Cupich shows humor in anniversary Mass in Palatine
The Gospel of Luke met Cool Hand Luke during the homily delivered by Cardinal-elect Blase Cupich at a service celebrating the 75th anniversary of St. Theresa Parish in Palatine.
The Sunday afternoon Mass at the parish at 455 N. Benton St. began with festive music from the choir and music ensemble. Flanked by a guard from the Knights of Columbus, Cupich entered wearing green, which matched the color that decked the altar.
His homily displayed both his humor and his compassion.
He referenced the story in Luke of Zacchaeus the tax collector, a despised sinner who climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus. Jesus invites himself into the man's home, and the visit results in the man giving half his possessions to the poor.
"It is a reminder that Christ is present in people so often at times that we feel are lost even before we reach out to them," he said.
Cupich noted that similar to Zacchaeus, we undervalue our lives, relating the story of a woman who spotted Paul Newman in an Iowa ice cream parlor but was too shy to approach him. She wanted to tell Newman "how much she enjoyed his 'Cool Hand Luke,' but also to see if his eyes were as blue as everybody said they were.
As she walked home, she realized she did not have the cone she ordered. After returning to the shop to claim she did not receive it, Newman tapped her on the shoulder to tell her it was in her purse.
Cupich's story, greeted with laughter by the congregation, was followed by words of advice to the church as it celebrates 75 years by setting a goal of 75,000 hours of service, a program that will include giving blood, coaching the St. Theresa school's seventh-grade girls volleyball team and baking cookies for the parish's Kairos Prison Ministry retreat weekend. Approximately 24,000 cookies were collected for Stateville Correctional Center.
Cupich called on the parish to fill those hours with works of mercy, "as the Holy Father called us to do, so that in fact you can be that presence of Christ, that voice of Christ calling people like Zacchaeus not to believe that they don't count."
As the Mass concluded, the Rev. Timothy Fairman summed up his satisfaction, exclaiming, "Holy cow, what a celebration!" which the worshippers seconded by clapping.
Afterward, Cupich, standing with his crosier in one hand, shook hands with the flock, engaging in small talk and posing for pictures.
One of the parishioners, Carl Siemianowski of Palatine, said Cupich's appearance "was a very moving experience for me."