Prayers for 8th Grade

Tomorrow morning, many of our 8th-grade students will take the High School Placement Test at their high school of choice. We ask you to join us in prayer for the Class of 2025. St. Barnabas, Son of Encourage, pray for us.

Progressive on Saturday!

Tomorrow night is the annual Progressive Mixer coordinated by the St. Barnabas Parish Men’s Club. We thank the four host homes and Men’s Club coordinators for their time and generosity. To all attendees, we wish you an incredible evening of great merriment and community bonding. Check-in begins at 6pm in the gym, and buses depart at 6:40pm sharp!

Stocking Stuffer - Due Monday

Each year, through the generous contributions of our school families, our staff is awarded a Christmas bonus. This gift means the world to our hardworking staff and is used by many to help purchase gifts for their own family, groceries for a special Christmas meal, or to offset some of the general monthly bills. Please consider showing your appreciation to our staff through the annual Christmas Stocking Stuffer. Monday is the final day to contribute. Learn more.

Gym Supervisor

The Athletic Board has an urgent need to fill the gym supervisor position. This is a part-time, paid role. Responsibilities include opening and closing the gym for athletic events, managing concessions inventory, and coordinating parent volunteers and teenage scorekeepers. Interested candidates should contact the Parish Business Manager, Elisabeth McNamara, at emcnamara@stbarnabasparish.org.

Tuition Raffle Winner

Congrats to Mary McNerney, winner of the Parish's 100th Anniversary Gala Raffle. The McNerneys will enjoy free tuition! Thank you to all who supported this event.

Wreath Pick-up

Men’s Clubs pre-ordered wreaths can be picked up after Saturday 4pm and Sunday 10am mass this weekend or next. A limited quantity will also be available for same-day purchase. Please contact Pat Wirtz at pwirtz@alumni.nd.edu or 312-286-0722 for questions or to coordinate wreath pick up and drop off outside of times for mass. 

Christmas Pageant next Friday

Please join us next Friday, December 13, at 1:45pm at Church for a student-led telling of the Nativity story. 1st-grade students serve as angels and shepherds, 5th-grade students serve as the choir, and 7th-grade students are the actors. All families are welcome to attend this moving retelling of the First Christmas.

All grade levels of students will return to school after the pageant and be dismissed, as usual, at the end of day.

And save the date for the Preschool Pageant on Thursday, December 19!

Luminaries for Christmas Eve 

Our parish comes alive with candlelight on Christmas Eve, filling the neighborhood with hope and lighting the way home. St. Barnabas Christmas Luminaries is a service project coordinated by the 8th-grade students. Each year, the students select a charity close to their hearts. This year's charity is Catherine's Caring Cause. The charity was nominated by 8th-grade student Finian Rivero. Here are a few words from Finian on why he nominated this organization:



"CCC is a local group that is helping migrants and people seeking asylum in Chicago. Many people from St. Barnabas are part of the group. People have fled violence and extreme poverty in their countries, and they come to America to build a new life. This has been happening for centuries, and many of us are the children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren of immigrants. This group helps people find apartments and jobs and my mom helps them with legal needs, so they have all the correct documents and are following US laws and policies. The money we raise will help pay rent, buy groceries, and support the 16 families CCC is helping- many of whom are living in our neighborhood and attending Sutherland, Kellogg, and Morgan Park High School. These are kids our age who have had to leave home and walk for over a month to get to safety. It would be great to help them out this Christmas."

Learn more and purchase a luminary kit for your house or entire block!

Support for the Paynes

Please keep the Payne family in your prayers. Dan and Lisa Payne and their three young children, Joe (5th grade), Pat (3rd grade), and Margaret (Kindergarten), are devoted members of our school and parish. 

Dan was recently diagnosed with ALS Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrigs's disease. This diagnosis has forever changed the trajectory of their lives, and we invite you to support the Paynes. GoFundMe - Stand Together for the Paynes

School Musical and Theater Workshop

December 16 is the registration deadline for the Rock of Ages Musical (grades 6 - 8) or the Hercules Theater Workshop (grades 4- 5. Check out all the details and register today!

Upcoming Christmas Dress Down Week

The final week before break, December 16 - December 20, we will celebrate with a Christmas-themed dress down. All attire should be school-appropriate and keep with the chosen theme for the day. No slippers or slide-style footwear, please!

Thank you to our dedicated Student Council for organizing our Christmas dress-downs. These days are optional, and students are always welcome to wear their uniform as an alternative.  

Catholic Schools Week is coming! Catholic schools throughout the country celebrate the week in much the same way, linked by common themes each day. In early January, we will share more of the exciting details we have planned, but we wanted to share a few key events, so you can mark your calendar.

OPEN HOUSE - Sunday, January 26: The kick-off to CSW, we will celebrate 10am mass as a parish, then welcome prospective families to our School Open House from 11:30am - 1pm. We encourage you to invite friends and neighbors to explore St. Barnabas. We also begin accepting 2025-2026 school year applications for new students on this day.

BULLS GAMES - Monday, January 27: The Archdiocese, in partnership with the Chicago Bulls, has arranged a Catholic Schools Night at the United Center to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The Bulls take on the Denver Nuggets at 7pm. Purchase tickets here.

TRIVIA NIGHT - Friday, January 31: Start to brush up on your facts and gather a team for the annual School Board-hosted Trivia Night! Learn more.

Christmas Without Cancer Collection - Thank you to the many families who contributed to our Christmas Without Cancer dress-down day. We raised $1,758.75 for this meaningful organization!

Christmas Decorating - Big thanks to Ms. Abby Graeber and school parents Kathleen Hogan, Meg Kreiter, Lynn DeHoyos, and Rachel and Mike Groth for decorating our Main Hall for Christmas! “Candy Cane Lane” brings endless joy to the students (and staff).

Santa’s Secret Shop Volunteers - Thank you to Tricia Wirtz for taking the initiative to bring Santa’s Secret Shop to St. Barnabas. Thank you to the many parent volunteers who took the time to set up, check out, and help the students!

2nd Grade

Thank you to our 2nd-grade students and families for demonstrating faith, reverence, and commitment as the students made their Sacrament of First Reconciliation on Tuesday night. May God bless each of you.