Sept. 29, th Sunday Ordinary Time ST PAUL THE APOSTLE. Catholic Church and School

Transcription

1 ST PAUL THE APOSTLE Catholic and School 18 Woodlawn Joliet, Illinois Sept. 29, th Sunday Ordinary Time

2 St. Paul the Apostle Parish Office: Parish Fax School: Religious Education Youth Ministry: RCIA (Roberta Lemke) Parish Rev. John Klein, Pastor x243 Rev. John Belmonte, S.J., Resident x230 Rev. James Lennon, Weekend Celebrant Deacon William Bevan, III Deacon John Freund Lynne Passarella, Parish Secretary x200 Denise Rowan, Business Manager x203 Mary K. Robbins, Principal x401 Sr. Karen Marie Lanigan, O.S.F., D.R.E. x301 Jeremy Hylka, Liturgical and Youth Minister x320 Tanya Rand, Dean of Development & Marketing x201 Raymond Kaufmann, Director of Music Saturday, September 28 4:30PM Dick Budde by: Marilyn Budde Sunday, September 29 7:30AM The People of St. Paul the Apostle 9:00AM Evelyn Davis by: Jim Davis 10:30AM Daniel & Agnes Maloney by: Mary Maloney Monday, September 30 7:30AM Marguerite Bevan by: Dcn. B. Bevan Tuesday, October 1 7:30AM Philip & Catherine Anselmino by: J Anselmino Dorothy Hennessey by: not stated Wednesday, October 2 8:30AM Anthony Mance by: Mary Mance Thursday, October 3 7:30am Agnes Skolds by: M/M Alfeo Friday, October 4 7:30AM Margaret Furlong by: Dcn. B. Bevan 4:30PM William F. Brennan by: N. Nemanich Next Sunday, October 6 7:30 AM Dr. Francis & Mary Prock by: Anne Prock 9:00 AM The People of St. Paul the Apostle 10:30 AM Bea McDonald by: Family&Friends NEXT WEEKEND S LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS TIME READERS EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS 4:30 PM P Wilda/ J Roolf N Pultorak, P Larranaga, E Cora, R Lemke, G Louch, J Militello, G Wheeler Sunday, October 6 7:30 AM J Bebar/ L Deiss S Stukel, C Lehman, C Lukowski, P Stroud, K & L Briick, J Peceniak 9:00 AM M Gross/ D Gross J Simpson, C Sinwell, P Gimbel, M A Theobald, Jacque Klika, John Klika, L Nichols 10:30 AM M Maloney/ K Denardo S Hobbs, B Bayci, D Fonza, B Bodach, P Bodach, M Knorr, N Louck Next Weekend s Servers: 4:30 PM A Biasella/ B Hinkleman/ N Bartelt/ P Picciolo Sunday, October 6 7:30 AM M Cullen/ D Glasgow/ Hanna Bebar/ Zach Bebar 9:00 AM Z Offerman/ M Benton/ V DeFilippo/ M Misischia 10:30AM C Castillo/ A Simon/ J Scherf/ K Sears Weekday Mass: Mon-Fri 7:30 AM (Wed 8:30 AM during school year) Saturday Vigil: 4:30 PM Sunday Mass: 7:30,9:00,10:30 AM Holy Day Masses: Variable-check bulletin. Reconciliation: Sat 3-4 pm or by appointment. Baptism: Usually 2nd Sunday of the month after 10:30am Mass. A preparation meeting for parents is mandatory. Call the parish office for details Weddings: Engaged parishioners must contact the parish office at least 6 mos. prior to intended date, and before making any arrangements. RCIA: Classes from September to Easter for those interested in becoming Catholic. Becoming a Parishioner: Please contact the parish office to register All Are Welcome!

3 FROM FATHER JOHN: "We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him."(1 John 4:16). Why is it so important to let our Lord Jesus into our lives? Have you ever asked yourself that question> To understand why it s so important to let our Lord Jesus into our lives we must understand what love is, how we became alienated from God, what sin is, how sin works in the world and in our lives, how Jesus Christ restored us to the image and likeness of God, the nature of repentance and finally how much God really loves each one of us. St. John tells us that God is love. There are two aspects of love that we need to consider. First, is the definition of love. Love can be defined simply as caring more for the good of another (either God or another person) than we care for ourselves, our own good, even our own lives. Our Lord Jesus tells us in John s gospel that No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. (Jn 15:13) This is what we do when we love God and one another. A second aspect of love I like to express by analogy. Love is plumbing; love is electrical wiring. What I mean by this is that love is the infrastructure of our lives. A building is built on a foundation and within the building are all the things of infrastructure (plumbing, electrical wiring, lights, etc.) that make the building work. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are the foundations of our lives. The love that God shares with us and that we then share with one another and return to God is the infrastructure that makes our lives work. We are alienated from God because of the fall of Adam and Eve. There is a deep chasm of alienation between us and God because of sin and the death that entered into the world through sin. We must remember that God never wanted us alienated from him, never wanted us subjected to a world of sin and death. Through the grace of God, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down from heaven to rescue us from sin and death, to rescue us from our alienation with God. The Son of God is born of the Virgin Mary, lives, dies on the cross, rises and lives forever. There is nothing that we could ever have done to bring this about or to earn our salvation. Jesus Christ changed our human condition. He turned it inside out. He changed it from one of alienation from God to one in which we are the adopted children of God by virtue of our baptisms. He places us in redemptive contact with God the Father. Jesus Christ redeems us and we connect to this saving grace through our baptisms when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is justification. It is the greatest gift we ever receive, it is the greatest thing that ever happens to us in our lives and it calls us to live a life of holiness, a life in relationship to God. We are justified by God through the Grace of the Holy Spirit and we begin to live the spiritual life. It is the spiritual life that is our life work it is the life of discipleship. Living the life of discipleship, living a life of holiness, living our lives in relationship to God is known as sanctification. And, it is simply our journey to move ever closer to God. Salvation is the end of our life; everything else in our lives are means to this end. It is where we are headed if we live the spiritual life. Salvation with God in heaven is our goal in life and it is the deepest desire of our lives even if we aren t aware of it. (2 Cor 5) The progression of sin begins with pride. Pride is the over-reaching desire for something that is not God. Our hearts desire God and will not rest until we are in union with God. The beginning of sin is the prideful desire for a creature, for something that is not God. This corrupts into envy. This is the disordered desire that is driven by a deep emotional feeling that we lack something that we don t have. This then hardens into concupiscence which is the disordered envious desire for what we lack becoming an attitude that drives our life. It is the inertia against doing what is good, what is holy and what is righteous. It is the inclination to do evil that creeps into our attitudes because of pride and envy. It manifests itself in scapegoating, in blaming everyone else for our own problems and our own sinfulness. This is the trap of sin and death that we allow ourselves to get sucked into like quicksand. We are liberated through the grace of repentance. There are two moments to repentance. The first is the recognition and acknowledgement of the mercy of God. The second is the moment where we take responsibility for our actions, for what we have done. We quit blaming others and accept responsibility. We get out of the trap of sin and death through grace of Jesus Christ coming into the world and the revelation of God s mercy and compassion given to us in Christ Jesus. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ unveils the great compassion and mercy of God through his total trust in the Father and his radical attack on human suffering. He comes into the world to destroy the root causes of sin and death which liberates us and allows us to live holy lives in freedom as the sons and daughters of God. One of the problems we have in our society is that so many of us do not believe we are loved; that we are of value in and of ourselves. I went on a mission trip with my parish s high school youth group a few years ago. There was this young lady who was going into her senior year in high school who was bright, attractive, kind, active in her parish and the youth group, popular with other kids and who deeply practiced her faith. She was an outstanding young woman of faith and character yet there she was one rummaging through her back pack and when she couldn t find something because she forgot to pack the item, she said, I m such a loser. I ve experienced this exact same thing with another young woman on a different occasion when she couldn t find something in her purse. She also said, I m such a loser. I find it very disturbing that two wonderful young women would view themselves in such a way. I think many people, especially among the young, suffer from not really knowing, understanding or believing how much God loves them and how important and valued they are in the eyes of God. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mt 10:29-31) Our Lord Jesus is telling each of us that we are worth more to God than all the other creatures He created in the universe. We are so incredibly loved by God and valued by God that we cannot possibly imagine or fathom how deep that love truly is unless we truly allow our Lord Jesus Christ become part of our daily lives.

4 2013 Public Square Rosary Join Us as We Commemorate the 96 th Anniversary of the Fatima Apparition When: Sat, October 12, 2013 at Noon Where: Essington Road at Black Road (in front of Fred C. Dames Funeral Home on the public sidewalk) Through the recitation of the Holy Rosary, we will implore Our Lady of Fatima to return America and the world to moral values and peace. Call Ken at (815) for more information. Take a Stand for LIFE LIFE CHAIN is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour praying for our nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Members may hold nongraphic signs and pray for one hour on Sunday, October 6 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at six corners (Rt. 30, Black and Raynor St.). Contact The adult choir is going to be starting to practice Christmas Carols and songs of the Season of Advent. If you like to sing, please join us at practice on Thursdays in the. We begin practice at 7:00 P.M. Please enter through the canopy doors. We hope to see you. The Upper Room Crisis Hotline provides support services to our priests, deacons, and men and women religious on a national basis. In order to do this, TURCH is in need of additional volunteers to assist the callers. A new training class will begin on October 15th at the University of St. Francis, Joliet, in the Motherhouse building. Please register for the classes by calling or The classes will begin on Oct. 15 th and end on Dec. 5 th, meeting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 9:30 PM, after which a certificate of completion will be granted. Requirements for becoming a volunteer for TURCH is that you are a practicing Catholic and have a desire to help and support our clergy and men and women religious. You are needed. Please help. On Sunday, October 6th, at 12:15pm, Deacon Bill Bevan invites you to bring your pets to church for a special blessing in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. All are welcome to join in this beautiful celebration for our pets who are our extended family. We look forward to seeing you and your beloved pets. Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal Report PARISH NAME ST PAUL THE APOSTLE, JOLIET 2013 Goal $68,126 Amount Pledged $70,061 Amount Paid $62,621 Balance Due $7,441 Donor Count 365 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ANNUAL NEEDS DRIVE. WE ONLY HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT REMAIN- ING TO COMPLETE OUR MISSION. As men and women of God we are to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness. We are called to keep his commandment to love one another as he has loved us. Is this evident in your lives and marriages? Find out how to live this out in your marriage. Attend the next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend on October 12-14, Contact Jim and Kris McCulloch, For more information visit our website at: wwmejoliet.org.

5 Parish News St. Paul s FOLLOW Youth Ministry Members always welcome. You must be confirmed and/or in high school! Contact Youth Minister Jeremy Hylka at or stpaulsyouth@sbcglobal.net Website: Facebook: St. Paul s Youth Ministry Joliet Twitter: stpaulsfollow Text Message News Reminders: to FOLLOW Night Tues., Oct. 1, doors open at 5:30pm; meeting from 6:30-9pm; Theology of the Body. Six Flags Great America Fright Fest Columbus Day 10/14, forms and money due 10/1. Respect Life Setup Thurs., Oct. 3 from 3:30-4:30pm. Chain for Life Sun., Oct. 6 at 2:00pm. R.E.P. NEWS In need of information about Our Religious Education Program? Please call the REP office at On Monday, September 30, the Religious Education Program at St. Paul's will host an Open House from 6 until 6:45. Please make plans to attend. RAINBOWS For All God's Children will begin on Wednesday, October 2 at 6 pm in the school. Please call Sr. Karen Marie for more information or to register for RAIN- BOWS. RAINBOWS is a program for children who have suffered a loss through death or divorce. It is facilitated by trained adults but the children themselves provide the support for one another. On Monday, October 7, 2013, there will be a mandatory meeting for all Confirmation 2014 candidates and their sponsors. This meeting will be held in from 7:15 until 8:30. For more information, please call Sr. Karen. St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School News One aspect of excellence in education demands that a school be held accountable for academic growth. At St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School, we administer two different sets of nationally-normed exams to measure overall success. This week and next we will administer the Iowa Exams (formerly known as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, now upgraded to align with the more rigorous Common Core Standards) in grades 3 through 8. In the spring, we will administer the annual Assessment of Children s Religious Education (ACRE) exam for grade 5 and 8 to measure growth in understanding of Catholic doctrine and its application to daily life. Both of these exams provide us with sound information as we make continuous updates to our School Improvement Plan (SIP). St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School meets all of the state requirements for certification, including fully certified teachers, annual achievement exams that inform instruction, implementation of Common Core Sate Standards, and a SIP that is data driven. We go far beyond the basic state requirements by doing much the same for religious education, incorporating Catholic truths, morals, and values throughout the entire culture of our school. We thank you for your continued support of our school that makes it all possible. Mrs. Robbins PRAY FOR OUR TROOPS SUNDAY OFFERING THANK YOU! Offering for Sunday, Sept 15. $15, Collection Amount Budgeted...$16, Week s Budget Shortfall...($ 1,457) Year to Date Shortfall..($17,734) Our Parish depends on a weekly collection of $16, to meet our budget. Thank you for your generous support of our parish. Your donations of time, talent, and treasure enables us to provide many ministries and services for the benefit of our parishioners and the local community. God bless you and your family!

6 9:00am Mass 10:00am RCIA 10:30am Mass Sunday, September 29 Convent Monday, September 30 8:00am Eucharistic Adoration 5:45pm REP School/AC 7:00pm A A Meeting A 1 Tuesday, October 1 8:00am Eucharistic Adoration 5:00pm Youth Ministry Convent 6:00pm Volleyball Games 6:30pm Boy Scouts #15 School Hall 6:30pm Baptismal Prep A 1 Wednesday, October 2 8:30am Mass 5:30pm Paulites Social A 4 6:00pm Rainbows School Thursday, October 3 3:00pm Children s Choir 3:45pm Interviews w/ Diana A 3 6:30pm Adult Choir 7:00pm Spirit & Truth Convent/ Friday, October 4 8:00am Eucharistic Adoration 6:15pm Girl Scouts Wendel A 2 3:00pm Confessions 4:00pm Youth Ministry Rosary 4:30pm Mass 5:30pm Music Ensemble Sunday, October 6 9:00am Mass 10:00am RCIA Convent 10:30am Mass 12:15pm Blessing of Pets Courtyard For the most current calendar information please go to Patricia Balla Erin Bartel Gerri Bertino Mason Briese Patricia Burda Noemi Canales Gerard Colagrossi Laura Criel Sally Drauden Jean Fabich Judith Gahala Pray for the Sick Please remember the following people in your prayers who are seriously ill or who are suffering from long-term illnesses: Harn Family Matt Gross Sami Henderson James Hickey, Jr. Ann Juhlmann Ann Kane Mary Kaplan Helen Locher Carol Malnar Shirley Max Helen Meyer Terry Meyer Betty Modlin John Mowbray Jeanie Nunuue Kurt Palmer Kay Prock Walter Ratkovich Amy Remallard Lisa Savero Barbara Schreiner Richard Schreiner Tony Simone Louis Toka Sal Ventura Nancy Zimmer

7 The Rosary is THE WEAPON against the evils of today. Saint Padre Pio VOCATIONS OPERATION ELIZABETH DINNER All single Catholic women ages are invited to a dinner with Bishop Siegel and several religious Sisters on Thursday, October 17, 2013 from 6 p.m. 8 p.m. at St. Francis Woods, 9201 W. St. Francis Road, Frankfort, IL You will have the opportunity to hear Bishop Siegel and the Sisters speak about vocation and call, have a nice meal and ask any questions you may have about religious life. St. Paul the Apostle Rosary Group Every Friday in the Cry Room A er Everyone Welcome Beginning October 4th every First Friday we will have a collection at morning mass for Daybreak. Thank you to all our parishioners who have been so committed to this outreach through Catholic Charities, and who have greatly helped the ministerial work of Daybreak. If you have any questions you may contact : Carol Lehman at Thursday, October 17, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Please RSVP to the Vocation Office at vocations@dioceseofjoliet.org or (( ) by October 14 th. COLLEGE SEMINARY VISITS - The Vocation Office will be sponsoring a trip for all men who are 16 years of age and older to St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, MN. There is no cost for this trip. These are great opportunities to visit the seminaries, meet seminarians and see seminary life first-hand. You would be leaving Thursday morning at 8am on October 31 and return about 7pm on Saturday, November 2. Please RSVP to Fr. Burke at (( ) or vocations@dioceseofjoliet.org by October 24 th if you are interested. Each participant will need to fill out a permission form and waiver. GRATITUDE: A VIRTUE WHICH UNLOCKS THE FULLNESS OF LIFE Each of us has so much to be grateful for. The challenge in our society is to step outside of our own little worlds from time to time, to see just how abundantly blessed we are. When we get stuck in our own little worlds, comparing ourselves to what we see around us, and in the media, we are in a very dangerous place. By remaining in this cocoon, we run the risk of being perpetually dissatisfied and un-grateful. The virtue of gratitude has the power to change the way we think about who we are, and all that we possess. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. (Melody Beattie) Good stewards develop the virtue of gratitude, as with all virtue, through their daily habits. The habit of being grateful takes some effort on our part we must be aware of what we think about every day. When you think about it, you are abundantly blessed compared to so many in the world who have so little.