Thursday, January 13, 2011

Correction, Tribune: There is still a bookstore on Michigan Ave!

Drive by Chicago's famous Water Tower these days and you'll be struck by the light coming through the windows on the corner of Michigan and Pearson: with no books on display, all you can see is the expanse of floor space and a helter-skelter of empty units. As of last Saturday, the immense Borders bookstore is closed. According to Chicago Tribune writer Mary Schmich, that means that "the city's premier shopping street will be without any bookstore for the first time in decades."
Take heart, Mary! Even if we aren't quite on the Magnificent Mile, there is still a bookstore on North Michigan Avenue!
Granted, we're not exactly Borders, a big-box style bookstore with no limit to categories. Our categories are highly specialized: Biblical; Spirituality; Saints; Theology; Liturgy; Religious Instruction... But we do have a couple of comfortable chairs, a music listening station, and (something Borders could never boast) a tiny chapel where you can meet the One who promised to "give rest for your soul" (cf. Mt. 10: 29).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Did you resolve to learn more about the faith?

If your New Year's resolutions included taking some steps toward a more solid, adult understanding of Catholicism, get your calendar out and start marking it!

This Saturday we continue our ongoing study of "Love and Responsibility," an early work of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) which reflects his experience as a pastor. If people dismiss Pope John Paul's words on marriage because he himself was not married, they are forgetting that he was the spiritual guide for a number of couples and listened deeply to them. When we read "Love and Responsibility" or "Theology of the Body" we are listening to them, too, through the theological lens of their saintly pastor. Saturday we meet at 10:30 here at the bookstore (ask to be admitted to the conference room); Father Thomas Loya will be our guide for this free morning study.

Next week we begin our 20-week Scripture program, using the Great Adventure DVD series (but with an on-site facilitator). This is a Bible overview program. Class starts at 10:30, and runs every Saturday (except the 2nd Saturday of the month) from January 15 through June 25. BYOB: Bring your own Bible! Call 312 346 4228 to register; the class fee is $40 (optional workbook is $30).