THE 2026 ST. ANNE NOVENA ONLINE MASSES ARE COMING ONLINE!!!L

Faithful can subscribe to the notes by contacting the parish office and providing their email address. Feel Free Passing on this e-mail to anyone wishes to learn more about the Novena from the first shrine of the United States!!!

Please remember - Fr. Pete does not send out text messages, emails or social media posts to solicit funds for himself or any organizations outside of the parishes he serves. Fr. Pete's emergency phone number is (815) 685-1359 and his e-mail addresses are either pjankowski@yahoo.com or pjankowski@stfrancis.edu. Please do not trust any correspondences that utilize any other phone number or e-mail address.

Last month, after recording SEVENTEEN Online Masses in two weeks (including the Ten Novena & Feast Day Masses), I am in the process of uploading all those Masses for those who wish to participate in the St. Anne Novena around the world (we have viewers from Japan, the Philippines and even Australia – a couple from Whittlesea came to visit us one month after the Novena to visit the Churches that recorded those Masses. As I take a moment to produce and upload these videos without interruption, I came to realize that this little project will have occupies over Seventy Hours of my time (almost two full work weeks) that have benefitted our community in so many ways. I have included the first Mass of the Novena in this correspondence; next month, we will provide for you ALL the Novena Masses online.

The theme for the 146th Annual Novena and Feast Day Activities is entitled, “The Signs and Wonders of God.”In the story of St. Anne (according to the non-canonical Protoevangelium of St. James), St. Anne prayed to the Lord so that the Lord would assist her in bringing life into the world. The miracle of this “Immaculate Conception” serves as the foundational “sign” of God which tells us that with faith, all things are possible.

Basing these Masses on the Seven “Signs” described in the Gospel of John (as well as the healing of the paralytic from Mark 2 and the miracle of the fish in John 21, we walk through each of the miracles, understanding the power of God and humble nature in which we need to place ourselves if we have a chance for this “miracle” to carry us from this life to the next. There is no guarantee that we will make it to the other side. We do not deserve it; we certainly cannot earn it. Instead, we humbly stand before God, hoping and praying that God takes care of us, even when we do not take care of each other or even ourselves.

We have mailed over 3,500 letters to those in our mailing list; the cost of this mailing is over $3,500. We have tried to cut costs in some ways, but with the price increases in so many things, we do the best we can to get by. If you can help us with the Sunday collection, with helping us establish a St. Anne Foundation so that future generations can benefit from the we sometimes take for granted, we would very much appreciate it.

We also wish to establish a Foundation to allow this Novena to continue for years to come. Three wonderful donors gifted us with over $20,000 to purchase extra lifetime chairs and tables so we do not have to rent these items which have tripled in rental cost over the last five years. We also are thankful for the two donors who gave us an additional $20,000 to replace air conditioners in our church.  Another donor gifted us almost $15,000 for the outdoor sound system and over $10,000 for the video recording system in the Church where we celebrate our Online and In-Church liturgies. Currently, hosting the Novena and feast day runs us about $10,000 a year. If we can find a way to establish a foundation to offset these costs, we can offer these Novenas and celebrations for years to come. Please consider helping us with will or estate planning gifts (or whatever you are capable of doing) for the sake of our “hidden” gem in the peripheries of the Joliet Diocese!

On the Feast Day itself, we offer three Mases with three different traditions and three different languages for our faithful. On July 25 at the Vigil of St. Anne, I will be celebrating a traditional Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form, followed by a minimum 15-minute procession with the relic throughout the city. As is the case on Sunday, we will have food sales, religious item sales and lots of time for confessions and prayer in our traditional Church built in 1872.

Two additions to our Novena Celebrations took place this last week that give me hope. The first is that we finally got around to uploading the ST. ANNE FEAST DAY LATIN MASS IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM for those who wish to view it. We had some glitches with the sound on this video but because some of our faithful wished to view the Mass, we present it to you, cleaning it up the best that we can.

On the feast day itself, we welcome back Fr. Jim Heyd to celebrate our Mass. Fr. Jim is a priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago who is very invested in all things St. Anne. Last year, Fr. Jim gifted the parish with all kinds of religious items from the Vietnamese Community that he serves. As I am finishing my Online and In-Class Course on Business Ethics for almost one hundred twenty Vietnamese students (I travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam the night of Easter Sunday to offer twelve days of workshops for the students there), Fr. Jim and I are working diligently to encourage our Vietnamese, French and Hispanic Communities to get invested in this devotion.

This year, we also welcome Fr. Sebastián Genoni, MIC to St. Anne’s to lead a parallel Novena for our Hispanic Community at St. Patrick’s Church (119 N. Market Street – Momence, IL) at 7:00 p.m. from July 17-25 and then celebrate the 12:00 Mass in Spanish at St. Anne’s [starting with an 11:00 prayer service at the Cerrito de Camino y Esperanza Retreat House, followed by a four mile horse-drawn procession (cabalgada) back to St. Anne’s for the noon Mass]. During my time sailing down to Antarctica, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina a few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit with a priest colleague of mine named Fr. Dante Agüero, MIC, who introduced me to Fr. Sebastián and told me father’s great devotion to St. Anne and her mother. Fr. Sebastián currently serves as pastor of Mother of Mercy Parish in Avellaneda, (Buenos Aires), Argentina. For more information about Fr. Sebastián, please CLICK HERE!

We are also asking for your help this year. After successfully renovating the church parking lot at the neighboring parish I serve, some good souls at St. Anne’s noticed that a paved lot that got lost over the years needs a type of “resurrection” and I was asked to help parishioners support the cause. In the Novena Mailing we sent out this year, we included an envelope to at least address part of this lot. We think that $60,000 will cover the minimal amount needed to renovate at least one section of that lot. If you can help with this, we would appreciate it.

Regardless, please know we are praying for you, we love you and we always want to serve you in God’s name. Please know I continue to keep all of you in my prayers, especially with the Online Liturgies I celebrate. Fr. Pete Jankowski

The other addition this week was a SPECTACULAR gift from Fr. Jim Heyd, who celebrated and preached at our main liturgy on July 26 this year returned to St. Anne this last weekend with a garage full of religious items he donated to us from his good work in Chicago with the Vietnamese, Haitian, French-Creole and Hispanic Communities. Fr. Jim brought a box truck from Chicago to deliver these items personally, so we are blessed that he gifted us so beautifully last week.

Please know that as we continue in the world of Profane, as long as we have the grace that the Lord offers us in the world of the Sacred, then we will be able to enter that narrow door (Luke 13: 22-30... CLICK HERE TO READ), our gospel from Last Sunday which requires us to be disciplined in LOVE if we ever wish to enter the narrow gates of heaven). Please continue to pray for us as we always pray for you! Please consider helping us out with a Will or Estate Planning Gift – at the other parish I serve, we unearthed a $100,000 gift which will serve as a “Rainy Day Fund” for future generations – we need to continue to do the same at St. Anne so that we do the same for the First Shrine of the United States!



– Fr. Pete Jankowski

THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

In a 1969 German radio broadcast, Bishop Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) would offer his thoughtfully considered answer. Here are his concluding remarks:

“The future of the Church can and will issue from those whose roots are deep and who live from the pure fullness of their faith. It will not issue from those who accommodate themselves merely to the passing moment or from those who merely criticize others and assume that they themselves are infallible measuring rods; nor will it issue from those who take the easier road, who sidestep the passion of faith, declaring false and obsolete, tyrannous and legalistic, all that makes demands upon men, that hurts them and compels them to sacrifice themselves. To put this more positively: The future of the Church, once again as always, will be reshaped by saints, by men, that is, whose minds probe deeper than the slogans of the day, who see more than others see, because their lives embrace a wider reality. Unselfishness, which makes men free, is attained only through the patience of small daily acts of self-denial. By this daily passion, which alone reveals to a man in how many ways he is enslaved by his own ego, by this daily passion and by it alone, a man's eyes are slowly opened. He sees only to the extent that he has lived and suffered. If today we are scarcely able any longer to become aware of God, that is because we find it so easy to evade ourselves, to flee from the depths of our being by means of the narcotic of some pleasure or other. Thus our own interior depths remain closed to us. If it is true that a man can see only with his heart, then how blind we are! 

“How does all this affect the problem we are examining? It means that the big talk of those who prophesy a Church without God and without faith is all empty chatter. We have no need of a Church that celebrates the cult of action in political prayers. It is utterly superfluous. Therefore, it will destroy itself. What will remain is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church that believes in the God who has become man and promises us life beyond death. The kind of priest who is no more than a social worker can be replaced by the psychotherapist and other specialists; but the priest who is no specialist, who does not stand on the [sidelines], watching the game, giving official advice, but in the name of God places himself at the disposal of man, who is beside them in their sorrows, in their joys, in their hope and in their fear, such a priest will certainly be needed in the future. 

“Let us go a step farther. From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge -- a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes, so it will lose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, it will be seen much more as a voluntary society, entered only by free decision. As a small society, it will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members. Undoubtedly it will discover new forms of ministry and will ordain to the priesthood approved Christians who pursue some profession. In many smaller congregations or in self-contained social groups, pastoral care will normally be provided in this fashion. Along-side this, the full-time ministry of the priesthood will be indispensable as formerly. But in all of the changes at which one might guess, the Church will find her essence afresh and with full conviction in that which was always at her center: faith in the triune God, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, in the presence of the Spirit until the end of the world. In faith and prayer she will again recognize the sacraments as the worship of God and not as a subject for liturgical scholarship.

“The Church will be a more spiritual Church, not presuming upon a political mandate, flirting as little with the Left as with the Right. It will be hard going for the Church, for the process of crystallization and clarification will cost her much valuable energy. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek. The process will be all the more arduous, for sectarian narrow-mindedness as well as pompous self-will will have to be shed. One may predict that all of this will take time. The process will be long and wearisome as was the road from the false progressivism on the eve of the French Revolution -- when a bishop might be thought smart if he made fun of dogmas and even insinuated that the existence of God was by no means certain -- to the renewal of the nineteenth century. But when the trial of this sifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church. Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty. Then they will discover the little flock of believers as something wholly new. They will discover it as a hope that is meant for them, an answer for which they have always been searching in secret.

“And so it seems certain to me that the Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. It may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but it will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man's home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.

The Catholic Church will survive in spite of men and women, not necessarily because of them. And yet, we still have our part to do. We must pray for and cultivate unselfishness, self-denial, faithfulness, Sacramental devotion and a life centered on Christ.

In 2009 Ignatius Press released Father Joseph Ratzinger’s speech “What Will the Church Look Like in 2000” in full, in a book entitled Faith and the Future.

FROM THE VIATORIAN WEBSITE...

After (145) years, the devotion to St. Anne continues at the nation’s original shrine, located in St. Anne, Illinois.

Viatorians have run the historic St. Anne Church since 1920 and as a result, they have continued the tradition started by its French Canadian founders, of holding a novena to the mother of Mary, for nine days leading up to her feast day on July 26.

Back in 1950, on the 70th anniversary of the shrine’s founding, the novena drew many of the Viatorian novices to participate, as well as nearly 10,000 people who flocked to the area.

FROM THE JACK KLASEY ARCHIVES...

In this image from the 1950s, Knights of Columbus lead the procession of pilgrims past St. Anne Church on the Feast Day of St. Anne. (Kankakee County Museum Photo Archive)

The St. Anne Feast Day celebration had drawn several thousand visitors to the small Kankakee County town to participate in a 10 a.m. solemn High Mass, a formal procession, and other religious activities. The largest group of pilgrims, some 1,100 people from Kankakee, Bradley, and Bourbonnais, arrived at 7 a.m. aboard a special train from Kankakee. An hour later, a train with 400 passengers from Chicago pulled into the St. Anne depot. That group was led by the Rev. Achille Bergeron, pastor of Notre Dame Church on Chicago’s West Side, who had been bringing large groups of pilgrims to St. Anne since 1886.

At 1:30 p.m., Father Bergeron, a native of Bourbonnais, led a stately procession of pilgrims on its route around the block-square church grounds. He held high the ornate gold and glass container (called a reliquary) enclosing the relic of St. Anne, who is revered by Catholics as the grandmother of Jesus. The relic is a small piece of bone from the saint’s wrist.

Since the feast day observance began in the early 1880s, there had been a number of reported cures of physical problems, such as blindness or paralysis. The Chicago Tribune, on July 27, 1900, recorded the miraculous cure of a 20-year-old Chicago woman, Miss Matilda Cunnea: “She had come to St. Anne…unable to walk and a victim of paralysis for two years, and on St. Anne’s day, after having venerated the relic, she arose from the invalid chair in which she had been brought to the church, and walked from the church completely restored.” To this day, Miss Cunnea’s wheelchair is a prominent item displayed in St. Anne Church.

Each year, the pilgrimage crowd at St. Anne includes a number of people seeking a cure. Among those attending in the year 1909 were Mr. and Mrs. Edouard Fontaine, who lived on Station Street in Kankakee. Accompanying them, and the focus of their hopes and prayers for a miracle, was their three-year-old daughter, Lillian.

The Kankakee Daily Republican, in its July 27, 1909, edition, displayed the headline, “Sight Given Blind Child at St. Anne.” The newspaper informed its readers, “The miraculous cure reported at 3:40 p.m.…was that of Lillian…the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edouard Fontaine…who recovered her sight a few moments after the veneration of the relic. According to the child’s mother…two years ago she recovered partially her sight, but the recovery was only of a few days’ duration. She became blind when [she was] seven months old.

“As the priest touched the relic to the child’s closed eyelids, the little one trembled, then opening her eyes, and with a startled look around her, shrieked convulsively and buried her head on her mother’s shoulder. The mother, alarmed, lifted the child’s face, and as the little one again beheld the light and the sea of faces in the church, she clung frantically to her mother and sobbed piteously. The mother, realizing she was cured, wept with the child, until Father Bergeron…assisted the mother and child from the church….Her right eye is red and was not fully opened, but, as both father and mother have faith in St. Anne, they believe she will be able to see perfectly well.

“When it became known that the cure was effected, the little one became the magnet of attraction for the pilgrims, especially the afflicted ones, who renewed their faith in St. Anne’s power, though they were not the mediums through which it was expressed, and congratulated the mother on the restoration of her little daughter’s sight. Mother and child were fearfully happy as they boarded the train out of St. Anne.”

The newspaper also reported two less dramatic cures that took place later in the afternoon: “Mrs. Honore E. George of Essex was cured of an ailment of which she was partially relieved last year, and Martha Colinski of Kankakee was made strong and well after being a cripple for years.”

Although the number of pilgrims coming to St. Anne on July 26 now numbers in the hundreds rather than thousands, church and community traditions remain strong; the annual celebration will be held for the 145th time in 2025.

Jack Klasey is a former Journal reporter and a retired publishing executive. He can be contacted at jwklasey@comcast.net

We have mailed over 3,500 letters to our faithful this last month about the St. Anne Novena and Feast Day. The cost of postage and mailings this year ran about $3,300!!! If you would prefer to change to our e-mail list, or if you would like to help contribute to the cost of our supplies, please contact our office at (815) 427-8265 or contact Fr. Pete at pjankowski@yahoo.com.

The cost of most EVERYTHING we rent or purchase for the Novena has tripled since 2021, so we have decided to bring over three hundred chairs from the other parish I serve in Momence to defray costs. For this reason, IT WOULD SERVE US WELL TO START A FOUNDATION FOR THE ST. ANNE NOVENA so that these costs are covered in the future. This is a HUGE undertaking so whatever you can do to help would be appreciated (perhaps we could receive an estate planning donation like the $50,000+ we received earlier this year – thank you anonymous donor!).

Sometimes I think people forget the power of that relic and the spiritual / physical graces that the St. Anne Relic bestows on those who venerate it. We talk quite often about the story of Matilda Cunea, who miraculously was healed during her veneration of the relic over one hundred years ago. Her wheelchair still adorns the back of the church (along with other crutches and such from others that were healed). Last year, I wrote about a priest in southern Illinois who venerated that relic and truly feels that the relic cured him of a serious concussion that had afflicted him for years. A ninety-seven year old contacted me this week to share how her venerating the relic healed a walking condition that prevented her from travelling outside her home. Then just last week, I received the following e-mail from another good soul who has attended our Novena for years…

My name is Tim. I am 72 years old and wanted to share a story with you and the Church. I attended St Patrick’s Academy (Momence, IL) in 1965 (the year Fr. Pete was born!). I was not doing well in school and I was depressed. We stopped by St. Anne’s Church and I remember it being closed but there was a statue where people would pay homage (and a relic that people venerated). I went there on blended knee and I prayed hard in my behalf to do better in school and said I would give testimony for any progress. Now I was not a good student as focusing in a classroom setting was least of what I wanted to do. 

The change was not instantaneous but it was significant. Example, I went to the museum of science and industry in Chicago on a clear trip and looked at was car motor operation in a cut out view. In a moment I understood. I went to electronics school and was an ace troubleshooter. I learned electrical and mechanical in manufacturing plants. I got an electrical engineering degree sponsored by Monsanto. I became a plant engineer, then a plant manager. When I retired I as a GMM of four manufacturing facilities.

To this day I contribute my knowledge and understanding to that one day. Please let me know that you got this and share my blessing.

The Pew Research Center tells us that the two largest growing groups in the US Catholic Church are the Latin Mass Community and the Hispanic Community. As we listened to what these groups are seeking during the Feast Day of St. Anne, we have tried to accommodate them in the following way…

1. We continue to offer the Outdoor 10:00 a.m. Mass on Saturday, July 26 (weather permitting) and an Indoor Latin Mass (in the Extraordinary Form) with Fr. Pete Jankowski as celebrant and homilist. Following the Masses, we will offer a FIFTEEN MINUTE PROCESSION of the St. Anne Relic through the city, followed by veneration, children’s activities at 11:00 a.m. as well as the sale of food, religious items, flowers and votive candles.
2. At 2:00 p.m., we will meet in the Pavilion for a Prayer Service in Spanish, followed by a three-mile “Cabalgata” (Horse-Drawn Procession) to the Camino y Esperanza Retreat House (4529 South 8500 E Road – St. Anne, IL  60964) for a 3:30 Outdoor Mass in Spanish with Fr. Jhobany Orduz, CSV, followed by a “Gran Kermes” (Fiesta – Food for Purchase) and more opportunities for prayer.

We have come to realize that this event costs us about $10,000 a year (including $3,500 in just the mailing and postage costs). We have figured out ways to cut costs but if we ever could establish some type of “endowment fund” for the Novena, we can guarantee that this Novena and everything we do will run through the next generation and beyond.

Note: If you know of someone who wishes to receive these updates, please ask them to send us their email address. We mail about 3,500 letters each year and we can save on printing and postage when we go electronic!!!

CLICK HERE TO READ THE HOMILY FROM FR. JIM HEYD

CLICK HERE to View the Pictures from the 10:00 Mass in English

CLICK HERE TO READ

FR. JOHN RICKERT'S HOMILY

CLICK HERE to View the Pictures from the 12:00 Mass in Latin

CLICK HERE TO READ

FR. PETE'S HOMILY & REFLECTION ON THE ST. ANNE'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

CLICK HERE to View the Pictures from the 3:30 Mass in Spanish

This year's 2024 Novena and Feast Day will focus on "THE GRANDMOTHER OF THE NEW ADAM,:" taking us through the story of the Old Testament and the constant infidelity of the Chosen People (an unfaithfulness that still takes place today), showing us the reason why God became incarnate to redeem what we could not. The "New Adam" could not enter the world if it were not the vessel of the "New Eve" that brought him forth. St. Anne's appeal to God, and God's response, set the salvation of humanity forward through the story of St. Anne's daughter, born into the world and protected by the stain of Original Sin.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY ONE OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

The Novena this year begins with the purpose of "The Bible as STORY," providing a narrative that time and time again humanity did not abandon God, and God's response of not abandoning us. With that understanding, humanity learns that only God could maintain the covenant between God and man, which is why God became man to give humanity a chance to find salvation.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY TWO OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

The theme of the SECOND Day of this Novena concerns the subject of "Sibling Rivalry." Jewish Tradition (and the scriptures) assigns the headship of any given family to the first-born son of any given tribe. In the case of Ishmael-Isaac, Esau-Jacob, Joseph & David and their brothers and certainly our Lord (who was not a blood relative of his father), this rule is disregarded focusing on one of the most important themes of this topic - God's plan supersedes human law, as God's plan establishes the four patriarchs who who lead the Twelve Tribes in the Book of Genesis, in 1 & 2 Samuel and certainly the gospel narratives.

The theme of the THIRD Day of this Novena concerns the subject of THE EXODUS from Egypt. In the Old Testament, the Lord plays the role of parent both as one who loves and serves and one who disciplines as necessary. Whether it be the children of parents in the home or children of the heavenly father, formation of the child is so important so that the child may be formed properly, both for the sake of the community in which the child lives or the kingdom of heaven which each of us wishes to encounter on the other side of life. We begin to learn in this story how God formed the lives of those under God's care and the manner in which the Chosen People responded, both good and bad.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY THREE OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

On this day, Fr Pete's homily focuses on the difference between a SUZERAIN COVENANT (where God and Man make a type of agreement where God perpetually upholds the Divine Side of the Covenant but Man does not) and a PARITY COVENANT (made between two equal parties). Fr. Pete has found success in "PARITY" Covenants by helping so many in the community and helping the parishes in return. None of this is possible without the SUZERAIN COVENANT which requires the Spirit to work through Fr. Pete (and all whom he serves) to lead us and guide us towards correct action.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY FOUR OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

At that time the Israelites dispersed from there for their own tribes and clans; they set out from there each to his own heritage. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own sight" (Joshua 21: 24-25). These lines, cited numerously in this seventh book of the Old Testament, illlustrated the need for one "king" to unite the people of faith so that they would walk, pray and believe in the same direction. Fr. Pete's homily on this Fifth Day of the Novena makes it clear that we desperately need this king to unite us. As the stories of the Old Testament move forward, we realize that human kings become tempted too much to the power of the title and not the humility and love required to follow the way of God.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY FIVE OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

As has been the theme of this entire series of homilies, "Infidelity to the covenant, as given through Moses, will lead to disaster and destruction" (Fr. Lawrence Boadt). We have reach the part of the Old Testament where we encounter the rise and fall of kings, those who were faithful to the covenant (David & Solomon at the beginning of their reigns as well as Kings Asa, Hezekiah & Josiah) and those who were not (David & Solomon at the end of their reigns and all the rest of the kings). Because of their infidelity, the Chosen People lost what was promised to them with God & Abraham - that fidelity to God was attached to the possession of the Promised Land.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY SIX OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

At a time in his priesthood, Fr. Pete served for ten years as chaplain of Stateville Penitentiary in Crest Hill, IL where those who were convicted of some of the most heinous crimes of the state were being incarcerated. As Fr. Pete watched family members entering Stateville in order to visit their loved ones, he reflected on our need to show compassion to the sinner and our own need to repent for our sins in life in order to bring ourselves back to the graces of God. As we strive to enter the New Jerusalem in the 21st Century, so we reflect today on those who were unfaithful to the covenant in 6 BC and the fifty years of exile that resulted from this unfaithfulness.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY SEVEN OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

As we focus today's Mass on the return from Exile of the Jewish People, both the priest Ezra and the governor Nehemiah realize that in order to re-establish this relationship with God, the Chosen People needed to return to the basics of the faith, as do we. As a result, many scholars believe that Ezra assembled the Books of the Torah (Pentateuch) and Jewish History to lay out the establishment, growth and ultimate betrayal of the Chosen People with God, stating that for this relationship to be everlasting, faithfulness to the Covenant must be maintained.

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY EIGHT OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

DAY NINE OF ST. ANNE NOVENA!!!

As we reach the final day of the St. Anne Novena, Fr. Pete's homily focuses on the sentiment of Wisdom Literature and the gift of Wisdom (Sophia) illustrated in today's age through the bond of love between husband and wife on earth

CLICK HERE TO READ FR. PETE'S HOMILY

FOR THE FEAST DAY OF ST. ANNE!!!

Referencing a scene from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Fr. Pete's homily looks at the entirety of the Old Testament, asking the question, "Where is the tenderness? Where is the love?" The love is found in the story of Ruth, a simple woman who remained with her widowed mother-in-law to alleviate this woman's suffering. By traveling with the widowed Naomi, Ruth encounters a man named Boaz, who takes her as a wife out of her love for him. Boaz and Ruth bring into the world a son named Obed, who fathers a child named Jesse, who fathers a child named David, the man who united the kingdoms of Israel. Because of Ruth's love, this story is made possible. Because of Anne's love, we are gifted with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because of the BVM's love, we are gifted with Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the world.

ON-SITE 2024 MASSES FOR THE ST. ANNE FEAST DAY

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE 2024 ST. ANNE NOVENA AND FEAST DAY!!!

How blessed we were on a beautiful summer’s day to celebrate the 144th St. Anne Novena at the first shrine of the United States! Around six-hundred souls were in attendance throughout the day, receiving God’s blessings and sharing God’s love with families and friends on a day honoring family and those parents and grandparents who make such a difference in our lives.

For the first time in a while, we had to put out extra chairs for those in attendance at the 10:00 a.m. Mass with Bishop Christopher Glancy, CSV. A bunch of Viatorian Clerics were at the event, sharing a religious experience that has been passed down by those clerics before them who brought the relic of St. Anne to the United States through Quebec, Canada and the Basilica of Our Lady of Beaupre.

Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs

and wonders, you will not believe.” – Jn 4: 48

I want to thank each person who helped us with the St. Anne Novena Feast Day and Novena devotions from July 17-26. Obviously, what was offered may not be appreciated by so many people, but for those who attended the devotion, what you did means the world. For God who knows what is in your heart, your place will be inscribed in heaven. This is not my opinion – this comes from the bible (in rather harsh words, I might add) … “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” – James 2: 14, 26

The problem in our society is that many often lack faith, which our scriptures tell us is the precondition for miracles to happen. Over the last hundred or so years, we have seen how the faith life of our secular community has decreased; we have seen how violence and anger and division has resulted because of this lack of faith. Scriptures tell us that “many are called, few are chosen” (Mt 22: 14). For those who invest in the faith, for those who reveal that faith by doing God’s work at our local parish, you show God that you are serious about your faith… and God knows what you and I have done (good or bad). This is all that matters. For that, I thank all of you who helped us with the Novena. We have seen the good that this devotion has provided for the people of faith, whether it be five or five hundred (in our case this year, almost SIX HUNDRED!)..

The Most Rev. Christopher Glancy, CSV is the highest ranking Cleric of St. Viator living in the United States. We were blessed that Bishop Glancy was able to join us for this celebration and provide the Lord’s grace for our people of faith for the almost four hundred souls that attended our 10:00 a.m. Mass in English.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HOMILY

Rev. Moises Mesh has been serving the Hispanic Community at the Border Town Parishes since 2019 and has become a tremendous resource of faith for those who attend the Masses at which he presides. Much thanks to Deacon Arnulfo Cisneros for assisting us at Mass and processing with the relic for our faithful.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HOMILY

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

HIGH MASS IN LATIN VIDEO

With the assistance of the Traditional Mass Choir from Joliet, IL, Fr. Pete Jankowski sings the almost two hour Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anne’s Church on her feast day! Thanks to the Sisters of the Annunciation Monastery (and Russell Parent, their maintenance resident) for helping Fr. Pete learn how to celebrate the Latin Mass.

Included in this homily are the highlights from the entire day's activities and events.

Fr. Pete scrapped the homily he was going to preach (which you can watch at his Online Mass which was recorded in advance for the Feast Day) in favor of an e-mail he received the day before from Olivia Connell, whose mother Monica had to suffer over a decision about her soon-to-be born infant and Monica's deep respect for life. The homily reflects on the sacredness of children and Monica's "choice" in this world.

Included in this homily are highlights from the St. Anne's Day Festivities held on-site at the National Shrine.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HOMILY

CLICK HERE TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW

Dear Friends of the St. Anne Novena:

The Podcast of My Conversation with Paul Garcia (pictured above) is now available to hear on Catholic Spirit Radio. Here is the description that the station included on their site...

https://catholicspiritradio.podbean.com/.../st-anne.../

Welcome to Catholic Conversations on Catholic Spirit Radio! I'm your host, Paul Garcia. Today, we're honored to have Father Pete Jankowski from St. Anne's Catholic Church in St. Anne, Illinois, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Momence, Illinois. Father Pete is also a theology teacher at St. Francis University in Illinois. Join us as Father Pete shares exciting updates about the upcoming 138th annual St. Anne Novena and its rich history.

The St. Anne Novena is a nine-day period of prayer leading up to the Feast of St. Anne on July 26th. This tradition, which began in the 1850s, includes venerating a relic of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Father Pete recounts the history of the relic and its journey from France to St. Anne, Illinois, and shares miraculous stories of healing associated with it.

Father Pete emphasizes the significance of faith, prayer, and community in experiencing God's grace. He invites everyone to participate in the Novena Masses from July 17th to 25th and the special events on July 26th, including Masses in English, Latin, and Spanish, processions, and activities for all ages.

Tune in to hear inspiring stories and learn more about the spiritual and historical importance of the St. Anne Novena. Discover how this event brings people together in faith and devotion, offering a unique opportunity to encounter God's love and grace.

In addition, our friends from Bethlehem Gifts will be present to sell their olive wood products from the Holy Land on July 26 as well. As you know, things are mot going well in Israel right now. Those Christians who still live in the Holy Land (who represent about 1% of the country's total population) are not supported well because of the ongoing war. Tony Lama from Bethlehem was nice enough to send about two-hundred rosaries for us to distribute on July 26 so we can pray for peace together. All proceeds from these sales will benefit the Christians living in Israel.

We continue to receive phone calls from parishes that have not attended our Novenas previously. One of the effects of parishes being closed throughout the area is that good souls who attached to this devotion have sought us out and have inquired about bringing their busloads of faithful to our little slice of heaven!

Ann Weber from the radio station has offered great advice to upgrade our website and our Online Masses as well. I also wish to thank Deacon Pat Skelly (with keyboardist Kavin Sampson), Joliet resident Melissa Sigler (accompanied by Ray Kaufman, who is now at a care center from a horrible fall earlier this month) and the St. Anne Choir (and Cheryl King) for providing renditions of the Hymn to St. Anne that we have included in these videos.

Nine ladies from the area were kind enough to proclaim the readings for the Online Masses, including Cheryl Mancuso, Linda "Cookie" Schroeder, Chris Sutherland, Eileen Pionke (whose reading provided the inspiration for these Masses), June Downey, Susan Surprenant, Bailey Boicken, Leslie Meyer and Madison "Maddie" Meyer.

I also wish to thank the donors who provided the funding to upgrade our air conditioning in the church (during one of the Masses I recorded, I found out the AC system had died; plumber John Cousin found out that two of the three units have been dead for a while and the third unit shut down - I guess the wiring was really bad!!!). After I mentioned the cost of those repairs (as well as the sewer problem on campus), Good Samaritans came forward to cover the cost for the new ACs and the sewer system. THANK YOU!!!

Below are the ten Masses that you can view Online. In addition to these Masses, we will hold on-site Masses each night of the Novena at 7:00 p.m. (July 17-25, excluding Sunday). More on all of that with next month's update...

On this feast day of the Patroness of this community whose name is attached to the city, Fr. Pete offers a homily on the tradition that presents us with the St. Anne story and the thesis that without the mother, there can be no son (or daughter). So many mothers serve as the "moral compasses" in our society. During this Mass, we honor Good Ste. Anne, the Blessed Mother and all the mothers of our Catholic tradition who have made the necessary sacrifices for the betterment of their families.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF

THE ONLINE HOMILY FOR ST. ANNE'S DAY

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF

IN-CHURCH HOMILY FOR ST. ANNE'S DAY

This year's 2024 Novena and Feast Day will focus on TEN FAMILIES who often are not remembered in the faith but make a significant difference in their experience of faith, an experience that we should not take for granted.

Today's Mass focuses on the saints Priscilla & Aquila, a married, tent-making couple that welcomed St. Paul into their home and helped St. Paul in his ministry. St. Priscilla may very well have been the first woman evangelist after the Lord's death and resurrection; according to tradition, both Priscilla and Aquila died a martyr's death.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Today's Mass focuses on Ss. Zechariah and Elizabeth, who briefly are mentioned in the first chapter of Luke's gospel and "recede" (as does their son, St. John the Baptist) as a precursor to the coming of the incarnate Son of God.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Although we focus on the story of the Jesus' parents and the Lord's Nativity every Advent and Christmas Season, our focus on the Lord's father on earth has not received the kind of attention that his wife has received. That said, within the last two hundred years, the life of St. Joseph has inspired bishops and popes alike to amend that error and give honor to the unheralded parents that often reflect the love we need to show our parents and grandparents today. Fr. Pete's homily on this third novena day highlights the importance of what BOTH of Jesus' parents have given to us in the world of faith.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Considering this Novena takes place in a rural area that Pope Francis may very well call the "peripheries" of the Joliet Diocese, Fr. Pete talks about the role that St. Isidore the Farmer and his wife Maria played in serving the needs of the farming community in Madrid, Spain during the 11th Century and the importance of carrying that same type of blessing to our farmers one thousand years later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Focusing on the life of St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), Fr. Pete’s homily today focuses on the child-like innocence that must serve as a person’s disposition to encounter the Lord. Fr. Pete reflects on the children of the world who live in this innocence and the adults in the world that sometimes forget to see this gift which is the main way to open the doors to heaven. Fr. Pete concludes his homily with reading St. Bernadette’s “testament of faith,” one that exposes both Bernadette’s suffering and her endearing holiness.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Today's Mass focuses on the only couple in the Catholic Church who were canonized together as husband in wife, Ss. Louis & Zeile Martin. Fr. Pete talks about the importance in this Mass about God and family, an institution called "the domestic Church," one that should be embraced, not vilified, especially in regard to the stay-at-home parent.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Prior to every Mass, many faithful from our Border Town Parishes pray the Holy Rosary on behalf of the sick, the dead and those who have asked for special prayers. In his homily, Fr. Pete speaks about the special prayer recited at the end of each decade of the rosary, the "Fatima Prayer" for those most in need of God's mercy... which is us!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

God appears to communicate most directly with the children of the world, as the childlike possess a type of innocence often lost when a person grows older. Fr. Pete references all the children who have experienced the apparitions (including St. Bernadette, the three children of Fatima as well as the six children who are the subject of the homily at this Mass. Fr. Pete also references Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be patron saint of the internet who died at the age of fifteen in 2007, the first millennial saint of the Church.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

This last day of the Novena focuses on an apostle and his mother, two individuals with their shortcomings, as we all have. Finding that strength given to them by the Holy Spriit as the Lord's resurrection, what St. James offered the people of Spain, Medjugorje and the faithful of today's age is a sign of strength that all of us need to persevere and recognize our true purpose in life - it is all about God, loving our God and loving our neighbor in God's name.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

As we work in earnest in preparing for celebrate our Novena Masses (July 17-25) and the our 144th Anniversary of our Feast Day Masses on July 26, we are honored this year that the Most Rev. Chrisopher Glancy, CSV will be celebrating and preaching at our Outdoor English Mass on St. Anne’s Day at 10:00 a.m. A Viatorian bishop now living in the United States, the last time Bishop Glancy joined us for this Novena was to honor Fr. James Fanale during his 50th Anniversary as a priest in 2019; five years later, Bishop Glancy once again joins us to celebrate and preach at our yearly celebration. The Clerics of St. Viator were responsible for bringing this relic to St. Anne’s way back in 1850; this year, the bishop will join us as their highest-ranking Viatorian cleric in the US, celebrati

With the permission of the office of the bishop from the Joliet Diocese (Most Rev. Ronald Hicks), I, Fr. Pete Jankowski will be celebrating the 12:00 Noon Indoor St. Anne’s Day Mass in Latin, in the Extraordinary Form. Over the last few years, a hundred or so of our faithful have joined us at this Mass, where I will anoint the faithful after the Mass, followed by the procession and veneration of the relic as well. To encounter the faithful dressed in formal wear on a hot, summer’s day is reminiscent of one of the oldest pictures we have of the event from a hundred years ago.

Finally, we are also pleased to announce that another Viatorian Cleric name Fr. Moises Mesh, CSV will be the main celebrant for the 2:00 p.m. Indoor Mass in Spanish on St. Anne’s Day as well. Raised in Belieze (the same country where Bishop Glancy served as bishop), Fr. Moises has volunteered his time the last few years in celebrating this Mass, with the assistance of Deacon Arnulfo Cisneros from Immaculate Conception Church in Morris, IL.

10:00 A.M. OUTDOOR MASS IN ENGLISH (WEATHER PERMITTING)

12:00 NOON INDOOR MASS IN SPANISH (Extraordinary Form)

2:00 P.M. Indoor MASS IN SPANISH

In addition to our three Masses in English, Latin and Spanish, we once again offer The Anointing of the Sick for those in attendance and the Yearly Procession of the Relic as well with our restored reliquary (more on that below). We also continue to offer food trucks, religious articles and flowers for sale, activities for the kids and all kinds of other blessings.

Periodically, I would enter St. Anne’s Church and see this priest kneeling at the St. Anne Chapel. Often, I would encounter him praying to God, and every so often I would say hello to him and make sure he was doing okay. I would ask him, “Is there anything you need?”, finding out that he just wanted to be alone, to be with God and to ask for the intervention of Good St. Anne. This priest came to venerate that relic and ask God for guidance and healing.

A short while back, this same priest had written to me, sharing that some years ago, he suffered a concussion, which made his life very difficult. The bishop in his diocese allowed him to move to a smaller church, and he had a strong and very difficult recovery process to overcome this concussion.

As he wrote to me, this priest came here to St. Anne’s, travelling all the way up north from the southern end of the state because he had a devotion to this particular saint. He knew about the annual St. Anne’s Day and Novena that our community celebrated. He knew about the procession of the relic and everything else the community offered on behalf of this good saint.

As a result, this priest decided that he would travel to the Border Town periodically and pray in the chapel, just to be alone with God. That is the beauty of having our little churches out in the country. Here at St. Pat’s and St. Anne’s, we can offer a wonderful opportunity for the faithful to pray in silence, in peace, and in that silence, God responds.

Sometime later, this priest sent me the attached letter that I wanted to share with you because it was really beautiful what he had written…

Dear Fr. Jankowski,

Enclosed find a check for $3,750 for St. Anne’s Church for the restoration of the reliquary in thanksgiving for answered prayers. I added a little extra beyond the invoice in case there is a diocesan “tax” to be paid (ha ha). It is a little bit, if not, it is a little bit extra money for the parish. If I never told you, St. Anne lifted me a lot. about three to four years ago, during a difficult recovery from a concussion. I made several novenas to her and each time I received some notable advance in my recovery. May God bless you and your people.

I love that letter because when people say that prayers do not work, I turn to letters like these. For this reason, we adorn the back of the church with the wheelchair and the crutches, most notably from the recovery of Matilda Cunnea (d. 1955) and those others who have been healed by that relic. For people who have faith, the impossible becomes possible.

The relic means everything to the people who understand. Even though the numbers have declined from our yearly St. Anne’s Day celebrations, for those who truly believe and have faith in God, all things are possible. If it is God’s will that healings take place to enlighten our community, then so be it (even though we are very aware that the healing is temporary but life on the other side of death is everlasting for those who follow God).



Currently, I am recording the Online Masses which you will be able to view at www.stannestanne.org. (we have included all the previously recorded Masses on this Novena Site as well) We have started to upload as many pictures of the Novena that we have on the website SmugMug.com, which you can access on the Novena website. If you have any stories or pictures of the Novena that you would like to share, we would be honored if you send them to us via e-mail or other means so that we can post them on the website (please note that since we built this website from scratch in January, it still is in its early stages – thanks for your patience in helping this website blossom!

As we have done in previous years, we will offer evening in-person Masses during the Novena at 7:00 p.m. (excluding Sundays). On Friday – July 26, we will offer the following liturgies on-site, followed by the traditional procession of the St. Anne Relic after the Masses…

Finally, we still offer $2,500 pew donations on behalf of your loved ones as well as freewill offerings. Any donations you can offer for the parish’s health and growth would be appreciated. Over the last year alone, we have upgraded our lighting, our sidewalks, our church interior and this year we work on the side ramp and rails for those with special needs. Please pray for us - we very much pray for you – St. Anne, pray for all of us!!!

“Que Dieu vous bénisse”

Rev. Peter G. Jankowski

Please Note: We are updating our Novena mailing list – please contact us with any changes to your mailing address. We also would like your email address as well.

From July 2022...

Dear Father Jankowski:

I want to thank you for putting the Novena Masses online. I did make the Novena. The final mass and your reading the prayer in Italian was just beautiful.. Your Grandmother, mother, and father are looking down from heaven and are very proud of you

I just wanted to let you know that i will definitely cover the entire cost of the new roof. I will be sending you a check in the amount of $30,000 made out to St, Patrick Church.

May Almighty God Bless you and yours always.

The response we have received from the Online and On-Site Masses for the St. Anne Novena and Feast Day have been so overwhelmingly AWESOME that I do not know what to say to all of you! The Poor Clare Sisters made over one hundred rosaries for this special day – all of them were gone by the end of the Latin Mass at noon. We were anointing so many folks that I think some of them went TWICE – and you know who you are that did!!! From the children’s activities to the Olivewood Gifts and Flowers and Religious Items for sale, for the two food trucks that fed a few hundred souls on July 26 – so many good folks did so many good things that I would find it difficult to have any one person stand out – this was a community effort by a good number of members of this “Body of Christ” who let the Spirit guide us in such a beautiful way!

Yes, many individuals told me of how the Novena positively affected them, as far away as Wichita, KS and beyond. One good soul (not even from St. Patrick’s!) donated $30,000 to pay off our roof project in thanksgiving for the grace of God in our community. The Viatorians that were present, our Hispanic Choir from Camino y Esperanza and four members of the Latin Mass choir from St. Joseph’s Church in Rockdale joined musician Kavin Sampson in providing a wonderful setting for all three Masses we celebrated.

We are looking to enhance our St. Anne Novena Page with any pictures, articles or anything else concerning our parish's activities! If you would be so kind as to direct these digital files to pjankowski@yahoo.com, we will include them on our Novena Page for others in the area to enjoy and on which to reflect. You can also mail your pictures and articles to address provided below.

So much good has taken place in the 150+ year history of this Novena in St. Anne, IL. Help us promote this cause with the faithful of our area!!!

1960s St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1970s St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1989 St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1998-2004 St. Anne’s

Church Photo Directory

2023 St. Anne's Church Photo Directory

For weddings and such, Fr. Pete offers a special blessing on the first Sunday weekend of each month and is willing to purchase an Apostolic Blessing for anyone who asks (and if he can afford it... since he pays out of pocket!!!).

If you are interested in receiving an Apostolic Blessing, you can do so by clicking the link below or by calling the parish offices.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR

OWN APOSTOLIC BLESSING!!!

Help support our parishes buy purchasing copies of Fr. Pete’s Homiletic Books! You can purchase them at the parishes or online at Amazon.com!

Cycle A Homilies - Cycle B Homilies

Cycle C Homilies

St. Anne's

Blessed Water / Oil $2 a Bottle

St. Anne's Mugs

$10 Each or Three for $20

Greeting Cards of These Images are Now Available for Purchase $25 for Books of Twenty...