St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, October 11, 2026

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Support Fr. Mike and Heart to Heart This Weekend

For years, Fr. Mike Bradley has used his marathon running to support Heart to Heart, turning the challenge of 26.2 miles into an opportunity to help others. Heart to Heart serves older adults and shut-ins in the Edgewater community by providing practical assistance, transportation, companionship, pastoral care, and access to medical equipment through its Lending Closet.

As Fr. Mike runs, he carries the prayers and intentions of others with him—a beautiful reminder that we all have our own “marathons” to run, and that we are stronger when we support one another along the way.

Special Blessing for Fr. Mike and All Chicago Marathon Participants on Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, October 10, at the 5:00 pm Mass for a special blessing for everyone participating in the Chicago Marathon! Fr. Mike will celebrate the Mass, and Fr. Sergio will offer a special blessing for Fr. Mike and all marathon participants as they prepare for race day.

Follow Fr. Mike During the Marathon

Want to follow Fr. Mike’s progress during the Chicago Marathon? Download the Bank of America Chicago Marathon app and use the tracking feature to follow his progress. His bib number is 61102.

Thank You for a Pawsitively Wonderful Pet Blessing!

A big thank-you to everyone who joined us last Saturday for our annual Pet Blessing! We were delighted to welcome so many beloved four-legged (and perhaps a few feathered and finned) family members to St. Gertrude. It was wonderful to see some of our parish families’ “other” family members—and please let them know they were very good!

We hope they enjoyed their special blessing as much as we enjoyed having them with us!

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership: Listening Sessions

St. Gertrude is a member of CSPL, the Chicago-based organization that has led the internationally recognized effort to minister to migrants detained at the Broadview Detention Center. CSPL helps people understand their faith differently and empowers them to act boldly to improve lives and communities.

A small team of St. Gertrude parishioners is conducting 1:1 conversations with others in our church community to learn about the social justice issues they care about. The purpose is to determine which issues we might best respond to as a parish and as part of CSPL. If you would like to participate, please contact Jeanne Rattenbury: jeanne.rattenbury@gmail.com. 

No Gym Mass This Weekend

This weekend, please join us in church, as there is no 10:30 am Gym Mass. There WILL be Gym Masses on October 18 and October 25.

Due to the priest shortage, the 10:30 am Gym Mass schedule is planned one week in advance. Please check the e-bulletin for the most current schedule, or contact the parish office at 773-764-3621, Monday–Friday, 8:30 am–4:30 pm, or email news@stgertrudechicago.org.

We look forward to gathering with you!

October Book Club

Join the St. Gertrude Book Club on Tuesday, October 13, at 6:30 pm in the Ministry Center, 6214 N. Glenwood Ave., as we discuss Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConagh.

New members are always welcome, and we would love to hear your perspectives! For more information, contact Lea Cloninger at 773.213.0509.

Next Weekend is World Mission Sunday: One in Christ, United in Mission

Next weekend, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, focusing on the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV: One in Christ, united in mission. He invites us to rediscover the profound unity we share in Christ, and how our baptismal identity overflows into our shared mission to bring all into communion with God. Through this second collection, we are in solidarity with 1,130 mission territories who are dependent on the prayers and financial support of the universal Church. 

Let us pray this week for those missionaries who bring Christ’s love to far-off places, often at great personal cost and risk. And let us ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle a zeal in our own hearts, that we may also be missionaries wherever we are. 

Next Sunday, October 18: Brewed at St. Gertrude

Make plans to stay after the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday, October 18 for “Brewed at St. Gertrude,” our monthly gathering for coffee and community in the Social Hall. It’s a wonderful chance to slow down, connect, and enjoy some time together.

We’ll have a selection of pastries along with coffee, tea, and hot cocoa. Everyone is welcome—whether you’ve been part of the parish for years or are just getting to know the community, we’d love to have you join us!

Poetry Pilgrims: Next Online Meeting is Monday, October 19

Poetry Pilgrims will meet on Monday, October 19, at 7:30 pm via Zoom to read and discuss the poetry of Wendell Berry.

New members are always welcome, and no literary expertise is necessary. If you have a passion for—or even a curiosity about—poetry and how this particularly rich form of language can impact your life, please join us.

We learn from the poets and poems selected for each session, as well as from one another’s observations and insights. We meet for about an hour and a half on the third Monday of each month.

For more information, please contact Rose Marie Anichini at irma71@aol.com.

Save the Date: Forum on Magnifica Humanitas

Join Commonweal Action/Commonweal Dialogue on Friday, October 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the Social Hall for an evening of timely and thought-provoking discussion on Pope Leo’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which explores humanity and artificial intelligence.

Professor Joseph Vukov, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago, will lead the forum and discuss the importance and implications of the encyclical for all of us as we navigate the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence.

You are encouraged to read Magnifica Humanitas before the forum. Read the encyclical on the Vatican website.

Be prepared for an enlightening evening with timely and lively discussion. Pizza and wine will be served, and contributions to share are gratefully welcomed.

Share What You Can: Care for Real Collection Planned for October 24-25

Our community has an ongoing opportunity to put compassion into action. This weekend, please bring nonperishable food and other essential items to the Care for Real Collection before or after any Mass at St. Gertrude.



Throughout the year, St. Gertrude partners with Care for Real by holding collections on the first and fourth weekends of each month. These regular collections allow us to respond to changing needs in our neighborhood and ensure that families and individuals have access to basic necessities.

Not sure what to bring? For Care for Real’s current wish list and links to its social media pages, visit linktr.ee/cfrchicago.

Thank you for sharing what you can. Every donation, large or small, is a reminder to our neighbors that they are cared for and not alone.

Growing in Faith

Two days before writing this reflection I returned from spending a week in Italy walking on a 60+ mile pilgrimage through the hills of Tuscany with my husband, Bob, and friends. We enjoyed lavishly beautiful vistas with every turn on the trail. Much of the land was covered with olive groves and vineyards on the hillsides, with cultivated plots of kale and butternut squash as well. Sheep and horses were grazing. Hilltop towns could be seen in a distance. Absolutely breathtaking!

As we walked, I felt gratefulness for the blessings that God bestows on us. Today’s first reading describes God’s generosity in terms of a sensuous bounty – “a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure choice wines.” It is not a big leap for me to associate the beauty of the Tuscan landscapes as the source of the rich foods, choice wines and fattened cattle. Viewing nature alone can be nourishing. It can bring a smile, wipe tears from your face, lessen distress. To be privileged to walk amid such abundance fed my spirit, just as later the fruit of the fields literally nourished my hunger and thirst.

The pilgrimage filled me with a heightened sense of life’s blessings.

Elaine Cerny 

Domestic Violence Information

Domestic violence is common, affecting millions of people in the United States each year. Data from CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) indicate about 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported some form of IPV-related impact.

Common signs of abusive behavior in a partner include:

• Telling you that you never do anything right.
• Showing extreme jealousy of your friends or time spent away from them.
• Preventing or discouraging you from spending time with friends, family members, or peers.
• Insulting, demeaning, or shaming you, especially in front of other people.
• Preventing you from making your own decisions, including about working or attending school.
• Controlling finances in the household without discussion, including taking your money or refusing to provide money for necessary expenses.
• Pressuring you to have sex or perform sexual acts you’re not comfortable with.
• Pressuring you to use drugs or alcohol.
• Intimidating you through threatening looks or actions.
• Insulting your parenting or threatening to harm or take away your children or pets.
• Intimidating you with weapons like guns, knives, bats, or mace.
• Destroying your belongings or your home.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, visit thehotline.org for confidential support, safety planning, and resources.

Upcoming Changes to Our Parish Bulletin

We are excited to announce some upcoming changes to the St. Gertrude parish bulletin. In the coming weeks, we will be transitioning to a new printing company, LPI.

As part of this transition, the back page of our bulletin will feature advertisements from local businesses. This will help offset the cost of printing and allow us to continue providing a quality weekly bulletin to our parish community.

If you own or operate a local business, we invite you to consider advertising in our bulletin. It’s a wonderful way to support St. Gertrude while connecting your business with members of our parish community.

Interested in learning more? Please email news@stgertrudechicago.org, and we will put you in contact with LPI for additional information.

We are grateful to our parishioners and local businesses for supporting St. Gertrude and helping make our bulletin possible each week.

New Parishioner

• Barbara Burgess

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, October 10 at 5:00 pm - Steven Monti, Janie Carrillo
• Sunday, October 11 at 8:00 am - Joseph Tomasello, Rob Sierzega
• Sunday, October 11at 10:30 am - Robert Backis, Edie Sheridan

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, October 10 at 5:00 pm - Christine Lincoln
• Sunday, October 11 at 8:00 am - Hallie Burhoe
• Sunday, October 11 at 10:30 am - Mary Clare Barker, Ellen Pierce, Maria Luisa Ugarte

Altar Servers

• Saturday, October 10 at 5:00 pm - cross bearer: Raiden Cruz; acolyte: Bradley Phelps
• Sunday, October 11at 10:30 am - cross bearer: Mathios Paulos; acolytes: Angel Garcia, Jason Ameyaw

Upcoming Mass Intentions


• Monday, October 12: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Tuesday, October 13: 7:30 am - Patricia Meade+
• Wednesday, October 14: 7:30 am - Cecilia Onyibor+
• Thursday, October 15: 7:30 am
• Friday, October 16: 7:30 am
• Saturday, October 17: 5:00 pm - Marian Shaw+
• Sunday, October 18: 8:00 am; 10:30 am - Bill O'Toole+; Gym Mass

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.