June 13, 2021: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Parish Newsletter
The Church of St. Mary :: 201 E. Illinois Lake Forest, IL 60045
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From the Desk of Fr. Mike Nacius, Pastor |
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--- --------You are welcome! People of God are welcome. Guests are welcome. All parishioners are welcome. Neighbors and out of town guests are welcome. People of faith interested in learning more about the Roman Catholic Church and the RCIA are welcome. All people are welcome to come to the Church of St. Mary as we share in and celebrate the Eucharist.
-----Masks are also welcome. You are welcome to come to the Church of St. Mary to share in and celebrate the Eucharist with your mask on. It is a sign of care, compassion and respect. As we go forward with the state of Illinois directives in Phase 5 and following the guidelines of the Archdiocese we are looking forward to transitioning into the “new norm” for our lives of faith, community and worship.
-----It is appreciated if you would help get the word out that you are welcome and masks are welcome, not mandatory, but welcome as people of God come and worship the Lord. I am writing my article, this article that you are reading days before an announcement is made on June 11th. The Parish Staff, Parish Council and parish leadership have been discussing how we can best come together in the name of the Lord.
-----The guidelines and procedures that have been in place the past year have served us very well. As we move forward into the “new normal” in Phase 5, we will do all we can to communicate the updates, procedures, routines, and requests made of you, parishioners and guests at the Church of St. Mary. These updates will take place through the parish website, newsletter, pulpit announcements, and social media postings.
-----In a communication from the Archdiocese the following 10 Wonderful Activities Every Catholic Can Do was shared with parishes in Cook and Lake Counties. What will you and your loved ones do to fill your time this summer? How will you take advantage of the wonderful summer months? Below are some ideas that will hopefully bring joy to you, strengthen your faith and create faith-filled memories for the summer of 2021. These can be accomplished with friends, with neighbors, with nieces and nephews for whenever two or three are gathered Jesus is there in their midst.
1. Go to Daily Mass
2. Visit a shrine or go on a pilgrimage
3. Pray the Rosary daily
4. Go on a family retreat
5. Volunteer at your local parish
6. Make friends with other Catholic families
7. Create a sacred space in your yard
8. Go to Confession together
9. Vacation Bible School
10. Make Catholic arts and crafts
-----In addition to the list above, what else would you add to express your faith, draw closer to God with a grateful heart?
-----The Parish Council met this past week discussing and reviewing how we can move forward with Phase 5 in the State of Illinois. The following summer blessing was shared that appeared in a bulletin at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Saskatoon, Canada:
Take time to claim your strength,
They are gifts of God.
Take time to have fun,
It’s God’s way of teaching you your strengths.
Take time to grow yourself;
Only you can grow you.
Take time to trust yourself;
God trusts you.
Take time to be self-reliant;
It is better than being dependent.
Take time to share with others;
They will bless you and you will bless them.
Take time to have hope;
You are a child of God.
Let’s put ourselves into the hands of the Lord,
And pray that God will bless us and our families
During the wonderful months of summer.
May we all help make our home a place of relaxation,
Joy, love, peace and safety.
May we be generous and considerate,
Not thinking only about ourselves,
But helping others enjoy the blessings of summertime.
Lord God, Creator of all things.
Guide our steps and strengthen our hearts,
During these months of summer and vacation days.
Grant us refreshment of mind and body.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
-----As you come to St. Mary’s this weekend, know that all of the doors will be open to welcome you. Yes, the North doors, the South doors and the Divine Mercy doors to the church of St. Mary will be open. Notice the beautiful image of Jesus in the small vestibule by the east entrance to the church, the Divine Mercy doors.
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----May you enjoy your summer. May you enjoy backyard barbeques. May you enjoy block parties with neighbors and friends. May you enjoy the gift of vacation and travel. May you enjoy quiet time in meditation and reflection of God’s graces. May you enjoy whatever it is that puts a smile on your face, joy in your heart, and gratitude in your life.
-----May God bless us all with joyful, restful, peaceful hearts this summer.
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Holy Communion to Those in Cars |
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In the months ahead, we will be offering you the opportunity to come and receive the gift of the Eucharist in Holy Communion from your cars. This will take place on the last Sunday of each month, our next opportunity will be on June 27. All are welcome. This opportunity is especially for those who are not able to worship in person at St. Mary’s.
Please follow the directions below:
- Starting at 1:00pm, after the congregation leaves the Noon Mass, cars may line up entering from the east Oakwood entrance.
- Driving through the parking lot, proceed under the school breezeway and drive behind the church, stopping by the south church/elevator entrance where the priest will be.
- Please stay in your car, with a mask fully covering your nose and mouth, waiting in prayer to receive the Eucharist.
- The priest will process from car to car, offering the Eucharist.
- After you receive the Eucharist you can pull over, parking your car in the parking lot, offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist.
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Priests' Health & Retirement Collection |
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Please join Fr. Patrick Costello |
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Please join Fr. Patrick Costello as he celebrates a Mass of Thanksgiving for the prayers of the parishioners of the Church of St. Mary on Sunday, July 11 at 12 pm! Patrick, the grandson of Gordon and Rosemary Sheahen, will be ordained in Green Bay, WI on July 3rd. He is a former active-duty naval officer aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard. Patrick attended Mundelein Seminary with Fr. Radley. During his two years at Mundelein, he assisted Bishop Rassas at Confirmations throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago. Patrick was ordained a deacon last fall at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and completed four year of studies and formation at the North American College. He is assigned to St. Pius X parish in Appleton, WI and will later return to the Navy as a priest chaplain. |
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SCHEDULE: Saturday June 12, 2021 - Sunday, June 20, 2021
Saturday, June 12, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS
+ 8:00am: Reconciliation in Church
+ 5:00pm: Livestream Mass & PUBLIC
Sunday, June 13, 2021:
+ 8:00am: PUBLIC MASS
+ 10:00am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS
+ 12:00pm: PUBLIC MASS
Monday, June 14, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS with Rosary & Private Prayer after Mass until 8:30am
Tuesday, June 15, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS with Rosary & Private Prayer after Mass until 8:30am
Wednesday, June 16, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS with Rosary & Private Prayer after Mass until 8:30am
+ 5:00-7:00pm: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Thursday, June 17, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS with Rosary & Private Prayer after Mass until 8:30am
Friday, June 18, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS with Rosary & Private Prayer after Mass until 8:30am
Saturday, June 19, 2021:
+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS
+ 8:00am: Reconciliation in Church
+ 5:00pm: Livestream Sunday Mass & PUBLIC MASS
Sunday, June 20, 2021:
+ 8:00am: PUBLIC MASS
+ 10:00am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS
+ 12:00pm: PUBLIC MASS
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June 13, 2021: Gospel Reflection for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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Sunday’s readings can be difficult to understand, especially the two very short parables in the gospel. In our first reading from the prophet Ezekiel, we hear Ezekiel tell those Jews who have been forced to live in Babylon (because the Babylonians have taken over the Southern Kingdom of Judea and forced most of its inhabitants to move to Babylon), that the God of Israel will take a shoot of a cedar tree, a tree that is known to grow over 100 ft. tall, and from that shoot will grow a mighty tree on top of a high mountain and birds of every kind will perch on its branches and dwell underneath it. Up until now, Ezekiel had been telling the people of Judea that the God of Israel allowed the Babylonians to take over their land because they had abandoned God. This was their punishment. Now Ezekiel is giving hope to his people that God will re-establish the covenant with the people. Recall that mountains in scripture symbolize being as close to the divine as possible and now this majestic tree will grow from this high point and all types of birds will dwell within. The reference to all types of birds dwelling within the cedar tree symbolizes that all nations, all peoples will come into communion & community with the one true God.
Then the reading sounds vaguely similar to some of our Advent readings. “And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree, wither up the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom.” Those that think highly of themselves (the high tree) will be brought down and those who are humble will be raised. God will bring life, spiritual and physical, to those who have withered. This truly is a hope-filled reading!
Sunday’s gospel starts with a short parable about a man who scatters seeds and then on the land’s own accord it yields its harvest. It makes it seem like the person planting seeds doesn’t have much to do in order for the harvest to come. Of course, that doesn’t line up with Jesus’ message, so we have to look for a deeper meaning.
Jesus is saying that we should and need to do the work of God but we, in our short lives, will not see the fruition of our deeds. We are to bring the joy and love of God to all we encounter and hope we instill that same love and joy in them so that they in turn pass it on. We won’t know the effects we have on others or the effect they in turn have on those they meet. That’s ok, we don’t need to. All we need to do is God’s will and have faith that God will work through others just as God works through us. It reminds me of two different stories; Frank Capra’s, It’s a Wonderful Life and Bishop Ken Untener’s poem, A Step Along the Way, better known as Oscar Romeo’s Prophets of a Future Not Our Own.
In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart plays a man down on his luck and feeling as if he has not made a positive impression on anyone. He throws himself in a freezing river and an angel in training rescues him and shows him how his actions and words have affected so many people in wonderful ways. The message is we never know how much our lives, our actions and words affect others. Similarly in the poem composed and read at the martyrdom of Bishop Oscar Romero, we reflect on how our individual works for God are merely a small part of the whole that God has planned. The beginning of the poem goes:
“It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of
saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.”
The full poem may be read here. Our scripture this Sunday reminds us that we all work together to do our part, albeit a small part in the grand scheme, to share the love of God to everyone.
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School of St. Mary students and teachers enjoying outdoor games on our last day of school!!! |
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Our next soup kitchen date is June 18. The menu has changed and we are now serving a hot meal. While our numbers are unpredictable, we are planning for 100 take-home meals, based on our guest numbers for the last several months.
Thanks to all who helped provide a beautiful roast chicken dinner for our guests last month. We had plenty of food, and it was really a delicious meal for our guests to take home with them.
We will purchase the meat and potatoes for the meal, but would appreciate donations of the following items:
- Frozen vegetables – either green beans or corn, please
- Fruit – apples, tangerines, oranges
- Granola bars
- Pre-washed salad greens
- Cherry tomatoes
To ensure that we have complete meals for all our guests, please contact Ellen Tierney in advance to let her know what you would like to provide, and ensure that it is still needed. This will give us time to fill in any items which are not donated. Also, it will be necessary for all contributions to be dropped off at Ellen’s no later than 1:00 pm on Friday, March 19. If that timing is not feasible, please contact Ellen to arrange an alternate time. Ellen is at 150 Norwich Court [Tangley Oaks] in Lake Bluff. You may call her 847.295.4649 or email her at ellenkelly@comcast.net. Thank you for your concern for our guests – they are extremely grateful for what we can do for them.
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From Around the Archdiocese |
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What are the hopes of our newly ordained priests? Let them tell you – it will bring joy to your heart.
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Plenary Indulgence in Time of Crisis |
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Plenary Indulgence
The Apostolic Penitentiary, a branch of the Vatican offices which focuses on mercy and the forgiveness of sins, issued a decree granting a Plenary Indulgence during this extraordinary time. To see some of the ways we can still participate in the life of grace and the life of the Church during the Covid-19 pandemic please click here.
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To find ways to volunteer within our community and to seek assistance from the parish please click here.
Here is a List of Places You may watch Mass on TV, Radio or Online:
- TV: EWTN
- DirecTV Channel 370
- Dish Network Channel 261
- Verizon Fios Channel 285
- XFinity Channel 33, 291, 1668
- Online:
- Church of St. Mary Livestream can be found on our Facebook Page. View past celebrated Masses or join us for a current Livestream Mass according to the schedule in this newsletter.
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Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral (anytime)
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http://www.catholictv.org/masses/catholictv-mass (Daily at 9:30AM)
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Relevant Radio:
- 1:00 pm ET / 10:00 am PT.
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These Masses will be broadcast live on your local station, on the Relevant Radio® app, at relevantradio.com, and on my Father Rocky Facebook page so you can tune in from wherever you are. The Mass will be rebroadcast each evening at 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT on your local station.
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To read the Daily Scripture readings you may go to usccb.org and select "Daily Reading" at the top left menu.
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Prayer for the Sick and Deceased |
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Wedding Banns
I Mike Snyder and Anna Janski
Please remember in your prayers those who are sick, especially:
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Pierre Adam
Peggy Adams
William Allingham
Beny Alvarez
Alexa Anderson
Baby Bower Triplets:
Rose Marie, Adelaide Marie,
and Josephine Marie
Baby Mercer
Baby Peter John O'Rourke
Elvera Baeza
Dolores Beck
Brooke Bloom
Mason Jeffrey Browner
Baby Virginia Bunimovich
Nancy Carani
Luis and Maria Cardenas
Carmie Caluag
Nova Carlson
Sember Carlson
Michael Carpenter
Jeffrey Chicoine
Carolyn Cimarrusti-Erickson
Jacqueline Cimarrusti
Marianna Cimarrusti
Charles Cook
Virginia Cordoba
Mary Elizabeth Cran
Greg DeBoer
Louis Degaetano
Mimi Degaetano
Mike Dellefield
Lewis Dilts
Joan Dolan
Hannah Erickson
Susan Ewert
Abby Furco
Esperanza Galikay
Jenny Green
Jeanne Gross
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Jesus Guzman
Laura Rose Hamel
Elizabeth Hand
Joyce Hansen
Margaret Hartman
John Herbert
Hannah Hodgson
Edward Hoover
Patricia P. Huber
Juan Hurandas
Rafael Ibarra
Shirley Jacksack
Dolores Jansyn
Dick Jaworski
Christian Jenko
Dr. Mickey Jester
Mark Kalbus
Amy Kaleniecki
Raine Kamm
Oceana Kashul
Mason Kelly
Genevieve Kluza
Patsy Leonard
Richard Lombardi
Caroline Lyczko
Fely Macalalad
Meg Macdonald
Jim MacNaughton
Angela Martinez
Carolina Martinez
Ralph Mastro
Robert Matthei
Derrick Mathews
Donna Mathews
Yvonne Tichelbaut McClosky
Kathryn McConnell
Janet McCue
Francis McCullough
Margaret Mary McIntyre
Ann Milite
Mary Anne Minich
Dolores Morrison
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Barbara Neis
David O'Brien
Joaquin Padilla
Tom Palella
Mary Margaret Pawl
Dr. Ronald Pawl
Mary Butterfield Peddle
James Dean Penar
Marie Pfeiffer
Lisa Pommer
Lil Porter
Marianne Powers
Carol Pozdel
Marcia Ries
Charlene Roberts
Jeanie Rogalski
Frank Rogalski
Mathew Rowley
Susan Schey
Bill Shafer
Colleen Sheerer
Tai (Pascal) Shin
Pat Spencer
Nancy Sreenan
Ellen Sreenan
Debbie Sternberg
John Sternberg
Maureen Strassburger
Craig Strom
Elzbieta Szymanska
Leonard Teifeld
Tommy Thomsen
John Tocks
Linda Trueblood-Lambert
Joseph Urso
Amanda Van Vleet
Brittany Van Vleet
Marisol Vazquez
Lydia Webster
Martha Williams
Barbara Wilson
Laurie Wood
Robert Yale
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Please remember in your prayers those who have gone to their eternal rest with Our Lord, especially:
Jack Brown (father of Catherine [Jeff] Yehle; grandfather of Nicholas, Henry, Charlotte & Claire Yehle)
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Mass Intentions will be prayed for during a private or public daily Mass.
June 12, 2021:
7:30am: Margaret Davidson
5:00pm: Scopelliti Family; Michael Hoch
June 13, 2021:
8:00am: Paul Gerlach; Mike McCullough
10:00am: Dolores & Paul Hynes; John Sandner
Noon: Joseph Tarin; Santina Mazzetti
June 14, 2021:
Ellie Burns; Dolores Fabbri
June 15, 2021:
Raymond Cimarrusti; Joseph Duffin
June 16, 2021:
Janet Swenson; John Devaney
June 17, 2021:
Frank Tredore; Annamari Elfering
June 18, 2021:
Stephen W. Camardo; Anthony J. Camardo
June 19, 2021:
7:30am: Robert Raiford Falligant; Deacon John Lucas
5:00pm: Ann O'Connell; Eliseo Elisei
June 20, 2021:
8:00am: All Fathers
10:00am: All Fathers
Noon: All Fathers
If you would like to request a special Mass Intention, please email our Parish Receptionists at: receptionist@churchofstmary.org and they will kindly assist you!
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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what He has done in the body.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:10
We are all accountable for the gifts God has given us –our time, our talent, and our treasure. Each of us is accountable not only for our own life but for the lives of others as well. One day God will ask each of us, what did we do with the gifts we were given. How will you respond?
Sunday Collection ------------------- Actual Budgeted Surplus/(Shortfall)
June 6, 2021 ----------------- ----$20,956 $21,000 ($44)
Total Sunday Collections Fiscal 2021 YTD $994,252 $987,000 $7,252
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THANK YOU for CONTINUING TO SUPPORT the Church of St. Mary |
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We are grateful for the outpouring of support from parishioners while we navigate financially. Thank you for continuing to support your parish as well as our sharing parish, Most Blessed Trinity. Thank you for mailing your contribution to the Parish Office or scheduling your online donation. Offertory basket will be made available during Sunday Public Masses as well for your offering.
Ways To Give
+ Drop in the Offertory Basket during Public Mass at the end of Mass
+ Mail Your Contribution:
Church of St. Mary
c/o Business Office
201 E. Illinois
Lake Forest, IL 60045
+ Online Giving:
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Schedule your recurring donations via our online Giving safe and secure portal, GiveCentral Go to: Church of St. Mary GiveCentral or click the image below.
Thank you!
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Church of St. Mary Website
Bookmark our parish website for information on all parish ministries, events, contact information and more!
Information on our Mass Schedule, Sacraments, School, Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Guild of St. Mary, Liturgical Ministries, Bible Study, RCIA, Bulletins, Gospel Reading Podcasts, Homily Podcasts and more can all be found on our webpage.
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Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook Page
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook Page to get notices on viewing Livestreamed Mass! Prior recorded Masses can also be watched via our Facebook Page.
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook page to see regular updates from popular Catholic pages such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and the USCCB. See news from the School of St. Mary, Guild of St. Mary, Religious Education Program, Youth Ministry and upcoming events at our parish!
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The Church of St. Mary has a YouTube channel! Once we have 1000k subscribers, we can stream live! Look for the black and white image of the Church of St. Mary when searching for the channel or click on either image here to go straight there! Don't forget to subscribe! |
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