Tom Holmes, Forest Park Review Journalist Profile

Articles

Mayday reflections

1 week ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

This column first ran in May of 2024:Pastor Walter Mitty’s alarm went off on May 1 at 6:30 as usual. He sat up, turned off the alarm, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and realized he wasn’t immediately reaching for his bathrobe. It was nice to have the cold weather in the rearview mirror — at least for the next few monthsHe actually enjoyed how the seasons change, but he was now ready for spring to arrive in full force.
Doing immigration ‘by the book’ in Forest Park

1 week ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

The deportation of immigrants from the U.S. has been in the news recently, and immigrants who are undocumented are frightened. Sasin “Pun” Tuangiaruwinai immigrated to Forest Park eight years ago, but he’s not worried about being deported, even in what feels like an anti-immigrant atmosphere, because he has dotted every “i” and crossed every “t” to make his immigration legal. His is a story about migrating according to the State Department’s priorities and procedures.
Pope Francis would have felt at home here

2 weeks ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

I get the impression that the now late Pope Francis would have felt comfortable living in a brick bungalow on Beloit Avenue here in Forest Park. I say that because his “sensibility” and what I observe as the moral sense and sensitivity of my neighbors here in town seem to have a lot of overlap. A wood coffin and meeting in a barnPope Francis, who died a week ago Monday, chose to be buried in a rather plain wood coffin.
How to die well – an Easter story - Forest Park Review

3 weeks ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

I became the pastor of the white stucco church on Dixon Street called St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1982. The congregation had been declining in membership as the demographics of Forest Park were changing and, as usually happens with new pastors, my arrival became the occasion for renewed hope. The hope was that this young, energetic pastor would turn things around and the membership list would grow. Well, the congregation did grow, not in size but in faith and maturity.
When is suffering redemptive?

1 month ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

Can suffering ever be a good thing? Can suffering ever be redemptive? I ask that because today is right in the middle of a holy week for both Jews and Christians, and the stories that are told both have to do with suffering. Jews are observing Passover. The Passover narrative begins with the people of Israel suffering as slaves in Egypt. Slavery produces suffering, which is never redemptive.
Should Altenheim’s backyard stay green?

1 month ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

I try to look at both sides of an issue. On one side of the “Altenheim’s backyard”debate, I hear, “Don’t sell any of the 11 acres the village purchased in 2001. Keep it green. I cheered when Forest Park bought the 11 acres, in part to prevent it from being developed into townhouses like the ones across the street. My instinct is to retain as much nature in our urban environment as possible. I therefore have supported the commitment of this community to steward our urban forest.
So many different kinds of ‘different’

1 month ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

Woke people like me often emphasize that we humans are all basically the same when you look under our skin. In this column I want to focus on how different we are. Exhibit A, Temperament: The guys in my men’s group recently took a version of the Myers Briggs Personality Test called the Kiersy Bates Temperament Assessment. The assessment reveals if you are an extrovert or an introvert, a thinker or a feeler, etc. There are 16 temperament types possible. The test verified what we already knew.
Lent: a time to learn how to disagree better

1 month ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

Donald Trump likes to call those who oppose him “the enemies within.”For Progressives, the feeling is mutualIn both cases the word “within” means within our country. In contrast, the three religious traditions that trace their origins back to Abraham, each have seasons in which they focus on another enemy within, the enemy within ourselves. Christians are in the middle of Lent. Muslims are keeping Ramadan from Feb.
Summer Jobs Initiative looks for partners

2 months ago | forestparkreview.com | Tom Holmes

The Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network (PTMAN) has never waited for the government to address needs in their west suburban communities. They call on church people to step into the breach and do the work that needs to be done with partners right in the neighborhood. In 2016, PTMAN members noticed that many young people had nothing to do in the summer and had no vision for themselves in terms of becoming entrepreneurs and business owners.
Parade day is Saturday! St. Patrick would be proud

2 months ago | rblandmark.com | Tom Holmes

Forty years ago Forest Park sold itself to potential home buyers and business owners by saying that the village had “Big City Access.” In those four decades the table has turned a bit. Now the town between Harlem and the Desplaines River is a destination for people coming from the big city.