St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville, Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, March 26, 2023

Fifth Sunday in Lent

I want to encourage all of us to set aside Holy Week as a time of retreat from the world

and outside of work, school, and family responsibilities, allow the holiest days of the Church year to be your primary focus.

Plan now on joining us for Mass on Palm Sunday as we recall Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem. If the weather is warm enough, we will begin Palm Sunday at the courtyard of the Ministry Center.

Let’s all return to the parish on Holy Thursday evening at 7:00 pm to experience the power of washing feet and what that kind of service is requires of us. Let us remember what Jesus did on that night before he died when he shared the simple gifts that have become for us, not simply bread and wine, but truly Christ's Body and Blood.

Let us continue our journey together by allowing the 3 hours of 12 noon – 3:00 pm on Good Friday to be a holy, quiet and reflective time. Make that 3:00 pm hour a priority by joining us in the Living Stations, or to come at 7:00 pm to hear the Passion account of Jesus and to venerate the Cross.

Then with every Church from around the world, let’s celebrate our parish feast by gathering on Holy Saturday Night at 7:00 pm at the Easter Fire. Let’s rejoice in our Christian Catholic Faith as we break the fast and end the darkness of Lent.

When I was a young kid, nothing other than the Holy Week happened in our house. As a

kid, I did not totally understand it, but I knew there was something very special, something unique about this week. When our extended family gathered on Easter Sunday afternoon and dinner was served, we knew that the week that had just proceeded us was like no other week of the year.

Let’s make this year’s Holy Week special, so that together we can celebrate the week that was the Greatest Week of the Year!!!!!

Friday, March 24

• No Stations of the Cross due to church building closure.
• 7:00 pm ~ "Three Cheers" play in the Gym

Saturday, March 25

• 5:00 Mass in the Social Hall/Care for Real monthly food drive
• 7:00 pm ~ "Three Cheers" play in the Gym

Sunday, March 26

• 8:00 am & 10:30 am Masses will be in the Gym (No 10:30 am live-stream this week.)
• Care for Real monthly food drive at all Masses

Monday, March 27, Tuesday, March 28, & Wednesday, March 29

• 7:00-8:00 pm - Triduum of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction for healing, repentance, and peace at St. Gregory the Great, 5545 N. Paulina.

Thursday, March 30

• 9:00 am & 7:00 pm - Lenten book study in the Ministry Center

Friday, March 31

• 3:00 & 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross in Church

Palm Sunday, April 2

• 3:00 pm - Prayer walk around Cook County Jail, starting at Kolbe House, 2434 S. California

Monday, April 3

• 7:00 pm - Peace & Justice meeting in the Ministry Center

Monday, April 10

• 7:00 pm - Book Club gathering in the Ministry Center

Wednesday, April 19

• 7:00 pm - PPC meeting in the Ministry center

Parish Play, Three Cheers, This Weekend, Friday, March 24 & Saturday, March 25

The St. Gertrude Parish Players are back! This year's original production: "Three Cheers!" will be performed on Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 in the Gym. Doors open at 7:30 pm and the show will start at 8:00 pm.

Join us to see what can happen when a community comes together to welcome back a hero and is rocked when they learn their home and gathering place will be torn down and replaced by a private commercial endeavor.

Admission is $10 per adult and $5 per child. All proceeds go to support our parish community. Parking is available in St. Gertrude's parking lot, located at Thome and Glenwood.

Care for Real Food Drive - Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 in the Social Hall

Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are the three practices in Lent that help us to shift our gaze to Christ and his suffering.

Fasting is a meaningful way to reflect on our daily life and rebuild our focus outside of ourselves. Yet many individuals and families in Chicago do not have the privilege of intentional fasting during this time. With food shortage, families live every day in a constant fast. This month St. Gertrude will be answering the call to place the needs of others first during this Lent season.  

This weekend, Saturday, March 25 (before and after the 5:00 pm Mass) and Sunday, March 26, is our monthly collection drive for Care for Real. It will take place in the Social Hall, as the Church building is under construction. 

Please consider bringing non-perishable goods and personal hygiene items to donate! Visit https://careforreal.org/wishlist/ if you’d like to donate online.

Prayer Walk Around Cook County Jail on Palm Sunday, April 2

The Kolbe House Jail Ministry, part of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is inviting Chicago-area Catholics and any other interested participants to gather outside the Cook County Jail on Palm Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 pm for a 2-mile prayer walk around the Cook County Jail complex. There will be 5 stations along this route.

This event offers us an opportunity to show solidarity with people affected by incarceration. The event will begin and end at Kolbe House, located at 2434 S. California Ave. in Chicago.

The prayers at each of the 5 stations include intentions for the victims of violence, for mercy toward those who have caused grave harm, and for the families of those who are incarcerated. We will pray intentions for healing from trauma, for breaking the bonds of addiction and mental illness, eradicating racism, shining a light on and recognizing the harm caused by the legal system and for “a reimagining of our church and our community, to be one where no one is excluded or deemed unworthy.”

If you have any questions, please contact Pat Sullivan by email at psullivan@stgertrudechicago.org.

Peace and Justice Meeting - Monday, April 3

All are welcome to attend the next meeting of the Peace and Justice Ministry. The group will meet in the Ministry Center at 7:00 pm and plan events for spring and summer.

Please email Marina Parise at marinaparise@gmail.com with questions.

Parish Book Club to Meet on Monday, April 10: New Members Welcome!

Please join us in the Ministry Center on Monday, April 10 at 7:00 pm. We will discuss The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harp. We would love new voices and opinions!

Contact Lea Cloninger at 773.973.2465 or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions.

An Update from the Parish Council: Recent Activities, Town Hall Planned for May, New Members Needed

The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) met last Thursday, March 16. The group met with United Power to discuss their three initiatives—affordable housing, gun control and mental health—and how St. Gertrude parish can continue to support their efforts. 

The group also planned another town hall. It will take place on Sunday, May 7 immediately after the 10:30 am Mass in the Gym. 

The PPC is also looking for new members in the near future. The PPC’s goal is to be a 

collaborative group who works with the pastor in determining the matters that affect the life of the faith community. If you are interested in this type of service, please email us at stgertrudeparishcouncil@gmail.com.

The PPC’s next meeting is Wednesday, April 19. All meetings are held in the Ministry Center from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm and are open to parishioners. If you would like to discuss anything with the PPC, contact them at the above email address.

This Summer: St. Gertrude’s Youth Group Mission Experience

Attention teens in sixth grade through high school! This summer, from July 10-14, the parish youth group will volunteer with a different Chicagoland organization each day. This is an excellent opportunity to have fun and earn volunteer hours!



There is a $100 fee for the week. A $50 deposit is required at the time of registration. 

All participants will receive a t-shirt, water bottle, and a sports drawstring backpack.

To reserve a spot or to get more information, contact Eloy Escamilla at 

eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org. Please register before Saturday, May 28. 

Time to Pass the Baton (Shovel)

As you should all know by now, I am retiring at the end of June. A search committee has been formed to find a replacement for my musical duties, but the parish is currently looking for someone to step up and take over the garden/compost project after I retire. 

Since I will still be here through at least mid-June, I can get the person started and help organize/train someone on what has to be done in the spring as far as preparing the soil, buying plants, and organizing teams to do this work. Once everything is planted, most of the work involves arranging and assigning teams to do the daily watering if Mother Nature is not helping us out. During really hot spells, we often have to water twice a day. Then when veggies start to ripen, the harvest needs to go to Care for Real or St. Thomas of Canterbury soup kitchen. 

Because I think it is so important to get our young people involved, I worked with NCA 7th graders and they were a BIG help in weeding our garden after the winter months. They were happy to help because their work counted toward needed service hours for Confirmation. I also solicited the 5th graders last year and they made nametags of each plant on paint sticks. To work with kids, though, you must be VIRTUS trained and up-to-date with your training. It is not that big a deal. 



If you are interested in leading this important program or have further questions about what is involved, please contact me at mcbarker@stgertrudechicago.org and I will pass along your interest to Fr. Mike. 

I sincerely hope someone (or perhaps two people) will come forward to lead this project. Our local food pantries are so appreciative of receiving fresh produce and we are making a real difference in our community. 



~ Mary Clare Barker

Growing in Faith

Each year, nine months before Christmas, on March 25, we celebrate the Annunciation. This year, it’s Saturday.

The Annunciation is when the angel came to Mary and told her that she would give birth to Jesus, “the Son of the Most High.” And Mary was, I imagine, pretty flabbergasted. “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” And the angel said, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee.”

We know the story, but Mary didn’t. This was all happening in real time. What could those words mean? I’m sure that Mary was confused and anxious and overwhelmed…but not that overwhelmed. Faced with a frightening door that God was opening to her, she didn’t shy away. She said yes. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.”

I’ve always loved this scene because it leads up to the song that Mary sings when she visits her cousin Elizabeth: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior…The hungry he has filled with good things and the rich he has sent empty away.

This year, though, I have a deeper insight because my friend Sister Wendy Cotter CSJ, a Bible expert and a St. Gertrude parishioner, told me that, in the original Greek version, the word “handmaid” actually means “slave girl.” In other words, Mary isn’t just saying yes. She is also saying that she belongs to God to do with as God wants.

What a tremendous amount of faith that shows, what a tremendous amount of trust in the face of the unknown. I can learn much from Mary.

~ Patrick T. Reardon

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, March 27: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members
• Tuesday, March 28: 7:30 am - World peace
• Wednesday, March 29: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members
• Thursday, March 30: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, March 31: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Saturday, April 1: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners; 5:00 pm - Richard J. Kerwer, Sr. † 
• Sunday, April 2: 8:00 am - Joseph Lopez †; 10:30 Combined Mass – Raymond Simon †



(† 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, March 27: Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62/Jn 8:1-11
• Tuesday, March 28: Nm 21:4-9/Jn 8:21-30
• Wednesday, March 29: Dn 3:14-20, 9Gn 17:3-9/Jn 8:51-591-92, 95/Jn 8:31-42
• Thursday, March 30: Gn 17:3-9/Jn 8:51-59
• Friday, March 31: Jer 20:10-13/Jn 10:31-42
• Saturday, April 1: Ez 37:21-28/Jn 11:45-56
• Palm Sunday, April 2: Mt 21:1-11 (37)/Is 50:4-7/Phil 2:6-11/Mt 26:14—27:66 or 27:11-54

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.