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1 Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish Mission Statement We are a diverse Catholic community of genera ons, experiencing the living God and re ec ng our faith in ac on with one another. g{x VÉÅÅxÅÉÜtà ÉÇ Éy TÄÄ à{x Yt à{yâä WxÑtÜàxw TÄÄ féâäá Wtç aéäxåuxü E? ECDG The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. Marilyn Catherine Al ere Grace Apida Thaddeus Augustyn Deuk S. Bae Olga Berger Roy Bertola Antonio Borges Eileen Carmody Joseph 'Don' Chernich Rene e Childers Barbara Coane Arthur Costello Bernice Dekeil Margaret Delporte Marion E. Donahue Tadeusz Dzierozynski Mary Emery Kathleen Finnerty Mary Jean Fohrman Diane Fry George Furphy Edward Go stein William Greene Marie Gu errez Mildred Guzik William F. Hennessy Lawrence J. Huro Ann Keathley Irene Koziarz Raymond Kulka Lorayne Lonera Adeline Markowski Lore a Mizdrak James Moore Jean Neaumann Angela Frances Novak Ann T. O'Brien Eugene Pana oni Grace Pawlowski Letecia Pu rich Ellen Quinn Raul Ramos Lorraine M. Rejczyk Gloria Reyes Patricia Riley Harriet Rose Frank Ro Lorraine Samansky Flemmie Servi Monica Simmons Emil W. Sliwa Dolores Stachyra Theresa Stol Ted M. Tokarz William J. Wachendorf Katharina Wagner Donald G. Wanner Lo e Wicke Diana Wight Gregg Wil nger Catherine Wir tsch November 2, 2014 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

2 Page 2 November 2, 2014 Mass Intentions MON. November 3, St. Martin de Porres 8:30 am Eugene Panattoni, Don Davis, Betty & Irving Grote TUES. November 4, St. Charles Borromeo 8:30 am Joseph Spidale, Irene M. Koziarz 7:00 pm Mass of Remembrance WED. November 5, Weekday 8:30 am Maria Marz, Shirley Haerle THURS. November 6, Weekday 8:30 am Bridget Spooner, Adeline Davis FRI. November 7, Weekday 8:30 am Frank Villicana SAT. November 8, Weekday 8:30 am Ramon and Susan Hernandez 5:00 pm The People of St. Robert Bellarmine SUN. November 9, The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 8:00 am Anne Kowalski, Thomas I. Nava 10:00 am Edward Mitchell, John Ahern, Phyllis Tomas, Marion Donahue 12:00 pm Ted & Joseph Zalewski, Wiktoria Ignarska, Wladyslawa Miras, Zofia Mackowska Weekly Collections October 19, 2014 Sunday Offertory $ 7, 275 World Mission $ 2,090 Thank you for your generosity! Please pray for our sick Gina Brettman, Mitchell Czajkowski, Patricia Klenck Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) The Book of Wisdom encourages the people who are surrounded by the foolish (those that do not believe in the immortality of the soul), saying that the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them. The faithful must have hope in their own immortality by trusting in God, for they will someday understand truth and abide with God in love forever. St. Paul writes to the Romans that hope does not disappoint because God s love has been poured into their hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to those who believe. God proves his love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Because of this, we have been reconciled to God and will be saved through life in Christ. In the gospel Jesus tells the crowds that no one who comes to him will be rejected because it is the Father s will that no one given to Jesus will be lost. Finally, the Lord says that everyone who sees the Son and believes will have eternal life and be raised on the last day. Our faith is one of hope and love which promises freedom from sin and death. Our immortality is already accomplished. We only need to recognize God in Jesus, trusting in his love, to allow it to become a reality in our lives. Wisdom 3: 1-9 Romans 5: 5-11 John 6: Faithful Citizenship and Responsible Voting The Catholic Church teaches that the ultimate authority before God for our lives is the guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit speaking through a well-formed conscience. What we think or feel at a particular moment is not the same as acting in good conscience. Church teaching guides us in the formation of conscience, our moral responsibility to inform ourselves of those teachings and to act upon them. The following quotation is taken from the bishops letter: As Catholics we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group. When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths. They further state that the exercise of conscience begins with always opposing policies that violate human life or weaken its protection. As we go to the voting booths on Tuesday let us all remember our fundamental moral obligation to support candidates and policies that respect the right to life from conception to natural death, particularly for the weakest and most vulnerable members of society.

3 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed Page 3 From the Pastor s Desk Today we celebrate All Souls Day and remember all of our faithful departed, entrusting them to God s love and mercy. In the scriptures, heaven is given to those who come to the Lord Jesus. This seems so obvious that we take it for granted. But the scriptures raise two questions. First, what is meant by the term heaven? And second, what does it mean to come to the Lord Jesus? According to the Book of Wisdom, heaven is where the souls of the just are in the hand of God, where they abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. This is one of the most comforting passages in all of scripture, and most appropriate for today s celebration of the faithful departed. In the gospel Jesus gives the promise of eternal life for those who will be raised on the last day. Heaven is commonly referred to as The Beatific Vision where the blessed will see the face of God for all eternity and know the fullness of joy in complete communion with God. The key to attaining heaven is having the right vision, of putting our hope in the immortality of the soul. St. Paul tells us that this hope does not disappoint because it is rooted in the Word of God. St. Paul tells us that we can have faith in God s promise because God has proved his faithfulness in reconciling us to himself while we were yet sinners. In other words, the initiative begins with God. It is God s will that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life. How do we claim that promise? We come to Jesus through faith and trust that if it is our desire to live with him he will grant it. This is not as easy as it sounds. The Book of Wisdom contrasts the just who are in the hands of God with the foolish who will end in utter destruction. It is because the foolish do not truly believe in the immortality of the soul that they seek the pleasures of this life. It seems that we often act as if we do not believe in God s promise either, because our actions reveal a preoccupation with the cares of this life. We often seek to relieve these anxieties by putting our trust in the tangible, but false, security of material possessions and the apparent, but again unreal, safety of our civil society. The sin that leads to utter destruction is really this preoccupation with life s concerns which results in the denial of God. On the other hand, the just allowed themselves to be chastised on the earth, tested like gold in a furnace (an uncomfortable place to be) and were found worthy. They trusted in God s promise of immortality and did not let the cares of this world deter them from living according to God s will. Jesus says that he will not reject anyone who comes to him. We do this by taking up the cross and following him, by seeking the kingdom of God and its righteousness. The just hear the Word of God and act on it. And they are at peace, abiding with God forever. We will celebrate our Annual Mass of Remembrance this Tuesday night, November 4, at 7:00 p.m. The mass will be offered for those who have died in the past year. Light refreshments will be served in the parish hall immediately following the mass. All are welcome. On Tuesday, Election Day, we will go to the polls to elect a new Governor, our State Senators and Representatives, our US Senator and US Congressional Representatives as well as many other state and local officials. It is vital that we reflect on the gospel values that guide us on our faith journey as we decide for whom we shall vote to lead our state. Please see page two for details. The Annual Parish Financial Report summary, sacramental statistics and education program enrollment numbers for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014 can be found on pages six through eight of this week s bulletin, along with my commentary on the results. This report has been reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee. Please read it carefully since it does reflect the current state of parish operations. This report will be mailed to all registered parish households and will also be available at the rectory. While we are truly blessed to have such a vibrant parish with well-maintained facilities and many activities, the parish loss of $67,000 is cause for grave concern since we are projecting an additional loss of $100,000 for the current year (excluding school operations). In order to meet our obligations, I ask everyone to prayerfully consider a meaningful increase to your regular offertory donation. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me or our Business Manager Kathy Goetz. Have a great week. Sincerely, Fr. Neil

4 Page 4 November 2, 2014 Baptized in Faith Please pray for the repose of the soul of Candida Defilippis and for her family and friends. Logan Reese Monreal Child of Nicholas Monreal and Jennifer Naylor MASS OF REMEMBRANCE TUESDAY, NOV. 4 AT 7 PM On Tuesday, November 4th, the parish community of St. Robert Bellarmine will celebrate a Mass of Remembrance to commemorate all those who have died. In a special way, we will remember our parishioners who have passed away in the last year. We invite our parish community to join us in the church as we remember our departed relatives and friends. Following the Mass, there will be a reception with coffee and...in Kernaghan Hall. Please join us. Wednesday, November 5 at 7:30 pm meet in the Church ~ Take time out to work out your body and your soul! ~ Meet other young adults and parents in the parish. ~ Come, check it out and get your heart rate moving to a new rhythm. Faith and Fitness A workout for your body and spirit! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 9:00 AM KERNAGHAN HALL MEETING ROOM Every week we explore the scriptures for the coming Sunday. Learn about the scriptures through prayer and discussion with other parishioners. Questions? Call Bill at or srbvolunteers@yahoo.com.

5 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed Page 5 A Prayer of Remembrance - We Remember Them In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we remember them. In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we remember them. In the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring, we remember them. In the blueness of the skies and the warmth of summer, we remember them. In the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the fall, we remember them. In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them. When we are lost and sick at heart, we remember them. When we have achievements that are based on theirs, we remember them. When we have joys that we yearn to share, we remember them. So long as we live, they too shall live for they are part of us as we remember them. POVERTY While seemingly far away and obsolete, poverty is closer to home than it may seem. What can we do? Be a volunteer. Be a donor. Be an advocate for justice. Pope Francis tells us, The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty. In efforts to align our church with Pope Francis call, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) works to combat the threats that poverty poses and empower the poor through self-help programs. They fund organizations in your neighborhood including Latino Union, who collaborates with low-income immigrant and US born workers to develop the necessary tools to collectively improve social and economic conditions. This November 22nd and 23rd, join the millions of generous Chicagoans and support the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to help fund remarkable organizations. Please visit: for more information. Worldwide Marriage Encounter The purpose of life is to get to Heaven, and to bring everyone with me that I can. What have I done to help bring me and my spouse to Heaven? The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekends are December 5-7, 2014 or February 13-15, 2015 or April 17-19, 2015, all at Elk Grove Village, IL. Early registration is highly recommended. For reservations/information, call Jim & Kris at or contact us through

6 Page 6 November 2, 2014 St. Robert Bellarmine Church November 2, 2014 Dear Parishioners, Spiritually speaking, this past year was a wonderful year. The faith community here at St. Robert Bellarmine continues to be strong, active and committed to celebrating God s presence in many wonderful and diverse ways. Financially, however, the results are not very good. Our Sunday collections decreased nearly $30,000 or 6% from last year while all other collections were flat. There was also a significant decrease ($10,000 or 31%) in Religious Education tuition and fee income. Church operating expenses rose $45,000 or 6% primarily due to increased personnel costs ( $18,000 or 4%) and maintenance and utility expenses ($25,000 or 28%) due to the harsh winter that resulted in much higher heating and snow removal costs. Overall, the parish net loss was just over $67,000 for the year. Fortunately, we are able to cover these expenses from a generous bequest. For the current year we project an operating loss for the church of $100,000, assuming collections stay low and that our costs increase a modest 2.7%. We are looking at ways to reduce costs without a decrease in services, but the only way to remain viable is to find additional sources of revenue to maintain the vibrant parish environment that we currently enjoy. On the school side, enrollment was up 6%. While this is wonderful news, it came at a cost. As part of the Archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools programs, we enrolled many students under special scholarship and promotions: programs that resulted in nearly $100,000 in unfunded tuition. Coupled with higher personnel costs, the school operated at a loss of $190,000. However, the Schools Office did provide us with an end of year operating grant of $35,000 and we will be receiving additional scholarship reimbursements of $120,000. Due to our AIM (Archdiocesan Initiative Model) school agreement (signed back in 2011) with the Schools Office, the parish had budgeted a $35,000 subsidy for the year. So on a net basis, the school losses have all been covered. The three year AIM school agreement expired this past June 30th and we have decided not to renew it. Mrs. Mijal and I worked with the Schools Office to increase available scholarship money and trim personnel costs so that we expect that, with the parish subsidy, the school will break even this year. On the capital side, we spent a total of $115,000: installation of a new boiler in the convent ($40,000), a new fire alarm system in the school ($67,000) and repairs to the school boiler ($8,000). Some of these expenses came out of the capital fund ($51,000) and some will be recovered from the Annual Archdiocesan Appeal rebates ($25,000). The remainder came from the same bequest that covered the parish shortfall. Clearly, this is not sustainable. We cannot count on unknown possible future bequests to continue to bail us out. It does highlight the importance of remembering the parish in our estate plans to provide for future generations. I am deeply grateful for all who have supported, and continue to support, the parish with their generosity. However, we all need to take ownership of our parish. We need to increase our regular Sunday collection. I will be increasing my regular contribution to the parish and I ask all who are able to do so to increase your financial support as well. For those who are currently not giving, I ask you to begin to do so. Even a modest amount, made by many people, will yield great fruit. I also recommend signing up for Give Central as a way of making regular, automatic donations through credit card or checking account withdrawals. It is a simple process. Please contact our Business Manager, Kathy Goetz, at the rectory. She will be happy to help. Thank you for your continued financial support, recognizing that it is not so much an obligation, but a joyful response to God s generosity. God s blessings always, Fr. Neil

7 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed Page 7 St. Robert Bellarmine Parish 2014 Annual Report Change Church Income FY 2014 FY 2013 FY / 2014 Offertory Collections $ 440,404 $ 468,355 $ 465,595 $ (27,951) Christmas Collection $ 48,583 $ 48,037 $ 33,849 $ 546 Easter Collection $ 25,022 $ 23,649 $ 22,717 $ 1,373 Other Parish Collections $ 16,753 $ 15,877 $ 13,504 $ 876 Interest Income $ 29,165 $ 13,533 $ 917 $ 15,632 Religious Education Tuition and Fees $ 21,658 $ 31,575 $ 21,319 $ (9,917) Fund Raising $ 28,750 $ 25,694 $ 22,329 $ 3,056 Cell Tower/Rental Income $ 38,653 $ 37,972 $ 37,025 $ 681 Other Income $ 40,246 $ 33,769 $ 49,414 $ 6,477 Total Ordinary Income $ 689,234 $ 698,461 $ 666,669 $ (9,227) Church Expenses Salaries & Benefits $ 426,521 $ 408,401 $ 388,270 $ 18,120 Maintenance $ 57,890 $ 49,066 $ 59,295 $ 8,824 Utilities $ 55,274 $ 39,546 $ 43,568 $ 15,728 Diocesan Assessment $ 58,548 $ 63,624 $ 51,204 $ (5,076) All Other Expenses* $ 158,264 $ 151,302 $ 147,310 $ 6,962 Total Ordinary Expenses $ 756,497 $ 711,939 $ 689,647 $ 44,558 Net Ordinary Income $ (67,263) $ (13,478) $ (22,978) $ (53,785) School Income Tuition & Fees $ 1,327,168 $ 1,238,561 $ 1,053,984 $ 88,607 Fund Raising Income $ 95,740 $ 93,736 $ 91,491 $ 2,004 Other Income $ 42,756 $ 46,048 $ 42,559 $ (3,292) Total Ordinary Income $ 1,465,664 $ 1,378,345 $ 1,188,034 $ 87,319 School Expenses Salaries & Benefits $ 1,347,604 $ 1,146,920 $ 965,098 $ 200,684 Maintenance $ 53,543 $ 48,280 $ 14,421 $ 5,263 Utilities $ 55,688 $ 37,187 $ 48,698 $ 18,501 Books & Equipment $ 81,356 $ 70,022 $ 35,072 $ 11,334 Insurance Assessment $ 21,292 $ 32,352 $ 32,352 $ (11,060) All Other Expenses $ 95,661 $ 96,167 $ 82,602 $ (506) Total Ordinary Expenses $ 1,655,144 $ 1,430,928 $ 1,178,243 $ 224,216 Net Income/Loss $ (189,480) $ (52,583) $ 9,791 $ (136,897) Net Operations $ (256,743) $ (66,061) $ (13,187) $ (190,682) * Administration, altar supplies, insurance & other assessments, books & supplies, misc.

8 Page 8 November 2, Change Capital Projects 2013 / 2014 Income $ 51,110 $ 16,513 $ 105,365 $ 34,597 Expenses $ 115,312 $ 51,886 $ 159,894 $ 63,426 Net Capital $ (64,202) $ (35,373) $ (54,529) $ (28,829) Other Donations Ascension /St.Susanna (Sharing Parish) $ 6,772 $ 6,217 $ 6,174 $ 555 Archdiocesan Collections $ 32,066 $ 33,718 $ 31,708 $ (1,652) Haiti $ 7,553 $ 8,939 $ 8,199 $ (1,386) Sacraments Baptisms (18) First Communions (23) Confirmations (6) Marriages (1) Funerals (3) Registered Families (369) School Enrollment Pre-K K Religious Education (5) Sunday, November 9

9 The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed Page 9 LET US KNOW All St. Robert Bellarmine alumni are encouraged to connect us with their current information and any accomplishments, milestones, etc, they've achieved since graduation. Please srbalums@gmail.com The SRB sportsboard would like to congratulate Davon Brown for his winning week 7 ticket in Footballmania. If you have any questions regarding Footballmania you can contact Brian Augello at (773) or srbsportsassoc@gmail.com. The Women s Center Bulletin Announcement We celebrate Thanksgiving during November. This is an appropriate time for us to thank God for the many people who have helped us in our work of serving mothers and babies in difficult pregnancies. We could not do this without your help. We are selling beautiful (difficult to find in stores) Pro-Life Christmas cards at a super price per box of 10 for $5.00 plus $2.00 for shipping. Call for an informational flyer and ordering information. Our Christmas Wreath sale is on the weekends of 11/29 and 11/30 and 12/06 and 12/07. We need strong men to help unload and deliver wreaths. Contact Jackie at jkeenan@womens-center.org or phone to volunteer for this fundraiser. Save the date: Saturday, February 14, 2015 is the date for our 30th Life Banquet. We are excited to announce our keynote speaker is Dr. Monica Miller, author of the book Abandoned, the Untold Story of the Abortion Wars. We need 3 walkers, 3 toddler beds, 3 strollers, 3 double strollers, 3 bassinets, 3 swings, 3 pack n plays, 2 fixed side cribs, crib sheets, 2 changing tables, and 2 infant car seat/carriers. It will be a great help if you can deliver these to us. For our address, or if a pick-up by a volunteer is needed, please call A Wednesday morning (9 a.m. Noon) volunteer is needed in the Administrative Office to answer phones and help with various other projects. We need strong Furniture Room volunteer(s) for Wednesday and/or Thursday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. to help distribute baby furniture. We have an excellent opportunity for individuals or friends to volunteer together. People are needed to prep baby bottles for our spare change fundraising project, anytime Monday thru Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. These volunteer opportunities are at our Chicago office. For more information contact jkeenan@womens-center.org or call Jackie at Diapers in sizes 1, 4, 5 and 6, crib linens, good condition maternity clothing, baby girl winter clothing (sizes newborn to 6 months), and winter boy clothing (sizes 4 and up) are needed in our Family Room. We also need baby bottles, baby wipes and mom and baby hygiene products. These must be delivered to us unless accompanied by baby furniture. The families who receive these things are grateful for your generosity. Call for our address.

10 Page 10 November 2, 2014 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY GySgt Timothy R. Hogan (Marines) CPT Patrick J. Collins (Army) Raymond Weernink (Navy) Sgt Scott Pekar (Marines) CPT Dan Allen (Army) LCpl Kurt Williams (Marines) SGT Joseph Konieczny (Army) Mike Janson (Navy) 1LT Brian G. Lutz (Army) Bernard Brennan (Marines) PVT Colleen McDonald (Army) A1C Alex Kemmeling (Air Force) Sgt Joseph VonMoser (Marines) Luke Bulanda (Navy) Capt Kevin P. O Grady (Air Force) Cpl Armando Bolivar (Marines) Capt Daniel C. Ouper (Air Force) EM1 John J. Schmidt III (Navy) Capt Albert Eiffes (Air Force) Joseph A. Casey (Navy) EM3 Abraham Ubi (Navy) PVT Michael Barry (Army) SPC David A. Torres (Army) E2 Anthony V. Tierra (Navy) Daniel Von Moser (Air Force) Sarah Faye Tierra (Navy) Sgt. Benjamin Juhasz (Marines) A1C Logan Lopez (Air Force) Weekly Schedule Monday, November 3 7:30 pm Sports Assoc. Board Meeting (KH) Tuesday, November 4 6:30 Novena (C) 7 pm Parent s Assoc. Closed Board Meeting (MR) 7 pm Mass of Remembrance (C) Hospitality following 7 pm Mass (KH) Wednesday, November 5 6 pm 10 pm SPRED TC (KH) 7:30 pm Faith and Fitness (C) Thursday, November 6 9 am Scripture Study (MR) 3:45 pm 5 pm Junior High Choir Rehearsal (MR) 7 pm Adult Choir Rehearsal (MR) Friday, November 7 Saturday, November 8 12:30 pm 1:30 pm Market Day (LR) Sunday, November 9 Boy Scout Popcorn Sale after all Masses (C) 12 noon Mass 50 th Class Reunion followed by Tour of the School 4:30 pm Contemporary Mass Choir Practice (C) 6:30 pm 8 pm Teen Club (KH) Daily Scripture Readings Monday Phil 2:1-4 / Lk 14:12-14 Tuesday Phil 2:5-11 / Lk 14:15-24 Wednesday Phil 2:12-18 / Lk 14:25-33 Thursday Phil 3:3-8a / Lk 15:1-10 Friday Phil 3:17 4:1 / Lk 16:1-8 Saturday Phil 4:10-19 / Lk 16:9-15 Sunday Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 / 1 Cor 3:9c-11, / Jn 2:13-22 November 4-9, 2014 Mass Presider Servers Lectors Auxiliary Ministers Nov. 4 7:00 PM Nov. 8 5:00 PM Nov. 9 8:00 AM Nov. 9 10:00 AM Nov. 9 12:00 PM Nov. 9 5:30 PM Fr. Neil Fackler Fr. Neil Fackler Fr. Neil Fackler Fr. Scott Donahue Fr. Scott Donahue Fr. Paul Seaman C. Bell, M. Camacho, M. Soto J. Griggs, K. Griggs, M. Soto D. Walsh, A. Gibula, M. White K. Brosnan, J. Castaneda, R. Sarau-Young M. Aggari, M. Semtner, J. Stauber N. Soriano, N. Springer, J. Walsh B. Frere K. Nigro T. Delgado, M. Furphy, J. Jakobsze, E. Day, M. Calcagno, T. Psioda-Moskal, S. Spooner J. Bauman, K. Bauman, K. Caminiti, K. Fergus, P. Fergus, W. Felckowski, D. Kehoe B. Meyering M. Furphy, T. Kerin, P. Zyburt M. Plaska D. Gandor, P. Gandor, K. Plaska Y. Simonsis M. Blake, G. Ignarski, M. Kmiec, D. Ahearn, C. McManus, M. Persangi, J. Rejczyk M. Loudon M. Lindahl, L. Loudon, J. Ryan