From the Director Rev. Arturo Perez Rodriguez Recently when I was giving a catechetical tour of Assumption’s stained glass windows, I stopped to explain the window that had the symbols for faith, hope, and charity. I give these tours to our adult parishioners who are preparing to receive Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation. So many people think that a church’s stained glass windows are only for decoration. In reality the windows become a “catechism” that teaches us about our faith. The symbols for faith are the Lord’s cross; charity, a heart; and hope, an anchor. In Assumption’s window, the cross, heart, and anchor are intertwined. When I was explaining these symbols, I was also thinking about a conversation that I had with a man in jail. I had asked him: “How do you get through the day in here? He simply and quietly said: “You have to have faith, hope, and love. That’s the only way.” I have known this man for quite a while so I know that what he said is the truth of his life. To use jail terms: “He walks the talk.” This is the style of life that he is trying to live. He and I both know that we are not saints, that no one is perfect, and that there are moments when faith, hope, and love are the farthest thoughts in our minds. Yet gratefully they always return to remind us to start again. Lent is a time to start again, to walk the talk, to practice more intensely the gifts of faith, hope, and charity. We have been given these gifts by the Lord who taught us by his example how to live them out. Yet there is always a cost to pay. Nothing is for free. In jail goodness can be seen as weakness. I would imagine that in the world, be it corporate or factory, goodness could be seen in the same way. Yet Jesus tells us to live not by the standards of profit and gain, but rather by the standards of service and sacrifice which are grounded in faith, hope and charity. I believe that God has to be present in a special way to anyone who suffers, be it through incarceration, being a victim of violence or intolerance, having bouts of depression, or facing chemotherapy. My hope is that the adults who are preparing to receive Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation will see more than colorful pictures on a stained glass window, but important reminders of the way we are to live. Be blessed for taking time to read this letter. I do appreciate your concern and connection with our ministry. I remain Your brother in the Lord, Reverend Arturo Perez Rodriguez Director Father Arturo Perez Rodriguez is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He was ordained in 1972 and has served in various parish communities in the Archdiocese. Fr. Arturo holds a M.Div. degree from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL as well as a M.A. from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He has written articles and co-authored books on Liturgy within the Hispanic community as well as offered lectures on Hispanic Liturgy and Spirituality. Fr. Arturo became interested in this ministry through a woman in his parish, a concerned mother who asked him to visit her son in Cook County Jail. Through that visit, he eventually asked to be assigned to work in the jail in 2003. He was appointed Pastor of Assumption Parish and Director of Kolbe House in the fall of 2007.