2023 year in review around the archdiocese

In memoriam

Bishop John Manz

Retired Auxiliary Bishop John R. Manz, 77, died July 15. Bishop Manz was active for his 52 years as a priest and 27 years as a bishop in ministry to Hispanic Catholics, and a national leader in ministry to migrants.

James J. O’Connor

James J. O’Connor, the founding chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund, died July 31. Mr. O’Connor was 86.

Bishop Kevin Birmingham

Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Birmingham, 51, died unexpectedly Oct. 2.

He had been recently appointed episcopal vicar of Vicariate VI, after serving as episcopal vicar of Vicariate IV since shortly after being ordained a bishop on Nov. 13, 2020.

Bishop Raymond Goedert

Retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond E. Goedert, 96, died Dec. 9.

An Oak Park native, Bishop Goedert was ordained a priest in 1952 and became a bishop in 1991. During his ministry, he served as an associate pastor and pastor, judge in the metropolitan tribunal, vicar for priests, vicar general and administrator of the archdiocese after the death of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.

January

At funeral, pope remembers Benedict’s ‘wisdom, tenderness, devotion’

Pope Benedict XVI “spread and testified to” the Gospel his entire life, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered Jan. 5, 2023, for his predecessor’s funeral Mass.

“Like the women at the tomb, we too have come with the fragrance of gratitude and the balm of hope, in order to show him once more the love that is undying. We want to do this with the same wisdom, tenderness and devotion that he bestowed upon us over the years,” Pope Francis said in his homily.

Archdiocese takes part in national holy hours for life Jan. 19-20

Catholics across the archdiocese joined one of the holy hours for life at the St. John Paul II Newman Center, 700 S. Morgan St., at the University of Illinois-Chicago starting Jan. 19, 2023, through the morning of Jan. 20, 2023.

The holy hours were part of a nationwide effort organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities. The holy hours coincided with the Vigil for Life held at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., held on Jan. 19, the night before the national March for Life.

Supporters of tax credit scholarships take their stories to Springfield

Supporters of tax-credit scholarships rallied and lobbied legislators throughout the year, but the program was allowed to end when Illinois legislators failed to renew it in November.

February

Christian leaders pray for Ukraine on first anniversary of Russian invasion

Cardinal Cupich joined Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak and Bishop Benedict Aleksiychuk for an ecumenical memorial prayer service commemorating the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023.

The service at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, 835 N. Oakley Blvd., included prayers from the Ukrainian Catholic prelates, Cardinal Cupich and representatives of other Christian traditions.

March

The Francis pontificate, 10 years on

For the past 10 years, Francis has sought to implement a Gospel-based reform of the church by harnessing the spirit of St. Francis with his love of poverty, the natural world and his work for peace.

Area schools join in prayers for Pope Francis

Catholics across the Archdiocese of Chicago joined a worldwide effort March 13, 2023, to pray the Hail Mary for Pope Francis on the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff.

The effort was launched a month earlier by a group of “digital missionaries” who originally came together during the synodal process. The group asked participants to post the number of Hail Marys they planned to pray to a website (decimus-annus.org/site/index); by midday March 13 in Chicago, more than 45.2 million prayers had been pledged.

April

Archdiocese participates in gun buy-back event

When Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan hosted its city’s first-ever gun buyback event on April 29, 2023, in partnership with the Waukegan Police Department, 166 firearms were collected along with rounds of ammunition.

Cardinal Cupich, Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Grob, along with many other members of the Catholic community donated $12,000 to buy back the guns.

Parish promotes care for creation message through art contest

St. Elizabeth Seton Parish’s first creation care art contest helped the parish Creation Care Ministry get its message out in multiple ways, organizers said, from having the artists who participated learn about Catholic teaching on stewardship of creation to having parishioners learn about it from the works submitted.

The more than 40 entries were to be displayed in the church narthex in celebration of Earth Day on the weekends of April 22-23, 2023, and April 29-30, 2023, said Andy Panelli, who has been leading the Creation Care ministry for about five years.

It was one of several efforts to promote care of creation undertaken by parishes and other archdiocesan organizations.

De La Salle Institute and Southside Occupational Academy Hub win the state’s unified basketball championship

Students from De La Salle Institute and Southside Occupational Academy Hub celebrated their state unified basketball championship April 19, 2023, with a pep rally featuring a video tribute, professional sports mascots, the band, cheerleaders and even a scrimmage.

May

Catholic school teacher wins Golden Apple Award

Rachel Werderits, a teacher at St. Andrew School, 1710 W. Addison St., was named a 2023 Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient on May 2, 2023.

St. Mary of the Lake Parish welcomes exiled Nicaraguan bishop

An exiled bishop from the largest and poorest nation in Central America shared his hopes May 7, 2023, with his fellow Nicaraguans.

As the main celebrant at Mass at St. Mary of the Lake Church, Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez Ortega of Managua told his countrymen, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. The future of Nicaragua depends on the capacity to dream, the capacity for organization and the capacity for being human and loving each other.”

Arson damages chapel at Guadalupe shrine in Des Plaines

Since the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines is outdoors and is open 24 hours a day, someone is almost always there praying, no matter the hour.

One of those people praying from their car called the Des Plaines Police Department at 2:31 a.m. on May 23, 2023, reporting that a person acting erratically had just set fire to the outdoor Chapel of the Resurrected Christ.

The repaired chapel was rededicated during the festivities for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December.

June

Cardinals renew Guadalupe shrine’s connection to basilica in Mexico City

During a June 10, 2023, Mass to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, archbishop of Mexico City, and Cardinal Cupich signed an agreement renewing a commitment of cooperation in the areas of charity and evangelization between the Chicago shrine and the shrine at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish hosts Mass, dinner for migrants

Our Lady of the Rosary Parish began hosting migrants who are staying at nearby Wright Community College for Sunday Mass and dinner June 18, 2023.

A few dozen people milled around the entrance to the college, 4300 N. Narragansett Ave., that day when Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Birmingham and Deacon Jaime Rios arrived, along with a handful of parishioners, to accompany them on the walk to St. Pascal Church and to Mass.

Later in the year, the parish announced that one of the former school buildings and the convent on the St. Bartholomew campus would be used to temporarily shelter migrants.

July

Parish transportation ministries help members attend Mass

Several archdiocesan parishes offer transportation ministries to pick up and drop off people for weekend Masses.

Block Masses bring ‘the church out of the church’

When Father Marco Antonio Franco celebrated Mass in the middle of Spaulding Avenue on the evening of July 27, 2023, on a day when temperatures topped 90 degrees and the heat radiated off the asphalt, more than 100 people gathered to pray together, to support one another, to demonstrate their faith publicly and to bring the church out into the neighborhood.

The outdoor Masses — “Misas de cuadra,” or “Mass on the block” — have become a summer tradition for St. Agnes of Bohemia Parish in Little Village. Former pastor Father Matthew Foley started them more than 20 years ago, said Jose Toledo, who has been one of the organizers for 12 years.

They are one of many initiatives of archdiocesan parishes aimed at reducing street violence.

August

Catholic Charities continues to assist families seeking asylum

Last summer, as thousands of families began arriving in Chicago seeking asylum, Catholic Charities was on the ground doing intakes and providing case management for them, said Brittany McGhee, senior director of mission engagement at Catholic Charities.

Those efforts continued as Catholic Charities works with local parishes through the Parish Family Sponsorship Program, which receives funding through the Welcome the Stranger Fund. Over $500,000 has been raised so far, McGhee said.

Archdiocese of Chicago welcomes the Parliament of the World’s Religions

More than 6,000 religious leaders from around the country gathered at McCormick Place Aug. 14-18, 2023, for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and many local Catholics also took part.

The Parliament of the World’s Religions is billed as the largest, most diverse and most inclusive interfaith convening of people of faith, spirituality and goodwill.

September

Day of Renewal invites leaders to deeper understanding of the Eucharist

Hundreds of parish leaders and clergy attended the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Day of Renewal on Sept. 25, 2023, at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont.

The thread that ran through the keynote addresses and panel discussions was that Catholics must renew their relationships with Jesus to carry out the call of all disciples to go out and bring about the salvation of the world, as the archdiocese moves forward in the Renew My Church process.

Relics of St. Thérèse, her parents, visit national shrine in Darien

Thousands of people made the trip to the National Shrine of St. Thérèse in Darien Sept. 17 through Oct. 1, 2023, to venerate the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin. Planning for this visit of the relics began in 2019, said Carmelite Father Thomas Schrader, the shrine’s director. The Carmelites, who operate the shrine, last hosted St. Thérèse’s relics in the Chicago area in 1999.

October

Synod begins work with focus on Holy Spirit and listening

Pope Francis opened the work of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops asking members to meditate on ancient theological texts about the Holy Spirit, have the courage to be honest about their disagreements and focus much more on listening than on sharing their opinions.

The synodal process “is not easy, but it’s beautiful, very beautiful,” Pope Francis told some 364 other synod members and 85 non-voting experts, ecumenical delegates and facilitators the afternoon of Oct. 4, 2023, as the synod work began in the Vatican audience hall.

Parishes in south suburbs hold eucharistic caravan

More than 200 people from seven parishes in the Orland-Tinley Park area gathered Oct. 22, 2023, to adore the Eucharist together with a car pilgrimage visiting four of the seven churches.

Parishes, schools answer pope’s call to pray for peace

Catholics at parishes and schools across the Archdiocese of Chicago observed Oct. 27, 2023, as a day of prayer and fasting for peace, heeding Pope Francis’ call “for all those who have at heart the cause of peace in the world” to join him in light of the conflict in the Middle East.

November

Archdiocese launches program for ongoing development of priests

In order to help priests grow and be supported in the future, the archdiocese is investing in their formation and development through a new effort called “Leading in a Renewed Church.”

The effort focuses on four areas: ongoing priest leadership formation, priest placement planning, priest growth plans and coaching.

Resurrection Project implements efforts to expedite work permits for migrants

The Resurrection Project, a non-profit organization that partners with several Catholic parishes and organizations, began offering help expediting work permits for the thousands of migrants who arrived in Chicago starting at the end of the summer in 2022.

Special Mass for those suffering from addiction

Father Ryan Brady, associate pastor at Our Lady of the Ridge and St. Linus Parish in the South suburbs, celebrated a Mass the night before Thanksgiving for the third year to pray for hope and healing for those suffering from addiction.

December

Archdiocese announces that it will purchase 100% renewable energy

Cardinal Cupich announced on Dec. 17, 2023, that the archdiocese, including its nearly 400 parishes and schools, and offices, will shift its entire electricity purchase to 100% renewable, effective in January 2024. This renewable energy purchase is the equivalent of removing 15,000 cars from the road annually, or the carbon emissions generated by 8,500 homes per year.