OP_122718

More documents

Info

12 | December 27, 2018 | The orland park prairie faith opprairie.com Pastor Column Ruminating on the gift of time The Rev. Michael Foley Our Lady of the Woods Any trip to a Las Vegas casino reveals an environment stripped of time. There are no clocks. There are no windows to show forth day or night. The lighting in the room remains the same, even as the hours change. This design takes a sense of time away from the patrons, so that they might play longer and increase the revenues of the casino. In a sense, Vegas is a reflection of the modern world. We are told that New York is the “city that never sleeps.” This is true of all cities today. Unlike our ancestors just a few generations ago, the darkness does not imprison us. Electric lights glow 24 hours. In our homes, we can be on our phones, computers or TVs at any hour. The seasons are modulated by air-conditioning and heating systems. In all of this, we lose the rhythm of time and season. One of the gifts of my faith is that time itself cannot be ignored. The liturgical calendar has helped many people keep some perspective on time. In Advent, the readings from the Bible speak of a world in darkness and a desire for God’s light. This is appropriate for this time of the year. The religious calendar calls us to times of waiting, to celebration, to fasting and repentance, and then to joy again throughout the year. For those who are regular in worship, this can help focus on the passage of time. Christians believe in keeping a Sabbath, although for most Christians “Sabbath” occurs on Sunday and we call it “The Lord’s Day.” But the idea is very similar to our Jewish brothers and sisters who mark the actual Sabbath (it is where we get the word Saturday from). By taking time each week to stop what we are doing and pray, we are reminding ourselves that the treadmill of work is not the focus of our lives. Sadly, like the absence of clocks in the casino, we are losing the meaning of Sunday. Many people work. The stores are open. Sports have become the new religion. Sunday is another day to watch pro football, along with Monday and Thursday. In monastic communities, there is a rhythm of daily prayer. The monks pray together to mark the break of day, the noon of day, the evening and night. It is quite beautiful to experience. In the secular world, Jan. 1 marks the beginning of a New Year. It is the one holiday often symbolized by an hourglass or a calendar. It reminds us that time is a gift that can deepen our lives or a prison that confines us. If we let it, time is our teacher. Time calls us to prioritize our lives. Time reminds us that we are human and will not accomplish all we wish to do. Time can teach us to cherish the moments that are in front of us. In the seminary, we had a psychologist who spoke forcefully of the need to organize our time. He explained that, for a healthy person, a day is not the only organizing principle. We must also use the concept of the week and the year to guide us (weekly day off, annual vacation and annual retreat). I have found his wisdom helpful. In faith, we are reminded that we must organize our lives around the rhythm of the day, the week and the seasons. Anything less will leave us impoverished. As the new year begins, let us see time as our teacher and a gift from God. The opinions of this column are those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect those of The Orland Park Prairie. FAITH BRIEFS Christ Lutheran Church (14700 S. 94th Ave., Orland Park) New Year’s Even Communion Service 5 p.m. Dec. 31, in Duehr Memorial Chapel. Faith United Methodist Church (15101 S. 80th Ave., Orland Park) Crosstown Classic 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Boys and girls ages 4-7 can join for some baseball basics on the first three Saturdays in January. Baseball basics will include catching, throwing and batting (T-ball based). On Jan. 26, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and older brothers and sisters are invited to play in the first Faith UMC Crosstown Classic. Sign-up sheets are outside Room 4 for Baseball Basics and the Crosstown Classic. Our Lady of the Woods Church (10731 W. 131st, Orland Park) Eucharistic Adoration 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays. The church invites all to spend some silent time with The Lord in its chapel. For more information, call (708) 361-4754. St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church (9300 W. 167th St., Orland Hills) Weekday Service 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. Southwest Seventh Day Adventist Church (15760 Wolf Road, Orland Park) Bible Study 10 a.m. Monday, 7 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. Saturday. Attendees can learn about Jesus. For more information, call (630) 708-0234. Hope Covenant Church (14401 West Ave., Orland Park Alzheimer’s Support Group 7:30-8:30 p.m. second Monday of each month. Aishling Companion Home Care, a support group facilitator, hosts monthly meetings to provide emotional, educational and social support for family and friends of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementia. For more information, visit www.alz.org. Ashburn Baptist Church (153rd Street and Wolf Road, Orland Park) Bible Study 9:45 a.m. Have something for Faith Briefs? Contact Editor Bill Jones at bill@opprairie.com or call (708) 326-9170 ext. 20. Information is due by noon on Thursdays one week prior to publication. In Memoriam Peter Lally Peter N. Lally, 91, formerly of Orland Park, died Dec. 13. He was a veteran of the United States Navy who served World War II. Husband for 63 years to the late Elaine P. Lally; father of Lorrie Lally, Robert (Eileen) Lally, Kath (late John) Miller, Michael Lally and the late Kenneth Lally; grandfather of Kristine (Frankie) Chojnacki, Jay (Christina) Miller and Nicholas Miller; great-grandfather of Madelyn, Olivia, Delilah, Emma and Lillyanna; brother of the late Jack (Gerrie) Lally, the late Marlene (late Tom) Spence and the late Jim (late Cathy) Lally; and uncle of many nieces and nephews. Retired in 1988 from ComEd with over 45 years of service. Peter was a proud member of the American Legion for 66 years and recently was a member of American Legion Post 615 in Tinley Park. Visitation was held at Colonial Chapel. A Funeral Mass was held at St. Michael Church. Interment Good Shepherd Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to American Cancer Society (cancer. org) preferred. Deanne Agnes O’Toole Deanne Agnes O’Toole (nee Dempsey), 78, of Orland Park died Donald Pekau The Village of Orland Park announced on its Facebook page Dec. 20 that former Trustee Donald Pekau, father of Mayor Keith Pekau, died Dec. 17. Trustee Pekau served on the Village Board from 1969-1975 and was a members of the board when Orland Square came to Orland Park. Dec. 17. Wife of the late Paul for 45 years; mother of Paul III (Melissa), Dennis (Angela) and Peggy (Adam) Lavelle; grandmother of Georgie O’Toole, Maggie, Patrick and Brendan O’Toole, and Fiona, Kevin and Charlie Lavelle; sister of the late George Dempsey, the late Rev. Richard Dempsey, Sister Dorothy Dempsey, Msgr. Thomas Dempsey, Sally Dempsey, Donald “Duke” (late Denise) Dempsey and Kathy (Dale) Moyer; sister-in-law of Mary Ann (Tom) McKenna; and aunt of many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Syrian American Medical Society (www.sams-usa.net) would be appreciated. The O’Toole family would like to thank the nurses and doctors He also was a founding member of the Orland Park Pioneers and the Orland Youth Association. He coached for both, according to the Village post. Arrangements were pending as of press time, and The Orland Park Prairie will publish more information when it becomes available, both in print and at <strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com. who cared for her over the years. Visitation was held at Curley Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass was held at Our Lady of the Woods Church. Interment private. Have someone’s life you’d like to honor? Email Editor Bill Jones at bill@opprairie.com with information about a loved one who was a part of the Orland Park community.
opprairie.com life & Arts the orland park prairie | December 27, 2018 | 13 Ava Logan shares classic jazz vocal talent with area Orland Park resident a veterinarian by day, professional musician by night Meredith Dobes, Freelance Reporter Ava Logan’s resume is as unique and powerful as her voice. The Orland Park resident began singing almost as soon as she could talk, and progressed in her dedication to and mastery of her craft through the years. Along the way, she attended Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania to become a veterinarian, performed in other countries, portrayed her jazz idols in Chicago musicals and created her first album, “So Many Stars.” Last year, Logan performed at her 40th high school reunion at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., which she said was a highlight for her. The singer grew up in Washington, D.C., and has lived in the Chicago area for the past 25 years. She said she always had a passion for music, and she pursued this interest by taking voice lessons in grades 6-8, acting in high school, continuing voice lessons in college and participating in the Proof of the Pudding a cappella group at Yale. She also was a founding member of the Whim ’n Rhythm a cappella group at Yale. After graduation, Logan was not involved in music for roughly 13 years until she moved to the Chicago area. “My late father was sick, and I was singing to the radio once after taking him to the hospital for chemotherapy,” Logan said. “I was singing, and he remarked, ‘I forgot you sing. You have a beautiful voice. You should be singing in church.’ And so I began taking voice lessons after that.” Soon after moving to the Chicago area, Logan was hired to perform with a wedding band. She did this on the weekends for roughly seven years while working for biomedical research company G.D. Searle LLC in Skokie during the week. She worked there for roughly 10 years, until Pfizer bought the company and moved jobs out of the Chicago area. She said she was happy about the buyout. She took her severance pay and began singing on her own. “I would go to jam sessions, meeting musicians, and they began referring me for different jobs,” she said. “That’s how it’s been since about 2002 or 2003.” As Logan began performing more and to larger audiences, a colleague referred her to a big band gig in California. She performed at Mendocino Music Festival in California and has been performing with big bands ever since. She has traveled to Russia, New York and Florida, and performs locally multiple times a month in the Chicago area. “The world is wide open,” she said. “I’m always looking forward to the next opportunity.” Musical style Logan said she is inspired by jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dakota Staton, Nancy Wilson, Kellye Gray, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. “I grew up listening to the music my parents were playing, and so I’m sure this seeped in there,” she said. “When I went to college, this is the kind of music the a cappella women’s groups were singing.” Logan portrayed Fitzgerald in a Chicago Black Ensemble Theater production of “Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady of Song” roughly 15 years ago and also portrayed Wilson in the theater group’s production of “Dynamite Divas.” “It was just too cool,” Logan said. “This is really what I wanted to do when I went away to college. My parents, of course, didn’t think I’d be able to support myself doing this. They wanted me to be able to put a roof over my head and food in my mouth, but it’s been a dream to do this. “I can’t even believe I’m doing Ava Logan performs earlier this year during a Village of Orland Park concert at Crescent Park. Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media this at the level I’m doing it at this point in my life.” Logan studied with Norman Simmons, a pianist for jazz greats who shared with Logan techniques her idols used and how to tell a story through performance. “All the greats were storytellers,” Logan said. “They didn’t just stand there and sing; they were telling a story. There’s a lot going on when you’re performing and trying to get a story out — things you’re doing with your voice, technique, feeling. It takes a lot of years to relax and be able to tell the story.” In 2008, Logan released her first album, “So Many Stars.” Jazz guitarist Henry Johnson, who has worked with Joe Williams and Ramsey Lewis, produced the album. Logan said it took roughly six months to create the album, and Johnson recruited professional musicians he worked with to play for the project. “It was really an amazing experience,” she said. “I always wanted to make a record that would be played on the radio. It was definitely a labor of love. “That was my rookie CD, and now that I’m more seasoned I would love to make another one. I haven’t conceptually come to grips on how, but I’ve got my sights set on it.” Logan said she would also like to perform more on a national level going forward by seeking out larger gigs. “I’ve had the good fortune that I’ve been called and available for gigs,” she said. “Now, I need to take stock in if I want to perform on a more national level, I need to make it happen. I’m not sure what that looks like quite yet, but I think I know at least some of what I need to do. I’m living proof that you never know.” To musicians starting out, Logan said she encourages them to keep doing what they are doing, because you never know where your gift is going to take you. Local performances Currently, Logan provides consulting services and part-time veterinary relief work at clinics during the week and remains flexible to perform during evenings and weekends. She typically performs five or six shows a month. For many years, Logan performed regularly at 94 West Grille & Tavern in Orland Park. After taking a break for a couple of years, she returned to the spot for shows in October and November, and she said she hopes to continue to perform there in 2019. “It’s really a great hang,” she said. “It brings people together, and I get a lot of support performing there.” Logan performs once a month with Steve Koerner’s Eddie Stevens 3 Band in Naperville. She performs quarterly for the WDCB Vocal Jazz Spotlight at venues around the area. Last summer, Logan performed at the Orland Park Public Library, and she said she plans to perform there again next summer. Logan keeps her website up-todate with upcoming performances, and she said all are welcome to attend a performance. For more information, visit www.avalogan. com. “I feel really blessed to be able to do this on a professional level at this point in my life,” Logan said. “You never know where things are going to take you.”
Page 1 and 2: Signing up for the race Contested e
Page 3 and 4: opprairie.com news the orland park
Page 5 and 6: opprairie.com news the orland park
Page 7 and 8: news Jerling Jr. High community sup
Page 9 and 10: opprairie.com sound off the orland
Page 11: the orland park prairie | December
Page 15 and 16: opprairie.com puzzles the orland pa
Page 17 and 18: opprairie.com real estate the orlan
Page 19 and 20: opprairie.com classifieds the orlan
Page 27 and 28: opprairie.com sports the orland par
Page 29 and 30: opprairie.com orland park the orlan
Page 31 and 32: opprairie.com sports the orland par

OP_122718

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?