Fr. Fasano

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From the Desk of Fr. Fasano

Dear Parishioners,

Lent is well underway and things seem to be going rather smoothly. I would first like to encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunities to really make this a holy season, and then share something exciting.

Throughout Lent, our regularly scheduled Tuesday evening Healing Service, at which the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is recited, will now feature the Chaplet being sung as it is on EWTN. Also, we still have some excellent books available for spiritual reading in the narthex for a suggested donation. The Stations of the Cross are prayed three times every Friday during Lent: 12:10PM, 2:40PM and 6:00PM, which is an excellent way to enter into the Passion of our Savior. Finally, in addition to our two daily morning Masses, an extra daily Mass is offered weekday evenings at 5:30PM for those who would like to not only “give up” something for Lent, but also “take up” something for Jesus during Lent.

Now for the something exciting... Before Msgr. Deutsch left for his sabbatical I asked his permission to organize the construction of something small, yet needed, for the parish, and present all the information to him upon his return. Following the construction of the Holy Cross CECC building, the County required us to reconfigure our main entrance to a “right-in, rightout” structure. This change forced much of our traffic to enter the parish either from Deerpath Road, or from the east entrance.  You may have noticed that at the east entrance we currently have a rather “garage-sale-looking-left-over-from-construction” sign attached to a telephone pole that reads, “HOLY CROSS ENTER HERE.” Parishioners have expressed concern that this sign is rather inconspicuous for visitors, virtually invisible at night, and especially unhelpful in gauging the turn for those coming to the parish in middle of the night to fulfill their adoration hour with the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, we need to construct a sign for the east entrance, and I need your help.

My thinking is that we will construct something similar in style, but not rivaling, our main sign located on the flagpole island in front of the parish buildings. This sign, mainly due to its size, masonry work, and topper, cost the parish over $15,000 to construct; and that was over 15  years ago! Therefore….any ideas? If anyone has information on how we can get a good quality sign made without breaking the bank please contact me directly. I am very interested in hearing your input. If you, or someone you know, would like to donate to such a cause, or know of any potential donors, sponsors, or useful contacts, please call me. My personal goal is to see this project go from desire to concrete reality (pun intended) before my transfer from Holy Cross to my next assignment. So....are we excited about this or what? Let me know!

Yours on the path,

Rev. Paul J. Fasano

P.S. I will be speaking at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Aurora this Monday evening at 7:00PM on The Year of the Priest and St. John Vianney. Hope to see you all there.

Monsignor Dan Deutsch

I was born in 1962 in St. Charles, IL. My mom and dad, Pat and Bernie Deutsch and my 5 brothers and sisters and I grew up in St. Patrick Church. Most of my family still lives in the parish with the rest not far away.

Raised and educated in a strong Catholic faith, I graduated from Northern Illinios University with a degeee in finance and economics. I worked in Chicago at the Mercantile Exchange trading Eurodollars for several years. All the while, even from my earliest days I felt a great attraction to the priesthood. Finally, I realized that God was not going to stop pursuing me so I let go of the life of a bond trader and began my journey to the priesthood.

After being accepted by the Diocese of Rockford, I attended the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL for my formation and was ordained a priest in 1994. Upon serving as a priest in several parishes as an associate pastor and then pastor, I was appointed to lead Holy Cross in 2001. The joy of being the pastor of such a vibrant parish grows every day.

Fr. John Evans

Born in Bristol, Connecticut, on the solemnity of our Lady's Immaculate Conception, December 8th, 1982, I have always lived under the mantle of our Lady, whether I knew it or not. I was baptized by my great Uncle, Rev. John Lane, CSV, on January 29, 1983. As my mother worked in the hotel business, we moved a lot. I've lived in Philadelphia and South Bend, Indiana, spending most of my life in the Chicago area. I received my first Holy Communion on May 4, 1991, and Confirmation on April 20, 1997, both at Holy Cross Church (providential) in Deerfield, Illinois. Having spent my high school years in South Bend, surrounded by the good example of countless priests, religious and laity, I went to the Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC, to study philosophy and discern my vocation. It was there that I decided to study for the priesthood for our own Rockford Diocese, as that is where most of my family lives. I graduated from CUA with a Ph.B. (Ecclesiastical Bachelor of Philosophy) in 2005, and went to Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, the following autumn. Four years later, I graduated with an M.Div. (Master of Divinity) and M.A. (Master of Arts in Sacred Theology, Old Testament) in the spring of 2009, and ordained to the sacred priesthood a week later, May 16, 2009. I am humbled and honored to serve here in Batavia, with such kind, holy priests and people. I could not have asked for a better assignment. God bless you, and let us pray for each other.

Fr. Paul Fasano

Fr. Fasano was born in Streamwood Illinois on January 28, 1980, and was baptized on March 23rd at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. He received his first Holy Communion on May 21, 1988, and was confirmed on May 10, 1996.  On May 11, 2002 he graduated from Western Illinois University with a degree in Recreation Therapy.  After college he attended St. Gregory the Great minor seminary; graduating on May 8, 2004.  After minor seminary he was asked by Bishop Thomas Doran to spend the next four years attending the Pontifical North American College in Rome.  On May 12, 2007 he was ordained to the sacred order of Deacon. On May 24, 2008 he and his six classmates were ordained priests at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford. (Bishop O’Neill, affectionately calls his class the “Centennial 7” as his ordination was during the 100th Anniversary of the diocese of Rockford.) Fr. Fasano holds an S.T.B. (Sacred Baccalaureate in Theology) as well as a Master’s degree in Spirituality from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy.  Holy Cross is his first assignment and he is overjoyed to be here.