St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, June 29, 2025

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul

Please Welcome Fr. Sergio Romo!

We are pleased to welcome our new pastor, Fr. Sergio Romo, to our parish community! Fr. Sergio will officially begin his ministry with us on July 1st and will celebrate his first weekend Masses starting July 5th.

Fr. Sergio comes to us with a deep commitment to pastoral care, spiritual leadership, and community engagement. We look forward to the energy, wisdom, and compassion he will bring to our parish. As we begin this new chapter together, let us keep Fr. Sergio in our prayers and offer him a warm and joyful welcome.

Please join us at Mass next weekend to meet Fr. Sergio and help make him feel at home!

You Are With Us

God of Love,

You are with us in every transition and change,

As we enter into this new era with excitement and even some anxiety,

We recall you deep compassion, presence, and abounding love.

We thank you for the gifts, talents and skills with which you have blessed us.

We thank you for the experiences that have brought us to this moment.

We thank you for the work of others that gives breadth and depth to our own work.

Be with us as we move forward, rejoicing with you and supporting one another.

We ask this in your Holy Name.

Amen.

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

All are welcome to attend the weekly Rosary group held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm.

The bilingual gathering is held in the dining room of the Ministry Center, located at 6214 North Glenwood Avenue.

No Morning Mass This Saturday, June 28 

Please note, there is no morning mass this Saturday, June 28.

Thank you for understanding.

Peter's Pence Collection - Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30

The Peter's Pence collection is a gesture of solidarity through which every member of the faithful can participate in the activity of the Pope as Pastor of the universal Church.



The faithful's offerings to the Holy Father through this collection are for humanitarian initiatives and social promotion projects.

For more information on Peter’s Pence, please visit the Vatican’s Peter’s Pence website at www.obolodisanpietro.va/en.html.

Adult Faith Formation Commission - First Meeting on Tuesday, July 1

One of the “hungers” identified in the St. Gertrude Parish Strategic Plan is that of developing and supporting opportunities for ongoing adult faith formation in our parish. 

If you are interested in being part of a group whose mission will be to support current adult faith formation ministries in the parish as well as to discern and develop new possibilities for adult faith formation, please send your name and email address to Bob Backis, PPC Co-Chair, at rjbackis@gmail.com.

For more information, please email Bob or call him at 773.510.6553.

An initial meeting of the Commission will take place on Tuesday, July 1 at 7:00 pm in the Ministry Center.

Rectory Office Closed on Friday, July 4

The office will be closed on July 4 in honor of Independence Day.

Mass will be held at 7:30 am.

Collection Drive for Care for Real is July 5 and July 6

Our collection drive for Care for Real is July 5 and July 6 before and after masses to support asylum seekers.

Care for Real is urgently seeking donations of new socks and underwear, diapers in sizes 4-6, shampoo, hand soap, and adult incontinence briefs.

Our collection drive for Care for Real is always the fourth calendar weekend every month, and our asylum seekers’ collection is the first weekend of each month.

We are so grateful for your help supporting Care for Real as they work to provide food and much-needed supplies to our neighbors who are struggling.  

Book Club Gathering is Tuesday, July 8 - Please Note New Time

The book club will discuss Still Life by Sarah Winman on Tuesday, July 8. The gathering is at now at 6:30 pm in the Ministry Center, located at 6214 North Glenwood Avenue.  

On Tuesday, August 12, the group will meet to talk about Life After Life: a Novel by Kate Atkinson.

We would love new voices and opinions! Contact Lea Cloninger at 773.213.0509, or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions.

Friendship Club is Thursday, July 10

The St. Gertrude Women's Friendship Club meets monthly on the second Thursday of every month in the Ministry Center.

The gathering begins at 11:30 am, and attendees should bring their own (brown bag) lunch.

Mission Appeal Planned for July 12-13

Each summer the Global Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Chicago facilitates the Mission Cooperation Plan, an opportunity for about 82 foreign missionary dioceses, religious congregations and organizations to share their stories and invite support from our faith communities.

This annual second collection provides vital support to ministries that witness and proclaim the love of Jesus in areas of the world affected by poverty and upheaval. Missionaries travel great distances to evangelize in remote and persecuted communities. They form priests and lay leaders, educate adults and children, offer medical care, provide safe homes, administer the Sacraments and more.

Sr. Rubi Arellano, a Sister from the Servants of the Visitation, will visit St. Gertrude on July 12–13 as part of the Missionary Cooperative Plan. With 29 years of missionary life, Sr. Rubi serves vulnerable children in Brazil and the Philippines.

She will share the mission of the Ain Karim Children’s Home—the only accredited orphanage in Eastern Samar, Philippines—offering a loving home to children who are disabled, malnourished, orphaned, and abandoned.

"Brewed at St. Gertrude" Social Gathering is Sunday, July 20

Please join us on Sunday, July 20, for a parish hospitality event, "Brewed at St. Gertrude!" 

Following the 10:30 am mass, come to the Social Hall for pastries, coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. All are welcome: new and long-time parishioners, families, and visitors!

Growing in Faith

Peter and Paul, in the early days of the Church, had profound spiritual experiences of Jesus. He intervened in their lives in ways described in today’s readings with rich psychological and spiritual imagery.

Peter, arrested by Herod, slips out of his chains in the dark, eludes the guards, passes through an iron gate, and hides in the alleys of a big city. Remarkably, he escapes Herod’s clutches, allowing him to continue his role as the rock upon which this new Church was built.

Paul—then known as Saul, the persecutor of early Christians—is knocked off his horse and hears the voice of Jesus say, “Stop persecuting me!” Paul would go on to spread the Christian way, especially among the Gentiles in the Roman world. At the end of his ministry, he could proudly say that he had “competed well and finished the race.”

I’ve always been fascinated by the exploits, foibles, and common humanity of Peter and Paul. They’re just regular guys. I was named Paul because I was born on January 25th, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. In a prior life as a Jesuit seminarian, an old priest looked at his breviary for January 26th and said to me, “Thank God you weren’t born the next day, or you would have been named Polycarp!”

Part of me wishes my middle name were Peter. These two heroes of mine were both shaken to the core by Jesus, who asked them to reconstruct their lives and follow in his Way. Love those guys!

~ Paul ‘Peter’ Boyd

St. Gertrude Parish Garden Update

This weekend, I harvested the lettuce planted earlier this season, which looks amazing. I also snipped some herbs. This first harvest will be brought to Care for Real by my neighbor when she volunteers to be shared with a few lucky clients. 

The new location of planting along the rectory fence is already paying dividends as several tomatoes and peppers already have fruit buds beginning. We hope to have an excellent crop this year. 

And the rose arbor in the courtyard is beautiful! The blooms are amazing and its scent is instant aromatherapy.

We are looking for volunteers to help water the parish garden! Any amount of time is appreciated, we really need help in this intense heat. Please reach out to me at mcbcat@sbcglobal.net for more information.

~ Mary Clare Barker

Register Your Children for the 2025-2026 Religious Ed School Year in August!

Registration for the 2025-2026 Religious Ed school year will open in August!

Classes are held on Sundays from 9:15-10:15 am on the St. Gertrude campus. They will begin in September.

The goal of the Religious Education program at Saint Gertrude is to teach children to listen for and respond to God's invitation to love. 

In class, students and teachers work to: 

• Understand that everyone is loved and treasured by God.
• Live the lessons of Jesus Christ - loving God with your whole heart and loving your neighbors as yourself.
• Build a deeper personal relationship with God through prayer and reflection.
• Learn to pray as an individual and as part of a community. 
• Discover ways to love and serve others in our day-to-day lives. 
• Appreciate what it means to be part of a welcoming, loving community that cares for and respects people from all walks of life.
• Deepen their knowledge of the Catholic tradition.

The fees for the 2025-2026 school year are $230 for one child and an additional $40 for each student from the same family. Children making their First Communion/Reconciliation or their Confirmation will also need to pay a $75 sacramental fee.

Questions should be emailed to Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org. 

The Parish Pastoral Council is Looking for New Members!

The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is renewing its search for new members. If you are interested in learning more about the PPC or are interested in joining, please complete this INTEREST FORM. 

Questions or comments for the PPC can be sent to stgertrudeparishcouncil@gmail.com.

Important Update: Facebook Live Masses Will Be Deleted After 30 Days

Facebook has made changes to the way it stores live videos, and this update will affect how long our parish masses remain available on our Facebook page.

As of now, Facebook live videos will automatically be deleted 30 days after they are posted. This means that if you’ve grown accustomed to rewatching mass on Facebook at your convenience, you’ll no longer be able to do so after that 30-day period.

In light of this change, we want to remind everyone that our parish masses are also available on our YouTube channel, where they are archived and can be watched anytime. You can find us here: www.youtube.com/@saintgertrude1117.

Edgewater Glen Garden Walk – Sunday, July 13

Come explore the beautiful gardens of West Edgewater Glen on Sunday, July 13, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm., rain or shine! This annual event showcases the creativity and hard work of local gardeners in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Norwood, Glenlake, Hood, and the south side of Granville—all within an easy walking distance.

A suggested donation of $5 per adult (cash preferred) is appreciated. Children are welcome at no charge. The walk begins at 1354 W. Norwood, at the corner of Norwood and Glenwood. Street parking is readily available.

For more information, contact Kim at kaulas@rcn.com or 773-368-3949.

Baptisms

• Kaya Read Ventura 
• Noah Read Ventura 
• Elena Villegas 
• Valentin Santino Villegas 

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, June 28 at 5:00 pm - Art Lyons, Christine Lincoln
• Sunday, June 29 at 8:00 am - Kathryn Stimac
• Sunday, June 29 at 10:30 am - Sarah Millar, Steven Monti

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, June 28 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, June 29 at 8:00 am - Josephine Delgado
• Sunday, June 29 at 10:30 am - Bob Backis, Steven Monti, Ellen Pierce

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, June 30: 7:30 am - Nancy Quinn Jaskowiak+
• Tuesday, July 1: 7:30 am - Mary Cunneen+
• Wednesday, July 2: 7:30 am - Patricia Meade+
• Thursday, July 3: 7:30 am - Communion service
• Friday, July 4: 7:30 am - Paciencia & Roberto Cabrera+
• Saturday, July 5: 7:30 am - Luisa DeSousa Mattos Murta+; 5:00 pm - Marie McKee Boylan+
• Sunday, July 6: 8:00 am - Donald Nyderek+; 10:30 am - Juanita Tallo+, Antonio Velazquez+

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.