Dear Parishioners,

At Christmas, I received a book entitled Faith written by former President Jimmy Carter, the Thirty-Ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977-1981. (I know that some of our young parents in our school were not born yet!)

Last Wednesday and Thursday, February 2nd and 3rd, when we were all snowed in due to blizzard-like conditions, I started to read Faith and found it awe-inspiring. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Mr. Jimmy Carter’s reflection on the meaning of Christian love, grace, and mercy are so appropriate.

Former President Carter writes: “To be a Christian, faith is not dormant but causes us to learn more about our Creator and to develop and use our talents in an optimum way..."

The COVID Task Force and Archdiocese of Chicago leadership have continued to assess the evolving situation regarding mask requirements at the state and local levels, declining infection rates in many of our communities, and guidance from health departments.

Beginning Thursday, February 10, archdiocesan churches and chapels in Lake and Suburban Cook Counties (excluding Oak Park and Evanston) can move to mask-optional for all Masses, liturgies, and Religious Education classes. The City of Chicago, Oak Park, and Evanston Health Departments currently have standing orders requiring masks applicable to Masses, liturgies, and Religious Ed classes. We will continue to follow these orders in those municipalities while they are in effect. This mirrors the guidance provided to archdiocesan schools, as well.

To be clear, archdiocesan and parish offices, including parish halls and social gathering places, must wait until the governor’s current statewide mask order is lifted on February 28 before moving to a mask-optional environment. Even then, some municipalities may still have standing orders requiring masks. We will continue to monitor developments in those jurisdictions and communicate updates accordingly.

In light of the evolving situation surrounding mask mandates and the potential for other changes at the state and/or local level, the Task Force and Office for Divine Worship are developing an update to guidance for Lent and Holy Week to be issued next week.

Peace,

Bishop Robert Casey

Vicar General

Many families in our Parish have already received the Annual Catholic Appeal mailing from Cardinal Cupich. On behalf of those served by the ministries, parishes, and schools who receive funding from the Appeal, we thank you for your gifts. Please return your response as soon as possible. The Annual Catholic Appeal offers a wonderful opportunity to answer the call “Making all things new … God’s promise and our responsibility.” This is especially important as many in our parishes have been affected financially by the pandemic. We encourage giving at all levels to support this initiative. 

In addition to providing for ministries and services throughout the archdiocese, the Annual Catholic Appeal funds services in our own Parish. For example, Appeal Funds support SPRED, Deacon Training, Ministry of Care, School, Religious Education training of Catechists, Young Adult Religious Education, and Evangelization (such as Holy Fire Program for the School and Religious Education). When we financially support the work of our Parish, our Archdiocese, and the Catholic Church throughout the world, we experience a feeling of deep gratitude, especially when we contemplate God’s many gifts to us personally. By sharing our wealth through gifts to the 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal, we demonstrate our commitment to the Church and each other. 

Week 5 is a rollover! All tickets are discarded, the pot rolls over and the jackpot now stands at a minimum of $4,600.00. Our next drawing will be held on Wednesday, February 16th at 6:00 p.m. at Prime Time. All are welcome to join us for 25% off appetizers. Can't make it? Check out the drawing live on our parish Facebook page www.facebook.com/stpatriciaparish or visit our website www.stpatriciaparish.com for updates.

Tickets are on sale after all Masses in the Gathering Space, at the Parish Office Monday-Friday from 9:00 am-4:00 pm, and at Prime Time Restaurant during business hours at our newly installed automated ticket machine!

Please remember when filling out your tickets to include your FULL NAME, PHONE NUMBER, and the CARD POSITION NUMBER. Thank you!

Thank you for your support of St. Patricia Parish and scholarships for our school children!

No Greater Love is a five-part Bible study program that begins on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, and is online only. You can attend online any day or time during the online access. For online access to the program, it is $24.99. Please make your check payable to St. Patricia Parish, and mark the envelope with attention to Missy. Please send Missy your name, phone number and email address, and I will forward you the link to attend the Bible study. For more information or to register, please contact Missy at 708-598-5222 or [email protected].

We have incredible parent and grandparent volunteers who give so much to St. Patricia School! It takes a village, and we are so grateful for all your hard work and dedication to making SPS thrive! Our students and teachers created Thank You posters to show their appreciation and showcased them in our halls for Catholic Schools Week.

Special thank you to our Parent's Club for the much-enjoyed staff luncheon they hosted for Catholic Schools Week, it was wonderful!

Our spring sports season is just around the corner. Registration has been extended for Soccer and forms and payments are due by 2/13/22. Please download below, fill out, and return to the school office with payment.

Please consider joining and helping us create a fun, team environment for the students and youth of St. Patricia School & Parish. If you are interested or have questions please contact our school’s athletic director Ray Fischer. You can reach him by email at [email protected].