HR0815 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0815 LRB095 14329 KXB 40225 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the Sisters of the Resurrection in Chicago on the beatification of their foundress, Mother Celine Borzecka; and

WHEREAS, The Sisters of the Resurrection, with provincial headquarters at 7432 W. Talcott Ave., Chicago, have announced the beatification of their foundress, Mother Celine Borzecka (1833-1913), took place on Saturday, October 27, 2007, in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Italy; and

WHEREAS, Beatification is the third phase in the four-phase process of canonization, the final step to a person being declared and recognized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church; before being proclaimed "Blessed," there is a formal investigation into the faithful and exemplary life led by the person; a miracle must be proven to have taken place through the intercession of the person to be beatified; and

WHEREAS, A fifth generation descendent of Mother Celine was healed from a subdural hematoma and other complications after being prayed for through the intercession of Mother Celine; the Catholic Church's Medical Commission declared in 2005 that the recovery could not be explained as a natural healing process and the miracle was approved by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints; and

WHEREAS, After Mother Celine Borzecka was widowed, she and her younger daughter, Hedwig, began various ministries in 1882 for women in their small Rome apartment; they worked under the guidance of the priests of the Congregation of the Resurrection; Celine Borzecka became a recognized and respected leader in spiritual, political, educational, and cultural arenas; as a dedicated wife, loving mother, empowered widow, and devoted religious woman, she is credited as a role model for today's modern woman; and

WHEREAS, Once beatified, the church will formally proclaim Mother Celine as "Blessed," meaning prayers in her name can be used during the Eucharistic liturgy, and she can intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in her name; and

WHEREAS, The Sisters of the Resurrection continue to minister in education, health care, and parish work in the Archdiocese of Chicago; they have served in Chicago since 1900, where their first assignment was teaching at the St. Mary of the Angels School in Chicago, and have been based on Talcott Avenue since 1912; Resurrection High School, Resurrection Medical Center, Resurrection Retirement Community, Resurrection Life Center, and Resurrection Health Care are all parts of the order's outreach; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Sisters of the Resurrection in Chicago on the beatification of their foundress, Mother Celine Borzecka and thank them for their ministry to the people of the Chicago area; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sister M. Barbara Sniegowski, head of the order's Chicago province.