September 26, 2021: The Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

PARISH NEWSLETTER

The Church of St. Mary :: 201 E. Illinois Lake Forest, IL 60045

Parish Office Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm Monday - Friday

Phone: (847) 234.0205 :: Email: receptionist@churchofstmary.org

www.churchofstmary.org :: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofStMaryLF/

This Tuesday, September 28, men of St. Mary’s will be gathering in the Parish Center for the first session of That Man is You ministry being offered this fall at the Church of St. Mary. The program includes opportunities for men to come together for fellowship, to be with one another, to be enriched with a video presentation, to have time to pray and reflect on the theme and message of the presentation, and to conclude with a prayer and a blessing. That Man is You will be offered Tuesday evenings at St. Mary.

Men of the parish, spouses, sons, sons-in-law, friends, neighbors, and co-workers are all invited. The gatherings on Tuesday evenings will begin at 7:00pm and conclude promptly at 8:30pm. Men are invited to come and see how That Man is You can deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus. There is no fee to attend, you are invited to and welcome to bring a friend with you to the opening session on Tuesday, September 28 and following sessions in subsequent weeks. Please watch the parish website and email blasts for information and details regarding That Man is You ministry.

This coming week, those who use the internet and computer will notice that the Church of St. Mary website has been updated. We have been working for many months on this project. I am excited about the new presentation of the parish via the St. Mary’s website. Melissa Haak, the School and Parish Director of Marketing and Development has shared her talent in the presentation and layout of the website. We are hoping that you and all who find St. Mary’s via the internet will be able to navigate this site with greater ease and find all of the pertinent information you are looking for regarding all things St. Mary’s.

The month of October each year is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. This is primarily due to the fact that the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated annually on October 7. The rosary is a beautiful prayer that helps us meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary’s faithful role and presence to her Son Jesus throughout his life, death, and resurrection.

On Mondays through Saturdays, the rosary is recited at St. Mary’s following the 7:30am morning Mass. Some people spend time with “Mary in the Garden” on the east side of our church. Families pray the rosary in their homes. People pray the rosary while they are driving to and from one appointment or another. Last month I was able to join women of St. Elizabeth Circle in praying the rosary on a member’s deck overlooking a beautiful ravine in her backyard. The rosary is prayed every Wednesday evening during adoration at 6:30pm.

During the month of October, the Parish Staff and Parish Council are encouraging parishioners to reach out and pray the rosary with someone. You may reach out to a neighbor or friend that you haven’t seen as regularly as you would want during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe you will Zoom or Facetime with someone across the country or world to pray together. If someone reaches out to you, or if you reach out to someone else, you are invited to share a picture, a photo, some image of your time together in prayer. Please send those images to Melissa Haak at mhaak@schoolofstmary.org who will help put together a digital compilation of St. Mary’s reaching out to others and praying the rosary together. You need not wait until October, you can begin as soon as you would like, perhaps in the coming days, joining those at adoration on Wednesday, September 29 – or any other Wednesday in the month of October. The Guild of St. Mary will be hosting a rosary weekly during the month of October. (Please check the schedule for the Guild Rosary included later in this newsletter.) In addition to these public gatherings, you are invited and encouraged to reach out to a friend and pray the rosary together honoring our Blessed Mother.

We celebrate the 26th week in ordinary time this weekend. The Scriptures invite us and teach as followers of Jesus to be active in caring for others. We are part of such a large community of friends of Jesus that practice their faith, caring for their neighbor. We are not perfect; we all struggle with distraction, temptations, and sin in our lives. With the help of the grace of God, “may we sin less and love more,” as we grow and share our faith.

May God bless us with peace these remaining days of September.

That Man is You! is an interactive men’s program that combines the latest findings of modern science with the teachings of the Church and the wisdom of the saints to develop authentic male leaders capable of transforming themselves, their families and greater society.

Join us for food, fellowship and faith. Our first meeting is on Tuesday, September 28 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in the Parish Center Conference Room. Registration will take place at our first meeting.

If you have any questions, please email Deacon Bob Thomas at bthomas@churchofstmary.org.

All men are welcome!

Learn more at tmiy.org

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

HOLY COMMUNION TO THOSE IN CARS

In the months ahead, we will be offering you the opportunity to come and receive the gift of the Eucharist in Holy Communion from your cars. This will take place on the last Sunday of each month, our next opportunity will be this Sunday, September 26. All are welcome. This opportunity is especially for those who are not able to worship in person at St. Mary’s.

Please follow the directions below:

Starting at 1:00pm, after the congregation leaves the Noon Mass, cars may line up entering from the east Oakwood entrance.
Driving through the parking lot, proceed under the school breezeway and drive behind the church, stopping by the south church/elevator entrance where the priest will be.
Please stay in your car, with a mask fully covering your nose and mouth, waiting in prayer to receive the Eucharist.
The priest will process from car to car, offering the Eucharist.
After you receive the Eucharist you can pull over, parking your car in the parking lot, offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist.

CHURCH SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE: Saturday, September 25 - Sunday, October 3, 2021

Saturday, September 25, 2021:

+ 7:30am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS

+ 8:00am: Reconciliation in Church

+ 5:00pm: Livestream Sunday Mass & PUBLIC MASS

Sunday, September 26, 2021:

+ 8:00am: PUBLIC MASS

+ 10:00am: Livestream & PUBLIC MASS

+ 12:00pm: PUBLIC MASS

+1:00pm: Communion to those in cars

Monday, September 27, 2021: