St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, September 28, 2025

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Latest News from St. Gertrude!

This weekend, we joyfully celebrate the official installation of Fr. Sergio as pastor of St. Gertrude! All parishioners are warmly invited to attend the 10:30 am Mass in church this Sunday.

We extend a heartfelt welcome to Fr. Sergio’s family, who will be joining us, and to Bishop John S. Siemianowski, who will preside at the liturgy. We are truly delighted to have them with us for this special occasion and to share in the joy of celebrating Fr. Sergio’s ministry together.

Following Mass, all are invited to the Social Hall for our monthly hospitality gathering, Brewed at St. Gertrude. To make the celebration festive, we encourage you to bring a treat to share—cookies, brownies, fruit, a favorite family recipe, or any snack you enjoy. Together, we’ll create a warm and welcoming table for all.

Items may be dropped off in the Social Hall beginning at 9:00 am.

Thank you to all who have already committed to lending a hand or bringing something, especially the Brewed team! Your support means the world.

Next Weekend is our Annual Pet Blessing: Please Note it's Planned for Saturday, October 4 (Not Sunday!)

Just a quick reminder that this year, we are celebrating our Pet Blessing next Saturday! We’ll gather on the church steps at 11:30 am for a short blessing on the actual Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi.

Tag Us on Social Media!

Attending the Installation Mass, Brewed at St. Gertrude or our Pet Blessing? Tag us on Instagram (@stgertrudeinchicago) or Facebook (@stgertrudechicago) so we can share the joy of our community together.

Care for Real Collection Drive is September 27-28

Our next collection for Care for Real is this weekend - September 27and 28 - before and after masses.

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://linktr.ee/cfrchicago for information about donating and links to their Facebook and Instagram pages to see what they are specifically looking for at this time. 

Thank you for supporting our neighbors in need! 

The Gym Mass is Back on the Mass Schedule  

This weekend, the Gym Mass returns to our mass schedule, resuming its regular 10:30 am time! 

This more relaxed Mass is held in the Gym at 1401 W. Granville Avenue.  

A schedule, including when there are combined masses in church and no Gym Mass, will be posted online in the near future.

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.

This Year's Pet Blessing is Saturday, October 4

The Feast of St. Francis of Assisi is October 4, which falls on a Saturday. This year, we will celebrate it with a Blessing of the Pets on the actual saint's day, Saturday, October 4 (not Sunday!) at 11:30 am on the church steps.

Please join us with your furry, feathery, or scaly loved ones! 

Coalition for Spiritual and Public 
Leadership Meeting Planned for Saturday, October 4

St. Gertrude is a member of CSPL, a faith-based organization that brings together people of different ages, ethnicities/races and socio-economic backgrounds across the Chicago area to transform racial, economic, social and environmental systemic structures through grassroots coalition building, community organizing, and liberative formation.

The group meets the first Saturday of each month. Come together with other parishioners on Saturday, October 4 from 1:30-3:00 pm in the Ministry Center to build community and discuss how to help advance our parish's commitments to social justice, human concerns and faith formation through our participation in CSPL. Learn more about CSPL. 

All are welcome! 

Friendship Club is Thursday, October 9 

The St. Gertrude Women's Friendship Club meets monthly on the second Thursday of every month in the Ministry Center, 6214 N. Glenwood Ave. 

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

Book Club Gathering is Tuesday, October 14

Join us for a discussion of The Librarianist by Patrick DeWitt on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:30 pm in the Ministry Center, 6214 N. Glenwood Ave. New participants are always welcome!

For questions, contact Lea Cloninger (773.213.0509) or Sue Benjamin (773.551.8401).

Curious about Events and Activities at St. Gertrude?

Upcoming events are listed on the home page and in our Events calendar, found under the News/Programs heading!

The calendar also lists mass times and weekly activities.



Wondering about some of our social activities or prayer groups? Our Parish Ministries page, found under our Get Involved heading, shares various ways to get involved in the parish, and our Contact Us page has details on each member of our staff.

Growing in Faith

Terrible things are happening. We are assaulted hourly by heartbreaking images, while living with a visceral dread of what may come—more violence and starvation in Gaza and Darfur, more grief for the families of hostages, more abuse and terror for our immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. Our leaders seem more concerned with gilding buildings than feeding children.

Within this context, how do we hear the Gospel parable of Dives and Lazarus?

It’s clear that prosperity itself is not the great sin. The great sins are indifference, miserliness, smugness, and cruelty—all of which are at play around us, though not present in most people I know. Most people I know are compassionate, moral, moved by the suffering of others, and willing to speak out against injustice. But they are tired. Fatigue is not indifference, but it can have the same effect. So, how do we stay in the fight?

First, we must forgive ourselves for never being able to do enough. We are not powerless, but we do have limits. Seek the good thing to do, rather than the perfect thing. Take small, good actions often: counter a lie with a fact, write a letter, send money where it can do good, show up when you can for demonstrations or town halls, be kind, and listen. Take heart, and “hearten” one another. And when tempted to blame and demonize, remember that Abraham, even when rebuking Dives, was gentle and called him “my child.”

~ KC Conway

St. Gert's Garden Harvest

Our parish garden produced a beautiful harvest this week—green beans, cucumbers, a colorful variety of tomatoes, and fresh peppers.

These homegrown goods were donated to Care for Real’s food pantry, where they were shared with neighbors in need. We are proud to support this vital local organization and grateful for the chance to connect our parish’s efforts with the wider community.

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

Brewed at St. Gertrude, our monthly hospitality following the 10:30 am 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. 

New Parishioner

• Santiago Quintana

Rest in Peace

• Mrs. Barnarda Gonzales

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, September 27 at 5:00 pm - Susan McKean, Roman Reyes
• Sunday, September 28 at 8:00 am - Jennifer Kiedaisch, Mary Clare Barker
• Sunday, September 28 at 10:30 am - Bob Backis, Eric Ameyaw

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, September 27 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, September 28 at 8:00 am - Josephine Delgado
• Sunday, September 28 at 10:30 am - Patrick Robinson, Annie Hasselbeck, Stephen Hasselbeck

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, September 29: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Tuesday, September 30: 7:30 am - James Nolan+
• Wednesday, October 1: 7:30 am - Sheila McGuire+
• Thursday, October 2: 7:30 am - Rodney Colin Manuel+ and Evanzuela Manuel+
• Friday, October 3: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Saturday, October 4: 7:30 am - Alonzo Jackson+; 5:00 pm - Joseph and Michael Laczkowski+; Gilda Martinez+
• Sunday, October 5: 8:00 am - Audrey Mason+; 10:30 am - Joseph and Michael Laczkowski+; 10:30 am Gym - Billy Tobin+

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.