St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville, Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, January 8, 2023

Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

In the first place, I like to thank Fr. Rich and his service to the Church, especially here at St. Gertrude’s. We wish him well. Thank you also to our dedicated parish staff. To our catechists for their hard work and labor of love in teaching the young. To the staff and teachers of NCA, providing Catholic education. 

Thanks to our altar servers, ministers of communion, lectors, cantors, choir, musicians in their generous service in the liturgy. Thank you to so many others too numerous to mention by name. Thank you to every single person for your prayers and your contributions that help us to build up the parish and honor God here.  

All are Welcome

As I was starting to write this bulletin, I was about to just jump in and tell you all the things that have been happening, but there is something more important and this is it.

You may have noticed at the end of November, new banners were placed at the doors of our church proclaiming, “ALL ARE WELCOME!”

When the parish council and I had listening sessions, one person mentioned it might be good to periodically welcome people. He said that is what brought him here to St. Gertrude’s many years ago.

“ALL ARE WELCOME! AND ALL MEANS ALL!"

St. Gertrude extends a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, LBGQT, rich, poor, y no habla ingles. We offer special welcome to those who are young and old, or who have a crying baby. We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli, or more like me, who just tries.

We don’t care if you're more Catholic than the pope or haven’t been in church since little Timmy’s baptism. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60, but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome starving artist, tree huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, and junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery and those who are still addicted.

We welcome you if your having problems or down in the dumps. We’ve been there too. We welcome those who don’t like “organized religion”. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, those who work too hard, those who don’t work, can’t spell, or came because grandma is in town.

We welcome those who could use a prayer right now, or thought you were on Clark Street, not Granville, and are here by mistake. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, or both. We welcome those who laugh at this, as well as those who gasped. We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters, and bleeding hearts with all our hearts. 

We welcome YOU!

Growing in Faith

The Nativity story has a lot of movement. Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem. The Magi make a great journey that we celebrate today. And soon, the Holy Family flees to Egypt to escape Herod’s vengeance. All of these are infused with both hope and fear. It makes me think about the many families sponsored by the Refugee and Immigrant Ministry here at St. Gertrude’s. What fear and hope they’ve experienced on their long roads to our neighborhood!

We’ve been blessed to have sponsored so many families over the past seven years, most recently an extended family from Guatemala last spring and just now a newly arrived Rohingya family. Although their difficulties didn’t magically disappear once they came here, with the love of this community they have settled, had children, gotten jobs, found hope.

I think this is one of the messages of Christmas, one to which we are called as Christians. Fear is inevitable, a part of the human condition. Jesus, knowing us, offers hope that far exceeds that fear, and in turn calls us to be that hope for our fellow travelers. The darkness of deep winter is unavoidable, but I take solace in the old spiritual, “This Little Light of Mine.” I pray that I am fearless in making it shine.

~ Denise M. Goodman 

PreCana Class Offered at St. Gertrude on on Saturday, January 21

Are you an engaged couple planning on getting married at St. Gertrude? Couples that have established a connection with Fr. Mike (or another priest) are invited to attend St. Gertrude’s PreCana course on January 21, 2023.

This full day, in-person gathering is dedicated to considering your life together as a married couple. Led by a facilitator couple from St. Gertrude, the session begins at 9:00 am and features presentations, prayers, and discussions with your partner and 5-10 other couples. Lunch and snacks are provided.

Couples can register for the January session by calling the Rectory office at 773.764.3621or by filling out an online form at https://stgertrudechicago.org/marriage.

The cost of PreCana is covered by the church fee couples planning a wedding at St. Gertrude are charged. 

Additional PreCana classes at St. Gertrude will be offered on April 15, 2023 and September 9, 2023.

Heart to Heart Christmas Day Dinner

The Buttitta family and Heart to Heart joined efforts to produce an extraordinary dinner on Christmas day in the Ministry Center. Heart to Heart members attended this event. Dinner included two donated turkeys, a ham, and all the fixings. A festive gingerbread house festooned the dinner table thanks to Marie Galoney. We sang Christmas carols before dinner and played charades after. Cookies and candy Christmas boxes were given to everyone. The Buttitta family donated gifts for all attendees. 

What a blessing to have these relationships in our community! A special thanks to the Buttitta family for all their efforts, as well as our volunteer cookie baking by Jean Laczkowski and Janet Kournetas.

We are planning to expand this event next year by enlisting more elves to bake cookies, make dinner, and deliver meals to our other members who are homebound. 

~ Pat Sullivan, Director of Heart to Heart

Thank You for Supporting our Greenery Sale

Thanks so much to those parishioners and neighbors that purchased trees, wreaths, and garland this holiday season! A total of $1,253.40 was raised after costs and will go to support St. Gertrude's ministries.

Special thanks to Robert Clark and Quinn McCarthy, who generously volunteered as our delivery drivers.

~ Eduardo Soto, Business Manager

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, January 9: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members
• Tuesday, January 10: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Wednesday, January 11: 7:30 am - Jeanne Hasbrook †
• Thursday, January 12: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, January 13: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
• Saturday, January 14: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members; 5:00 pm - Rose Nugent †
• Sunday, January 15: 8:00 am - Ernie Garnett †; 10:30am – Manuel and Randy Cruz †; 10:30 am Gym – Larry McCauley †

(† indicates the person is deceased) 

Click HERE for the daily readings for Masses. Here is the list of readings for this week for parishioners that prefer to look them up:

• Monday, January 9: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Acts 10:34-38/Mt 3:13-17
• Tuesday, January 10: Heb 2:5-12/Mk 1:21-28
• Wednesday, January 11: Heb 2:14-18/Mk 1:29-39
• Thursday, January 12: Heb 3:7-14/Mk 1:40-45
• Friday, January 13: Heb 4:1-5, 11/Mk 2:1-12
• Saturday, January 14: Heb 4:12-16/Mk 2:13-17
• Sunday, January 15: Is 49:3, 5-6/1 Cor 1:1-3/Jn 1:29-34

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.