June happens to be the most perfect time to visit the “city by the lake.” If you are coming to Ministry Futures from out of town, I encourage you to build an extra day or two or several to enjoy summer in Chicago, home of the Cubs and the White Sox, countless outdoor art fairs and neighborhood festivals, world-class museums, and a gorgeous lakefront. You can find what you need on the web at: ExploreChicago.org or Chicagotraveler.com.

Chicago is blessed with two very fine airports (O’Hare International and Midway) and a great public transit system. I would not recommend renting a car, although parking will be available at a reasonable price near our Water Tower Campus.

Chicago's blend of religious and ethnic diversity, creative ministry initiatives and faith-based service organizations is vibrant and unique. The city provides a superior environment in which to learn the theory and skills of ministry, whether in the classroom or in the community.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago (archchicago.org), currently under the leadership of Cardinal Francis George, OMI, was established in 1843 and made an Archdiocese in 1880. It has been the center of Catholic innovation and creativity for more than a century, comprising 1,400 square miles in Cook and Lake Counties, with a Catholic population of almost 2.5 million people (40% of the area's total population). There are 375 parishes, with diverse populations, including almost one million Latino/Hispanic people and about 100,000 each of African-American and Asian Catholics. The Archdiocese has the largest Catholic school system in the United States, with 242 elementary schools and 41 secondary schools. 800,000 people are served annually by the Archdiocese's Catholic Charities. Its 21 Catholic hospitals serve more than two million people annually.

The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (cpwr.org) is headquartered in Chicago at 70 E. Lake Street, Suite 205, Chicago, IL 60601. CPWR started in 1988 when two monks from the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago suggested organizing a centennial celebration of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition. The 1893 Parliament marked the first formal gathering of representatives of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. Today, it is recognized as the occasion of the birth of formal inter-religious dialogue worldwide. In 1993, the Parliament of the World's Religions was convened in Chicago, with 8,000 people from all over the world coming together to celebrate diversity and harmony, and to explore religious and spiritual responses to the critical issues which confront us all. Here in Chicago, the Council seeks to nurture and broaden inter-religious dialogue through a wide variety of programs and activities that bring together people from diverse religious traditions.