (Deuteronomy 26:5-8)
In an even more striking way, in the New Testament, Saint Paul, in Chapter 5 of his letter to the Romans, speaks of a hope that does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5). He goes on to describe the basis of that hope, the love and the reliability of God manifested in the death of Jesus Christ:
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us. Much more surely, then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.
(Romans 5:6-9)
In effect, Saint Paul is saying that we can count on God. We can rely on God, because we know what God has done for us through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. We keep returning repeatedly to this word of Scripture and to the sacramental celebration of the death of the Lord in the Eucharist. As we do so, that knowledge secures our hope.
THE SAINTS HAD HOPE IN GOD
The saints had hope in God, because they experienced the completely reliable love of God in Jesus Christ. Saint Therese of Lisieux, for example, prayed at the end of her life, “In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is stained in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own Justice and to receive from your Love the eternal possession of Yourself … my Beloved.” Even closer to our own time, Saint Faustina Kowalska prayed the simple and deep prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
In a most extraordinary way, the realities of reliability, trust, confidence, and hope in God come together in another prayer, an act of confidence in God, offered by the Jesuit Saint Claude de la Colombiere in the 17th century. For me, this prayer has been a mainstay. If you take it up and pray it from the heart, I assure you, you will find yourself immersed in the mystery of Christian hope rooted in God’s reliable love.
Act of Confidence in God
My God, I am so persuaded that you watch over all who hope in you and nothing can be lacking to those who await from you all things, that I have determined to live from now on without any concern, letting go and giving you all of my anxieties.
I will sleep and rest in peace because you, O Lord, and only you, have secured my hope. (Psalm 4:8) Men can deprive me of possessions and reputation; illnesses can take away my strength and means to serve you; I myself can lose your grace because of sin; but I will not lose my hope; I will conserve it until the last instant of my life, and all the efforts from demons trying to take it away from me will be useless.
I will sleep and rest in peace. Others may look for happiness in their wealth or their talents; some may lean on the innocence of their lives, or the rigor of their penance, or the amount of their alms, or the fervor of their prayers.
As for myself, Lord, all my confidence is my confidence itself. Because you Lord, only you have secured my hope. No one has been deceived by this confidence. No one who has hoped in the Lord has been disappointed in their confidence. (Sirach 2:10)
Therefore, I am sure that I will be eternally happy because I firmly hope to be; and because you, O My God, are the one in whom I expect all. In you I hope Lord, and never will I be put to shame. (Psalm 31:2) I know very well ... too well that I am fragile and inconstant, I know well the power of temptations against the most firm virtue; I have seen the stars fall from heaven and columns from the firmament; but none of this can frighten me.
As long as I maintain firm my hope, I will be kept from all calamities; and I am sure to hope always, because I hope the same in this unchanging hope.
In conclusion, I am sure that I cannot hope too much in you and that I will receive all that I would have hoped for in you. Therefore, I know you will sustain me on the most rapid and slippery slopes, that you will strengthen me against the assaults and make my weakness triumph over the most formidable enemies. I hope you will always love me and I will love you without interruption; to take once and for all my hope as far as it can reach. I hope in you and only in you!
O my Creator! In time and for all eternity. Amen.
Cardinal Cupich ordains five new auxiliary bishops
Cardinal Blase Cupich ordained Bishops Timothy J. O’Malley, Lawrence J. Sullivan, José María Garcia-Maldonado, Robert M. Fedek, and John S. Siemianowski in front of a standing-room-only congregation at Holy Name Cathedral on Feb. 26.
The liturgy combined solemnity with hope and joy as the Archdiocese of Chicago welcomed its newest auxiliary bishops during the Jubilee Year of Hope.
It began with a procession that included interfaith and ecumenical guests, seminarians, liturgical ministers, scores of priests, and about two dozen bishops and archbishops, including Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee, until recently an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Archbishop-designate Robert Casey, who was vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago when he was named the new leader of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
It ended with an announcement of the auxiliary bishops’ assignments, effective March 1. Bishop O’Malley leads Vicariate I, Bishop Siemianowski leads Vicariate II, Bishop Robert Lombardo continues to lead Vicariate III, Bishop GarciaMaldonado leads Vicariate IV, Bishop Fedek leads Vicariate V, Bishop Mark Bartosic moves to Vicariate VI, and Bishop Sullivan serves as vicar general.
In his homily, Cardinal Cupich preached on the Gospel text, taken
from Chapter 4 of Luke, in which Jesus opens his public ministry by reading from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth and saying, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21).
The word “today” figures prominently in Luke’s Gospel, Cardinal Cupich said, emphasizing that Jesus is acting in the world now, just as he was 2,000 years ago, and the new bishops should follow Jesus in the direction he leads.
“Your ‘today,’ then, should always be rooted in the ‘today’ of Jesus,” Cardinal Cupich told the men about to be ordained bishops. “As he stood up to read from the prophet Isaiah in his hometown synagogue, he proclaimed fulfillment not of our plans, but of all that God has ever intended for the people. God’s plan has never been about making the rich richer, further empowering the powerful, or giving those with influence more sway. And so your ministry must be resolute in forming all those who claim the name ‘Christian’ to take up Christ’s mission of bringing good news to the poor, of proclaiming liberty to captives and a year of favor to the oppressed, ever urging the faithful to be vigilant
lest the Gospel be compromised or replaced by the pursuit of earthly gain.”
That, he said, is the path to living in hope, rather in “nostalgic fantasy” or “cheery optimism.”
Before the homily, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, read English translations of the letters Pope Francis wrote to the five men appointing them bishops. After reading them, he gave each of the bishops-elect his letter, and they carried their letters through the congregation before promising their fidelity to the mission of the church.
When they returned to sit in front of Cardinal Cupich, he delivered his homily. Then the men lay prostrate during a litany imploring the saints for intercession and God for mercy and help.
After the litany, Cardinal Cupich, his co-consecrators Archbishop Grob and Archbishop-designate Casey, and all of the bishops present laid their hands on the new bishops’ heads. That was followed by the prayer of consecration and the anointing of each new bishop’s head with chrism, a sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
After being anointed, each of the new bishops received the symbols of his office: the book of the Gospels, which represents the bishops’ ministry of preaching and teaching; and the ring, miter, and crosier.
Their ordination raises the number of active auxiliary bishops in
the archdiocese from three to seven.
The new auxiliary bishops were all ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Chicago after completing their studies at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.
Bishop O’Malley, 65, was ordained in 1997 and is the pastor of Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan.
Homero Perez and his wife, Maria Soto, are parishioners at Most Blessed Trinity and members of the Camino Neocatechumenal. They took the day off work and were among the group holding a large sign congratulating Bishop O’Malley on the sidewalk in front of Holy Name Cathedral before the ordination Mass.
BY MICHELLE MARTIN
Arandas, Jalisco, before immigrating to the U.S. and joining the Casa Jesus Program in Chicago. He was ordained in 2008.
very emotional when they received the “beautiful information” that his brother was to be a bishop, and started packing.
“This is a blessing from God,”
Perez said, adding that Bishop O’Malley is a dedicated pastor as well as an able administrator. “He’s always there for everybody, all the communities. I can see in him that he has the Spirit.”
Bishop Sullivan, 59, was ordained in 1992 and since 2013 served as associate priest director and as interim priest director of Catholic Cemeteries.
His brother-in-law Craig Casey and niece Julie Casey said Bishop Sullivan was a good choice.
“He’s a good leader,” Craig Casey said. “He’s very caring.”
“He’s a good listener,” Julie Casey added. “And he’s a good advocate for the church.”
Bishop Garcia-Maldonado, 45, was born in San Julián, Jalisco, Mexico, and attended seminary in
His sister, Yolanda Garcia, said Garcia-Maldonado’s family was very excited by his appointment as a bishop. They weren’t shocked, she said, because Bishop GarciaMaldonado has been devoted to the church since he was a child.
“He started this so young,” Garcia said. “We really felt this was his calling.”
Bishop Fedek, 45, was born in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, and studied at the Archdiocesan Theological Seminary in Kraków before moving to Chicago, where he continued his formation at the Bishop Abramowicz Preparatory Seminary and was ordained in 2005.
His parents and his brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews came from Poland for the Mass.
Michał Fedek, Bishop Fedek’s younger brother, said the family was
“Since the beginning, he has been my older brother,” Michał Fedek said. “I took from him all the advantages younger brothers take from older brothers, and I tried to follow after him. He will be a good bishop.”
Bishop Siemianowski, 64, was ordained in 1989. His oldest sister, Linda Lopina, beamed from the front row of the cathedral during the Mass.
“We are so proud of him,” she said. “This is a well-deserved honor for him. He is very committed, and so dedicated to the church.”
At the end of the Mass, the new bishops expressed a sense of overwhelming gratitude and joy as they greeted, blessed, and posed for photos with family, friends, and parishioners.
Reprinted with permission from Chicago Catholic.
The five new bishops, from left to right: Bishop John S. Siemianowski, Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan, Bishop Robert M. Fedek, Bishop Timothy J. O’Malley and Bishop José María Garcia-Maldonado.
Karen Callaway/ Chicago Catholic
One parish supporting another through school scholarships
The Vince and Patricia Kolber Scholarship has become more than just a fund for education — it also is a testament to the power of community, faith and generosity. Through their unwavering commitment, the Kolbers have helped families stay connected to their Catholic educational roots, fostering resilience and hope in the face of change. As the program continues to grow, so does its impact, ensuring that students, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to thrive in a supportive and nurturing environment.
About 15 years ago, when Vince Kolber was on the board of St. Genevieve School in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood (now SS. Genevieve and Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Parish), he began to notice that when some Catholic schools closed, at times, there wasn’t adequate support to send students to neighboring parishes whose schools remained open.
Kolber couldn’t help but wonder why nearby parishes weren’t contributing more to keep St. Genevieve open. After all, these were the same parishioners who had sacrificed to build these schools so their children could be educated in the Catholic faith. “But because parishes were being stretched in so many directions, properly promoting Catholic education became difficult,” he said.
Kolber Scholarship students from St. Leonard School pose with Pastor Bartholomew Juncer of St. Odilo Parish, center left, and Pastor Robert Krueger of Blessed Miguel Pro Parish.
The challenge was more complex than simply urging parents to send their children to a Catholic school; it also was about funding. “Keeping the doors open required resources, and those closed parishes had little incentive to reinvest in the remaining institutions,” he said.
So, in 2020, Vince and his wife, Patricia, established a scholarship designed to offer financial assistance to students who were transitioning to new Catholic schools — which they did in a very thoughtful and strategic way: When a school closed, Kolber would hand-deliver a scholarship check to the parish it had been in. Then that parish would, in turn, forward that support to a school that had received the students so that it could offer scholarships to them. “That might seem counterintuitive, but then the gift feels like it is coming from one parish to another,” Kolber said.
In the program’s first year, the Kolber Scholarship awarded grants to 23 students whose schools — St. Louise de Marillac, St. Colette, and St. Thecla — were closing. These children were given the chance to continue their Catholic education without the added burden of financial strain.
The program’s success led to its expansion in subsequent years. In 2021, when Sacred Heart School in Melrose Park closed, the Kolber Scholarship was offered to even more children. And by 2023, with the closure of St. Odilo School, the scholarship had supported 79 children over the course of five years. The scholarship fund continued to grow, providing students and their families with a sense of stability and continuity as they navigated new educational environments.
“One of the most touching aspects of the Kolber Scholarship is its long-term support,” said Brendan Keating, chief development officer for the archdiocese. “Over the years, the scholarship has not only provided immediate financial aid but has also offered renewable assistance, ensuring that the recipients could continue their Catholic education into the future. In some cases, the scholarship has even been extended to children whose families are active parishioners at St. Mary of Czestochowa and Charity Parish in Cicero, furthering the mission of the Kolbers to support the broader community.”
The 2024/25 school year marked a particularly important milestone. A total of 42 students received Kolber scholarships, with funds amounting to an impressive $94,250. These scholarships were distributed among several schools that were in close proximity to closed schools, ensuring that children had access to quality Catholic education despite the disruption.
BY CARLA BEECHER
Among the recipients were students from St. Thomas of Villanova School, St. John Vianney School, Our Lady of Charity School, St. Leonard School, and St. Mary School.
“Ultimately, it’s about keeping pastors fully engaged in Catholic schools, whether or not they have a school of their own,” said Kolber. “The most important thing is nurturing the souls of the students through Catholic education. This scholarship fund is just one way we can make that happen, and it reflects the mission of preserving Catholic education and ensuring its legacy continues.”
DEMOGRAPHICS
The demographic profile of Kolber Scholarship recipients in the 2024/25 school year revealed:
• 90 percent of recipients were of Hispanic descent, reflecting the Archdiocese of Chicago’s diverse community.
• 76 percent of the scholarship funds supported families earning below $50,000 annually.
• Recipients’ median annual household income was $39,562, with an average household size of four.
• Scholarship awards ranged from $1,000 to $4,700, with an average award of $2,244, offering significant financial assistance to families in need.
Our Lady of Charity School Principal Frank Zarate, right, with last year’s recipients of the Kolber Scholarship.
Donna Graves
A journey through loss and faith
A member of both St. Josaphat and St. Clement parishes in Lincoln Park, Kris Kause has been a driving force in spiritual renewal at her church and beyond, helping shift the focus from maintenance to mission. Through initiatives like small faith communities, she has fostered environments where individuals, including those distant from the Catholic faith, can grow spiritually in a welcoming, nonjudgmental space. She views faith as a light that grows brighter through life experiences, and she feels a deep calling to help others discover and nurture their own light. Her passion for sharing the joy of faith is central to her mission, and she believes that by helping others find faith and joy, we can create a better world.
When I was in high school, I started attending Mass with my best friend. It wasn’t so much about faith at first, but about finding solace after something that shook me to my core. I had tragically lost my only sibling, my brother, in a car accident. At the age of 16, I was left with an emptiness I couldn’t begin to understand.
The Kause family, from left, Kris, Jim, Isabelle, Connor, and family pet Bentley.
Photo provided by Kris Krause.
My brother, Jeff, was 25, and to say his death was a shock would be an understatement. The pain of losing someone I looked up to, someone who had been my close companion, left me in deep grief.
In my search for comfort, I found myself at Mass with my friend and her family. Over time, I began to feel something inside — a sense of peace I hadn’t felt before. It felt like coming home. There was something about the community, the music, and the powerful homilies that resonated deeply with me. It wasn’t just the rituals; it also was the feeling of belonging. The Catholic faith, with its depth and compassion, offered me a space to grieve and find meaning. Two years after Jeff’s death, I made the decision to convert to Catholicism, a decision that felt right and like a new beginning.
But that wasn’t the end of my journey. A few years later, as I settled into college, my mother followed my lead and embraced Catholicism as well. It was as if a new chapter had started for both of us, one that offered healing and understanding, even in the wake of the losses we had endured.
As I continued my journey, my heart found peace in the Catholic Church, and I began to feel the presence of God in ways I hadn’t before. I attended Mass, surrounded by a supportive community, and I began to find new meaning in my life. I found my faith, and in a sense, my purpose.
Then, a second profound loss came when I became a mother. My twins were born three months early, each weighing only two pounds. Soon after, we learned that our daughter had suffered a brain bleed, and a year
later, we were told she had cerebral palsy. The diagnosis felt like a blow to my heart. As a mother, seeing your child face such a challenge is heartbreaking. I remember the day my husband left for a trip and I found myself sitting in my car at Barnes & Noble, reading about cerebral palsy, crying for five straight hours. The pain of imagining the hardships my daughter would face, the uncertainty of her future, felt unbearable. I prayed that God would take the burden from her and give it to me.
But over time, I came to realize that my daughter’s life, though filled with challenges, was full of gifts as well. She became my biggest inspiration, teaching me about resilience and trust in God’s plan. There was a moment when she was just 8 years old when she told me something that would stay with me forever: “Mommy, it’s OK. I’m OK with my life. I’m OK with who I am because I know God has a plan for me.” In that moment, I realized that her faith and strength were a gift, not just for her, but also for all who encountered her.
As time passed, I saw my daughter grow, and one day, she wrote an article for her college newspaper about her own faith journey and how she trusted in God’s plan for her. More than 1,000 people read her words, and I realized that her story was inspiring others, a ripple of faith and hope that spread far beyond our family.
Then, there was another loss — an immeasurable one. I lost my mother, my best friend and my confidante. We had already faced the loss of my father, and for many years, it was just my mom and me. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on
a Wednesday, and by Saturday, she had passed away. It was so sudden and so quick that I hardly had time to process it. But I was given the gift of being with her during those last few days. When I said my final goodbye and felt her hand go limp in mine, I knew that she was in God’s care, and in that moment, I felt a sense of peace. God had taken her hand, and I felt my brother’s presence beside us.
A few days after her passing, as I went through her belongings, I found a box near her bed. Inside was a letter I had written to her on my wedding day, along with rose petals from my bouquet. Beneath that, there was a tiny piece of paper folded up, with a message in her handwriting. It read, “This box holds a treasure of love that binds us together, wherever we are. It will always be in a little corner of your heart. Love, Mom.” It was as if she had left me one last gift, a beautiful reminder of her love.
And so, my journey continued. Each loss, each heartache, had its own profound lessons, each bringing with it a gift, a “God moment” that reshaped my faith. These experiences have shaped who I am today — a woman deeply rooted in her faith, knowing that even in the face of loss, God has a plan, and that plan, though sometimes painful, brings with it moments of grace and peace.
The story of my faith journey is a story of loss, love, and redemption. It is a testament to the power of faith and the way it can heal a broken heart, lift a weary soul, and guide us through even the darkest times. And I am forever grateful for the grace that has carried me through each of those moments.
COMMUNICATION IS EVANGELIZATION
Each week, our media carry Jesus Christ’s message of love, mercy and justice to millions of people.
• Newspapers in English and Spanish
• Broadcast Masses on ABC and Univision (English, Spanish) and YouTube (English, Spanish and Polish)
• YouTube (@CatholicChicago and @ChicagoCatolico)
• Social media: Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn
Support Archdiocese of Chicago media ministry and visit our outlets.
The generations of St. Mary of the Woods
In the close-knit neighborhood of Edgebrook/Sauganash on the northwest side of Chicago, St. Mary of the Woods Parish stands as a beacon of faith, community, and generosity. Founded in 1952, the parish became the spiritual home of Katie and Jim Haran when they joined in 1971. Their commitment to St. Mary’s has now spanned three generations.
Katie recalls that when she was a child, her mother, Mary, taught her a lesson about generosity when the family lived for a time in Palm Springs, California — then a small town whose parish had limited resources.
“My mom noticed there wasn’t a statue of the Virgin Mary, so she donated one to adorn its side altar,” Katie said. According to Katie, this simple yet profound gift continues to stand as a testament to her mother’s love of faith and exemplifies the idea of passing on religious values and generosity from one generation to the next.
That legacy of giving came with Katie when she returned to Chicago to raise her own family.
“I believe that our good fortune stands on the shoulders of what others have built. We inherited a lot of beautiful churches and schools, thanks to the work of the generous parishioners, nuns and immigrants who came before us," she said. "It’s up to us to pass that tradition on."
The couple put that belief into action years ago when their boys were attending St. Mary’s school. At the time, the school didn’t have a gym, so the couple were part of a campaign that built a gymnasium, giving parishioners a space for
physical activity, community gatherings, and youth programs. Today their grandchildren, Finbarr and Eamon, play in the gym and continue to reap the benefits of that gift. “God always gives back to us,” Katie reflected. “The more generous we are, the more blessings we receive.”
“As donors to the Generation to Generation campaign, Katie and Jim
are not only supporting a physical space but a thriving community that will continue to grow for years to come,” said Brendan Keating, chief development officer for the archdiocese. “Their story reminds us that philanthropy is not just about financial contributions — it’s about nurturing faith and connections that bind people together, across generations.”
CAMPAIGN PROGRESS
The Generation to Generation campaign is off to a great start, having raised $138,682,162 toward its $300 million goal since the campaign began last summer.
The five-year, $300 million campaign is focused on four critical areas for growth:
• Strengthening local parishes
• Igniting spiritual renewal
• Supporting our priests
• Aiding vulnerable communities
LUMEN CORDIUM
SOCIETY
The Lumen Cordium Society is a special alliance of Catholic men and women who take a leadership role in the work of the Church. As a member, your generosity sets an example of good stewardship as you reach out with love to people and ministries in need of your assistance. While the satisfaction derived from advancing the mission of the Church in Chicago is the greatest reward, the benefits described below are intended to convey Cardinal Cupich’s gratitude for your support. If you have any questions, please contact Krista Cobb, coordinator, Annual Catholic Appeal, at 312.534.7615 or kcobb@archchicago.org.
PATRONS
Those donating at the $1,500 to $4,999 level will:
• Be remembered in weekly Masses celebrated at the St. James Chapel in the Quigley Pastoral Center
• Receive Lumen magazine twice a year
• Be included in the Prayer Intention Book of society members
• Be invited to the annual Mass and reception with Cardinal Cupich
BENEFACTORS
Those donating at the $5,000 to $9,999 level will:
• Receive Patrons benefits
• Receive a subscription to Chicago Catholic, the archdiocesan newspaper
• Be invited to an annual reception with Cardinal Cupich
CARDINAL’S CIRCLE
Those donating at the $10,000 to $24,999 level will:
• Receive Benefactors benefits
• Be invited to a Christmas reception with Cardinal Cupich
CARDINAL’S GUILD
Those donating at the $25,000+ level will:
• Receive Cardinal’s Circle benefits
• Be invited to a special VIP reception
To recognize more of our generous donors who support the work of the Church, the Archdiocese of Chicago recently instituted three more giving societies in addition to our Lumen Cordium Society.
LUMEN LEADERSHIP SOCIETY
Cumulative Lifetime Giving over $100,000
The Lumen Leadership Society honors families and individuals who have made cumulative lifetime gifts totaling $100,000 or more to archdiocese initiatives, including the Annual Catholic Appeal and To Teach Who Christ Is. Members receive recognition and invitations to special events. If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Shea Collins, director of the Annual Catholic Appeal, at 312.534.7944 or bcollins@archchicago.org.
LUMEN LOYALIST SOCIETY
Loyal Support to the Annual Catholic Appeal
The Lumen Loyalist Society honors those who have made gifts of $500 or more to the Annual Catholic Appeal every year for 10 years. If you have any questions, please contact Barbara Shea Collins, director of the Annual Catholic Appeal, at 312.534.7944 or bcollins@archchicago.org.
LUMEN LEGACY SOCIETY
Planned Gifts
The Lumen Legacy Society honors individuals who have included a gift to the archdiocese, or one of its parishes, schools or ministries, in their estate plans — through a will, trust, retirement account or other financial asset. Membership is also extended to those who establish a gift annuity or name the Annual Catholic Appeal as a beneficiary in their estate plan. If you have any questions, please contact Krystina M. Campbell, JD, planned giving officer, at 312.534.5404 or kcampbell@archchicago.org.
2024 Annual Catholic Appeal
HOW YOUR GIFT WAS USED
$ 4,064,370 Low-income parishes and schools
$ 3,808,096 Parish-based incentives
$ 2,771,565 Archdiocesan ministries
$ 1,360,090 Spiritual renewal efforts
$ 949,419 Priest formation
$ 749,905 Scholarships
$ 545,000 Catholic Relief Services
$ 14,248,445 MINISTRIES TOTAL
$ 1,137,367 Cost of the Appeal
$ 15,385,812 TOTAL APPEAL
Support for parishes and schools serving financially challenged communities
After a parish reaches goal, donated funds return to the parish for local use
Outreach initiatives for young adults, families, children and others
Transforming parishes to share our faith in new and creative ways
Education and development for seminarians and priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago
Tuition assistance for disadvantaged Catholic school families
Support for those suffering from natural disasters around the world
Printing, postage, processing costs for the Appeal
This chart shows how your Annual Catholic Appeal funds were used in 2024 to support these many initiatives and programs.
The Annual Catholic Appeal supports the work of the Church in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
No money donated to the Annual Catholic Appeal has been, or will be, used to defray expenses related to misconduct issues.
5 COMMON ESTATEPLANNING MISTAKES
Ready to create an estate plan or reviewing your current one to reveal potential problems? Avoid the following common mistakes.
1) Plans that are incomplete or don’t comply with current laws
Make sure your will or trust is properly executed and/or witnessed per the laws of your state. Don’t assume a plan is complete because an attorney prepared it. Always read your estate planning documents and ask your attorney to explain anything in them that you don’t understand before you sign them.
Failing to update a plan according to changes in the law can either render the document useless or result in additional expenses and family strife while settling the estate. It’s generally recommended to review your estate planning documents at least every three years or so.
2) Documents specifying investments
If your estate plan lists investments, make sure you still own them,
and update your estate planning documents accordingly.
3) Beneficiary conflicts and mistakes
Carefully review and update listed beneficiaries on retirement accounts, annuity contracts and insurance policies, and make sure those beneficiary designations do not conflict with your will or trust documents.
Don’t forget about your bank accounts. Many banks offer “payable on death” designations that allow an account to pass to a beneficiary upon the death of the original owner without the hassle of probate court.
4) Gifts that could cause future problems
Will your gifts have troublesome implications? Let’s say you want your two kids to always have a home. You leave them yours, with conditions
for its sale. However, one of them needs to move to take a job. That child may have to endure a lengthy, expensive legal process to sell the home. Additionally, if the home is older, needs repairs, and has declined in value, you may have left them a money pit.
5) Leaving loved ones uninformed
Finally, have a discussion with your spouse and/or kids about your assets, so they know where everything is should you become incapacitated. It’s important to leave a digital accounts access guide, especially if one spouse handles all or most of the financial decisions. Otherwise, the survivor may find him- or herself unable to efficiently access bank accounts, credit cards and other important accounts.
LEARN MORE
For a list of items you may want to include in your digital accounts access guide, contact Krystina M. Campbell, JD, planned giving officer, at 312.534.5404 or kcampbell@ archchicago.org to request our complimentary brochure, Tips for Creating an Effective Estate Plan. Visit myimpact.archchicago.org/ resources to download additional planned giving resources.
Secure Extra Income For Yourself and the Church
Charitable Gift Annuity
A gift annuity with the Archdiocese of Chicago offers you fixed payments for life and a way to support the Church.
How It Works
• Make a gift of $10,000 or more using cash, appreciated securities or a QCD from your IRA.
• Receive fixed payments for life — for yourself or a loved one age 60 or older; a portion of each payment is tax-free (through life expectancy).
• Receive income tax deduction for a portion of your gift, per IRS rules.
• Reduce capital gains tax liability for gifts of appreciated securities.
• Satisfy annual RMD from IRA with a QCD gift, if age 73 or older.
• Designate remaining funds to support your parish, school, ministry or the archdiocese.
Gift Annuity Rates for One-Life
*Effective January 1, 2025. Rates are subject to change.
To receive a free, no-obligation illustration of how you could benefit from a Charitable Gift Annuity, contact Krystina M. Campbell at 312.534.5404 or kcampbell@archchicago.org
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ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE
For the past 15 years, St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village has been rotating its “Block Masses” throughout the parish wherein parishioners, neighbors and friends come together, block by block, to celebrate Mass outdoors as a tool for evangelization. This summer, the parish will celebrate Mass at various outdoor locations at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 10th to July 10th. Please contact your parish to find out if it offers similar outdoor neighborhood Masses during the summer months.
Karen Callaway/ Chicago Catholic
