November 14^th marked the 12^th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Bernardin.

Cardinal Bernardin was closely connected to St. Francis. He founded the parish and appointed me pastor in 1990; installed me as pastor in 1991, and dedicated our church in April 1996, a few months before his death.

Cardinal Bernardin was an outstanding leader, not just in the Archdiocese, but also in the Church in the United States. He was the first General Secretary of the Conference of Bishops and worked to organize the conference to better allow the bishops of this country to work together. He later served as President of that conference.

He had a passion for the Church. He wanted the Church to speak to our world in ways that people would understand and therefore the Church would have an impact and influence in their lives. His careful study and thoughtful reflection brought deeper understanding to the complexity of current issues as well as a deeper appreciation of Church teaching.

When he arrived in Chicago in 1982, the Bishops had just published the Peace Pastoral, written under his direction. His Seamless Garment teaching was an effort to offer a fresh perspective on life issues, and to show the connection and importance of all life issues. They are all important and related.

Right before his death, he announced a new initiative he called Common Ground; his point was critical. He wanted to end shrill inter-church bickering. Instead of arguing about what separated, he wanted to begin formal conversations on what was shared, Common Ground. Unfortunately, his death prevented him from carrying out that plan – though others have continued.

Because he tried to see many sides and understand the complexity of contemporary issues and wanted to examine how Church teaching applied, some accused him of weakening Church teaching authority. His style and insight, while lacking stridency, did much to make the Church credible.

Next weekend, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development will take up its annual collection. The Catholic Campaign is described as "The domestic, anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops. It supports community and economic development projects across the United States. Through promotion and support of community-based self-help organizations and transformative education, the Campaign addresses the root causes of the 37 million Americans living in poverty. Since its foundation in 1970, the Campaign has awarded nearly 8,000 self-help grants to community-based projects initiated and led by the poor in urban and rural areas throughout the country." Your support is appreciated. The collection will be taken after Communion.

Last week, I learned from Fr. Ray Webb of Mundelein Seminary, that St. Francis of Assisi will again be a site for a Seminary Intern. Jason Parzynski, a second year student at Mundelein will be with us. The internship does not begin until mid-February and ends at the end of May. We have been fortunate to have many interns here at St. Francis and your warm welcome and great spirit has made this a positive experience for these men.

Last week, I was at Mundelein Seminary when Mike Grisalano was ordained as a deacon. Mike was an intern here in 2007. Mike will be ordained a priest in May. As I met with him and congratulated him, he sends his greetings to all at St. Francis.

The days move very quickly. Thursday, November 27^th is Thanksgiving. Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. This is always a wonderful time for our parish community. I encourage all to participate and join us at this Mass. "Coffee And" will follow. Mass on Friday morning, the 28^th, will be at 9:00.

- Rev. Edward F. Upton