"Adoptive Godparent Day"

Giving Life a helping hand!

Weekend - May 3rd & 4th, 2003

The Holy Name Societies from across the Archdiocese of Chicago will join together in an act of unity to support those who have made the choice to save lives by choosing to become a mother!

May is recognized as the month we celebrate mothers, from our most holy Mother Mary to our own mothers. Often Catholics speak about pro-life. We talk about how we would like abortions to end. But how do we support those who have gone beyond words, and through their acts chose to have their babies under adverse conditions?

This year the Holy Name Societies from around the city will hold a collection on the weekend of May 3rd/4th. These collections will be donated to local area support groups for women who have made a choice of life, but are under financial strains.

The Chicago Association of Holy Name Societies has chosen this weekend for two reasons. By picking the weekend before Mother's Day our efforts can be distributed on Mother's Day to those in need. We also believe that there is no better way to honor our Blessed Mother Mary than to assist other mothers.

We are asking that all parishes join with us to collect money and baby items to help those mothers who need our assistance. We are asking everyone in the congregation to be an Adoptive Godparent for a minimum of one day a year.

If you have any other questions about this effort, visit our web site at www.chiocagoholyname.org or call our President - Louis Rexing 773-582-4515).

An Interview with CAHNS President - Louis Rexing

Q:What is the name of the Event you are promoting today?

A: I am here today to discuss an event we have named "Adoptive Godparent's Day".

Q: Why are you having this event?

A: As Catholics we are against abortion, and support Pro-Life. We believe that all life is sacred. We want abortion to be banned. However what do we do to help this cause. We can write our politicians, but the topic seems to be too big for them. We can protest, but it often falls on deaf ears.

The Chicago Association of Holy Name Societies have decided to help those who have made the proper decision and did not have an abortion. Making this decision is an easy one for a true Catholic, but the financial commitments that follow those decisions can be overwhelming.

We are not talking just about teenagers who were not careful and became pregnant. We are talking about women that thought they had a commitment from a man, to find themselves raising the child as a single mother due to divorce or becoming a widow. We are talking about women who lost their jobs, and are finding it hard to make ends meet.

Q: Why do you call this "Adoptive God Parent's Day"?

A: What a better way to look at this endeavor than through the eyes of God Parents. During baptism we allow parents to choose God Parents to be there when they can not. To make sure that the child will be raised in a Catholic environment.

Our Parishes are our extended families. When a member of our faith is in need, we just can not turn our head and ignore them. We recognize that there are times when our young children need more than just one set of parents.

We are asking everyone to be an Adoptive God Parent for one weekend. Help those who are in need. When people make the right decisions, those which we say that they must if the truly believe, then how can we just turn our backs on them when those decisions cause them overwhelming financial burdens? We can't.

Even with the changes in today's families, men must take an active role to fix the problems we see in front of us. As a society predominately made up of men, I believe that it is our responsibility to take up the cause when other men can not. We must help our fellow brothers, through the support of their children.

Q: How do you intend to actually help?

A: Many parishes have what are called "Baby Showers". This event is the similar. We are asking all of the parishes to collect baby items or cash for those in need. During the holidays we often bring gifts to be presented to those who might otherwise not have anything. Why should that gift giving be limited to just the Holiday season?

We would like to remind our parishes that they should determine what is in need in their area. Many groups do not need baby blankets or very small diapers. Although we all think of babies as small and cute, we must remember that babies grow. As a matter of fact they are not that small for very long. Many times there is need for larger sizes of diapers and clothing.

Q: How does the parish find out what is needed?

A: As the parishes will be collecting the items, and then delivering the items to a local group, we have asked each Holy Name Society to determine which group they will be collecting items for.

Before the weekend, they should give the group a call and let them know what they will be doing, and how they can get the items to them. They should also ask each group just what they are most in need of, and let their parishioners know in advance.

Q: How can they find local groups?

A: Most parishes are familiar with groups in their area. However if they are looking for a group, they can visit tour website at www.chicagoholyname.org for a list of potential groups. If your organization would like to be listed they should contact our web master about being added. Last year my parish, St Jane de Chantal ran this event, we chose a Southside group called "Courage". There are many groups which help needy mothers. We want the parishes to support those which they feel most comfortable with.

Q: How will they inform their parishioners of the event?

A: We have provided several bulletin announcements on our web site. They should feel free to use these to inform their members. Talking it up will also be important. We will also be issuing Press releases to assist us in spreading the word.

Q: Why did you pick the first weekend in May?

A: May has always been recognized as the month to celebrate motherhood. From May Crownings to Mother's Day, May has always been seen as the month of Mothers.

We recognize May as the month to celebrate our Blessed Mother Mary. Although we recognize the May Crowning as part of the celebration, we feel that it is not enough. Her love for us is never ending, and what a better way to honor that love than to show other mothers in need our support.

By choosing the first weekend, we are allowing these items to be delivered to the local organizations in time for them to be distributed for Mother's day!

Q: Will all parishes be joining in?

A: Although we would like 100% participation, this figure is just not attainable. As this is our first year, it would be hard to expect that all parishes will even know about the event. However this is intended to be an annual event. We hope that it grows as we get the word out of the good works being done with this year's donations.

We also do not want to take away from parishes who already sponsor a "Baby Shower". In those cases we are asking our members to attempt to support this cause, and help promote those events which are already existing.

We sent letters to every pastor explaining the event, and hope that they will ask their Holy Name Societies to support our efforts.

Q: Can you tell me a little more about the Chicago Association of Holy Name Societies?

A: CAHNS is a support group for local Holy Name Societies. We formally organized in 1997. Although Holy Name Societies are predominately a support group for the individual parishes, we are finding that there is a need to work cooperatively in order to grow our membership. When an event is too big for an individual society, CAHNS can work with several Holy Names to make the event whole. Each year we run Sporting events which would be impossible for a single parish to pull off.

CAHNS also sponsors an Annual Mass, this year it will be held on June 13th at St Nicks in Evanston, we sponsor a retreat, Day of Recollection, November Holy Hour, as well as a web site which members can use to share information.

Q: Thank you for your time.

A: You're welcome. If you need any further information feel free to give me a call (773-582-4515) or visit our web site at www.chicagoholyname.org