As you all may have noticed for the last two weeks there was something different about the area by BSB. It wasn't the landscape. It wasn't the construction workers or the long lines leading into and out of BSB. The difference was in a 33 foot tall, silver statue of the Virgin Mary placed right outside of the John Paul II Newman Center. The first week after the statue was placed in the cul-de-sac on Morgan St., there was a plethora of people surrounding it, taking out their cameras and their phones, snapping off photo after photo, and others who just stood there, staring up at her and reading the signs that stood around her.

As I sat by the statue watching people to see their reactions to the statue, I saw several students stare up at the statue as they rode their bikes not worrying about where their bikes took them. What made those bikers stare up at this statue and risk their own safety and the safety of others by taking their eyes off of the road ahead of them? On another occasion, I saw several cars pull up into the cul-de-sac, proceed to stop and stare out their windshield at the statue, and then continue on their way. During both instances, several people took the time to get off their bikes and out of their cars, take a picture, and then continue on their way.

The one question that needed answering was, why are so many people stopping to take photos? As people, whether we are running from class to class, being on time for an appointment, or making it to a meeting, our time is valuable to us. What was the reason that people stopped in front of this statue, especially if they don't attend UIC? What was the reason that students took time to stop in front of it, take a picture, and, possibly, risk being late for class, a meeting or an appointment?

To answer this, I went out and asked people. Kristin Brock, a fourth year Psychology major, said, "I'm not sure how I feel about her, because I don't know much about her. I feel like she's very important, but I have no clue why she's here." This was a reaction that many students had. They didn't know why a statue of the Virgin Mary was there or what the purpose was.

A young man from the community, when asked why he was taking a picture of the statue, said, "Because it's ridiculous. [They're] sticking Christianity right in your face at a University that should be diverse."

Professor Judith Gardiner, the Director of Gender and Women's Studies at UIC, had similar sentiments towards the statue. She believed that it was inappropriate of the University to allow one set of religious beliefs to feel more welcome than another. She felt that the Newman Center should have put the statue in their parking lot, not on a public street.

Others, however, were taken by the size of the statue. Several students I spoke to found it gaudy and overly large, thinking it was too big to be allowed. One graduate student believed that because of the statue's size, it was to the likeness of other statues in Europe.

While these reactions have come from one end of the spectrum, there have been reactions on the complete opposite side. Ilse, a fourth year undergraduate, felt that the size of the statue was important in how it was received by the people in the community. "If it was smaller, it wouldn't have had the same impact." And several people passing by the statue have remarked that the size of the statue was extremely impressive and that it was not overly large.

Aida Soto, a fourth year sociology major, said, "When I pass her, she seems to bring peace to the campus." A sentiment shared by Eloy Reyes, a staff member at UIC.

He said he felt "Comfort, hope. A sense of peace" as he stared up at her.

Anthonia Anuzie, a third year chemistry major, believes that it's great that the statue is on the campus, not only because of the peace and comfort it may bring to people: "I love it," she says, "It is showcasing Maria to everyone. It is making everyone ask questions."

This feeling is shared by many at the Newman Center who believe that the University is a place where people can share differing ideas and talk about them.

The reactions of students to the statue don't just end there. Several people interviewed brought First Amendment rights into the discussion.

Zachary Walloga, a senior majoring in Communications, who is involved in many of the Newman Center's activities, has something to say to those who feel as if Christianity is being forced down people's throats: "If other groups can say whatever they want and post fliers all over the UIC campus, even if I find it offensive, then I believe we have a right [to show our beliefs]."

A young man who lives in the neighborhood was walking in front of the statue and said that he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "If there was a Star of David, I wouldn't care. It's freedom of Religion."

People with different religious beliefs outside of Christianity, such as Debo Priyo Banerjee, a second year graduate student, who follows Hinduism, looked up at the towering statue.

Mr. Banerjee said, "This is an amazing structure in the heart of UIC. I want to know what she is trying to say."

Amer Saleh, a fourth year undergraduate student who is part of the Nation of Islam, said, "It does not bother me at all. We have to respect every religion. In order for one to be respected, one must respect others."

After talking to these students I returned to where I had been sitting by the statue, and continued to watch people as they walked towards the statue of the Virgin Mary. I tried to process everything that those who were interviewed had said. There were many conflicting opinions on what has become a controversial object, but the one thing that can be said for the statue is, even though it may not be completely supported or opposed by the community the statue has become a focal point for discussion among people of different backgrounds, beliefs and cultures.

By Gary Wisby | UIC reporter

At 33 feet tall and weighing more than 8,000 pounds, the statue of Our Lady of the New Millennium is on display outside the John Paul II Newman Center through Saturday.

Father Patrick Marshall, chaplain and executive director of the Newman Center, said he worked to bring the traveling statue to UIC on a flatbed truck to inspire faith and get people talking and thinking about religion.

“Hopefully it will start some respectful dialogue,” he said.

Catholic Masses will be held daily at 12:05 and 5:15 p.m. through Friday in front of the statue, 700 S. Morgan St.

By Erin Vogel | Flame reporter

The Virgin Mary has come to UIC, in the form of an enormous stainless steel statue. The statue, standing at 33 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing in at 8,400 pounds, has been sitting on the back of a blue flatbed truck outside of the John Paul II Newman Center since September 5th.

"Our Lady of the Millennium" was commissioned in 1995 by the late Carl Demma, a dedicated Catholic from Oak Lawn, whose lifelong dream was to build a statue devoted to the Virgin Mary for the city of Chicago.

In her book, "Our Lady of the New Millenium: One Man's Dream", Gail Jardine explains that he came up with the idea when he was only nine years old, after mistaking the statue on the top of the Chicago Board of Trade building for a statue of Mary. Upon learning that the statue was the Roman goddess of agriculture, he said, "Then I will build a statue so big that all of Chicago can see her!"

It was eventually built by the artist Charles Cropper Parks, along with his assistant, Matt Large. In 1999, it was blessed in St. Louis by Pope John Paul II.

Father Pat Marshall, the director and priest of the Newman Center, requested last spring that the statue be brought to UIC. He wanted it to be present on campus at the beginning of the school year. "A lot of people don't know that out of the 25,000 students at UIC, 15,000 of those students are from Catholic families," he explained. "We have more Catholic students than any Catholic or private university in the Midwest."

He said that he hopes that "it deepens the faith of Catholic students, and opens up a dialogue between believers and nonbelievers." He said that so far the presence of the statue has been "without controversy", and that the Newman Center has not received any complaints about the statue. He added, "For those that disagree with us, it's still a good thing. What a university is supposed to be is about dialogue."

No university funds or funds from the Newman Center were spent on the statue. Demma's wife, Fran Demma, covers the cost of the statue's transportation from place to place. Steve Horvath, a junior at UIC, is happy to know that the university did not spend money on the statue, and feels that "if they want a statue, they can have a statue, if that's what they believe."

Fourth year Adrienne Carmona is Catholic, but has her doubts about the statue's place at a public university: "Honestly, I'm proud of my religion, but I don't think it is necessary to emphasize it that much. If we were an affiliated university, by all means, but I don't think this is the right place to be having it."

Other students admire the statue for its artistic rather than religious value. "I am more interested in the art, and the building process of the statue. Of all things, it's a very nice piece of art," said Solomon Bahta, a UIC graduate student. "I'm really glad they brought it here for us to enjoy."

The statue will remain on campus until September 19th.

After hour of prayer, attendees let loose with praise, rock or rap style
By Margaret Ramirez | Tribune reporter                                                            
March 12, 2009

A vigil to start the evening (Tribune photo by E. Jason Wambsgans / March 5, 2009) 

( for more pictures from the event click here)

It's Thursday night, and inside a candlelit Roman Catholic chapel on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, a group kneels in prayer for Eucharistic adoration.

Immediately after the service ends about 8 p.m., the college students and 20-somethings head next door to the lounge, which has been transformed into a mini-nightclub. Lights flash, music pumps and the monthly party known as Catholic Underground kicks into high gear.

"Everybody in the house throw your C's up," shouts hip-hop artist Yung PK.

"Throw your C's in the air if you're Catholic," he raps.

The crowd grooves, with many raising their hands in a cupped shape to resemble a "C" for Catholic.

With word traveling through MySpace and word-of-mouth, Catholic Underground has quickly gained popularity as the region's only nightspot that mixes hip-hop and rock music with dancing, videos and messages about the Catholic faith.

Deep prayer before hard partying seems like an unlikely combination, but UIC student Michelle Chandy, 20, said that's what makes the evening unique.

"It wouldn't work without the Eucharistic adoration at the beginning," Chandy said. "We pray first and that's like a source of energy. Then we come in here and it's loud and crazy. So, we burn off the energy."

Her friend Cathy Sorich, 21, agreed and said Catholic Underground connects the church's past with its future.

"In the chapel, we have the rituals, then you come to the next room and it's young people who are the future of the church," she said.

Catholic Underground began in New York in 2006 by the Bronx-based Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and set off something of a religious revolution as dozens of other youth leaders launched their own versions in Long Island, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. There are eight Catholic Underground locations in the U.S. and two in Europe.

The Friars' inspiration for Catholic Underground, they say, was a call from Pope John Paul II, continued by Pope Benedict XVI, that the gospel must be in conversation with culture.

Friar Agustino Torres said the monks first started in New York with a casual "chilled-out devotion," followed by a punk rock or spoken word performance. But people asked whether they could get more contemplative. Thus, Catholic Underground was born, a marriage between prayer and performance.

Catholic Underground fills a need for young people seeking activities outside of church, many leaders said. Torres added that the event also provides a link between the faith and today's digital age.

"It is one thing to go to mass, but there is a lot of cultural mediums that your average Joe is used to that you just don't use in church. Catholic Underground attempts to help people pray ... and it gives a forum to the many artists who are trying to glorify God through their art."

Chicago's Catholic Underground, on the first Thursday of the month, started in September 2007 when UIC's Catholic chaplain, Rev. Pat Marshall, connected with Rob Kaczmark, 25, director for Spirit Juice Studios. Marshall said he wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between the church and the daily lives of young people. Kaczmark, who produces Web sites and multimedia for Catholic groups, said his goal for Chicago Catholic Underground was to show young people through videos and music that that there are different ways to experience God outside of Sunday mass.

"We wanted to give it an edge," said Kaczmark. "So this is something that really changes the way we look at religion. We're trying to make religion hip—but in a way that's glorifying to God.

"We want people to get pumped about their faith," he said.

Although evangelical churches have long used rock and hip-hop in worship and the Internet to reach young people, the Catholic Church has been slower to embrace multimedia and contemporary music to spread the gospel. But in recent years, bishops have begun to use blogs and Web videos. The pope launched his own channel on YouTube. Chicago's Cardinal Francis George will debut his own Internet venture next month on which he will feature short reflections.

Kaczmark said he senses fear among some church leaders when they hear about a Catholic event with hip-hop or rock music. But, he believes that is changing.

"Whenever you tell people about Catholic hip-hop, they want to know if you're trying to put hip-hop music in the mass, and that's not we want to do," he said. "I think as more leaders push things forward, it will make things easier for the rest of us."

So far, some of the artists that have performed at Catholic Underground include Catholic punk rock band Last Day, Christian rappers Mars ILL, Flip Caderao and Sammy Blaze.

Last week, pop singer turned Catholic evangelist Sal Solo performed a mix of reggae and hip-hop while video images flashed on a large screen behind him with messages against poverty, the death penalty and abortion.

Oscar Lara, a Catholic youth leader from Melrose Park who learned about Catholic Underground from MySpace, said he was considering starting a similar event for Latino young people.

"We have so many kids out there and you see the connection between violence on television and what's going on in the streets," he said. "So, if television can do that, why not use media in a positive way?"

Taylor Szatkowski, 20, said she liked listening to music that touched on social justice issues, but the best part of Catholic Underground was connecting with other young Catholics.

"I really enjoy it," she said. "It's cool to have something like this where you can meet other people who share your faith and have a great time."




.....February 2009

5 Minutes with Father
Dolores Madlener
Staff Writer
Catholic New World



He is: Father Patrick Marshall, ordained 1979, St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. Has been director and chaplain of the John Paul II Newman Center at University of Illinois at Chicago for 18 years.

Growing up: “I grew up with two brothers and a sister on the Northwest Side in St. Monica’s. It was all police and firemen. My dad was a Chicago policeman and a great athlete so he always encouraged us to participate in sports. We lived at the edge of the city with churches every mile or two. I never met a non-Catholic until I was about 14!”

Early start: “We lived a block from church and my mother had a thing that once we made our First Communion, she wanted us to go to 6:30 Mass every morning. That had a big impact on my spiritual life from second grade.”

Quigley: “The person who gave me the real impetus to become a priest was my own pastor, Father John Beyenka. He was a wonderful man and a happy, holy priest. I just wanted to be like him. One of the best memories I have of him was at Christmas time when he’d ask me to be the ‘carrying boy’ helping him bring bags of food to hundreds of needy people.”

Parish work: “I loved being a parish priest at St. Christopher in Midlothian and Queen of Martyrs in Evergreen Park. I never imagined going into campus ministry. I was at Notre Dame on a sabbatical. They offered me a job, but I came home to ask Cardinal Bernardin’s permission. He said he’d rather I work in the archdiocese and he had an opening at the U of I. I love what I do.”

‘Brother Joseph’: “Cardinal Bernardin asked me when I was ordained four or five years to be one of his masters of ceremonies. I got to know him very well and in many ways we became friends. He was my bishop from the time I was a young priest until after I got here. He was a very important figure in shaping my priesthood.”

Campus ministry: “We have 25,000 students here with 60 percent from Catholic families. I call it the largest youth parish in the Midwest. Obviously they don’t all participate. This age group often doesn’t feel a connection with their families. So we make a big deal of getting to know everybody’s name. It’s a lot of personal interaction. We go into the dormitories and get to know them personally, eat with them or have lunch at the student union with them. We have retreats. You really build a sense of community.”

Mission: “Our mission here is pastoral and educational. We deal with crisis counseling or spiritual direction, but we also have a Catholic studies program and the Integritas Institute for Ethics. In a typical year we get about 4,000 students who come to one or another program. At the Chicago campus we have the largest medical school in the United States. We’re also a Research 1 university, so the church needs a voice in that — in terms of embryonic stemcell research, human cloning, genetic altering. Cardinal George enjoys coming to the university for talks.” Twitter and Facebook? “I don’t have a personal Facebook but the Newman Center does. We do more with our redesigned Web site, jp2newman.org. Catholic Underground is a new program we have on first Thursdays that has even drawn young people from Ohio.”

Movies: “I just saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ Movies are another point of interaction with students.”

Favorite vacation spot: “Italy. We have an exchange program with the Polytechnical University in Italy. Students come to church here and when they return to Italy, some invite me to go over to do their weddings.”

The future: “A couple years ago I started a discernment group with students interested in the possibility of becoming priests and sisters. Now we have 10 men and three women in the group, all Chicagoans. This past year we opened a house of discernment just down the street. Traditionally the Newman Center has been a source of vocations and I think that’s going to grow.”

...October 2008 

‘Underground’ captures
young Catholics’ attention

If you think eucharistic adoration and rap or hard rock can’t mix, think again. Catholic Underground has come to Chicago.

Originally founded by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal as a cultural apostolate, Catholic Underground — an evening of eucharistic adoration, music and fellowship for college students — is a direct response to a call begun by Pope John Paul II and continued by Pope Benedict XVI — that the Gospel must be in conversation with culture. How can we best accomplish this goal? By integrating Gospel values into music, art and culture while maintaining the integrity of the mysteries of faith.

Here in Chi-Town, Catholic Underground is happening at the John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago. With so many things competing for students’ time and attention, Father Patrick Marshall, the Newman center’s chaplain, was looking for something new to offer them. Inspired to engage young adults through media, Marshall contacted Rob Kaczmark for help.

Kaczmark, producer and director for Spirit Juice Studios, was no stranger to the JPII Newman Center. He’d hosted “Experiencing the Stations,” a digital-media portrayal of Christ’s Good Friday Agony using film clips from the Passion of the Christ, during Lent 2008. Marshall said he knew Kaczmark would be able to help give the Catholic faith a fresh edge for young adults. After a few conversations, they decided that what Newman needed was Catholic Underground.

“Catholic Underground tries to make faith real in the culture we live in, while at the same time offering people an experience of the sacred,” Kaczmark said. Unlike some attempts to draw young adults into Catholicism that focus more on socializing, Catholic Underground provides the perfect blend of prayer and community celebration.

Adoration, music

The evening begins with worshiping Jesus in eucharistic adoration. On Oct. 2, the candle-lit Newman Center Chapel welcomed students to adoration. Worship was guided by popular praise hymns, interspersed with Scripture passages attesting to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and times of quiet music for personal prayer and reflection. Benediction marked the transition from prayer to the celebration of gifts and talents.

The second part of the evening presents music and art that celebrates life while integrating Catholic values. October’s Catholic Underground welcomed rapper ManCHILD (Greg Owens) from Mars ILL, an Atlanta-based hip-hop group. Unlike most rappers, ManCHILD’s message was clear: Love is a gift and Christ is our center. Young adults moved from kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament to jamming on their feet with ManCHILD.

Following ManCHILD, three young men from Phaze II came to perform their hip-hop dance style known as “breaking” or “beat boying.” Daniel “Bravemonk” Haywood, who lead the group, said, “Real hip-hop culture is about celebrating life, taking negative energy and doing something positive with it.”

Haywood coaches students around Chicago who might otherwise end up drawn into the gang culture. When he heard Kazmark was producing Catholic Underground at UIC, he said wanted to take part in the celebration.

Good vibes

Positive feedback abounded from the evening. “I love that there was a big crowd, and I love the fact that people who have never experienced adoration can come and experience it here in a low-key way,” said Nora Mc- Carthy, director of ReCharge, a group dedicated to bringing the Catholic faith to young people.

Liz Meenan, a student from Columbia College, said she’d heard about Catholic Underground Chicago from a friend, but didn’t know much about it beyond the opportunity for adoration.

“There is nothing better than Jesus, so I decided to come,” she said. “I really liked the entire evening, and I plan on coming back next month.”

Kaczmark summed up the event, “Our day to day life can be hard to live if we don’t have something to inspire our faith ... that is Catholic Underground’s goal, to be that source of inspiration.”

...May 2008

Standing near the altar, nearly six feet tall, now rests a bronze statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje commissioned by Ms. Ann Hughes, Dr. John Karrat and Dr. Christopher McIntire.

Long time supporters of the work being done within the John Paul II Newman Center, the trio had made annual trips to Medjugorje bringing back rosaries for the students. Desiring to inspire for many years to come, the group commissioned the statue to adorn the chapel and presented it to Father Patrick Marshall this past year.