St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, August 17, 2025

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Registration is Now Open for our Religious Education Program! How to Sign Your Child Up for 2025-2026 School Year

Register your child for the 2025-2026 Religious Ed school year! Classes are held on Sundays from 9:15-10:15 am on the St. Gertrude campus. They will begin on September 7.

Here's how to sign up for classes:

1. Go to https://stgertrudechicago.org/religious-education-news and fill out a registration form.
2. Email it to Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.
3. Pay the fee for the 2025-2026 school year ($230 for one child and an additional $40 for each student from the same family.) Please note, children making their First Communion/Reconciliation or their Confirmation will also need to pay a $75 sacramental fee.

Looking for more information? A handbook and Religious Ed calendar is available in both English and Spanish. Questions can also be emailed to Eloy Escamilla. 

Beginning Next Week, Communion Services Will be Held on Mondays

Beginning August 18, 7:30 am Communion Services will be held on Monday mornings instead of Thursdays.

Thank you for understanding!

Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) on Friday Evenings

All are warmly invited to take part in our weekly 

Rosary group, held every Friday evening at 7:00 pm.

This bilingual gathering takes place in the Ministry Center dining room at 6214 N. Glenwood Ave.

Whether you're new to the Rosary or have prayed it for years, you're welcome to join us in this peaceful time of prayer and reflection.

"Brewed at St. Gertrude" Social Event - Next Gathering is Sunday, August 24

Please join us on Sunday, August 24, for another "Brewed at St. Gertrude" parish hospitality event after the 10:30 am mass. Held in the Social Hall, all are welcome to come for pastries, beverages, and to enjoy each other’s company. 

St. Gertrude’s Commonweal Action Group to Meet on Sunday, August 24

St. Gertrude’s Commonweal Action will meet again on Sunday, August 24, in the Social Hall following the 10:30 am Mass and Brewed at St. Gertrude hospitality gathering. The meeting will last approximately 90 minutes.

At our July 20 meeting, we adopted the following mission statement: To be a passionate voice and face of Christianity that brings Catholic teaching on social justice and love of neighbor to the public square.

We have launched several projects—and we need the input and energy of many parishioners. Please join us!

Our current initiatives include:

• Drafting a letter in support of Catholic bishops who are opposing the administration’s unchristian policies on deportation and the cruel treatment of immigrants.

• Facilitating the attendance of our parishioners at rallies and other protests under a Commonweal Action of St. Gertrude’s banner.

We are also planning a forum featuring an expert speaker to discuss the impact of recent healthcare legislation in the United States.

All are welcome! 

Care for Real Collection Drive is August 23-24 

Our collection drive for Care for Real is August 23-24 before and after masses to support our neighbors in need.

Care for Real reports that they have been seeing longer lines at distributions lately, but have met the demand for food every single time thanks to generous donors like you! .

Please visit https://careforreal.org/wishlist/ or visit their Facebook page to see what they are specifically looking for at this time. 

We are so grateful for your help supporting our neighbors who are struggling!  

The Lending Closet Is Going on Vacation!

Though we love being of service to our friends and neighbors in need of durable medical equipment, even Laurie needs a break every once in a while.

She will be out of the office on August 28 and September 2. The Lending Closet will re-open on Thursday, September 4.

We're hoping that you are enjoying all the delights and bounty of summer! Thank you, always, for your support of Heart to Heart and the Lending Closet.

Helping Hands Needed with our Brewed at St. Gertrude Social Gatherings

Brewed at St. Gertrude, our monthly hospitality following the 10:30am Mass, is gearing up for the coming year. Thrilled by the participation of so many parishioners in this gathering, we want to make it a regular event that continues into the near future. 

Would you like to join our ministry team? We seek additional volunteers who can help with one or more of the following: set up, serve, bring food, and/or clean up. Our dedicated crew has been making each hospitality welcoming each month, but could benefit from some more hands! 

Those who are interested in giving a little bit of their time each month are invited to meet following the next Brewed at St. Gertrude on August 24th in the Social Hall. Please feel free to reach out to Steven Patzke at stevenjcpatzke@gmail.com with interest or questions.

Substitute Catechists Needed to Teach Religious Education This School Year

We are looking for catechists to be substitute teachers in our parish’s Religious Ed program and Kids Word! Catechists don't have to be professional teachers. Most are parents and parishioners who enjoy kids and are willing to help them grow in a personal relationship with God, participate in the sacraments, and develop a mature conscience, and integrate faith in all areas of their lives.

Please consider offering your time and talents to help our young people learn about and grow in their faith. If you have any questions, please reach out to Eloy Escamilla, Pastoral Associate, Religious Education and Youth Ministry, at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org or call 773.764.3621. 

Growing in Faith: Speaking the Truth with Love and Courage

Recently, a colleague, who is respected internationally in her medical field, was asked to testify before a Senate panel on the scientific evidence supporting what have long been the standards of medicine. During her testimony, a senator stood up and blasted her with a blatantly untrue and dangerous counter-assertion. 

Afterword, the moderator, apologized for his colleague’s behavior. My colleague demonstrated great calm through it all because she was deeply grounded in what she knew—rooted in experience-rich wisdom and in her love for her profession and life’s vocation of caring. She knew what was true and right.

Apart from embodying the fullness of love, Jesus also incarnated truth—truth that can sometimes be difficult to hear, that can drive someone to defend untruths, cause great harm to those who speak the truth, and even divide an entire nation, let alone a family. Those who wanted Jesus, Jeremiah, and every other person in history and and today who speak the truth to be silenced are, I think, almost always motivated by fear, especially of change. They feel their identity, values, and livelihood threatened; their weaknesses and limitations exposed; and their defense mechanisms unmasked. The easiest response to disarming truth is often anger, violence, oppression, and lies—whatever it takes to silence the truth speaker.

As truth, and love, are under attack, as division abounds, what is the ground, the wisdom, on which you and I stand, which helps us to speak truth and love with courage?

~ Jim Manzardo 

Interested in Becoming Catholic?

The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly called RCIA) is a process by which adults learn more about the Catholic Church. This free program begins in the fall and meets until Pentecost.

Many people who begin OCIA are non-Catholics seeking to become Catholic or at least to explore whether Catholicism might be a good home. Those who complete the process and decide to become Catholic are initiated into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. Others who take OCIA are already Catholic but want a deeper understanding of their faith foundation.

The OCIA process does not ask those who have been baptized in another faith to give up their denominational experiences. Rather, the OCIA process seeks to add new colors and designs to their existing faith life tapestry. In addition to attending Mass, the OCIA process includes weekly gatherings of breaking open the Word of God, sharing our stories, and learning about our faith traditions.

Classes begin in September.

If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the OCIA process at St. Gertrude, contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621. 

Baptisms

• Colin Marcus Gatto
• Miles Fracis Solomon
• Caroline Frances Thorson

Rest in Peace

• Daniel McCarthy
• Julienne Fouche

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 pm - Christine Lincoln, Patrick Reardon
• Sunday, August 17 at 8:00 am - Jay Cook
• Sunday, August 17 at 10:30 am - Troy McMillan, Tim Love

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, August 16 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, August 17 at 8:00 am - Kathryn Stimac
• Sunday, August 17 at 10:30 am - Sarah Millar, Ellen Pierce, Bob Backis

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, August 18: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Tuesday, August 19: 7:30 am - Norman H. Linke+
• Wednesday, August 20: 7:30 am - Students starting a new school year
• Thursday, August 21: 7:30 am - Elena Rivera+
• Friday, August 22: 7:30 am - Ricardo Martinez+ Ricardo Martinez+
• Saturday, August 23: 7:30 am - Julienne Fouche+; 5:00 pm - Daniel McCarthy+
• Sunday, August 24: 8:00 am - Judy O'Toole+; 10:30 am - Bill Patterson

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.