April 9, 2020: Holy Week & Easter
Parish Newsletter
The Church of St. Mary :: 201 E. Illinois Lake Forest, IL 60045
Virtual Office: 847-234-0205 :: Email: receptionist@churchofstmary.org
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From the Desk of Fr. Mike Nacius, Pastor
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From the heart of Fr. Mike,
I am writing to the people of faith, hope and charity of St Mary's Parish from my sabbatical in the Tucson desert. A Blessed
Easter to you, your family, your neighbors, fellow parishioners, and fellow citizens of the world.
Our celebration of Jesus' Resurrection from the tomb, from the dead has deeper, more powerful and added eternal significance in our lives this year. We rejoice that Jesus broke forth from the tomb, for our salvation, for the salvation of the world. The tomb couldn't hold God's son. The tomb couldn't hold the Savior of the World. The pangs of death were replaced 2020 years ago and are replaced today by the rejoicing of those who believe in life, life with Jesus Christ, life with God in heaven.
We have "sheltered at home" for weeks of March and April. We continue to "shelter at home" out of love for our neighbor. We long for the time when we can return to a new normal in our families, in our communities and in our wounded world. That time will come. It is dawning on the horizon. That time is not today. That time is not next week. That time is coming when we can go forth in new and restored life. We pray for and trust that day is coming.
I hav
e been a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 58 years. The Roman Catholic Church is at its best when we go forth, sent by Jesus, sent by our Lord, sent by the Savior of the World into the world. There is a cross carried when the Church cannot be Church at its best because of the danger experienced in the world by the Covid-19 deadly virus. I long for that day, I pray for the day when the Church can resume caring for the sick, the lonely, the hungry, the suffering in our midst, in our parish, in our community, in our neighborhoods.
A Sister of Mercy sent me the following reflection that offers heartfelt hope for us, Easter people this Easter Sunday of 2020:
"And people stayed home and read books and listened and rested and exercised and made art
and played and learned new ways of being and were still and listened more deeply. Someone meditated Someone prayed. Someone danced and someone met their own shadow.
And people started thinking differently---- And people healed... And in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways dangerous, mindless, and heartless.... The earth began to heal--- And when the danger ended and people found themselves...They grieved for the dead and they made new choices and dreamed of new visions and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully just as they had been healed."
This was penned by Kathleen O ' Meara in 1869, written during a plague in Ireland over 150 years ago.
For those who grieve the death of a loved one to Covid -19, you are in my prayers. To those who grieve a family member, a loved one not with us on earth this Easter, you are in my prayers.
To those who grieve in hope in Christ Jesus may we be powerful signs of resurrection when we can spring forth from the tombs of our homes, going back out in the world, caring for one another, reaching out to one another, living with one another in o
ur Risen Savior Jesus Christ. I ask you to pray, to pray together with people across the world for that new day to dawn.
This Easter there is to be no public Masses. By God's grace I am going to be celebrating a private sunrise Easter morning Mass in the desert of Tucson. Know that your intentions that you hold in your heart and prayers will be linked with my intentions and prayers as I preside at the table of our Lord this Easter Sunday.
Jesus lives, He has burst forth from the tomb. Jesus is our hope; Jesus is our longing. Jesus is our Risen Lord and Savior.
Blessed Easter!!
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From the Desk of Fr. Mark Augustine, Administrator
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April 8, 2020
Dear Church of St. Mary parishioners,
Everything is surreal right now. Walking through Lake Forest and seeing empty streets, closed businesses, no cars, people avoiding one another on the sidewalk for safe social distancing. Students are all e-learning and distance learning. Families are at home teleworking or meeting on Zoom
™
conference calls. Only "essential" operations continue. Mass is being celebrated online with no public celebrations of Easter or the sacraments. Surreal. Odd. Eerie. Life has changed dramatically for all us, and continues to do so, on an hourly basis at times. Even while I write this letter I know it will be several days before it is read and I have no idea of what may change between now and then.
On Friday, March 27, Pope Francis led a prayer service and gave an
Urbi et Orbi
(to the city and the world) blessing, normally only given on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. If you did not watch this historic event, please take the time to watch it as a family at vaticannews.va. Seeing our Holy Father process through an empty St. Peter's Square was incredibly powerful. In his homily, addressing the storm and darkness the world is in, Francis told the faithful:
The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith. We have an anchor: by his cross, we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross, we have been redeemed. We have hope: by his cross, we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love.
"We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song", as St. John Paul II said. While the world has been thrust into a storm; forced into a desert; and experienced, as one person on social media put it, giving more up for Lent than we had planned, we still have our faith. Our Catholic faith sustains and guides us. It has truly prepared us to encounter Christ in all situations, even the current pandemic, which caught the world by surprise.
Christ is our rock, our sure foundation, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
That has remained constant throughout our current ever-evolving situation, as it has throughout the history of the world, and will continue to do so. We celebrate the joy of Easter, the ultimate victory over fear, anxiety, doubt, uncertainty, despair, sin and death. Christ has won for us the reward of eternal life - a life with God, filled with grace, joy, peace, mercy, and compassion.
Imagine the earnest desire and yearning to celebrate our lives once more. To socialize, travel, eat out, and go to sporting events, even attending work and school again! How will we cherish what we have once things return to "normal" and can enter deeper into the joys these activities bring? Now, bring that sense of joy to our celebration of glorifying God! The exultation of gathering once more - hearing Scripture proclaimed; offering ourselves to God, having our sins forgiven, marriages witnessed, baptisms celebrated, being sealed in confirmation, healed through anointing of the sick, sins confessed, and receiving Christ in the Eucharist. May that desire burn ardently within us and gather us together in joy as soon as we are able.
The Church of St. Mary is aware that this is a difficult time for many of us. If you are in need of assistance we have a team of volunteers eager to help you as best as they are able to with: picking up groceries and prescriptions, assist with your technology questions and, of course, pray with you. Let us know via
www.churchofstmary.org/volunteer-assistance/
or leave us a message with your contact information at (847) 234.0205 and we will get back to you.
Please be assured of my increased prayers for all of you during this time. May we continue to be a people of faith, hope, and love, for today we celebrate the joys of Easter. Christ is Risen! Alleluia. Truly, he has Risen!
Yours in our Risen Lord,
Fr. Mark Augustine
Administrator
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Holy Name Cathedral Triduum Liturgies and Easter Sunday Mass Livestream and Broadcast Schedule
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- Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 9
- Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord's Passion available at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 10
- Holy Saturday Easter Vigil available at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 11
- Sunday Easter Mass (English, Spanish, Polish) available at 6 a.m. on Sunday, April 12
All liturgies can be viewed any time after their original online broadcast. ABC-7 will broadcast Easter Sunday Mass in English at 12 p.m., Univision will broadcast Easter Sunday Mass in Spanish at 10 a.m., and Polvision will broadcast Easter Sunday Mass in Polish at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Ways to Pray throughout Holy Week:
- Visit churchofstmary.org for a guide to Holy Week at home with prayers for each day, from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.
- Set a place aside in your house for prayer; get dressed up for Sunday Mass; take time each day to recall the redemptive acts of Christ during this sacred time; and share photos with the parish of how your family prays together!
- For Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil, please join Cardinal Cupich as he broadcasts from Holy Name Cathedral.
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April 12, 2020: Easter Sunday Gospel Reflection
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This Sunday's Easter gospel is from John. The Gospel of John was written significantly later than the synoptics (Mark, Matthew & Luke), and its author is more concerned with trying to get at the truest meaning of Jesus' teachings than historical accuracy.
There is a lot of symbolism in this reading, in John's entire gospel in fact. The very first line we are told it is the beginning of the week. A new week means a fresh start, something new is happening. The resurrected Christ will offer us a new way of living; a new way of being! However this newness is just starting, barely even taking shape yet. We know this because we are told that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb
early in the morning when it was still
dark. It is early in this new way of being, so early it is still dark. In scripture oftentimes light and dark are code for being in right relationship with God or not. It may also refer to having understanding of what is happening, as is the case here. Mary will not understand why the tomb has been opened. She mistakenly fears that the body of Jesus has been removed/stolen by either robbers or the religious elite and the Romans. It is still dark; she does not understand that Jesus has risen.
Once Mary tells the disciples what she has seen, Peter and the Beloved One run to the tomb. Peter might get there first but he too will not understand. The Beloved One however will see and believe, even if he does not have full understanding. Peter looks in and sees the burial cloths and the cloth around Jesus' head in the tomb but no Jesus! His understanding also stops there. The Beloved disciple, goes into the tomb, enters where Jesus was, he sees and believes. So what does he see?
The Beloved disciple sees that what is meant for the dead, burial cloths, stay in a place for the dead. However Jesus is not there, therefore Jesus is not dead! He sees and he believes. That is the hope for us all, that we see God in everyone and everything and believes that God is
so loving,
so merciful that out of that abundance flows a love to each one of us and we in turn share that love and mercy with all we meet.
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Plenary Indulgence in Time of Crisis
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Plenary Indulgence
The Apostolic Penitentiary, a branch of the Vatican offices which focuses on mercy and the forgiveness of sins, issued a
decree granting a Plenary Indulgence
during this extraordinary time. Here are some of the ways we can still participate in the life of grace and the life of the Church during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- As a refresher, here is a brief summary on the Church's teaching on grace, or participation in the divine life:
- Fundamentally, indulgences (plenary/full or partial) refer to a repairing and healing of the damage inflicted by sin.
- In the English language, the word "indulgence" carries the connotation of "permission" or "license to do something." In the Church and with regard to sin, this certainly is not the case.
- In traditional language, this is the "remission of temporal punishment due to sin." That we, through prayer and action recommended by the Church, can engage in this healing and repair is not because of our own efforts, merit, or power.
- The Church, drawing on the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ and the Communion of Saints speaks of drawing grace from the "treasury of the Church."
- In this moment of isolation and disconnection, the proposal to seek an indulgence re-affirms our connection in the Body of Christ and with the saints.
- The Plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful suffering from Coronavirus, who are subject to quarantine by order of the health authority in hospitals or in their own homes if, with a spirit detached from any sin, they:
- unite spiritually through the media to the celebration of Holy Mass, the recitation of the Holy Rosary, to the pious practice of the Way of the Cross or other forms of devotion,
- one way to carry this out would to be pray one of the seven penitential psalms, which are: Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 138 and 143.
- or if at least they will recite the Creed, the Lord's Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters,
- with the will to fulfill the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father's intentions), as soon as possible, when the suspensions are lifted.
- In addition, health care workers, first responders, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus according to the words of the divine Redeemer: 'Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends' (Jn 15: 13), will obtain the same gift of the Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions.
- Especially in this challenging moment, seeking an indulgence is a way of doing something spiritually and a way of praying for ourselves and for others.
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Holy Week & Easter Spiritual
Offerings
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Looking for a way to pray through Holy Week at home? Sign up
here
for the virtual retreats being offered for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Stations of the Cross Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday!
You can view and follow along with Stations of the Cross and more. Look for the Closed Caption icon at the bottom right of the video to see the text and follow along.
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Friday, April 17 is our opportunity to feed the guests at the Most Blessed Trinity Soup Kitchen! Even during these extraordinary times, our team of parishioners is ready to meet the needs of our guests. You are invited to donate food items to help prepare meals for at least
75 diners. In response to COVID-19 concerns, for March we made meat and cheese sandwiches at the site (peanut butter for children who wanted them), and packaged them with chips, drink, piece of fruit, package of cookies, all in a clean tee-shirt bags, which were handed to each guest.
Please contact Ellen Tierney at
ellenkelly@comcast.net
if you would like to donate food and participate in a ministry that is needed now more than ever!
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During these uncertain times some of our parishioners have reached out to the Parish Office either wanting to volunteer while others need assistance. If you would like to volunteer or are in need of assistance, please fill out the appropriate form and someone will be in touch with you.
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Burials at Catholic Cemeteries may continue and are not suspended at this time; however, attendance limit and social distancing requirements apply per below. These may also be found on our website.
Please note that our churches are still closed; therefore, funeral Masses are not possible.
However, if a family requests a funeral, there are two options:
- A funeral service, not a Mass, may take place at the funeral home
- the limit for attendees remains 10 people at this time (inclusive of the funeral director, priest, mourners, etc.)
- All attendees must practice social distancing
- A funeral service may take place graveside at the cemetery before committal/burial.
- the limit for attendees remains 10 people at this time (inclusive of the funeral director, priest, mourners, etc.)
- All attendees must practice social distancing
- St. Mary's will continue to serve those who are grieving and provide all the support where we are able. while we cannot hold Masses currently, if you or your family would like to have a funeral celebrated, once public Masses are reinstated, we will offer that service again.
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TV, Radio & Online Mass Offerings
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Here is a List of Places You may watch Mass on TV, Radio or Online:
- TV: EWTN
- DirecTV Channel 370
- Dish Network Channel 261
- Verizon Fios Channel 285
- XFinity Channel 33, 291, 1668
- Online:
- Relevant Radio:
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Prayers for the Sick and Deceased
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Please remember in your prayers those who are sick, especially:
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Pierre Adam
Renata Adamiec
Peggy Adams
Beny Alvarez
Alexa Anderson
Baby Bower Triplets:
Rose Marie, Adelaide Marie,
and Josephine Marie
Baby Mercer
Baby Peter John O'Rourke
Elvera Baeza
Dolores Beck
Beverly Beinlich-Pasquesi
Jack Brown
Mason Jeffrey Browner
Baby Virginia Bunimovich
Jerry Burns
Francesco Camoletto
Nancy Carani
Nova Carlson
Sember Carlson
Luis and Maria Cardenas
Michael Carpenter
Jeffrey Chicoine
Carolyn Cimarrusti
Jacqueline Cimarrusti
Marianna Cimarrusti
Charles Cook
Virginia Cordoba
Mary Elizabeth Cran
Greg DeBoer
Louis Degaetano
Mimi Degaetano
Mike Dellefield
Lewis Dilts
Joan Dolan
Annamarie Elfering
Hannah Erickson
Susan Ewert
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Abby Furco
Esperanza Galikay
Dorothy Gimbut
Jenny Green
Jeanne Gross
Jesus Guzman
Edward Halle
Elizabeth Hand
Margaret Hartman
Jack Hempstead
John Herbert
Hannah Hodgson
Patricia P. Huber
Juan Hurandas
Rafael Ibarra
Shirley Jacksack
Dolores Jansyn
Dick Jaworski
Christian Jenko
Dr. Mickey Jester
Mark Kalbus
Raine Kamm
Oceana Kashul
Mason Kelly
Genevieve Kluza
Patsy Leonard
Caroline Lyczko
Fely Macalalad
Angela Martinez
Carolina Martinez
Ralph Mastro
Will Matthei-Schmidt
Derrick Mathews
Donna Mathews
Kathryn McConnell
Janet McCue
Margaret Mary McIntyre
Mary Anne Minich
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Dolores Morrison
Rick Nacius
Barbara Neis
Dana Nelson
David O'Brien
Peter O'Brien
Joaquin Padilla
John Paleczny
Tom Palella
Mary Margaret Pawl
Mary Butterfield Peddle
James Dean Penar
Lisa Pommer
Lil Porter
Marianne Powers
Carol Pozdel
Marcia Ries
Mathew Rowley
Susan Schey
Leroy Schwaba
Bill Shafer
Colleen Sheerer
Tai (Pascal) Shin
Martin Sobey
Joan Sparrow
Ellen Sreenan
Debbie Sternberg
John Sternberg
Maureen Strassburger
Elzbieta Szymanska
Leonard Teifeld
Linda Trueblood-Lambert
Joseph Urso
Amanda Van Vleet
Brittany Van Vleet
Jim Wenzel
Martha Williams
Barbara Wilson
Robert Yale
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Please remember in your prayers those who have gone to their eternal rest with Our Lord, especially:
Patrick W. Kamm
(former spouse of Raine Kamm; brother of Mary Ann Minnec)
Robert Price (husband of Phyllis Price)
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Mass Intentions will be prayed for during a private daily Mass.
April 8, 2020:
James, Teresa, & David Yim
April 9, 2020:
Morning Prayer; Mass of the Lord's Supper
April 10, 2020:
Morning Prayer; Passion of Our Lord
April 11, 2020:
Morning Prayer; Easter Vigil Mass
April 12, 2020:
People of St. Mary's
April 13, 2020:
James Labus; Irene Oddi
April 14, 2020:
Helen Good; Dina Carani; Julius Hintzke; Mary Ann Rohrbach
April 15, 2020:
Frank Sylvester; Lily Mizzi
April 16, 2020:
Steven McDonough; Helen T. Kiwala; Douglas & Margaret E. Macdonald; the Souls in Purgatory
April 17, 2020:
Mario Spizzirri; Ehret-Carey Families; Mary Ellen Rohrbach; Peter Gillespie
April 18, 2020:
Michael Bryant; Anna Nowak; Bob Pommer & Anna & Carl Deckmeyer; Dorina Mentuccia
April 19, 2020:
Donald Wilson; Betty Milite; Charles; Joseph Kleinbrook; Irene Oddi; Robert LeClercq, Jr.; People of St. Mary's
If you would like to request a special Mass Intention, please email our Parish Receptionists at: receptionist@churchofstmary.org and they will kindly assist you!
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Please Continue to Give to the Church of St. Mary
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PLEASE CONTINUE TO GIVE to the Church of St. Mary
Although public Masses are suspended, Parish Staff are still working to support our Parish as well as our School. The Parish will continue to incur utility, insurance and maintenance expenses. Payroll and benefits are still being paid, yet the collection basket is not being passed on Sunday. Please prayerfully consider continuing to support your parish by mailing your contribution to the Parish Office or scheduling your online donation.
Ways To Give
Mail Your Contribution:
Church of St. Mary
c/o Business Office
201 E. Illinois
Lake Forest, IL 60045
OR
Online Giving:
Schedule your recurring donations via our online Giving safe and secure portal, GiveCentral. You don't have to leave your home. Goto:
Church of St. Mary GiveCentral or click the image below.
Thank you!
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Donate or Register for Events
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Church of St. Mary Website
Bookmark our parish website for information on all parish ministries, events, contact information and more!
Information on our Mass Schedule, Sacraments, School, Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Guild of St. Mary, Liturgical Ministries, Bible Study, RCIA, Bulletins, Gospel Reading Podcasts, Homily Podcasts and more can all be found on our webpage.
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook Page
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook page to see regular updates from popular Catholic pages such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and the USCCB. See news from the School of St. Mary, Guild of St. Mary, Religious Education Program, Youth Ministry and upcoming events at our parish!
Homilies & Gospel Readings!
Listen to past Gospel Readings and homilies anytime, anywhere! Click on the podcast image or goto our website. Click on Multimedia/Podcasts.
Enjoy!
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Church of St. Mary, Lake Forest has a new 
