Daily Mass Schedule (during the School Year):
Monday, Thursday & Friday:
6:30am and 8:00am
Tuesday: 6:30am and 9:00am
Wednesday: 8:00am and 9:10am (9:10am is at St. Patricks)
Saturday: 8:00am
Weekend Mass Schedule:
Saturday: 5:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, NOON & 6:00pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Saturday: 8:30am or by appointment with a parish priest
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From the Desk of Fr. Mark Augustine, Administrator
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March 6, 2020
Happy and Blessed Lent to you all!
We are 10 days into the holy season of Lent! How is your journey going so far? How has the first 25% of this Holy Season been? Have we remained faithful to our Lenten practices, or do we need to pick them up again and renew our commitment and intentions. When we take on spiritual practices during Lent, it is not for our own sake, but it is to glorify God. Allow that to be the beacon upon which we hope and place our trust. I offer this practice of prayer, fasting, or almsgiving, for the sake of my own holiness and the glory of God! What better way could we honestly be spending our lives?
If you are still unsure in what to do for Lent, or feel that you want to bring an additional level to your dedication this year, look at some of the suggestions Pope Francis made to us. He calls us to be a people of joy, and to respond with peace and grace in all situations. In his words:
- Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
- Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
- Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
- Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
- Fast from worries and have trust in God.
- Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
- Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
- Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.
- Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
- Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
- Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
Lent is wonderful time where the Church calls us to actively take a stock or spiritual inventory of our lives as disciples. How is my relationship with Christ? When I honestly reflect on it, is it where I thought it would be? Is it where I hoped it would be? And, most importantly, it is where God desires it to be? If there is something lacking (which will always be the case this side of eternity) in my life as a disciple of Jesus Christ? Can I identify what it (or they if its multiple areas) is? Then, if I can identify it, what am I willing to do to correct it? Am I willing to invite God's grace into my life, to heal wounds and restore me, to expand my heart for love, to be able to encounter Christ with a new sense of wonder and awe?
Next weekend on March 14 we will be celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation for 86 of our parishioners. As our 8
th
graders are sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit, they will be strengthened in Christ to go out into the world. It is through the sacrament of Confirmation that an undeniable mark is placed on their souls, claiming each one further for Christ. The students will invoke the aid of a patron saint to accompany, guide, and protect them. Who is your patron and Confirmation saint? When is the last time you prayed to them? Maybe today would be a good opportunity to do so and reconnect with our friends in heaven. My patron is St. George the Dragon Slayer, patron saint of Boy Scouts!
Our students will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, granting them a permanent disposition allowing them to be open and docile to the Holy Spirit working in the world. The 7 gifts are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, and fear of the Lord (
or wonder and awe
). May all of us who have been confirmed draw upon these gifts in our daily lives. Don't ever be afraid to call upon those gifts that God has granted to us and never expire or run out! May the fruits of the Holy Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity truly show how we have begun to live in the life of the Spirit and ever-open to God's grace in our lives.
God Bless,
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Click the GiveCentral Logo to securely and conveniently donate to the
Phase Four and More for St. Mary's, Fr. Barry Preservation Fund.
Thank you for your generosity!
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Health and Safety Precautions during Mass
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Dear Parishioners,
In response to the concerns of both the Coronavirus/COVID 19 as well as the flu season, the Archdiocese has issued a few mandates across the board for all parishes to follow during the celebration of Mass. These will be going into effect immediately until further notice. If you attend a different church within the Archdiocese over the next several weeks, you should expect to see the same precautions in place. We want to make sure that we are all cognizant of our own health concerns as well as those around us.
Here are the changes you will see for the time being:
During all Masses and liturgies:
- Refrain from physical contact during the Sign of Peace (note: the Sign of Peace can be exchanged without physical contact)
- Refrain from distribution of Holy Communion to the faithful via the chalice.
- Given the frequency of direct contact with saliva in the distribution of Holy Communion on the tongue, every consideration should be given by each individual to receive Holy Communion reverently in open hands for the time being.
- Refrain from holding hands during the Lord's Prayer.
- Refrain from using Holy Water fonts - the fonts at the entrances will be emptied for the time being.
These temporary changes are made in accordance with the Bishop's Conference (USCCB) guidelines as well as recommendations by the CDC.
Please be prudent when dealing with any major health concerns. The Catechism states in section 2181: "The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants)."
If you are seriously ill and possibly contagious, please exercise right judgement (one of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit we received at Confirmation) in regards to participation at Sunday liturgies.
Please let me know if you have any questions or further concerns.
May God bless you all!
Fr. Mark
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Kairos XXXVII
kicked-off Thursday afternoon! We ask that all of the community  to pray for the Adult Leaders, Student Leaders and Retreatants.
Kairos is a four day retreat, where juniors and seniors have the opportunity to reflect on who they are, who God is, how He works in their life and what will be their response to His call.
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An Unanswered Question: What Causes Catholic Women to Stay in or Leave their Church?
The Archdiocesan Women's Committee (AWC), an advisory group to Cardinal Cupich focusing on women's issues is currently gathering information to discuss with the Cardinal in March regarding What Causes Catholic Women To Stay In Or Leave Their Church?. We have a tremendous opportunity to Bring the Voices of Women Forward---however we cannot do this without you!! Please help us by completing one of our Discussion Guides found online or at the entrances of church.
We would like to hear from you if you attend church, but we also want to hear from those who no longer attend. If you have daughters, granddaughters or friends who don't attend church, we would also like to encourage them to answer these questions.
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Click the image to register or get more information
here.
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Click on the image to register or go to our website
here for more information.
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Children's Sacrament Upcoming Schedule
2nd Grade First Communion Retreat
Retreat is for child and at least one parent (both parents are welcomed)
-
Saturday, March 7 from 9:00am-Noon
Last Names M-Z
Confirmation Rehearsals
Confirmation Candidates and their Sponsor should plan to attend their assigned Rehearsal Time. If your sponsor is not available, a parent should stand in place of the sponsor for the rehearsal.
-10:00am Mass:
Monday
,
March 9
: 7:00 - 8:00pm
Last Names A- K
-2:00pm Mass:
Thursday, March 12
: 7:00 - 8:00pm
Last Names L - Z
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I would like to thank this year's Gala Committee for all their hard work on putting together a wonderful parish school community building event! Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a success, the donors, the bidders and everyone who came out to enjoy the night
and for the good wishes and prayers from those who were not able to be with us in person but were there in spirit!
Our Gala Committee Members:
Eileen Weber
Lindsay Bianco
Kim Egan
Carrie Seyb
Elizabeth Berrill
Jennifer Lucas
Kelly Graham
Julie Booma
Leslie Schreiber
Sophia Westmeyer
Dave Wieters
Principal
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Donate or Register for Events
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Church of St. Mary Website
Bookmark our parish website for information on all parish ministries, events, contact information and more!
Information on our Mass Schedule, Sacraments, School, Religious Education, Youth Ministry, Guild of St. Mary, Liturgical Ministries, Bible Study, RCIA, Bulletins, Gospel Reading Podcasts, Homily Podcasts and more can all be found on our webpage.
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook Page
Like the Church of St. Mary Facebook page to see regular updates from popular Catholic pages such as the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and the USCCB. See news from the School of St. Mary, Guild of St. Mary, Religious Education Program, Youth Ministry and upcoming events at our parish!
Homilies & Gospel Readings!
Listen to past Gospel Readings and homilies anytime, anywhere! Click on the podcast image or goto our website. Click on Multimedia/Podcasts.
Enjoy!
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