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22 | August 8, 2019 | the orland Park Prairie faith <strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com Pastor Column The unsettling power of earthquakes The Rev. Michael Foley Our Lady of the Woods Recently, the news was filled with stories of the earthquakes in California. Growing up in Chicago, I never experienced any significant quake. When I was living on the West Coast after college, we had experienced a significant quake — at least it seemed so to me. There were no deaths, significant injuries or building damage, but the ground shook and the building I was working in was jolted with books coming off shelves. It was very unnerving. For this Midwesterner quake gave me a sense that nothing is truly secure. I grew up with weather changes, the change of seasons, and even the awareness of tornados and blizzards. The one constant, however, was that the ground is firm. My experience 40 years ago disabused me of this falsehood. It seems that the image of an earthquake is one that can describe human experience at particular moments. There are events that rock our world and leave us unsteady. For example, as a priest I occasionally deal with people who find their structure of reality collapsing. It may be the unexpected divorce after a long marriage, the discovery of unfaithfulness or a sudden death of a loved one. It may be experienced when employment is terminated without notice, an adult child makes a revelation that was not expected and some catastrophe (such as a home fire) destroys a lifetime of memories. These are earthquakes to heart and to the soul. What we thought was stable is no longer so. As a Catholic priest, I personally experienced this in the terrible revelations of sexual crimes by some members of the clergy. I have hesitated to write about this in the newspaper (I have shared with my parishioners) because many readers may not be Catholic, and it is difficult to talk about. I decided to in light of the anniversary of the report by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury. In the past year, we have added to that with reports from the Me Too movement; the efforts by the Southern Baptist convention to address this scourge, among others. Too many people in this world have experienced the pain of abuse. At a personal level, when I was ordained in 1986 I had no idea of the prevalence of this evil. Since then, I have dealt with literally dozens of individuals who have been wounded by abuse. Three of these individuals were hurt by priests, which I duly reported. They were old incidents with priests dead or previously removed. More were cases of abuse were by those in trusted positions, such as father, grandfather, coach or teacher. Even in cases were the abuse occurred a half century earlier, the scars were still fresh for the victim. When betrayed by someone they should trust, the grounding of their lives became shaky. As a priest, the thought that someone with the title “father” would do this is disturbing, and that Church leadership was so slow to react is shameful. That is how I feel. For me, the revelations of the early 20th century and then the publicity in the last year has been an earthquake. My own sense of institutional trust is limited, even though I know a great deal has been done to prevent this. I know this is true of many who believe in Christ and the church. None of their pain is as great as those who have been directly wounded. How do we survive an earthquake, I ask myself? We need institutions, and sadly our culture is very distrustful of them. We need hospitals, even though they may fail. We need schools, even though they cannot educate everyone perfectly. We need families, even though many families have their own struggles. We need churches to allow community to form and the Gospel to be preached. Yet, church leaders and membership fail, as well. How do we survive an earthquake? We survive by knowing the values we must live by and keeping them in front of us always. We rebuild with greater awareness of the weak points and make the changes needed. We survive by being vigilant and prepared. We survive by supporting each other. The same is true for those whose world has been shaken by personal tragedy of any kind or whose trust in how the world operates is damaged. Know the values that truly matter and hold tight. Find support where it is needed. And rebuild. The opinions of this column are those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect those of The Orland Park Prairie. FAITH BRIEFS Church of the Transfiguration Episcopal (12219 S. 86th Ave., Palos Park) Blessing of Backpacks 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18. Children preschool through college are invited to participate. Complimentary childcare provided. For more information, call (708) 448-1200. St. Michael Church (14327 Highland Ave., Orland Park) Shawl Ministry 9-10:30 a.m. second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. The group crochets and knits hats, shawls, scarves for adults and children, and donates those to neighbors, friends, cancer units, hospice, the food pantry and neonatal units. The group also meets six times a year in the evening. For more information, contact Donna at (708) 403-2122. Southwest Seventh Day Adventist Church (15760 Wolf Road, Orland Park) Worship 10 a.m. Saturday St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church (9300 W. 167th St., Orland Hills) Rosary Prayer Group 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The Rosary Prayer Group gathers in the church after mass to offer intentions with the intercession of Mary, and pray the decades of the rosary while contemplating the scenes of our Lord’s life, death and resurrection. Ashburn Baptist Church (153rd Street and Wolf Road, Orland Park) Teen Programs 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 9:45 a.m., 5 p.m. Sundays Faith United Methodist Church (15101 S. 80th Ave., Orland Park) Codependents Anonymous 10 a.m. each Wednesday. No dues or fees. All meetings are confidential. A group for those seeking loving relationships with themselves and with others. Power Fitness 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. This free event is a 60-minute class that will strengthen and tone your muscles from head to toe for adult men and women. Class will include a warm-up segment, muscle-specific exercises, abdominal work, balancing and stretching. All exercises will have modifications for different fitness levels. Orland Park Christian Reformed Church (7500 W. Sycamore Drive, Orland Park) Family Classics Car Show 5-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. Car show including classic cars, trucks, motorcycles and hot rods; “touch-a-truck” for the children; and great food. Dinner by donation. Proceeds benefit Orland Park Christian Preschool. For more information or to register a car for free, visit www.orlandchurch.com. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (15050 S. Wolf Road, Orland Park) Religious Education Program: New Family Registration New family registration runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, RE Office at the St. Francis Center (on the hill). Families can register their children in grades 1-8 for religious education classes that begin in September. Parents should bring the child’s Baptism certificate. Afterhours appointments will be available. Call for an appointment. For more information, call the office at (708) 460-0155 or visit www.sfaorland.org. 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.
<strong>OP</strong>Prairie.com life & arts the orland park prairie | August 8, 2019 | 23 Lip Sync Showdown returns on Day 1 of Taste of Orland Park Entertainment, food take center stage at Village’s big summer bash Mary Compton Freelance Reporter Orland Park could not have ordered up a more perfect opening night for the Taste of Orland Park. Hundreds of Orland Park residents and their guests sat on blankets, listening to country band Cowboy Jukebox open up the main stage on Friday, Aug 2. “We like to come for the music and the food,” said Colleen Kowalski, of Orland Park. She and her husband, Brian, have been attending the Taste for 10 years. They now have two children who join them. “We enjoyed dinner tonight, eating various food from City Barbeque, Mo’s Chinese Kitchen and RoccoVino’s,” Colleen said. While attendees were enjoying dinner and dessert, the return of the popular Lip Sync Showdown was being held on the community stage. Children from ages 4 to preteen popped, jumped and did cartwheels, as they lip synced to popular artists. Sydney Smaga, of New Lenox, channeled the likes of Freddie Mercury. Moving in a theatrical style, Sydney brought a stage persona that earned her a fan favorite win. “I did Freddie because he had a nice vibe,” Smaga explained. She took part in the Lip Sync Showdown last year, and said being in five plays helped her with facial and Brian Kowalski and his son Kevin, 5, of Orland Park, take a break after having dinner at Taste of Orland Park. movement expressions. “I had so much fun tonight performing with other talented kids,” she said. For sisters Gabrielle, 8, and Sandra Castillo, 8, of Orland Park, it has been a month of practicing a few hours every day for this contest. “We took a song that we could dance to a lot that we’ve heard for a long time,” Sandra explained. Gabrielle added, “We wanted to do ‘Old Town Road,’ but my mom thought there would be a lot of people doing that. My mom suggested ‘Shake It Off,’ so we’ve been working on that. Sandra made a few moves; then I made a few moves. We got really good and knew we were ready for tonight.” Adam Michaels and Kali Libby perform with Cowboy Jukebox Friday, Aug. 2, to open the main stage at the Taste of Orland Park. Photos by Mary Compton/22nd Century Media Sisters Gabrielle and Sandra Castillo, of Orland Park, won the annual Lip Sync Showdown. Sandra said taking karate it helped her with her dance moves. “I told my sister we’re going to win,” Sandra said. Gabrielle did not expect the trophy, so she was surprised when the two sisters were announced as the first-place finishers in the annual Lip Sync Showdown. “I thought the person next to me was going to win,” Gabrielle said. “I was so surprised when we won.” Parents, friends and community members watched the talent of young residents perform in the Lip Sync Showdown, including at least one lifelong Orland Park resident. “It was so entertaining to see the kids performing,” Marty Donovan said. “Everyone’s a winner. The crowd was cheering everyone tonight.” Donovan has a college degree in theater and has been involved in various local theater groups for several years. He has been coming to the Taste of Orland Park since it started. “I live close by,” he said. “Many people come here all three days of the fest for dinner. I do the same. This food is what this festival is all about. “I also try and see the entertainers on the different stages. The best part of the Taste is running into friends and neighbors. You come here and break bread together. “I’m lucky to be a resident of this Orland Park community.”
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