I am grateful to our pastor, Fr. Manuel Dorantes, and to my colleagues from the Parish Pastoral Council and Parish Finance Council for the invitation to share a reflection for our Sunday Giving Commitment Weekend: October 19-20, 2024. Below are my remarks.
Good morning! My name is Beth Knobbe. I serve on the Parish Pastoral Council, and I’ve been a parishioner at St. Mary of the Lake & Our Lady of Lourdes for almost 5 years.
In my professional life, I work for Catholic Relief Services, the church’s international humanitarian aid and emergency relief agency. I’ve traveled and prayed in churches all around the world – from the grandeur of Saint Peter’s in Rome, to a humble flat-roofed cathedral in Rwanda, to the clanging bells that call people to Mass in a small mountain village in Nicaragua. And yet, there is no place I would rather call home than Saint Mary of the Lake & Our Lady of Lourdes.
What I love most – is that we are a parish that looks like the universal Church. I invite you to look around – take a minute – look at the person behind you and in front of you.
In our little corner of Chicago, we are a microcosm of the world! We are old and young; black, white, Asian and African. On any given Sunday, you’ll hear people speaking English, Spanish, French, Italian, Tagalog. I have friends here who are gay, straight, married, single, divorced, and widowed. We are economically diverse, citizens and recent immigrants, and people all across the political spectrum.
With such great diversity, Fr. Manny often reminds the Parish Council to keep it simple. Jesus had only two goals on his strategic plan: Love God and Love Your Neighbor. When I think about those two defining pillars of our faith, there are two distinct images that come to mind.
To love God means that we pray well together: In a few short weeks, we will celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Our Latino community will transform our two side altars into offrenedas stacked high with marigolds and sugar skulls. Last year, I watched two friends come forward to place photos of their loved ones on the offrenda. One is a single mom who lost her daughter to suicide; and the other, a gay man who lost his long-time partner to cancer. Two people who have drawn strength in God’s love, through the support of this community, despite unspeakable loss. And I know those two friends will be here again this year to pray and walk with others through the journey of grief. From the simplicity of daily mass to extraordinary feast days, we are a community who prays well together.
To love our neighbor, invites us to service in our community: A year ago in the summertime, Fr. Manny asked if I could help with hospitality for our newly arrived Venezuelan neighbors, who were being housed at the local police station. On that warm summer day, we welcomed a handful of families into our courtyard, including a half dozen kids. One of the other volunteers brought a soccer ball and a big bottle of bubbles. Despite my limited Spanish, I soon realized that laughter is a universal language!
I kicked off my worn-out black sandals, and immediately one of my new 5-year-old friends slipped off her hot pink crocs and placed them next to mine. For nearly an hour, we ran barefoot in circles, blowing bubbles and chasing soccer balls. I can still hear their giggles floating in the air and their cries of “muchas! muchas!” as they leapt up popping bubbles. (Read the whole story here.) Joy is a sure sign of God’s presence!
Service is not always easy. And yet, I see so many of you sacrificing your time and sharing your talents to honor the dignity and bring JOY to our neighbors in need.
In addition to Parish Council, I serve as a Eucharist Minister on Sundays. I make sandwich bags for the Soup Kitchen every Wednesday. And financially, I give monthly through our online giving platform.
I give because – in a world where diversity is often a cause for division – I have found at Saint Mary of the Lake & Our Lady of Lourdes that diversity is our greatest strength.
It is here that I have found authentic friendships that transcend age, race, and sexual orientation. I have found a beautiful and holy place for prayer with a wide array of music and inspired preaching. I’ve met so many people with a deep commitment to service and social justice. I’ve experienced a genuine sense of welcome across many languages and cultures. And a place where everyone’s gifts are valued and shared among our clergy, religious sisters, and laity alike.
In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be sharing more about how you can get involved with our parish’s many ministries and events. This week, we are specifically asking you to consider a financial commitment to regular Sunday Giving.
Last week, we shared copies of our 2024 Annual Report, and I encourage you to read it and celebrate with us! But I also want to be very honest with you. Our budget this year has us landing in the red. We are walking into this fiscal year knowing that if our Sunday Giving remains the same, we will end the year with a shortfall in our Operating Budget of nearly $250,000.
Sunday Giving keeps the heat running in the winter and the fans blowing in the summer. It offers us coffee and donuts on hospitality Sunday. It ensures that our staff gets paid and our guest musicians are fairly compensated.
We may not all be able to give at the same level, but it takes each one of us, giving whatever we can, to make it work.
Your gift helps us pray together, serve those in need, and welcome people into our community. You give someone the opportunity to encounter Christ in a deeper way as we strive to love God and love our neighbor. Thank you for your faithful consideration, your generosity, and your presence with us each week!
Beth M. Knobbe 