The Old St. Mary's Community Weekly Newsletter |
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This week's newsletter contains the following:
Statement from the Cardinal on the Mass Shooting in Buffalo NY
New Members at the Table of the Lord
Sunday Mass Worship Aid
Ukrainian War Comes Closer to Home
Mental Health Awareness Month
Blessing of Bicycles
Palliative Care and The Church
Are You Curious About Religious Life?
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Statement of Cardinal Cupich on the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, NY
On Saturday, May 14, a gunman used an AR-15, high-capacity assault weapon to murder 10 Black Americans at a Buffalo grocery store, wounding two bystanders. Many of his victims were near or beyond retirement age, including Pearl Young, 77, a grandmother of eight who taught Sunday school, and Katherine Massey, 72, a civil-rights advocate who had written in favor of stronger gun-safety laws. Civil authorities say the 18-year-old suspect traveled hours to carry out his rampage, apparently leaving behind a manifesto filled with white supremacist ideology, including the vile conspiracy theory that people of color are “replacing” white Americans.
In 2019, a gunman who shot up a Walmart in Texas wrote a similar manifesto that referred to the same conspiracy theory, complaining of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” Whatever the theory, white supremacism is a lie. This ideology is not always so explicitly expressed, but it is condemnable whether it hides behind slippery political rhetoric or does not bother with any fig leaves of deniability.
We must pray for the victims of this outrageous act. We must keep them in our thoughts. But that is not all we are obliged to do. As Christians, we are called to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. Part of that obligation entails being witnesses to truth. When this chapter of American history is written, what will our grandchildren say about what we did to protect the marginalized? What will they say about how we responded to a culture that became increasingly tolerant of rhetoric that demonizes our fellow human beings on the basis of their race or ethnicity or religion or sex? Will they wonder how we could have become inured to daily gun violence and mass shootings, how our consciences were numbed to the consequences of violence-inspiring rhetoric? Will they wonder at our failure to stop dangerous people from procuring assault weapons, including children, or our failure to see how social media is being used to rend the social fabric? What will they think about how we responded to a moment in which a Black American, indeed any person of color, is forced by the scourge of racism to live in fear?
These questions should preoccupy our minds as we stand at this cultural crossroads. We need not choose the path of indifference. We can choose to listen to the suffering of our brothers and sisters who suffer racism in all its forms — and then act to build a more just society. We can choose to face the challenge of gun violence, including that which occurs daily in the Chicago area, by enacting common-sense federal safety laws that help keep firearms out of the hands of irresponsible people and end the flow of firearms across state borders.
We can choose to take the path of love and see in our neighbors the face of Christ. We Christians can choose to act as though we actually believe that we, indeed all human beings, are made in God’s image.
It is in this spirit of family that we must stand in solidarity with the victims of the Buffalo massacre, with the victims of gun violence here in Chicago and across the nation, with victims’ loved ones, indeed with all people who face the threat of racism every day, holding fast to the knowledge that we are beloved by God, not because of how we look or where we or our ancestors were born, but because we are of God, made in his image, and directed toward love.
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We welcomed
Lucille Donna Brown and Avery Cecilia Babcock
to the table of the Lord for the first time
on Sunday, May 15th at the 11 AM Mass.
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Correction of Name of First Communion Recipient |
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In our newsletter last week, we printed the wrong first name for our First Communion recipient. Our apologies to Maxwell Davis and his family.
Below is a photo of Maxwell Wyatt Davis whom we welcomed to the table of the Lord for the first time
on Sunday May 8th.
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WORSHIP AID
Sunday Mass
May 21-22, 2022
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REMINDER
In the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated in place of the Seventh Sunday of Easter on May 29th.
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Ukrainian War Comes Closer to Home |
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This past week the war in Ukraine came closer to home when our parish school welcomed a new 2nd grader. He and his mother have recently fled Ukraine to find refuge with family here in the South Loop, leaving the father and other relatives behind. Of course, they are very concerned about their loved ones. The outpouring of support from the Old St. Mary’s School community has been very helpful and inspiring! And we are certainly grateful. The student speaks only Russian and his mother speaks Russian and a little English. If there are Russian/English speakers in the parish community who would be willing to volunteer time as a tutor that would be most appreciated. Please contact the school principal, Diana Smith (dsmith@osmschool.com or 312.386.1560). Please continue to hold the Ukrainian people in your prayers, as well as all who have offered them refuge and hospitality.
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Mental Health Awareness Month |
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May is mental health awareness month.
Fr. Stuart Wilson-Smith's article on the subject can be read by clicking on the following link:
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Are You Curious About Religious LIfe? |
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Single women ages 18-45 are invited to learn more about the School Sisters of Notre Dame through a casual, online “Joyful and Alive Conversation” Tuesday, June 7 at 7 p.m. central time. Bring your questions and experience God’s blessings of being “joyful and alive!”
Register by June 6 at
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THINGS OF NOTE AS YOU RETURN MASS. |
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All Masses are open. You no longer need to register to attend.
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Chicago, Cook and Lake Counties have now all reached a moderate level of COVID transmission. As such, local health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommend that individuals wear face coverings while in indoor public places. While not a requirement, please consider this important recommendation to protect your own health and help avoid further increases in transmission of the virus.
- You may sing and respond.
- There will still be a worship aid available on our website, and the OSM Parish app for your use whether you are attending Mass in person or not.
- Sanitizing and social distancing for Communion are not required.
- Collection baskets will be passed to collect your offerings. Thank you for your generosity.
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- COVID-positive Parishioners
Since we are no longer requiring Mass registration,
it is important to let us know if:
A. you receive a COVID-positive diagnosis AND your symptoms
started within 48 hours of attending Mass and/or a parish meeting,
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OR
B. you receive a COVID-positive diagnosis and the date the test was administered was within 48 hours of attending Mass and/or a parish meeting.
call the parish office,
312-922-3444, ext. 23.
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- All Masses will continue to be livestreamed. The dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is still in effect.
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DOWNLOAD THE OLD ST. MARY'S PARISH APP
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SEARCH FOR OSM PARISH IN THE APP STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY STORE
Some think when you download the Parish app, you are signing up to make your donations through PushPay. This is not the case.
The app has many benefits, including daily readings, access to Catholic newspapers with current news, daily Mass readings, the ability to make and see your donations, and other items that are geared to help you grow your faith.
When you download the app, a 6-digit code will be sent to your phone. Please note, if your phone carrier is T-Mobile, that carrier blocks
5-and 6-digit short codes. You will need to contact T-Mobile and ask them to unblock short codes for your phone number so you can receive the
6-digit code.
Once you download the app, sign in and create your profile. If you are in our database, your name will automatically appear. Once in, you can upload a photo to your profile. This will be useful in the future if you belong to or join a group and interact with other members of that group. It also helps the priests put a face with a name if you ever need their assistance with something.
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WAYS TO DONATE TO OLD ST. MARY'S CHURCH |
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Text to Give - 1.833.245.6595 - text GIVEOSM
(not case sensitive)
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You can also access Pushpay using this QR code
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If you don't wish to use Pushpay, you can make a donation to Old St. Mary's using Quick Pay through Zelle from your bank account.
Zelle is a quick way to pay people you know and trust in minutes.
For more information about Quick pay through Zelle or to see if your bank has this feature, visit Get Started with Zelle
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Old St. Mary's Church is Chicago's First Catholic Parish Established in 1833
Served by the Paulist Fathers since October 12,1903.
Phone Number: 312.922.3444
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Old St. Mary's Church
1500 S Michigan Ave,
Chicago, IL 60605
312-922-3444
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