From Fr. Rich

Welcome the Stranger: Your Support Honors Jesus' Call: How You Can Help

Make a financial donation at Mass on November 5th & 6th. A second collection will directly support our collective response.  

Pastor's Column

At this Saturday’s 5:00 pm Mass, we remember in a special way all those parishioners and relatives and friends who have died this past year. During this Month of Remembrance let us call to mind and present prayers to God in thanksgiving for their lives, their love and friendship, their presence in our lives. The greatest honor we can offer in remembering those who have gone before us is in spreading their love and friendship to those who are in such need of it today.

Today’s scripture readings each provide a strong example of encouragement in the face of difficulties. In the first reading from the Book of Maccabees, as well as in today’s Gospel passage from St. Luke, we hear an almost-contrived set of stories about multi-sibling families getting caught in the religious law obligations of marriage upon the death of a spouse. In both cases, rather than crashing against this seemingly intractable situation, the Gordian know of the insoluble problem is sliced through with the blade of a much broader vision of reality. The laws we have created - often with very good purpose -- cannot always solve our problems. Sometimes we have to realize that we are less than perfect; our laws are less than perfect; and we need to turn to God and trust in God’s loving mercy which resolves what we cannot because God’s love is beyond our limitations and can, therefore, solve what we cannot.

Throughout history great leaders and creators, when confronted with seemingly impossible-to-solve situations, have found that letting go, taking a step back, releasing personal responsibility for getting the answer, have found to their amazement, that in letting go they are often surprised that the solution suddenly makes itself known.

What situation or problem, this week, might we practice letting go of and entrusting to God’s care? Even if the answer doesn’t suddenly appear, at the very least, our anxiety level will be lowered and we can more fully appreciate God’s presence all around us.

Parish Feast Day Celebrated Next Weekend

The feast of St. Gertrude is November 16th. We will celebrate our parish feast day next weekend at all the Masses. As we have done in the past, we will celebrate the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick at every Mass. Please feel free to invite any family member, friend, or neighbor who might be interested in receiving the Anointing of the Sick.

Anyone who is suffering from any current or chronic ailment is welcome to come forward for the Anointing. Whether the ailment is of body, mind, or soul, you are worthy to receive this sacrament which forgives our sins and strengthens us to bear whatever our burdens may be.

Also for the Feast Day, everyone is invited to the International Dinner on Friday, November 11th. Please see the article further down in the bulletin for complete information.

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, we had to cancel the Cabaret Night on Saturday, November 12. We hope to be able to reschedule it in the new year.

Who Should Receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick?

According to the Roman Ritual, anyone among the faithful “whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age” not only may but should receive the sacrament. Some examples include:

• Any person who is considered in danger of death.
• Any person who has a serious disease or medical condition (e.g. cancer, heart disease, mental illness, diabetes). The sacrament may be repeated if the person’s condition becomes more serious.
• Any person preparing for surgery.
• Any elderly person, even if there is no particular serious illness present.
• Any seriously sick person.

Parish Service Awards: Seeking Nominations for Recognition



Every year at our Thanksgiving Day Mass, we present the St. Gertrude Parish Service Awards to parishioners who have been giving generous service through a parish ministry or volunteer activity. Awards are given in the areas of Youth Ministry, Human Concerns, Education, Parish Life, Prayer & Worship, and Lifetime Service.

Please consider any parishioner you feel should be recognized for her or his outstanding service to the parish and the broader community and email your nomination(s) to me at rprendergast@stgertrudechicago.org. Or you can fill out the nomination form linked below and put it in the Sunday collection or drop it off at the Rectory.  

Mass of Remembrance - Saturday, November 5 at 5:00 pm

Each year, during the Month of Remembrance, November, when we celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls - we remember in a special way all those who have died in our parish and families in the past year. This special Rite of Remembrance will take place immediately after the homily at the 5:00 pm Mass on November 5th. In this simple ritual, the names of each of those who had died in each month is called out and a candle with their name is lit. After the names of those who died in one month are read, the congregation sings a refrain. Families and loved ones are encouraged to come forward after Mass and take home the candle with their loved one’s name on it.

All are Invited to the Annual ECRA Interfaith Thanksgiving Service - Sunday, November 20

The Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA) is an interfaith association of

religious organizations who work toward fostering friendships and understanding of other

faiths, nurture a thriving and just neighborhood, and create solutions to local problems.

ECRA hosts an annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service benefiting Care for Real that bring

together Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, as well as our friends from the Jewish, Muslim, and Hindi faith.

All are invited to attend this service on Sunday, November 20 at 3:00 pm, hosted this year at Northshore Baptist Church, 5244 N. Lakewood Ave. Those who attend in person are encouraged to be vaccinated and to wear a face mask.  

Attendees are encouraged to share their bounty with the food insecure in our

neighborhood. Scan the code above to see Care for Real's wish list! A reception will follow the service.

Compost Season Comes to an End

Thank you to all of you who participated in our composting project this year. Our new system is working much better, although hopefully next year we will have more production out of our garden. Unfortunately, because of the cold and damp spring, our plants got a very late start and we did not harvest as much as last year. I am hoping to move the composter to another location next spring where it can get more hours of sunlight. Heat is an essential ingredient in the composting process and again we got off to a slow start because of the inclement weather.

This notice will serve as official END to our composting project for 2022. We can not make compost in this cold weather so please DO NOT drop off any more items for the composter until next spring when we start up again. Please don’t hesitate to spread the word.

~ Mary Clare Barker

Heart to Heart Volunteer Luncheon Recognition

The Heart to Heart volunteer recognition lunch took place in the Ministry Center Chapel on Saturday, October 29. There was great attendance, delicious food and thoughtful sharing. Again, we thank all of our volunteers, who don't necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.

~ Pat Sullivan

Growing in Faith

“May the mystery beyond fuel our hope in the unseen and not yet…”

With Election Day looming, our attention is to earthly matters: civic leadership, among other tangible concerns. The here and now occupies our attention, and indeed the Church holds the ordinary of great value, sanctifying creation, liberating the oppressed, reconciling the outcast---matters of utmost importance to Catholics participating in civic life. 

At the same time that Jesus invites us into corporal ministry, He also directs our focus to the transcendent, that what is beyond our present reality. In today’s Gospel, the Good News according to Luke, Jesus defies the mocking Sadducees to remind us of the afterlife so central to Christian belief. The beautiful image of children as angels of God elevates our attention to the horizon beyond. As we head to the polls this Tuesday, and otherwise execute our Catholic duty in the polis, may the mystery beyond fuel our hope in the unseen and the not yet.

~ Matthew Couture

Schedule for Altar Servers, Ministers of the Word, Eucharistic Ministers, & Cantors 

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, November 5 at 5:00 pm - Millie Slane, Kathleen Dawson
• Sunday, November 6 at 8:00 am - David Sullivan, Jay Cook
• Sunday, November 6 at 10:30 am - Troy McMillan, Victoria Healy

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, November 5 at 5:00 pm - Mary Cook
• Sunday, November 6 at 8:00 am - Hallie Burhoe
• Sunday, November 6 at 10:30 am - Carlos Barragan, Rafael Melendez, Steve Monti

Altar Servers

• Sunday, November 6 at 10:30 am - Cross Bearer - Clare McCarthy; Acolytes - Carter Dant, Alise Veleta

Cantors 

• Saturday, November 5 at 5:00 pm - Amir Ghazaleh
• Sunday, November 6 at 8:00 am - Denise Goodman
• Sunday, November 6 at 10:30 am -Kate Hibbs Davis; John Horan, guitar

• Monday, November 7: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Tuesday, November 8: 7:30 am - Living & deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners 
• Wednesday, November 9: 7:30 am - Odhran Marsh
• Thursday, November 10: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, November 11: 7:30 am - Living & deceased Torreano family members
• Saturday, November 12: 7:30 am - Kathleen Sanders +; 5:00 pm – Pedro & Consuelo Viray; Benjamin Viray
• Sunday, November 13: 8:00 am - Living & deceased members of St. Gertrude parish; 10:30 am - Living & deceased members of St. Gertrude parish 

(+ indicates the person is deceased) 

Click HERE for the daily readings for Masses. Here is the list of readings for this week for parishioners that prefer to look them up:

• Monday, November 7: Ti 1:1-9/Lk 17:1-6
• Tuesday, November 8: Ti 2:1-8, 11-14/Lk 17:7-10
• Wednesday, November 9: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12/1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17/Jn 2:13-22 (
• Thursday, November 10: Phlm 7-20/Lk 17:20-25
• Friday, November 11: 2 Jn 4-9/Lk 17:26-37
• Saturday, November 12: 3 Jn 5-8/Lk 18:1-8
• Sunday, November 13:  Mal 3:19-20a/2 Thes 3:7-12/Lk 21:5-19

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.