Faithful can subscribe to the notes by contacting the parish office and providing their e-mail address. Thanks for your support of our border town parishes!!! | |
Please remember - Fr. Pete does not send out text messages, e-mails 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.
THE TERM FOR THIS SCAM IS "PHISHING,"
IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH
| | Please support our parishes by clicking the ONLINE GIVING picture - these are your local homes where God is present! Let's share this grace with those of the next generation! | | PLEASE REMEMBER... In order to keep our parishes open and serving the needy, we need to average $3,000 a week at St. Patrick's and $2,000 a week at St. Anne's. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. | | |
News & Notes with Fr. Pete Jankowski
Grilled Churros?
| | | | Feel free to contact Fr. Pete at email pjankowski@yahoo.com. If you have an emergency, please contact Fr. Pete at (815) 685-1359 | | |
As we now go “full throttle” on the St. Anne Novena and Feast Day, I would like to thank Kyle Volek for helping us “test out” the steamers and grill we have purchased for use during St. Anne’s Day by trying them out at our Hot Dog Extravaganza we hosted after the 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon Masses at St. Patrick’s on July 12. Thanks to Kyle for donating the corn and doing all the cooking with his staff at our hot dog giveaway (and thanks to Joe Bravo and the Andrade Family for helping out as well), thanks to Nick Skokna for donating the water, chips and churros (I'm still reeling over "grilled" churros!!!) and everyone who came to join in the fun. Kyle never thought we would go through three hundred hot dogs at two Masses... but that we did!
(BTW, it’s amazing that NO CHILDREN AT OUR 10:30 MASS LIKE FRITOS!!! I couldn’t give them away until our seniors finally took hold of them!)
I was reminded this weekend how Rick and Tammy Blanchette used to serve at the Novena Celebrations as they cooked burgers and dogs on St. Anne’s Day for years. As St. Anne parishioner Chris Sutherland shared with me…
I texted with (wife) Tammy Blanchette two days ago. She’s the wife of Rick Blanchette, the accountant, whose office was on Rte 1. He just retired after this past tax season. And this spring he became very ill, been in and out of hospital off and on for the last few months. He wound up in Gilman nursing home for rehab, but then took a turn for the worse, back in hospital for a full month. Then back to nursing home. They recently had a small house built on their son’s property in Kentucky to enjoy retirement near kids and grandkids. This week she moved him to a nursing home in Kentucky to make it easier for all.
Rick was a regular at Sunday Mass, sitting toward the back. He served many years with the Knights of Columbus group at St. Anne’s. He ran the hamburger stand on St Anne’s day for many, many years donating all the burgers. He is a brother to Adela’s husband, Duane Blanchette. Tammy’s text said he is still very ill and confused. The doctors have been puzzled. He could definitely use prayers.
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The Youngest and the Oldest!
Our Nonagenarian (Ruth Sparenberg) welcome Adelaide Anderson (with parents Sophia & Whittaker) to St. Anne's Church!
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As Chris shared this note with me, I also received on Sunday a photo from St. Anne Parishioner Ashley Childress, celebrating how the OLDEST and YOUNGEST parishioners at St. Anne’s came together for a photo at Sunday Mass – we celebrate the baptism of Adelaide Anderson on August 23, 2026 (for those who might ask, there actually is a St. Adelaide in the history of the church, whose information who can check out if you CLICK HERE!!!).
When Kyle and I discussed what we could do with Food Options on St. Anne’s Feast Day, besides his wonderful donation of food, we encountered a Food Truck that another family of our parish owned (God love the Andrade Family!), who have been parking a food truck at St. Patrick’s on Fridays, 20% of the proceeds going back to the parish. The food truck will be with us on July 25-26 for the St. Anne’s Day Celebrations.
I also wish to thank parishioners from the Andrade Family who works for the Taqueria el Country Mexican Restaurant in Kankakee. The family will have the food truck on July 25-26 at our St. Anne Novena as well as our Border Town Picnic on September 13. The Taqueria el Country Mexican Restaurant will be donating 20% of their proceeds to St. Patrick’s (and 20% of their proceeds from the St. Anne’s Celebrations on July 25-26 to St. Anne’s), so feel free to stop by for dinner! In addition to Mexican food, the Andrade Family will be serving shaved ice and, on Sunday afternoon, we will get a visit Nieves Artesanales el Colibri and their Artisan Ice Cream Truck as well!
Kyle was nice enough to donate pulled pork sandwiches for the St. Anne’s Day Festivities on July 25-26 (he suggested $8 for a pulled pork sandwich, pickle spear and chips). We also purchased a couple steamers for St. Anne’s Day so we could steam hot dogs and corn (thanks Ted Peterson and Van Drunen Farms for providing the corn that day.
The Caro Family also donated the use of their horses
for a special “Cabalgada” on St. Anne’s Day, which will lead us in the procession of the relic after the 9:00 a.m. Mass in English with Fr. Jim Heyd and at 11:00 a.m. prior to the noon Mass in Spanish with Fr. Sebastián Genoni, MIC.
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As we said goodbye to Fr. Uriel Martinez last week, we get ready to welcome Fr. Sebastian Genoni on July 15, who will lead a parallel Novena in Spanish at St. Patrick’s Church while I lead the Novena in English over at St. Anne’s. I also thank Fr. Jim Heyd, who will be bringing the Creole Community from Chicago (as well as the Vietnamese Community). Fr. Jim is serving the role of Fr. Achilles Bergeron from a hundred years ago, who brought the faithful from the Chicagoland area to St. Anne’s, including the family of Matilda Cunnea and the miracle of 1904.
I wish to thank Ed Steppan for selling religious articles on July 25-26. Fr. Jim Heyd delivered a SLEW of religious articles from the Vietnamese Community last fall that Ed will be selling. I also wish to thank the Hispanic Community for providing a horse-drawn procession, both for the Cabalgada after the 9:00 Mass on July 26 and the four-mile Cabalgada at 11:00 a.m., leading the faithful from the Camino y Esperanza Retreat House back to St. Anne’s Church for the 12:00 noon Mass with Fr. Sebastian!
We are now taking reservations for our Vacation Bible School week of fun at St. Patrick’s from July 20-24. We also have Birthday Baseball with Me on August 13! Lots of activities in which we can build fellowship in the Church!
For these reasons and so much more, I am blessed to serve all of you at the parishes with which the bishop’s office has gifted me. God bless all of you!
– Fr. Pete
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Speaking of the Volek Family, Kyle’s wife Bobbi Volek, along with Momence High School agriculture teacher Madison Meyer, are leading an Inaugural Vacation Bible School at St. Patrick’s the Week of July 20-24. We are picking up decorations from another parish that led the same bible school in June; this parish was kind enough to “rent” all the supplies to us for our event! If you have children from kindergarten to fourth grade, if you have kids that wish to serve as group leaders or even if you wish to help, contact the parish office.
To Register for St. Patrick’s 2026 Vacation Bible School, CLICK HERE!
Below are Some of the VBS Decorations that we are "Renting" fof the Kids of Our Parishes!!!
| | We received sad news from St. Anne’s Parishioner Peg Gladu that the current group of St. Anne Parishioners who led the parish Rummage Sale each October, the St. Anne Sodality no longer will host the Rummage Sale. Over at St. Patrick’s, long-time parishioner Ardis Wardynski was able to find Leigh Ann Sokoloff to “pass on the baton.” Last year, Leigh Ann took over the Parish Rummage Sale and will do the same this year – more on that will be advertised in August. | | The Third Annual Birthday Baseball with Fr. Pete event takes place on August 13 as we make our yearly pilgrimage to watch the Joliet Slammers in action! Our local Knights of Columbus Organization is providing for us a bus to take us to this event. The cost is $10 a person – altar servers go free and we only have fifty tickets so please sign up NOW!!! | | |
Finally, Van Drunen Farms was kind enough to allow us to “borrow” their $2,500 100-Foot Rental Tent for our Border Town Parish Picnic on September 13, starting with a bilingual outdoor Mass at 10:30 a.m. (weather permitting). We have secured the talents of the Joliet Polka-Massters and the Fender Benders with music for the day as well.
Lots of Activities take place this summer – join in the Faith, Fellowship & Fun!!!
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Meanwhile, over at St. Anne’s, a couple wonderful souls saw what we had being doing at Pat’s and inquired about getting a St. Anne's Parking Lot Project similar to St. Pat's. As a response, we asked Scott Crawford to visit St. Anne’s and provide us two bids for the parking lot – it will cost us around $24,000 to upgrade the lot in front of the church and the small section of the parking lot adjacent to the senior care center; the price rises to $59,000 if we address the entire lot at St. Anne’s by the Senior Center.
Towards that end, we inserted an envelope in our St. Anne Novena mailing which will be sent out next week. Jackie Bruhn will talk about the parking lot during the May 31 Mass at the parish as well. The “pipe dream” is that we can get these donations to pave the lots by the St. Anne Feast Day on July 26!
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As we have had to navigate a few major storms this Spring, a couple parishioners suggested that we check the roofs of our buildings to see if the storms had caused any damage to what we have. I thank Mr. Rafael Hernandez for coming down to St. Patrick’s and St. Anne’s to clean out our gutters, install “leaf guards” on our gutters and to trim a few trees that were hanging over our buildings.
In the course of these inspections, we came to find out that at St. Anne’s, a corner of our building has endured a bit of damage from what I have been told resulted from “leaky drains” that got under the outside bricks of the church over the last decade or so and is in desperate need of repair. So far, the estimates coming in for the damage are just under $10,000; this work needs to be done to preserve our church. If anyone can help us offset the cost of the repairs, please contact the parish office.
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Earlier this month, we encountered pretty bad damage in our kitchen at St. Patrick’s Rectory. I guess a “P-Drain” in one of the upstairs bathrooms had corroded after years of use, causing sewage to drip into our kitchen ceiling. John Cousin and the nice folks at Cousins Plumbing repaired and replaced the P-Drain at minimal cost. Then, Robert Piquet and his son from Vista Painting came to repair the ceiling. Just FYI, Vista Painting repaired TWO of the inside church stucco walls for the price of only materials, painted accent walls in both rectories, painted the St. Anne House Chapel and so much more! Robert was so kind as to offer his services that I felt it right to include his contact information for anyone is the area would might want to utilize his painting services.
To contact Vista Painting, e-mail rob.vistapainting@gmail.com or call them at phone (815) 272-3455.
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Because of THREE SNOWSTORMS which swept through our area this winter, this has wreaked havoc on our finances, since we did not make up the finances in our collections needed to keep up afloat. Thanks to a couple of my "friends from the outside" who donated $3,000 total to help St. Anne's Church.
Please remember… the budgets that our Finance Committees established last June only work if St. Anne’s collects $2,000 a week in her collection and $3,000 a week at St. Patrick’s. We have been blessed that a couple major donors have assisted us in keeping the ships afloat but, if you can, please remember that the “Online Giving” Portal is always open Online and we continue to encourage you to remember St. Anne’s & St. Pat’s in your Will and Estate Planning. With a new bishop coming into the area later this year, a new bishop brings new and different ideas – let’s not let the bishop think about St. Patrick’s or St. Anne’s for a long time!
If any of our farmers might consider donating something “when the time comes” as part of an estate gift, if someone who attends our St. Anne Novena helps us maintain that Novena through a foundation gift, we would be well-served to allow the Lord to work through our communities to offer the same grace as has been offered since the 1850s.
| | Finally, I am recording the last of the SEVENTEEN ONLINE MASSES I celebrated for the Online Parishioners around the world. As you know, we have received cards and messages from around the world concerning these Masses (including a visit from our friends in Whittlesea, Australia!) and we want to do what we can do for those who cannot join us for the July 17-26 celebrations. I just spoke to Fr. Sebastian Genoni from Buenos Aires, Argentina; he will be celebrating a “parallel” Novena in Spanish for our community, culminating with our Final Mass in Spanish at St. Anne’s on July 26. | | |
MASS FOR THE 16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (AND THE THIRD DAY OF THE ST. ANNE NOVENA) AT THE BORDER TOWN PARISHES
(JULY 19, 2026)
The THIRD Day of this Novena focuses on the Second "Sign" in the Gospel of John, namely the Healing of the Royal Official's Son. Notice that faith often reveals itself from those "outside" a cultural group or comfort zone - we can learn so much from so many people if we extend ourselves out to welcome those on the outside, as Jesus did with the Royal Official. Videos from "Catholics Come Home" and "Protestant Hospitality" (from a religious group that highlights one area of the Catholic Faith that we must address to allow the Church to grow - HOSPITALITY,
| | HOMILY IN SPANISH AT ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH (JULY 12, 2026) | |
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The St. Anne’s Day Novena and Feast Day run from July 17-26 this year. We will discuss the Novena at Next Weekend’s Masses.
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Proximo Travel asked Fr. Pete to advertise a Pilgrimage to Mexico City and Guadalupe from November 14-20; this is in preparation to welcoming Fr. Diego Maximino to the parishes for a Guadalupe Mission from December 9-12. More information will be in next weekend’s bulletin.
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St. Pat’s is hosting its inaugural Vacation Bible School from July 20-24. Information and sign-up sheets can be found in the bulletin and online. Thanks to Madison Meyer and Abigail Volek for coordinating the week; we are picking up the decorations and supplies on Sunday afternoon and could use help getting the decorations in the St. Pat’s Gymnasium.
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Birthday Baseball with Fr. Pete takes place on Thursday, August 13. The cost is $10 per ticket – servers go free and the Knights of Columbus have chartered a complimentary bus ride for the event. The bus leaves St. Patrick’s at 4:30 p.m. for a 6:00 Joliet Slammers Game in the city. Contact the office to sign up!
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This Year’s Border Town Picnic takes place on Sunday – September 13 starting with a 10:30 a.m. bilingual outdoor Mass at St. Patrick’s. The Polka Mass-ters and the Fender Benders will provide music for the event. As the St. Anne’s Rummage Sale will no longer take place (the servers are getting on in years), Leigh Ann Sokoloff will coordinate the Rummage Sale at St. Patrick’s. More information to come in August.
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If you could help us sell our 50/50 Progressive Raffle Tickets (whose first prize will be drawn at the Parish Picnic on September 13th), there are tickets in the entry ways of the church and in the parish office - $10 a ticket or 6 for $50. The Grand Prize at this moment is at $1,356… far beyond last year’s total!
- Jackie Bruhn from St. Anne’s inquired about upgrading our parking lot at St. Anne’s (which, I guess, used to be paved but weeds and such took control of the pavement). We have set a goal of $60,000 to pave one small area of the pavement. Jackie asked that we place envelopes in the St. Anne Novena mailing that will go out shortly and she will discuss the project at the May 30-31 Masses.
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ST. PATRICK'S / ST. ANNE'S
PHOTO DIRECTORIES
| | Thanks to Ruth Sparenberg, Anne Andrade & Joanne Hermann for assembling, scanning and editing the follow Photo Directories from the Church History of St. Patrick's and St. Anne's Churches! | | | THE COMPLETED CEMETERY PROJECTS FOR BOTH ST. ANNE'S AND ST. PATRICK'S CEMETERIES | | | | The Holy Father provides a wonderful opportunity to receive an Apostolic Blessing for Birthdays, Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Weddings, Religious Professions, Ordinations and Anniversaries of these sacraments. | | |
- The production of Papal Blessings has been suspended for the time being due to the installation of the new pope. Now that the Website is Open for Acquiring Blessings, we have sent the following requests to the Vatican to Honor these Special Unions...
If you would like to receive a papal blessing for a milestone anniversary, please contact the parish office.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR OWN APOSTOLIC BLESSING!!!
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Parish Hotline... If you know of someone who is sick and in need of the sacraments or if you know someone who wishes a visit at the hospital or care facility, please contact the parish office or Fr. Pete Jankowski at (815) 685-1359.
| | | Fr. Pete offers the Anointing of the Sick at both parishes at the First Friday Masses every month (St. Patrick’s at 9:15 a.m. and St. Anne’s at 5:00 p.m. (English) and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish). | | |
To View St. Patrick's Bulletin for
JULY 19, 2026
CLICK HERE!
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To View St. Anne's Bulletin for
JULY 19, 2026
CLICK HERE!
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PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR BELOVED DECEASED: Paul Cantwell (Funeral Service at Cotter Funeral Home on July 14 at 11:00 a.m.); Sandra Doll (Memorial Mass at St. Anne's on July 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.)
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK: Rick Blanchette, William Brown, Mike, Ashley & Jesse Childress, Mike Cronk, Maria DeLeon, Dave Fieramosca, Herve Gomichon, Linda Goodman, Don Hout, Gustavo Lopez, Jesus Ariel Lopez, Evelyn Provost, Art Schmidt, Frank & Louise Shainauskas, Ruth Sparenberg, Cynthia Vickery, Joe Wielgus and all those on our sick list.
At St. Anne's... Eva Bell, Paula Bertrand, Lola Billings, Duane Blanchette, Sue Bonvallet, Cheryl Boswell, June Burns, Cindy Capriotti, Ashley & Jesse Childress, Abraham Daily, Aria Dionne, Carol Futcher, Raelynn Garrett, Tommy Klonowski, Val Lagacy, Pam & Bentley Lottinville, Linda Miramontes, Josh Odelson, Ruth Sparenberg and John Wojnowski.
At St. Patrick's... P. Anderson, N. Atkinson, R. Bailey, D. Barth, Beedle Family, D. Brown, M. Cárdenas, P. Caro, B & E. Coffman, S. Conner, M & D Cousin, M. Cruz, A. Delaney, M. Dionne, J. Dobbins, E. Duke, D. Dunlap, G. Field, C. Fritz, A. Fuhrmann, Judy & Ron Gall, Tony & Adrianne Gallinaro, J. Grill, R. Harper, K. Hensa, J. Hibbs, D. Hiller, C. Jones, L. Kane, R. Kazee, A. Kijewski, Joe Kraus, L. Lee, L. Leranth, E. Lopez, B. Love, J. Marcotte, W. Marten, J. McCracken, L. Mercado, R & V Morse, C. Ortman, C. Piec, J. Prather, C. Provost, E. Provost, P. Reising, D. Roberts, M. Saldaña A. Schaff, J. Schopf. D. Schmied, K. Simpson, B. Siwicki, B. Spagnola, M. Tolbert, M. Tolmer, H. Tousignant, M. Velazquez, M. Williams, Gary Witherell, M. Witherspoon, S. Young, J. L. Zagal, A. Zimmerman, M & L Zink and G. Zokal.
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Fr. Pete Jankowski posts his homilies online at the parish website for those who wish to keep up with the gospel message each week.
| | | PARISH REGISTRATION FORMS | | CLICK HERE to watch Fr. Pete’s Twelve Part Series “Stories on the Journey,” Broadcast on Shalom World TV! | | | ITEMS FOR PURCHASE / DONATION TO HELP OUR PARISHES!!! | | Call the Offices at (815) 472-2864 or (815) 427-8265 for more information... | | Since 2019, We Have Raised Over $250,000 in Pew Donations!!! | | |
For only $100, you can dedicate a brick to someone special at St. Patrick's Outdoor Grotto (where the Our Lady of Lourdes Outdoor Masses are celebrated)!!!
(815) 472-2864
| |  | For only $25, you can dedicate a Journeysongs Pew Book from either parish. Please call (815) 472-2864 (St. Patrick's) or (815) 427-8265 (St. Anne's) for more information! | | |
St. Patrick's T-Shirts
$10 Each or
Three for $20
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St. Patrick's or St. Anne's Blessed Water / Oil $2 a Bottle
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Greeting Cards of These Images are Now Available for Purchase in the Parish Office.
$25 for Books of Twenty...
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St. Patrick's or St. Anne's Mugs
$10 Each or Three for $20
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LINKS TO CATHOLIC WEBSITES
CLICK ON PICTURE TO ACCESS SITE
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