Chicagoland

Do the snow and cold have you down?

By Catholic New World
Sunday, February 23, 2014

Bingo daubers on a table at St. Gregory the Great Church, 5545 N. Paulina. The parish hosts bingo weekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Bingo is just one suggested way to beat the winter blues. (Karen Callaway/Catholic New World)
Looking for things to do to get out of the house this winter? Here are a few suggestions:
  • Attend eucharistic adoration at a local chapel or church. To find a place, visit www.pjp2ea.org or www.therealpresence.org.
  • Go to a local parish or school’s bingo night. Check the Catholic New World’s Around the Archdiocese for listings of game nights (www.catholicnewworld.com) or check nationwidebingo.com for Catholic venues in the Chicago area.
  • Find a soup kitchen where you can volunteer. In fact, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago (catholiccharities.net) and Franciscan Outreach (www.franoutreach.org) both have plenty of volunteer opportunities. See story, Page 12.
  • Don’t want to bother scheduling volunteer work? Shovel the snow in front of your neighbors’ homes. Double points if they are elderly or have other circumstances that makes snow removal difficult for them.
  • Go on a pilgrimage to one of Chicago’s three basilicas: St. Hyacinth Basilica, 3636 W. Wolfram St., sthyacinthbasilica.org; Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, 3111 W. Jackson Blvd., www.ols-chicago.org; or Queen of All Saints Basilica, 6280 N. Sauganash Ave.; qasbasilica.org.
  • Make a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of St. Jude at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, 3200 E. 91st St., www.stjudeleague.com. Other national shrines in the Archdiocese of Chicago include the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, 2520 N. Lakeview Ave., www.cabrinishrinechicago.org; the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown, 1600 Park Ave., Libertyville; www.marytown.com; and the National Shrine of St. Peregrine at Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica (see above).
  • Visit a Catholic bookstore. Pauline Books and Media is located downtown at 172 N. Michigan Ave., and has a chapel for guests to pray.
  • And if you really don’t want to venture out into the winter weather, take some time to pray the rosary with your family.

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