Bulletin for Sunday, September 25, 2022
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Mass Times: Sunday: 8:00 & 10:30 am Mass in Church; 10:30 am Gym Mass; Monday-Friday: 7:30 am (Thursday is a Communion service);
Saturday: 7:30 am & 5:00 pm
Reconciliation: 4:15-4:45 pm on Saturday or by appointment.
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From Fr. Rich
Looking for an excuse, a justification? That’s the set-up in today’s Gospel passage. The rich man who only took care of himself during his lifetime is now confronted with the truth of the situation. He has ended up in eternal torment while the beggar, Lazarus, who lay at his threshold hoping for even a morsel of food, is now with Abraham in heaven.
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And each self-serving excuse the rich man uses to justify himself Abraham quickly dismisses. Until it comes down to the rich man’s final plea, situated as if he really cared for his siblings, asking that someone be sent from the dead. To which Abraham replies, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.”
The power of this passage is that it makes clear each of us determines our own future by our behavior in the present moment. God’s desire is we all go to heaven. But we can decide, by our words and actions, whether or not that’s what we want! It is never a case of some secret knowledge -- which the rich man seems to imply when talking about his brothers needing a stronger message. Nor is it a question of “shock and awe” -- as when a person comes back from the dead. There is nothing new to be said about how to live our lives and how we will spend eternity. It has been spoken for millennia.
The problem isn’t the message or the messenger. It’s how we do or do not hear and apply the message, how we respond to the consistent message of our God throughout history.
Our scripture readings these weeks have focused our attention on how we are treating the poor, the broken, the hungry and homeless -- the most vulnerable members of society. The positioning of Lazarus in the Gospel story makes clear the only way the rich man could get in and out of his house was, literally, by stepping over Lazarus at his threshold. In other words, we will never be able to use the excuse, “I didn’t know there were hungry people in my community!” And all the excuses that try to argue our innocence by virtue of our ignorance. But the Lord will have none of that. These are our sisters and brothers. And if we do not see and respond to their needs, we are refusing to see the Lord living among us.
Recently a friend, who is a professor, was explaining a point he made to the new freshmen at the beginning of the school year when some students wanted to know what they could do extra to be sure they got A’s. He called the class together and explained to them that they needed to stop coming to class in order to get A’s, and instead come wanting to learn. A different perspective that makes a world of difference. That’s similar to the difference between feeding the hungry in order to punch our “good deeds” card and feeding the hungry because they are our sisters and brothers and in need of our help.
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Religious Education
Congratulations to all the students who began their Religious Education classes last Sunday and all their parents who joined in the opening of this new school year. It was great to see many returning families and to welcome our newest members.
It is not too late to enroll your children for Religious Education. And please remember, any child preparing for reception of a sacrament (First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation) must be in Religious Education for two years prior to receiving any sacrament.
Click here for Religious Ed forms
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Kid's Word
Kid’s Word resumed last Sunday during the 10:30 am Mass in church. This program offers children aged 4-7 years-old an age-appropriate Gospel message and do fun, scripture-based activities such as coloring or crafts in the Rectory.
Children are invited by the celebrant to come to the altar before the readings and are returned to church before the petitions.
Thanks to their leaders and aides for helping bring God’s Word to these young members of our parish.
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Season of Creation—September 1-October 4
This is the final full week of the Season of Creation which reaches its climax on Tuesday, October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was one of those who understood about the unity of all creation. His famous prayer reminds us that we are sisters and brothers in Creation, called on to respect all of God’s gift. In these final ten days of this special Season, how might each of us do something(s) to heal some part of creation? It could be as simple as stepping up our recycling efforts, to being more mindful of where we might walk instead of driving, to working for justice in order to bring peace to our community.
Building Projects Update
The new carpeting for church has been ordered and will be installed, hopefully, before Thanksgiving. And some of the masonry and drainage repairs from the roof problems have been partially addressed with new scuppers being installed last week. The rest of the roofing projects are scheduled to be finished before the end of fall.
The stair-rebuilding projects are all completed. And the St. Gertrude Parishioner Scholarship Fund is available for any registered parish families whose children attend NCA and are in need of financial assistance.
The final project is the repair of the interior damage to the church and rectory buildings. But these can’t be started until all the roof repairs are completed. With some luck, this maybe will be done by the end of the year.
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Upcoming Events
Listed in Chronological Order
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Parent Meeting for First Communion & Confirmation Students This Monday, September 26/Confirmation Forms Due
Attention parents of Religious Ed Students making their First Communion or Confirmation in 2023! Parents of both First Communion and Confirmation students are required to attend a formation meeting on Monday, September 26 at 6:30 pm in Church.
Additionally, students making their Confirmation in 2023 need to hand in or email their Candidate Statement of Intention to Eloy Escamilla, Pastoral Associate, at
eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org by Monday, September 26.
Click to access the Candidate Statement of Intention Form
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Domestic Violence Survivor's Mass is Saturday, October 1
The Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach (ACDVO) will hold their 7th annual Mass to end domestic violence and for survivors and their family on Saturday, October 1. Please note, there is a new Mass time of 5:15 pm. It will be held at Holy Name Cathedral, located at 735 N. State St.
The Mass will be livestreamed, a link will be available as the date approaches.
Visit the ACDVO's Facebook page for details on the livestream.
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Pet Blessing Planned for Next Sunday, October 2
The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is this Tuesday, October 4. As we do each year, there will be Blessing of the Pets next Sunday at 11:30 am on the front porch of church.
Fr. Mike Gabriel will be there to bless all types of pets. Please join us for this
special event!
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Students in 7th Graders and Up Asked to Serve as Altar Servers
Our Ministry of Altar Servers seeks to encourage the youth of our parish to fully engage in our faith through their service to the Church. The altar server ministry is very important, and the youth will be making a serious commitment to our parish family. This ministry is open to any boy or girl who has received his/her First Holy Communion and is in 7th grade or older.
Altar servers should plan on spending no more than 60 minutes each time they serve.
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Training Sessions for New Ministers
- Training for altar servers will be in the church on Monday, October 3 at 6:30 pm.
- Training session for new Ministers of the Word will be in the church on Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 pm.
- Training session for new Eucharistic Ministers will be in the church on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30 pm.
- For people interested in serving as ushers, the training will be 30 minutes before the 5:00 pm and 10:30 am Masses; and 15 minutes before the 8:00 am Mass during the first weekend of October. We are looking to have 4-6 ushers per Mass.
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Youth Group Outing to Holy Fire Chicago on Saturday, October 15
All students in grade 7 and above are invited to attend the next youth group gathering! The group will attend Holy Fire Chicago on Saturday, October 15 at Credit Union 1 Arena (formerly known as UIC Pavilion).
Holy Fire is a powerful moment of encounter, worship and fun for young people. It offers students preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation an engaging and significant experience of the broader Church to which they and their parish or school belong. Event information can be found here: https://pvm.archchicago.org/events/holy-fire-chicago.
Please contact Eloy Escamilla to RSVP, as well as details about purchasing tickets, the time and location of where to meet and when the outing will end.
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PreCana Class at St. Gertrude on Saturday, October 15
Are you an engaged couple planning on getting married at St. Gertrude? Couples that have established a connection with Fr. Rich (or another priest) are invited to attend St. Gertrude’s PreCana course on Saturday, October 15.
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 October 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 January 21, 2023, April 15, 2023, and September 9, 2023.
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Heart to Heart News & Upcoming Events:
Educational Program on Sunday, October 16 & Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Saturday, October 29
Recruiting Volunteers
Volunteers are the backbone of Heart to Heart. There are opportunities for volunteering to service the homebound seniors and disabled individuals in our Edgewater/Rogers Park areas.
We need drivers to take members to the grocery store and other errands like Walgreens. Many of our elderly do not have computers or cell phones. In addition, drivers are needed to take members to doctor appointments. Let us know your availability and we will accommodate your schedule.
Contact Pat Sullivan at 773.973.5464 or psullivan@stgertrudechicago.org.
Save the Date—Educational Program Planned for Sunday, October 16
Maureen Burns, a community health worker from the HAP Foundation, will be presenting “Support and Care when Living with a Serious Illness” after the 10:30 am Mass in the Ministry Center on Sunday, October 16. This presentation will help us understand the differences between palliative care and hospice care, and how to access them.
Additional details will be shared in upcoming bulletins.
Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Saturday, October 29
Heart to Heart will be hosting a recognition luncheon for all its volunteers on Saturday,
October 29 at noon in the Ministry Center. Our volunteers deserve a huge appreciation for serving Heart to Heart members in the Edgewater and Rogers Park areas. There will be a raffle for first and second prizes.
Volunteers should RSVP by contacting Pat Sullivan at psullivan@stgertrudechicago.org or 773.973.5464.
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RCIA: A Journey of Faith - Classes Open to All | |
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The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process by which adults learn more about the Catholic Church. Interested participants are still welcome to sign up!
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the RCIA process at St. Gertrude, contact me at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621. The RCIA meeting schedule is available at https://bit.ly/RCIACalendarUpdated.
~ Eloy Escamilla, Pastoral Associate
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Baptisms
- Reidon Jeshua Villaruz, son of Reynaldo Villaruz and Rina Aranbote
- June Kathleen Rodemeyer, daughter of Robert and Angeline Rodemeyer
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Way to Support St. Gertrude
Do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? Please consider instructing your life insurance agent to include St. Gertrude as a primary or secondary beneficiary on your policy.
It costs nothing to change the beneficiary on your policy and will mean everything to our future parish community. For more information, please contact Karen Whitehead at
kwhitehead@archchicago.org or 312. 534.7461.
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Schedule for Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, & Cantors | |
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Ministers of the Word
- Saturday, September 24 at 5:00 pm - Susan McKeon
- Sunday, September 25 at 8:00 am - David Sullivan
- Sunday, September 25 at 10:30 am - Patrick Reardon
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Eucharistic Ministers
- Saturday, September 24 at 5:00 pm - Kathleen Dawson
- Sunday, September 25 at 8:00 am - Kathryn Stimac
- Sunday, September 25 at 10:30 am - Carlos Barragan, Steve Monti, Sarah Millar
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Cantors
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Saturday, September 24 at 5:00 pm - Bernie O’Connor
- Sunday, September 25 at 8:00 am - John Blake
- Sunday, September 25 at 10:30 am - Cindy Lawson
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Ways to Help Our Parish: Amazon Smile, Text to Give, GiveCentral, PayPal, and Amazon Smile
Visit smile.amazon.com and select St. Gertrude Parish as your charity of choice. From then on, connect to Amazon through smile.amazon.com and St. Gertrude will automatically benefit as your charity of choice.
We have set up a "Text to Give" option through GiveCentral. Parishioners are welcome to text the word Donate to 1.773.741.9505 to make a donation via phone.
To access our PayPal link, please visit our parish website and donate from there. GiveCentral offers parishioners the option of one-time gifts or weekly contributions.
For more information on text to give or to sign up for online giving, please email Eduardo Soto at esoto@stgertrudechicago.org.
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Monday, September 26: 7:30 am - Living & deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
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Tuesday, September 27: 7:30 am - Ana & Leon Ward (25th wedding anniversary)
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Wednesday, September 28: 7:30 am - Judy & John O’Connell +
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Thursday, September 29: 7:30 am - Communion Service
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Friday, September 30: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members
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Saturday, October 1: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society; 5:00 pm - J. Michael & Diane Wagner +
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Sunday, October 2: 8:00 am - Lupe & Baltazar Silva +; 10:30 am - Parishioners of St. Gertrude; 10:30 am Gym Mass - Louis Picciano +
(+ indicates the person is deceased)
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Click HERE for the daily readings for Masses. Here is the list of readings for this for parishioners that prefer to look them up:
Monday, September 26: Jb 1:6-22/Lk 9:46-50
Tuesday, September 27: Jb 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23/Lk 9:51-56
Wednesday, September 28: Jb 9:1-12, 14-16/Lk 9:57-62
Thursday, September 29: Dan 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12:7-12a/Jn 1:47-51
Friday, September 30: Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5/Lk 10:13-16
Saturday, October 1: Jb 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17/Lk 10:17-24
Sunday, October 2: Hb 1:2-3; 2:2-4/2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14/Lk 17:5-10
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Please Pray for our Parishioners and Friends
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- Pamela Sherrod Anderson
- Zara Bradley
- Sharon Brown
- Lilly Buie
- Maggie Callaway
- Aida Calvopina
- KC Conway
- Connie Cool
- Caloy Desembrana
- Ann Collins Dole
- Christine Frisoni
- Shirley Marie Gonzales
- Jeanne Hasbrook
- Gina Heidkamp
- Maria Hertl
- Daniel Hidalgo
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- Bernice Kiedysz
- Marilyn Klein
- Steve Laslo
- Roy Lipscomb
- Sheila McGuire
- Dean Mattoni
- Larry McCauley
- Molly Morris
- Karey Myers
- Richard Seitz
- Peggy Stoffel
- The Sullivan family
- Elinora E. Tolentino
- Manuel & Norma Viray
- Leon Ward
- Ken & Vyes Yoza
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