Photo Caption: Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, offeres the opening prayers at Mass in the newly renovated sanctuary of Holy Family Church in Peoria on the Dec. 30 Feast of the Holy Family.

By: By Jennifer Williams

Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, joined members of Holy Family Parish in Peoria for their patronal feast last Sunday and helped them celebrate by blessing their newly renovated sanctuary.

“The outward renewal of this beautiful worship space should indicate the inward renewal of the entire Holy Family Parish community,” he said, encouraging the parishioners to “live up to your name. Be the children of God in this time, so you can be the holy family of God for all eternity.”

He warned that today’s culture presents many obstacles to being a holy family, including the failure to uphold fidelity as a virtue. Another is promoting unrealistic expectations for happiness.

“Today Christian families need to be countercultural. Christian families need to affirm that God made man and woman in his own image and likeness and that the differences in gender are complementary in the design of God,” Bishop Jenky told them.

In a reference to legislation in the Illinois Legislature that seeks to redefine marriage from “between a man and a woman” to “between two persons,” clearing the way for same-sex marriage, he added that marriage is a sacrament that was established by God “and not by the State of Illinois or authority of the federal government.”

“Some things are worth fighting about and believers cannot take the path of least resistance and still remain loyal to the Lord Jesus Christ and his holy Gospel,” the bishop said.

He asked them to foster holiness within their families by sharing at least one evening meal each week and talking about what is going on, what is important and what they believe as a family.

“I promise you this will help to ground your families in the values of family life and family love and make better memories and give greater joy than any computer game or soccer practice,” Bishop Jenky said.

Just as essential is sharing “the weekly family meal of this parish. How can you know the Lord Jesus Christ if you do not regularly listen to him, speak to him, let him challenge you, let him nourish you, let him love you?”

RENEWED FAMILY SPIRIT
The renovation of the sanctuary at Holy Family Church took about two months and was completed just before Christmas, according to Father John Grigus, OFM Conv., pastor.

It cost about $100,000, which was raised as part of the “Faith in Our Family” stewardship campaign and additional donations from parishioners who asked him to make a “wish list” of items that would be needed to complete the project. That list included a new wooden cross and corpus, altars and arches for the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, steps to the tabernacle, a handrail to the sanctuary, and redesigned lighting units.

In addition, the tabernacle was moved to the center of the sanctuary, the church was painted, new ceiling tiles were installed and the carpeting was replaced.

It was the worn carpeting that got the project started, Father John said: “It was the original carpet from when the church was built and it was torn up to the point that we couldn’t even clean it.”

Helping to guide the work was Andrew Hatterman of Murals by Jericho and a committee of parishioners.

The work was done between the morning and evening Masses. School Masses took place in the gymnasium.

“They’re all excited,” Father John said of parishioners young and old. “The last two things that went up were the altars of Mary and Joseph and the first Sunday we had them we turned to (the assembly) and said, ‘What do you think?’ They all started clapping and cheering. It brought back the family spirit.”