St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, March 8, 2026

The Third Sunday of Lent

Prayers for World Peace

This Friday marks the end of the first week of hostilities in Iran. Already, these actions have escalated into a wider conflict with no clear end in sight. In troubling times such as these, we turn to God in prayer.

Throughout the Fridays of March, St. Gertrude Parish will observe special days of prayer for world peace. On these Fridays, the church will remain open from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm so that parishioners may spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Our regularly scheduled Lenten activities on Fridays will continue as planned. Please see the schedule below for the Fridays in March:

• 7:30 am – Daily Mass
• 8:00 am – Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
• 3:00 pm – Stations of the Cross
• 6:00 pm – Musical Meditation
• 6:30 pm – Stations of the Cross
• 7:00 pm – Bilingual Rosary
• 7:30 pm – Benediction and Closing of Exposition

Because someone must be present in prayer during Exposition, we are asking for volunteers to spend 30 minutes or one hour in the church. If you are able to help, please add your name to the sign-up sheet located at the back of the church.

*In the event of a funeral, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will be temporarily suspended until the funeral has concluded. The church will remain open and accessible for private prayer during that time.

Friday, March 6

• 8:00 am – Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
• 3:00 pm - Stations of the Cross (traditional)
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Music, Stillness, Solidarity in church (quiet contemplation offered with music) 
• 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross (social justice theme: LGBQT community) 
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group
• Benediction and Closing of Exposition

Saturday, March 7

• 1:30-3:00 pm - Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) Meeting
• 4:00-4:45 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation available 
• 5:00 pm - Mass
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program
• Care for Real Collection before/after Mass

Sunday, March 8

• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program/McDonald’s cards distributed to give to those in need
• Care for Real Collection before/after Masses
• First Scrutiny
• 11:30 am - Rehearsal for the Sacrament of Confirmation (after the 10:30 am Masses)

Tuesday, March 10

• 6:00 pm - Confirmation students to meet in the Ministry Center
• 6:30 pm - Book Club in the Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Sacrament of Confirmation

Thursday, March 12

• The Lending Closet is closed.
• 11:30 am - Friendship Club in the Ministry Center
• 6:00 pm - Simple Supper in the Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Lenten Spirituality Session: Return Again To The Land of Your Soul: An Evening of Contemplative Music with Jonathan Hannau in church

Friday, March 13

• 8:00 am - Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins
• 3:00 pm - Stations of the Cross (traditional)
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Music, Stillness, Solidarity in church (quiet contemplation offered with music) 
• 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross (social justice theme: Refugees and Migrants) 
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group
• Benediction and Closing of Exposition

Saturday, March 14

• 4:00-4:45 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation available
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program

Sunday, March 15

• Second Scrutiny
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program

Saturday, March 14

• 4:00-4:45 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation available
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program

Sunday, March 15

• Second Scrutiny
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program

Thursday, March 19

• 6:00 pm - Simple Supper in the Ministry Center 
• 7:00 pm - Lenten Spirituality Session: Fasting: The Second Pillar of Lent with Chris Countryman

Friday, March 20

• 8:00 am - Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins
• 3:00 pm - Stations of the Cross (traditional)
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Music, Stillness, Solidarity in church (quiet contemplation offered with music) 
• 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross (social justice theme: through the eyes of Mary) 
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group
• Benediction and Closing of Exposition

Saturday, March 21

• 4:00-4:45 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation available 
• 5:00 pm - Mass
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program
• Care for Real Collection before/after Masses

Sunday, March 22

• Third Scrutiny
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program
• Care for Real Collection before/after Masses
• After the 10:30 am Masses - Brewed at St. Gertrude parish hospitality event in the Social Hall

Monday, March 23

• 7:00 pm - Deanery Bilingual Lenten Reconciliation Service at St. Nicholas campus of St John XXIII Parish, 806 Ridge Avenue, Evanston

Thursday, March 26

• 6:00 pm - Simple Supper in the Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Lenten Spirituality Session: Almsgiving: The Third Pillar of Lent with a Panel of St. Gertrude Parishioners

Friday, March 27

• 8:00 am - Rosary and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins
• 3:00 pm - Stations of the Cross (traditional)
• 6:00-6:30 pm - Music, Stillness, Solidarity in church (quiet contemplation offered with music) 
• 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross (theme: The Way of the Cross for Our Time) 
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group
• Benediction and Closing of Exposition

Saturday, March 28

• 4:00-4:45 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation available
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program

Palm Sunday, March 29

• 8:00 am - Mass
• 10:30 am - Combined Mass and Palm Sunday Procession (No Gym Mass)

Holy Thursday, April 2

• No morning Mass
• 7:00 pm - Mass of the Lord's Supper (live-streamed)
• Special collection for the Catholic Extension Society
• Adoration - church open until midnight

Good Friday, April 3

• No morning Mass
• The Rectory office is closed.
• 3:00 pm - Living Stations of the Cross performed by the parish youth group
• 7:00 pm - Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Veneration of the Cross (live-streamed)
• Special collection for the Pontifical Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land

Holy Saturday, April 4

• No morning Mass
• 11:00 am - Blessing of Easter baskets
• 8:00 pm - Easter Vigil Mass (live-streamed)

Easter Sunday, April 5

• 8:00 am - Mass in church
• 10:30 am - Mass in church
• 10:35 am - Overflow Mass in the Gym

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) Meeting Planned for This Saturday, March 7

St. Gertrude is a member of CSPL, the faith-based organization that organized the recent People’s Mass and Eucharistic Procession to the Broadview Detention Center.

Come together with other parishioners on Saturday, March 7, from 1:30-3:00 pm in the Ministry Center to build community and discuss how to help advance our parish's commitments to social justice, human concerns and faith formation through our participation in CSPL. Learn more about CSPL. 

All are welcome! 

Almoners Lenten Ministry - Sundays During Mass

Our parish's Almoners’ Program will be held again from through March 29. Each weekend, a second collection will be held, with funds used to distribute McDonald's cards to those who are in need.

At the end of each Mass, those wishing to participate in distributing cards to the needy will be invited to come forward, receive the cards, and be given a blessing as they go out in this charitable outreach. 

Collection Drive for Care for Real is This Weekend

St. Gertrude has its monthly collection drive for our neighbors in need on March 7-8! In addition to info in the image, you can visit https://linktr.ee/cfrchicago for information about donating and links to their Facebook and Instagram pages to see what they are specifically looking for at this time. 

Please place nonperishable items in the bins at the back of church.

Our asylum seekers’ collection is the full first weekend of each month, and our general collection drive for Care for Real is always the fourth calendar weekend every month.

We are so grateful for your help supporting Care for Real as they work to provide food and much-needed supplies to our neighbors who are struggling. 

Confirmation Rehearsal is This Sunday, March 8 and the Sacrament of Confirmation is Tuesday, March 10!

The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place next week. We ask that families of these students please note these important dates:

• Sunday, March 8 - After the 10:30 am Mass in Church, there is a rehearsal for Confirmation.
• Tuesday, March 10 - The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place at 7:00 pm in Church. Confirmation candidates are expected to gather at 6:00 pm in the Ministry Center. 
• Thursday, April 30 - There is a second Confirmation Retreat planned in the Ministry Center from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Questions? Contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org. 

Please keep these students in your prayers as they prepare for this sacrament.

Book Club is Tuesday, March 10

Join us for a discussion of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 pm at the Ministry Center, 6214 W. Glenwood. New participants are always welcome!

For questions, contact Lea Cloninger (773.213.0509) or Sue Benjamin (773.551.8401).

Lending Closet Closed on Thursday, March 12

The Medical Lending Closet will not be open on Thursday, March 12. Please leave a message at 773.973.5464 is you have questions for the staff.

Friendship Club is Thursday, March 12

The St. Gertrude Women's Friendship Club meets monthly on the second Thursday of every month in the Ministry Center, 6216 North Glenwood Avenue.

The gathering begins at 11:30 am, and attendees should bring their own (brown bag) lunch.

Lenten Simple Suppers - Thursdays at 6:00 pm

Lent is better together! Join us on Thursdays at 6:00 pm in the Social Hall (1401 W. Granville Ave.) for our beloved Lenten Simple Suppers.

Each week, a different parish group hosts:

• March 5 – Adult Basketball Social Ministry
• March 12 – St. Gertrude’s Choir
• March 19 – Coalition for Spiritual & Public Leadership
• March 26 – NCA

Come for a simple meal, meaningful conversation, and community. All are welcome—bring a friend!

Lenten Spirituality Sessions - Thursdays Immediately after the Simple Supper

This Lent, the Adult Spirituality and Formation Committee is offering opportunities to explore the mystery of our Lenten journey. All sessions take place from 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm following our Simple Supper, which begins at 6:00 pm. You are welcome to attend any or all sessions. Please come to Simple Supper and the Lenten series – and bring a friend!

The session for Thursday, March 12 will take place in church. Here is information about it: Are you looking for some peace amidst the chaos? Come and experience an evening of meditative Taizé music in our beautiful worship space. Repetitive, calm, and beautiful, it will help relax and calm our spirits during our Lenten journey.

Additional sessions are:

• Thursday, March 19 - Fasting: The Second Pillar of Lent – Chris Countryman
• Thursday, March 26 - Almsgiving: The Third Pillar of Lent – panel of St. Gertrude parishioners

Lenten Season Mediation Series: Music, Stillness, Solidarity - Fridays at 6:00 pm

  

We live in incredibly troubled times. Injustice after injustice and a stream of never ending tragedies show through social media algorithms designed to distract us. It is difficult to digest it all, let alone find a moment of stillness to reflect and potentially act on it.

This year we bring back Music, Stillness, Solidarity. It will happen every Friday night during Lent through March 27. From 6:00-6:30 pm, St. Gertrude's will be open as a safe space where ALL are welcome to come, sit, pray, and meditate as we

navigate these realities as a community.

Contemplative music will be played through the duration of the time to help guide and promote reflection on the day. 

Friday Afternoons: Two Stations of the Cross and Lenten Season Mediation Series: Music, Stillness, Solidarity

On 3:00 pm on Friday afternoons during Lent, we offer a traditional Way of the Cross.

From 6:00-6:30 pm, “Music, Stillness, Solidarity” is held, serving as a safe space where ALL are welcome to come, sit, pray, and meditate as we navigate these realities as a community. Contemplative music will be played through the duration of the time to help guide and promote reflection on the day. 

Another Stations of the Cross is held at 6:30 pm on Fridays with a social justice theme. They are:

• March 6: LGBTQ+
• March 13: Refugees and Migrants
• March 20: Through the Eyes of Mary
• March 27: The Way of the Cross for Our Time

On Good Friday, April 3, at 3:00 pm, your parish youth group will perform a Living Station of the Cross.

Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) on Friday Evenings

All are welcome to attend the weekly Rosary group held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm.

The bilingual gathering is held in the dining room of the Ministry Center, located at 6214 North Glenwood Avenue.

Sacrament of Reconciliation - Saturdays at 4:00 pm

Every Saturday from 4:15-4:45 pm, private confession is available. 

There is also a communal confession for all the parishes in our deanery (Deanery 2B) on Monday, March 23 at 7:00 pm at the St. Nicholas campus of St John XXIII Parish in Evanston.

"Brewed at St. Gertrude" Gathering on Sunday, March 22

Please join us on Sunday, March 22, for a parish hospitality event, "Brewed at St. Gertrude!" Following the 10:30 am church and gym masses, come to the Social Hall for pastries, coffee, tea, and hot cocoa.

All are welcome: new and long-time parishioners, families, and visitors! We would love for the entire parish to be there! 

Teens Invited to Join St. Gertrude’s Youth Mission Experience

Parish teens are invited to participate in St. Gertrude’s Youth Mission Experience, taking place June 22–26. Open to students entering seventh grade through high school, this weeklong experience offers teens the chance to serve alongside Chicagoland organizations while growing in faith, friendship, and community.

Participants will enjoy meaningful service, have fun together, and earn volunteer hours. The cost for the week is $125.

To reserve a spot or learn more, please contact Pastoral Associate Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.

What are the Scrutinies?



This Sunday, we begin the “Scrutinies.” These are special rites for the women and men who have been meeting weekly to explore their faith and their movement into the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday.

On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent each year, we call these candidates and catechumens forward and invite them to reflect upon their past lives and commit themselves to repentance as they continue this spiritual journey to a new life. We celebrate these rites publicly in order for all of us, already baptized and confirmed Catholics, to reflect upon our own lives and how we have or have not lived up to the promises made at our own baptisms.

And, like these searchers, we also are invited to reject whatever has been sinful in our lives, leading us away from the Lord. We ask God’s help to cleanse us of our sins and follow the true path of Our Lord’s Gospel.

Growing in Faith

In today’s first reading, the people challenge Moses: “Why did you make us leave Egypt? We are dying of thirst.” Moses appeals to God who brings water from a rock. Many people question God at terrible times. I have, with the death of two sons and two daughters, the last the best friend of my old age.

On Sundays the Church pairs the reading from the Hebrew scriptures with the gospel for a reason. Both readings consider water, an essential substance that can cause death or save life. The woman at the well in today’s gospel is a stranger, a foreigner, a person ‘not like us.’ She does not follow our customs and speaks directly to a man. She practices a ‘weird’ religion and prays on a mountain top.

Jesus ignores her otherness and speaks directly to her, telling her “everything she ever did” and that people will pray “in spirit and truth,” regardless of what country they live in. He promises her “living water, springing up to eternal life.” 

As Father Pete has pointed out, faith isn’t a comfortable habit, like an old shirt. It takes courage. Jesus often encouraged his disciples to not be afraid—to have faith. Our Faith and hope must also be renewed each time they are threatened.

So I pray, in the words of the gospel hymn:

O healing river, send down your waters,

Send down your waters, upon the land.

And wash the blood from off the sand.

~ Maggie Kast

New Parishioners

• Evelyn Pechous
• Anita and Karina Valentin

Rest in Peace

• Mariella Dorn, mother of Nancy, Larry, John, and Lisa
• Marie Isaily, mother of Mark Islay, Catherine Shockey, and Michael and Derek Isaily

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, March 7 at 5:00 pm - Christine Lincoln, Joe Tomasello
• Sunday, March 8 at 8:00 am - Carol Ann Munro, Anthony Myers  
• Sunday, March 8 at 10:30 am - Patrick Robinson, Sarah Millar

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, March 7 at 5:00 pm - Kathy Wall 
• Sunday, March 8 at 8:00 am - Ellen Pierce 
• Sunday, March 8 at 10:30 am - Steven Monti, Annie Hasselbeck, Stephen Hasselbeck 

Altar Servers

• Saturday, March 7 at 5:00 pm - cross bearer: Danna Salinas; acolytes: Owen Craft, Ethan Craft 
• Sunday, March 8 at 10:30 am - cross bearer: Bradley Phelps; acolytes: Angel Garcia, Diarmuid McKeown

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, March 9: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Tuesday, March 10: 7:30 am - Carol Kelly Shields+
• Wednesday, March 11: 7:30 am - Commander Paul Bauer+
• Thursday, March 12: 7:30 am - Eleanor McGuire+
• Friday, March 13: 7:30 am - Mark Schreiner+
• Saturday, March 14: 5:00 pm - Bob Radycki +
• Sunday, March 15: 8:00 am - Abigail Phillips; 10:30 am - Ezaristo Centeno; 10:30 am Gym - Fr. James Stoeger +

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.