| From the Desk of Fr. Mike Nacius, Pastor - Bulletin February 4, 2018 |
I am always grateful when my mom is able to join us at the 8:00am Mass on Sunday morning. Following Mass
we
like
to go out to breakfast with friends at a local restaurant. Next Sunday, instead of going to a local restaurant for breakfast I plan on taking mom to the St. Mary's Pancake Breakfast served in the school gymnasium. Information regarding the breakfast is in today's bulletin. All are welcome next Sunday; I encourage you to bring your mom or other family and friends to our parish Pancake Breakfast.
Members of the Church of St. Mary Men's Club (COSMMC) are planning for a wonderful breakfast. If you want to learn more about the breakfast or how to join the Men's Club please send Michael Lucas a note a
t
mensclub@churchofstmary.org
.
This weekend is the Commitment Weekend of the Archdiocese of Chicago Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA). The Archdiocese has set our parish goal for the 2018 ACA at
$112,182. Information about the Appeal is available at the tables as you enter church today. If you have generously supported the Appeal in the past you would have already received information sent to you in the mail. Let's pray together for the success of the Annual Catholic Appeal across all of the parishes in our Archdiocese. This weekend, following the recorded message by Cardinal Cupich, I will be inviting us to come together as a parish community to make a commitment to the success of the Appeal at St. Mary's during Commitment Weekend of the 2018 ACA!
You are invited to bring any old palms that you
have around your house from Palm Sunday and place them in the containers at the entrances to the church next weekend. We begin the wonderful season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 14
th
this year. We will collect the palms that parishioners bring to church and have a very simple palm burning ceremony for our students in the School of St. Mary as well as in the Religious Education program of St. Mary. We remind the students of the connections we make in our prayers, in our rituals, in our liturgical celebrations from liturgical season to liturgical season as we gather, come together and grow and share faith with one another. I will make sure the freshly burnt palms have properly cooled down before we use them on Ash Wednesday!
When we come together on Ash Wednesday, being marked with the sign of our faith, the sign of the cross on our foreheads we begin the season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The collection that is being taken up on Ash Wednesday will be used to support the Refugee Ministry at St. Mary's. (Please note the typo in the envelopes mailed to parishioners that receive envelopes. The collection for the support of the Church in Central and Eastern Europe is taken up on Sunday, March 4
th
, not Ash Wednesday as the envelopes were printed.) Thanks for considering your almsgiving to support the Refugee Ministry as we partner with Catholic Charities in serving Christ in those in need.
Our 8
th
graders have been active in their preparation for the reception of Confirmation later this year. Saturday, February 10
th
, as well as Saturday, February 24
th
, we will be having Confirmation Retreats. At the retreat they have a chance to share with one another how they have grown in their faith and how they look forward to being confirmed in the Catholic Church. I welcome your prayers for our students, their sponsors, and family as they journey towards the reception of the third sacrament of initiation. Come Holy Spirit, Come, fill the hearts of our youth with the fire of your love. Thanks to Mrs. Jeannie Brunk, our Director of Religious Education, for working with the students and their families in preparing for the sacraments.
God be with you with a joyous and renewed faith.
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