~ Luke 9: L a t h r o p A v e n u e R i v e r F o r e s t, I l l i n o i s w w w. s t l u k e p a r i s h. o r g

Transcription

1 5 2 8 L a t h r o p A v e n u e R i v e r F o r e s t, I l l i n o i s w w w. s t l u k e p a r i s h. o r g As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." ~ Luke 9:57-58 J u n e 2 6, T h i r t e e n t h S u n d a y i n O r d i n a r y T i m e

2 MASS INTENTIONS Monday, June 27 - St. Cyril of Alexandria 6:30 am Inge Eberle 8:00 am The Williams, Karasis, and Kurr Families Tuesday, June 28 - St. Irenaeus 6:30 am The Clark and Daley Families 8:00 am Angela Devereux Ebzery Wednesday, June 29 - Ss. Peter and Paul 6:30 am Colette Brettman 8:00 am Osian T. O Sullivan Thursday, June 30 - First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church 6:30 am Luke Madden 8:00 am Special Intention Friday, July 1 - St. Junípero Serra 6:30 am Dr. Robert Lee Muldoon 8:00 am Robert C. Atkinson Saturday, July 2 8:00 am Elizabeth Beckman 5:00 pm Robert C. Atkinson Sunday, July 3 7:30 am The People of St. Luke Parish 9:00 am The Poor Souls in Purgatory 10:30 am Nora Browne 12:00 pm Paula Margaret Novielli MINISTERS OF THE LITURGY Monday-Wednesday, June :00 am Servers M Keith, C Stumbris Thursday-Saturday, June 30-July 2 8:00 am Servers (2 Servers Needed) Saturday, July 2 5:00 pm Servers B Foley, R Crotty, T Cullerton Lectors Yates Hafner, Shelley Sandow Euch Min L Hogan, B Peterson, H Peterson, M Peterson, P Romano, R Romano, J Willoughby Sunday, July 3 7:30 am Servers I Flores, K Cahill, L Lazos Lectors Linda Binder, Katie Iammartino Euch Min J Lynch, J Sullivan, M Sullivan 9:00 am Servers B Kerstetter, E Kerstetter, G Ruggie Lectors CJ Kerstetter, Sheila Price Euch Min M Martinez, P Muldoon, R Norton, A Ramirez, S Scelfo, H Slowik, J Slowik 10:30 am Servers J Gleason, W O Brien, C Stumbris Lectors Julia Mannix, Bob Miller Euch Min C Doyle, E Doyle, S Doyle, M Miller, D Ross, J Stumbris, B Stumbris 12:00 pm Servers T Osga, M Jacobs, O Osga Lectors Marcelo Aspiras, Max Brown Euch Min K Frank, M Frank, KE Frank, B Huerta, D Slepicka Monday, July 4 9:00 am Servers C Dooley, A Vasquez, B Greenberg Lectors Ann O Connell, Noreen O Malley Euch Min K Heiss, M Karasis, B Murray Cover Art: The photo by Roberto Ferrari is used here with permission via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 2.0]. 2 WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL FROM THE PASTOR Taking to Heart the Message We Need to Hear, Not Necessarily the One We Want to Hear Our Lord is a clear and effective communicator. He invites: Come follow me. He addresses the radical detachment required of all who preach the Gospel: The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head. He proclaims the urgency of the Gospel message: Let the dead bury the dead. He shows us a forward-looking vision in which souls will be harvested and brought into God s kingdom: No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God. All of this is directly communicated to us from the mouth of Jesus! In today s Second Reading, St. Paul also communicates an insight as a converted follower, now a faithful disciple, who experienced the pull, the attraction of opposing paths of life. He gave up the worldly, self-centered life and lost himself totally in making a difference in the world by following a path of faith and discipleship of our Lord Jesus, a path of mercy and love. As we learn more about the Renew My Church initiative in our Archdiocese (introduced to us in church on Easter Sunday), it will be important for all of us to be on board with how we can be a more vibrant and active people of faith. We will need to find creative and exciting ways to communicate Jesus message that inspires all of us, but especially our children, youth, and young adults and to reach out to them in ways that will keep them connected to the Lord during their high school years, in college, and beyond. To this end, our parish is (re)establishing a parish Communications Committee. (I understand one existed several years ago.) The goal is to reach out and share the faith in new and exciting ways and to assist in sharing information with everyone that builds up the Church and promotes the mission we all have of bringing others to Christ. At Mass each Sunday, we ve usually had between 3-7 announcements, which often refer to items in the parish bulletin. A great amount of time and energy goes into their creation every week which leads me to our First Goal: Encourage everyone to take the bulletin home and read it each week, the wonderful resource it is. On a trial basis, we will not be making those announcements at Mass, just pointing out the most important things not to miss in the bulletin. Perhaps that time at Mass could be spent more effectively teaching, praying, or evangelizing. Watch for more communications on our website and the monthly Gatherings newsletter, and follow our parish on Facebook! ~Fr. Szmyd

3 Demographic shifts, aging buildings, and a declining number of priests have led Archbishop Cupich to launch the Renew My Church process to revitalize parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The archbishop first announced this effort in a letter to parishes last October. Meetings with clergy, parish personnel, and other groups have now begun and will continue over the next few months. As I wrote in a letter to all parishes last October, the archdiocese has changed in significant ways over the past several decades, Archbishop Cupich wrote in his column in the New World. The result is that we end up spreading our resources too thinly. We should not be afraid to face these realties, but rather see this moment as a graced opportunity to chart new ways to live out our mission more fully. The Archdiocese of Chicago is the third largest archdiocese in the United States after Los Angeles and New York with 351 parishes. Many of the parishes in the city of Chicago are more than 100 years old with buildings of similar age. Other dioceses around the country, such as the Archdiocese of New York, face similar challenges and have already undertaken similar reorganization processes. Archdiocesan officials in Chicago have looked at what others have done to see what might help in the Renew My Church initiative. At this point, no official plan has been outlined. The meetings in the coming months will determine that, said Tim Weiske, director of the Office for Strategic Planning and Lord Jesus, you speak to us today, as you spoke to holy men and women who have gone before us. In every age and in our own time, you call to us and say: Renew My Church. Pour out the gift of your Holy Spirit upon us, and so enable us to hear you clearly to listen to each other attentively to imagine our future boldly to discern your direction wisely to persevere in your holy will courageously to stay together in charity to surrender our own plans readily to embrace the greater good to hand on your gifts to future generations. May we remain in the holy company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles, and all the saints. May their example and presence inspire us with patient confidence in the work of your grace. We ask this of you who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Implementation, which is spearheading the process along with a priests steering committee. No monetary goal has been set for the process, nor is there a goal for how many parishes may merge or close, he said. From the beginning, this process has been driven by one question: How do we better advance the mission of Christ? said Father Ronald Hicks, vicar general. We know that a vibrant parish community advances that mission, and we will use this process to help ensure the archdiocese strengthens its network of vibrant parishes, he said. Achieving this will mean listening to the needs and hopes of the whole archdiocese, and working together over the coming months and years. We do not know now how many parishes will remain at the end of this process but we are determined that whatever the number, they will be welcoming, nurturing, vibrant places that truly make real the mission of Christ. The last time the Archdiocese of Chicago went through an archdiocesan-wide process like this was in the 1990s, Weiske said. On a smaller scale, parishes on the West Side of Chicago went through a reorganization in 2004, and parishes in the Pilsen community are undergoing a reorganization now. Please keep praying for God s wisdom to lead us on the path to a more vibrant, effective, and missionoriented Church in Chicago. This article is reprinted with permission from the Catholic New World newspaper. JUNE 26, 2016 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 3

4 The scaffolding erected for tuck-pointing work on the church s front façade proved to be no obstacle for our first summer Coffee on the Plaza last Sunday. In fact, the scaffolding offered a shady refuge from the bright morning sun for some of those who stopped after Mass on this Father s Day. Thank you, St. Luke Men s Club, for hosting this month s event. The next Coffee on the Plaza is planned for July 17. See you then! 4 WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL

5 We extend a special note of appreciation to the outgoing members of St. Luke s councils who have donated many hours of their expertise and guidance to the parish over the past few years. Parish Pastoral Council Laura Gancer Ben Keith C.J. Kerstetter Patty Muldoon Joe Willoughby Parish Finance Council Kevin Goggin 3 years 4 years 3 years 2 years 3 years 6 years Both groups serve the important functions of advising and counseling the pastor on matters related to the pastoral life of St. Luke and considering ways to improve the everyday workings of the parish. The new members will be profiled in an upcoming bulletin and begin their terms in the fall. Tomorrow (Monday) is Bridge Day for the Prime Timers. They will meet at noon and play until 2:30 pm in the Hospitality House. Feel free to drop by and join the fun. The Bocce Ball group is also off to a great start. We had a wonderful response and look forward to next week. Everyone is invited for our monthly time of prayer and Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament this coming Saturday, July 3. Right after the 8:00 Mass, the rosary will be prayed. Then the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for silent prayer, and adoration will continue until 9:15 when Benediction will be offered. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation will also be available immediately after Mass. All are welcome! There will be only one Mass on Independence Day, July 4, at 9:00 am. Everyone is cordially invited to join in thanking God for our freedom and our many other blessings as Americans. Parish offices will be closed in observance of the holiday. Have a happy 4 th of July! SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of June 26-July 3 Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21/Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11/ Gal 5:1, 13-18/Lk 9:51-62 Monday: Am 2:6-10, 13-16/Ps 50:16-23/Mt 8:18-22 Tuesday: Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12/Ps 5:4-8/Mt 8:23-27 Wednesday: Acts 12:1-11/Ps 34:2-9/2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18/ Mt 16:13-19 Thursday: Am 7:10-17/Ps 19:8-11/Mt 9:1-8 Friday: Am 8:4-6, 9-12/Ps 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131/ Mt 9:9-13 Saturday: Am 9:11-15/Ps 85:9-14/Mt 9:14-17 Next Sunday: Is 66:10-14c/Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20/Gal 6:14-18/ Lk 10:1-12, or 10:1-9 Liturgical Publications Inc PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK: Kimberly Bach, Fr. Bob Cross, Bill Darley, Fred Heiss, James Hickey, Kathy Ann Howard, Stephen Kehoe, Frank Kurr, John Lennon, Lillian Njoku, Paul Novak, Marie Therese O Brien, Kelly Petersen, Geraldine Redmond, Fr. Paul Reicher, Jonathan Saucedo, Patti Sheehan, Tom Trankina, Ida Tufano, Michael Gerard White, Ann Marie Wojcik AND FOR OUR DECEASED: Gerald Mannix (father of Julia Mannix) STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather serve one another through love. ~Galatians 5:13 We like to celebrate the fact that we are free to live the good life. But Jesus calls us to a different kind of freedom. St. Paul reminds us that Jesus sets us free so that we can serve one another, share our gifts and promote God s work here on earth to glorify His name and not honor ourselves. Our Weekly Offerings From the weekend of June 19, 2016 Weekly Giving Goal $15, Actual Weekly Giving $10, Fiscal Year to Date (From 7/1/15) Weekly Giving Goal $750, Actual Weekly Giving $716, Goal to Date for Year +/(-) $ (33,734.00) We are always very grateful for the sacrifices you make to support the mission, goals, and ministry of St. Luke Church. Thank you for your generosity! JUNE 26, 2016 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 5

6 The St. Luke Athletic Committee congratulates the following winners of this week s 500 Club drawing: Pam and Ed Dieschbourg Thank you to all who have purchased memberships in the Club, the proceeds of which go directly to fund the school s athletic programs. Please remember these couples in your prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage: Michael Dermenjian and Margaret Hillmann to be wed July 9 Patrick Lee and Molly McGinnis to be wed July 23 Michael Madock and Maureen Hart to be wed July 30 Shea Roche and Anne Marie Ragen to be wed August 13 Help is right around the corner! 24-Hour Crisis Line: Rev. John Szmyd, Pastor jszmyd@stlukeparish.org Rev. Steven Bauer, Associate Pastor sbauer@stlukeparish.org Rev. Leroy Wickowski (Retired) lwickowski@stlukeparish.org Rev. Mr. Jim Doyle deacondoyle@gmail.com Rev. Mr. Paul Faherty (retired) pfaherty00@aol.com Rev. Mr. Terry Norton reneeterrynorton@gmail.com Rev. Mr. Bob Slobig bobslobig@comcast.net Lathrop Avenue, River Forest stlukeparish@stlukeparish.org Sue Gamache, Office Manager sgamache@stlukeparish.org Glenn Wagner, Parish Business Manager gwagner@stlukeparish.org Sheila Price, Director of Stewardship & Development sprice@stlukeparish.org Arlene Michna, Music Director amichna@stlukeparish.org Bradley Collins, Communications Coordinator bcollins@stlukeparish.org Ashland Avenue, River Forest jschwarzbeck@stlukeparish.org Maryanne Polega, Interim Principal mpolega@stlukeparish.org Ashland Avenue, River Forest religiouseducation@stlukeparish.org Sr. Colleen Nolan, O.P., Director cnolan@stlukeparish.org Ashland Avenue, River Forest Sr. Mary Ann Mueninghoff, OP Mass Schedule Saturday Vigil (anticipated) Mass 5:00 pm, and Sunday 7:30, 9:00, and 10 : 30 am, and 12:00 noon Weekdays: Monday-Friday, 6:30 & 8:00 am, Saturday 8:00 am Confessions The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is offered after 6:30 and 8:00 am weekday Masses and by appointment. Call the rectory to schedule a time. Adoration and Benediction Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament occurs every first Saturday after the 8:00 am Mass and rosary. Rectory Office Hours Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Interested in Learning More About the Catholic Faith? Anyone wishing to complete their sacraments or learn more about the Catholic faith may inquire about our adult faith formation program (RCIA) by calling the rectory for more information. 6 WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL New Parishioners If you re new to the community or just new to our church, please stop by the rectory to introduce yourself and register so we can welcome you into the full life of our parish. Communion Visits and Ministry of Care A parish priest or Minister of Care will be happy to visit those who are sick or homebound. Please call the rectory to make arrangements. Baptism Baptisms take place on the first and third Sundays of each month. Preparation meetings are held on the first Monday of every month for the parents of children who will be baptized. Arrangements can be made by calling the rectory. Marriage Couples wishing to be married should call the rectory to set up an appointment with one of the parish priests at least six months in advance of the desired wedding date. Anointing of the Sick Elderly parishioners, those in poor health or who are anticipating surgery can call the rectory to arrange to receive the sacrament of anointing.