The Frontpage of the Chicago Sun Times headlines this morning shouts "Everything has changed: Fewer Priests, Empty Pews, Shuttered Schools" in article purportedly announcing the new exhibit on Chicago Catholicism at the Chicago History Museum.
Never one to actually believe much of what I read in the Sun-Times or elsewhere, I attended St. John Cantius this morning. The Liturgy was beautiful. The pews were full, catechism classes were humming along afterwards, as were confessions and coffee hour.
I took a drive over to St. Sylvester's which has been mentioned as not drawing enough faithful. People were lined up out the door, on this unusually nice day to hear the mass. The parking lot was jammed.
Not suprisingly, everyone that the Sun-Times talked to had a pleasant nostalgia (they spoke with author John R. Powers, no less), or a sense that the sky has already fallen dooming our Archdiocese. The Sun-Times completely neglected to speak with anyone who had noticed any resurgence in the Church, which has happened and continues to happen, just like it has in the Archdiocese for the last 150 years.
Fr. Greely recalled some laymovements that had went under, and happily enough mentioned that Fr. Barron has a thriving ministry, though I think Fr. Barron would be perplexed at Fr. Greely's description of him as "point (ing) in the direction of new structures which will replace those that collapsed", as I see Fr. Barron continuing the tradition of great preachers, rather than replacing them.
So, what did the Sun Times have to say about the Chicago History Museum exhibit? Not much of anything.
Next time: A preview of the Chicago History Museum exhibition,
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