St. John Berchmans Parish

Logan Square, Chicago, IL

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July 19, 2019

Fr. Marshall’s Musings

Dear Friends,

I can truly say, “I am grateful for many things”.

On July 8th, my wife and I welcomed our third child, a beautiful boy named Patrick. My wife, Whitney, is doing wonderfully. Patrick’s sisters, Francie and Scout, love him very much.

It is amazing to think that only four years ago on August 1st, Whitney and I were getting married in this church with no AC and probably just as hot as it is today. I know it was this hot because Whitney and I had asked Father Wayne to have a fan blowing right on us during the service. On the day of, someone decided they needed it more and it wasn’t there. We thought we were going to faint but were saved when we had to make our way to the statue of Mary for a prayer. We took our sweet time because the fan was moved there.

My name is Louie Russo, I am the new Operations Director here at St. John Berchmans. I am filling the extra-large shoes of Joe D’Arco, but I have his and your guidance and I am grateful for all of the support I have received already.

I was born in Evanston and grew up going to St. Athanasius church near Northwestern. My family moved to Wilmette when I was going into seventh grade, which was a huge change, but one that I am grateful for. This meant that we were moving into the parish with a brand-new priest who had just joined St. Francis Xavier. His name was Father Wayne Watts. Father Wayne has been a large part of my family and my extended family’s life since I was 10 years old. My family, as some of you may know, is very large. I have several cousins and they all live in the Chicagoland area. A handful of whom have worked at St. John Berchmans.

It is strange to think that less than two months ago I was sitting in my office in Tinley Park struggling to figure out how Whitney and I were going to have three kids under three, drive Francie to SJB for PreK, take Scout and Patrick to daycare, and both get to work on time. To complicate things, we had sold our house in Logan Square and had no idea where we were going to live.

It was while sitting in that office, an hour and a half away, that I received a phone call from my sister Noreen (yes, she wrote the bulletin last week). She asked, “Are you really thinking about leaving your job?”. The next thing I knew, I was sending in my resume, interviewing and here I am today, grateful for Whitney, Noreen, Father Wayne, Father Marshall, Peggy and Joe. Joe, who has been incredible helpful and continues to give me his time and teach me every week.

I am excited and grateful each day that I get to work with people who are happy and motivated to continue to bring St. John Berchman School and Parish forward. With the help of Father Marshall and Peggy Rocket, we are “doing great things”, and I am honored to be apart of it.

Gratefully yours,

Louie


Queridos Amigos,

Realmente puedo decir: “Estoy agradecido por muchas cosas”.

El 8 de julio, mi esposa y yo recibimos a nuestro tercer hijo, un hermoso niño, se llama Patrick. Mi esposa, Whitney, está recuperándose maravillosamente. Francie y Scout, las hermanas de Patrick, lo quieren mucho.

Es increíble pensar que hace solo cuatro años, el 1 de agosto, Whitney y yo nos casamos en esta iglesia sin aire acondicionado y probablemente tan caliente como lo esta hoy. Sé que hacía tanto calor porque Whitney y yo le habíamos pedido al padre Wayne que colocara un ventilador al frente de nosotros durante el servicio. En ese día, alguien decidió que lo necesitaba másque nosotros y no estaba allí. Pensamos que nos íbamos a desmayar, pero nos salvamos cuando tuvimos que ir a la estatua de María para orar. Tomamos nuestro tiempo porque el ventilador se encontraba allí.

Mi nombre es Louie Russo, soy el nuevo Director de Operaciones aquí en San Juan Berchmans. Estoy ocupando el importante trabajo de Joe D’Arco, pero tengo su apoyo y guía y estoy agradecido por todo el apoyo que ya he recibido.

Nací en Evanston y crecí yendo a la iglesia de San Atanasio cerca del noroeste. Mi familia se mudó a Wilmette cuando yo estaba en el séptimo grado, lo cual fue un gran cambio, pero estoy agradecido. Esto significaba que nos mudábamos a la parroquia con un nuevo sacerdote que se había unido a San Francisco Javier. Su nombre era el padre Wayne Watts. El padre Wayne ha sido una gran parte de mi familia y de la vida de mi extendida familia desde que yo tenía 10 años. Mi familia, como algunos de ustedes saben, es muy grande. Tengo varios primos y todos viven en el área de Chicago. Muchos de los cuales han trabajado en San Juan Berchmans.

Es extraño pensar que hace menos de dos meses estaba sentado en mi oficina en Tinley Park luchando por descubrir cómo Whitney y yo íbamos a tener tres niños menores de tres años, conducir a Francie a SJB para PreK, llevar a Scout y Patrick a la guardería , y ambos poder llegar a trabajar a tiempo. Para complicar las cosas, habíamos vendido nuestra casa en Logan Square y no teníamos idea de dónde íbamos a vivir.

Mientras estaba sentado en esa oficina, como a una hora y media, recibí una llamada de mi hermana Noreen (sí, ella escribió el boletín la semana pasada). Ella me preguntó: “¿Realmente estás pensando en dejar tu trabajo?”. Cuando menos acorde comencé a enviar mi currículum, me entrevistaron y aquí estoy hoy, agradecido por Whitney, Noreen, el padre Wayne, el padre Marshall, Peggy y Joe. Joe, quien ha sido de gran ayuda, me sigue dando su tiempo y me enseña cada semana.

Estoy emocionado y agradecido cada día por trabajar con personas que están contentas y motivadas para continuar apoyando a la Escuela y la Parroquia de San Juan Berchman. Con la ayuda del padre Marshall y Peggy Rocket, estamos “haciendo grandes cosas” y me siento honrado de ser parte de esto.

Con agradecimiento,
Louie

Gracias,

Filed Under: Pastor's Message

St. John Berchmans Parish

2517 W. Logan Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60647
773-486-4300
Fax# 773-252-5346

Parish Office Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday, 10:00am-6:30pm
Sunday, 8:00am-1:00pm, 6:00pm-8:00pm

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