St. Emily and St. Thomas Becket Parishes
January 21, 2019
Dear Families,

rabbiTomorrow night, January 22, will be our annual "Speaker Night" for grades five through eight. 

Rabbi Nina Mizrahi
 will be here to give a presentation on Judaism and how it is lived.  She will also be able to answer the many questions that our students have.  Parents are warmly encouraged to join us.  The program will be in Hajdu Hall. (Dismissal will be from the gym, as usual.)

As we have in years past,
we'll be collecting household items to furnish an apartment for a refugee family resettling in the Chicago area Project Exodus has been a great success.  Through it, our families have helped to resettle 7 families over the last five years.  For more information and to sign up, see below .

If you are interested in doing something different (and possibly life changing for Lent), check out the opportunity below.

Please join us for  St. Emily Night  at The Red Barn (303 E. Kensington Rd, Mount Prospect, across from Randhurst Village) tomorrow night,  January 22 until 9:00 PM.  Join Fr. Presta and many other parishioners for dinner and/or drinks.  The Red Barn will take 10% off your check! 

Our regular weekly drawing for the Queen of Hearts Raffle will happen at 8:00 PM, so come early to get your tickets and a good spot! Call the Red Barn to reserve your table (847-749-0064).

As we come into the new year, we have various important events on the horizon.  St. Emily is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.  The Youth Ministry is sponsoring its annual pasta dinner.  

If you were never confirmed, it isn't too late.  Check here for information about Confirmation preparation for adults. 


exodusProject Exodus
Help a family begin life in the United States

Project Exodus is an outreach project we have done the last five years. We collect the items that a family needs to begin life in the United States.  (We don't take care of furniture - but all the rest, including linens, towels, and kitchen equipment.) We do this in conjunction with  Exodus World Service.

On the day they land to begin their new life, we meet the family at their apartment and set it up so that they can settle in quickly.

We have helped families from Syria, Iraq, Myanmar, and Congo.  We don't yet know who we will help this year. 

There are 62,000,000 refugees in the world today.  It takes between five and twenty years to apply for and receive refugee resettlement status in the United States.

How can you participate?
  • Sign up to bring some of the items.  Sit down with your kids and decide what you want to contribute and take them with you to shop. (Besides modeling generosity, I have found this project helps to teach kids about setting up a household!)

    We hope to have all the items donated by February 13.
     
  • Come with us the day we move them into their new apartment.  Because we don't know when refugees will be arriving until about a week to ten days prior, this date is not yet set.  Kids have a fantastic time meeting the arriving family and doing the work to set up.  "It is like playing house, but with real stuff!" Let Cathy know if you'd like to be included.
housechurchJoin a "House Church" for Lent
A Faith Sharing Group that Meets While the Kids Are in Class

This is a tradition at St. Emily. We'd like to make it available to the families of Religious Education students while the kids are in class on Wednesday.  Melissa Hajdu is leading the group. 

This year, the groups will read and discuss the book,  Give Up Something Bad for Lent . Change a bad habit or way of relating that hurts your life with God and others. The books will be available for purchase for $10.00 each. (Melissa will have them for sale in February during RE.  They are also available in the parish office.)

The group will meet on March 4, 8, 11 and April 1 in the school faculty room. You can drop off your kids, sit down and have a cup of coffee, and then you'll be close by to pick them up at the end of class at 7:30 PM.

scholarships
Choosing a Catholic School
Financial Help Might Be Available For You

There are a number of ways you might be able to pay for a Catholic school education.

Empower Illinois tuition scholarship application information: Reservation Night 2020 is Wednesday, January 15.  

This year, the reservation form will be available at 6:30 PM, to give families time to enter their information before submission at 7:00 PM. More information about preparing for reservation night can be found on the Empower Illinois website.  

The Big Shoulders Fund is also accepting tax credit scholarship applications, on January 14, beginning at 8 AM.

In addition, please apply for Holy Family Fund tuition assistance (a parish fund at St. Emily) with an application to SmartAid.com.
dinnerdance
St. Emily Diamond Jubilee Dinner Dance
Join us on February 22, 2020

The parish of St. Emily is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.

Among the festivities is an upcoming dinner dance at Manzo's on February 22, 2020.


The proceeds from the dance help to sustain the building in which your children learn and help provide for the staff.
pastadinner

winterEmergency Closing Information
Know how to be informed

We hope that all our Wednesdays are sunny and dry, but it is Chicago and we realize that winter weather is no joke.

If we find it advisable to close, we will send a blast email to all families that day.

We will also post any closings at the   Emergency Closing Center.  Please check there to make sure.   You can also sign up there for email alerts that tell if and when the Religious Education program is cancelled.

Dates to Save
  • January 22 - Speaker night with Rabbi Nina Mizrahi.  (Grades five through eight.)
  • January 23 at 7:00 PM and January 25 at 9:30 AM - Penance Family Event.  (Choose one to attend.)
  • February 26 - Ash Wednesday.  Mass at 7:00 PM.
Quick Links
St. Emily Parish
Catherine Crino, DRE
847-299-5865
St. Thomas Becket Parish
Renata Sosin, CRE
847-296-9051
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