Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, IL

July 21, 2013

Holy Name Cathedral

730 North Wabash Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

(312) 787-8040

www.holynamecathedral.org

I took a trip to Chicago with a few good friends to see a few Phish concerts out at Northerly Island and while in town, I took the opportunity to attend mass there.  I love Chicago.  I haven’t been to a lot of places, but of those I have been to, Chicago has to be my favorite second only to Lincroft, NJ, my hometown and an earthly slice of heaven.  And I’ll tell you what, this Holy Name Cathedral is a great place to go to mass.  A young and charismatic priest gave a solid homily to a packed house.  The place is beautiful too, with a unique arched ceiling with these wooden, almost lattice-like, designs.  Well, it is unique in that I don’t recall seeing anything like it, but for all I know, churches like that are a dime a dozen beyond my little world.

I have to admit that I was not in a real good physical state during this Sunday morning mass.  I had just been through the ringer the last two days and nights, and most of my prayers were that there was no stench of alcohol coming off me suffocating my neighbors.  I don’t think there was, but I hope they were able to forgive me if there was.

The priest was Fr. Ramil E. Fajardo.  The sermon started off with an anecdote about him visiting his parents’ home, which I actually didn’t think was really analogous to the point he was trying to make with the sermon, but it grabbed your attention just the same.  The sermon was about hospitality, which really hit home with me because I am the least hospitable person I know.  And what that comes down to, I think, is that I’m selfish.  Fr. Fajardo had a relatable message about opening your heart to others, which I have been trying to do.  Slowly, I feel the hardness softening, but “slowly” no doubt is the word to use there.  Anyhow, considering the amount of blood in my eyes on this particular Sunday morning, this was a great mass experience.  Holy Name is a great church with a great community.

I went to the 11 a.m. mass on a Sunday.