January 2021 Newsletter
Men Alive Has Debut Session
Men Alive had its debut session on a Saturday afternoon in November. This speaker series gives young men an earnest, yet light-hearted forum to consider the knowledge and skills that help one transition from college life to mature adulthood. As well, Men Alive is a convening for fruitful conversation and genuine friendship.
George Holohan, a wealth management advisor, kicked off the series. With the group gathered at a Wicker Park eatery George spoke about goal-based planning. He observed that young men have relatively fewer expenses and so this is the time to set aside money for the future. George advised that those in their 20s should invest 15 percent of their income toward retirement. This was an eye opener for an audience of men in precisely that age group. Mariano Gomez, who works in communications and attended the session remarked, “I had always heard the saying ‘How can I make my money work for me?’ but now thinking about it being an asset, I have already begun to view money differently and choose more carefully what I spend it on.”
Even more than expenses, however, George advised all present to focus on the top line, or growing one’s income. It is the top line that builds financial security. Attendee Diego Healy noted, “I really appreciated how George took a holistic approach towards budgeting, and encouraged us to put more focus on our income, rather than our expenses. We have to be proactive if we wish to see our top line grow.”
Aside from goal-based planning, George spoke to other topics: purchasing a new home, prudently acquiring loans, savings and retirement, and diversifying investments.
An enthusiastic Micheil Pruni remarked after the talk, “Not only did George give great advice, but he was able to incorporate examples and ways in which financial management can benefit us right now. Being able to get professional advice on wealth management at a young age is incredibly helpful, and I think I speak for everyone in attendance when I say that this was an insightful and great first step for us who are looking to advance our personal and professional lives!”
Book Review: The Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri
Can there be a connection between the fall of a thirty year old dictatorship in Egypt, the disruption of decades long political alignments in Spain and Italy, Brexit, Trumpism and the ubiquitous use of Facebook and Twitter on the phones of billions of persons around the world? Martin Gurri, says “yes” in his quirky, yet suggestive book The Revolt of the Public. Gurri, a former CIA analyst, argues that we are witnessing not just another brief period of typical social uneasiness that arises in the normal course of cultural development. Instead, we are, in Gurri’s analysis, in the throes of a new wave of social, cultural, and institutional change brought about by a new relationship of the public with information.
Gurri’s story is simple: “It concerns the slow-motion collision of two modes of organizing life: one hierarchical, industrial, and top-down, the other networked, egalitarian, bottom-up”. In his reading, the current structures of authority (which includes the government, the military, the police, as well as corporations, financial institutions, universities, mass media, and other nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations that arose during the Industrial Age) have entered into a crisis of authority and failed expectations. At the same time, the public, whose capacity to influence affairs of interest has until recently been limited to its role of supporting or opposing institutional actors has now itself become a principal actor thanks to a new relationship to information.
But who is the public? And what does it want? Where are we going? Are we going anywhere at all? If you are intrigued by these questions, and if you are on the look out for a fresh perspective on current events that offers an analysis of deeper transformations, Gurri’s The Revolt of the Public with its purple cover and pink end-notes is this month’s book for you.
Pope Francis proclaims a year of St. Joseph, pens Apostolic Letter Patris Corde
On December 8, 2020, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis proclaimed a year of St. Joseph, which lasts until December 8, 2021. He marked the beginning of this special year with the publication of the Apostolic Letter Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart).
The Holy Father explains that the goal of the Letter is “to increase our love for [St. Joseph], to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” Patris Corde can be read in one sitting and is a wonderful collection of reflections on the man that God willed to be protector and provider of his Holy Family.
Pope Francis writes that even though St. Joseph is almost never in the limelight, he still plays an “incomparable role” in the plan of salvation. This is also true for each one of us.
Men’s Recollection at St. Mary of the Angels
For the foreseeable future, there will only be one Evening of Recollection in English at Midtown. It will be held on the second Monday of each month from 7:00-9:00pm. St. Mary of the Angels Parish (1850 North Hermitage Avenue) is hosting the Recollections. We meet in the main Church, which allows ample room for social distancing. Please bring and wear a face mask.
Support Midtown Cultural Center
Please support the work of Midtown Cultural Center by making a tax-deductible donation online at our secure site. Thank you for your generosity!
“Your work must become a conversation with Our Father in heaven.”
— St. Josemaría Escrivá