St. Gertrude Catholic Parish

Lots of things happen in May. First Communion (May 14), Mother’s Day (May 8), Pentecost (May 15), the Heart to Heart benefit (May 5), Crowning of Mary (we have two), lots of weddings, and one-half of the parishioners have birthdays. April’s showers provide flowers for all these celebrations.Today is also a substitute for the Communist holiday which honors the worker. The Church countered the communist celebration of the worker by making St. Joseph the patron saint of the worker and having his day at the beginning of May.

The parish has been working hard too. On Monday evening a good number of parishioners came to North Shore Baptist Church to talk with Alderperson Mary Anne Smith (48th ward) about affordable housing. There are ordinances about “set asides  which are intended to provide housing for those who cannot afford top-dollar. The process of holding our elected officials responsible is a lesson in civics. Mary Anne Smith was gracious and the assembly was civil.

On Tuesday the parish had a forum about the plan to make Senn High School, in part, a Naval Academy. We discussed our history with the high school, the plan for the Naval Academy, some concerns about the military, the school’s role in public education, the teens who use the school, and much more. It was our parish’s way of putting ideas on the table and the art of talking about controversial matters. Thanks to all who worked on the forum.

Next Sunday we will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. The holy day was transferred from Thursday to Sunday for a number of reasons, namely: more people will celebrate the day, the tradition of forty days after Easter is not the only tradition, and a cleaner story line.

See you at Dancing at Lughnasa at the Raven on Thursday evening. Hedy Weiss has given the play a great review.

WK

Filed under: Dear Saint Gertrude