National Night Out hosted by Niles Police at St. John Brebeuf
Niles Police Department will host its National Night Out (NNO) at St. John Brebeuf, 8307 N. Harlem Avenue, Tuesday, August 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. The Police Department, Village departments, and local businesses will come together in a collaborative effort to produce and promote crime prevention ideas to local residents. The NNO theme this year is “Crime…Report It, Don’t Support It.”
The event includes fun activities for all the family, adults and children. It will include everything from free food and giveaways to learning about different safety prevention tips. A live reptile show, a donut eating contest, a bouncy house and a dunk tank which will be staffed by Niles Police are just some of the highlights of the evening which will conclude with a flashlight walk through the neighborhood. Niles Police will provide glow sticks or you can bring your own flashlight.
National Night Out Against Crime which was introduced nationally in 1984 has grown from 2.5 million participants in its first year to over 30 million in more than 10,000 communities across America at locations such as St. John Brebeuf. The community-building campaign promotes police community partnerships and helps make communities safer, more caring places to live.
“We look forward to welcoming the community to St. John Brebeuf at this event that enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community,” said Fr. Michael G. Meany, pastor.
St. John Brebeuf welcomes new associate pastor
Parishioners and families at St. John Brebeuf Church welcomed new a new associate pastor, Fr. Robert Carlton July 1. Fr. Carlton, who grew up in Chicago and Evanston, is a graduate of Loyola Academy and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he studied English and classical studies. In the Navy ROTC program, he ran track and did leukemia research at the Lombardi Cancer Center while he was at Georgetown. He also worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Richard Durbin.
After college, he was the electrical officer on the USS Halyburton. Upon completion of his naval service, he taught theology and English at Fordham Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school in New York City where he was also assistant coach for the cross country and track teams. During his time in New York, he spent a summer working at the Ignatianum which is the Jesuit University in Krakow.
In the fall of 2014, Fr. Carlton entered Mundelein Seminary. During his seminary years, he spent a summer working as a chaplain at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, where he was able to meet and work with people from all over the world. He worked closely with families whose children were very sick.
He also spent several months in Israel visiting the holy sites there. He found that experience was less about visiting places than it was about trying to connect with people who live in a part of the world that is very challenging and trying to learn from them how their faith helps them with their daily lives.
Back in Chicago, he spent a summer working at a parish and legal aid clinic in North Lawndale and also started a track team at a parish on the south side. Last year he worked at Immaculate Conception, just down the road from St. John Brebeuf. Campus minister at Resurrection High School for the last several months of the school year, he enjoyed working with and getting to know the students and staff at the school.
Fr. Carlton joins Fr. Michael G. Meany, who has been pastor of St. John Brebeuf since 2011 and Fr. Przemek Tomczyk, who has been associate pastor since 2017.