Pastoral Staff Rev. Denis Condon

Transcription

1 Pastoral Staff Pastor Rev. Denis Condon Associate Pastor Rev. Henry Kricek Pastor Emeritus Rev. John Hergenrother Deacon Mr. Dave Brencic School Principal & Faith Formation Coordinator Ms. AnnMarie Mahay Youth Minister Mrs. Karyn Miller Business Manager Ms. Lynn Waterloo Music Director Mr. Jim Harrold, Secretary/Bulletin Editor Ms. Maureen Johnson, Spiritual Companion Mrs. Jane Kucera, Parish Council Chair Mrs. JoAnna Leon, Rectory 1144 Harrison Ave., FAX School 1125 Harrison, LaGrange Park, Faith Formation Weekend Mass Schedule Saturday Evening: 5:00 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30, 9:30, 11:00 a.m. Weekday Masses Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time June 14, 2015 Sacraments and Ministries Reconciliation/Confessions Saturdays 4:00 4:30 p.m. or on request. Baptisms Second Sunday: 12:30 p.m. A baptismal class is necessary prior to scheduling a Baptism. Marriage Contact the rectory six months prior to wedding. Home Communion Visits Contact the Rectory Parish Nurses, Hours as posted in church. New Parishioners Register at the rectory. Website parishoffice@slmparish.org Bulletin Deadline Monday at 10:00 a.m. Traveling? Call or

2 A s many may have heard, we are revamping our Religious Education (RE) program. I d like to explain why we are doing this. Many parents, I am sure, have trouble with their children when it comes to sending them for RE classes. They are held late in the day, stretch into the night and extend the school day. Catechists report many kids are tired and listless and want to be anywhere but in class. This has led me to ask what are we trying to accomplish with our RE program? Why do we do this? A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Catherine Wiskus, newly retired professor of Catechesis at Mundelein Seminary. Before becoming a professor Dr. Wiskus ran a Religious Education program and she had asked herself the same question I asked. She concluded that the point of RE classes was to teach religion, but what we were trying to give our kids was faith in Jesus Christ. The two are not the same. Anyone can study Catholic religion whether Catholic or Buddhist or atheist. Religion is an academic subject. But Jesus charged us to go make disciples of all nations. Making disciples calls people to faith in the Lord; it s not an academic exercise but an invitation to commit yourself to a way of life. By definition a disciple is a student who meets and follows a particular person. The disciples of Michelangelo or Da Vinci were the folks who dedicated themselves to listen, study how they painted and learn from those men. The disciples of Joel Quenneville are those who know the man, listen to what he says and learn how to play hockey from him. Disciples of Christ ought to do the same. This means they need to meet the Lord, hear what he has to say and respond to his call to follow me. Introducing children to the Lord and helping them grow into faith requires something more that classes in religion. If you don t know the Lord, how can you be a disciple? I m concerned about our kids and what we re teaching them. The children attending RE classes are our kids. RE kids are not separate from the parish community, but just as much a part of us as children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are part of the family. These children are our kids and we are the family in which they grow up. All of us teach by what we do and say and how we do and say things. Children watch adults and pattern their lives on what they see and hear. So how do we make disciples of our children? The obvious answer is for us to be disciples first. How can we show them the way if we ve never taken it ourselves. That s neither easy or something done quickly. Actually, discipleship takes a life-time. This is the reason we have already changed the name of the program from Religious Education to Faith Formation. Being formed in our faith is a life-long project from which we graduate when we exhale our last breath on this planet. Faith Formation stretches from cradle to grave which means all of us, whether 6 or 96, are still in formation. Children are beginners by definition. So, how do we put a program together to help our kids in their faith formation. The image from The Wizard of Oz comes to mind when the munchkins help Dorothy to set off for the Emerald City. They tell her the Wizard can help her get where she wants to go and show her how to find the Wizard. They walk with her on those first twirls of the yellow brick road and then sing her out the gate and into the woods. We need to talk with our kids about our faith in the Lord and show them the yellow brick road (pray with them and take them to Mass). We are the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion - people who know their faults and their need for Christ. We need to be the community that goes through the woods together and fights off the evil that seeks to keep us from going home. Our Faith Formation program needs to show our kids the way to Christ and help them meet the one who can get us to the Father s house. We need to let them understand that life s a journey through a dangerous world which will try to keep them from Christ. That means catechists who are willing to share their faith journey with the kids not just read what s in a book. We need to go with them on this journey, learning along with them and fighting off anything that gets in the way of our goal and theirs - life eternal with Christ. Remember, God the Father is counting on us to lead these, his children, home to him. Father Denis June 14, 2015 Page 2

3 Monday, June 15 7:00 p.m. Summerfest Mtg.-R Tuesday, June 16 7:00 p.m. Bible Study-R 7:00 p.m. Bereavement-M Wednesday, June 17 7:00 p.m. Adoration-CH Thursday, June 18 Friday, June 19 Saturday, June 20 No Activities Sunday, June 21 8:00 a.m. Bible Breakfast-M 8:00 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous-R Training for Ministers of Care Training for new Ministers of Care is being offered from 9:00 a.m. to noon on four consecutive Saturdays: July 11 to August 1, at St. Louise School. The 12-hour training, as mandated by the Archdiocese of Chicago, will cover the spirituality of the minister, the theology of suffering and sickness, pastoral listening skills, ministerial procedures, and prayer and sacraments. The cost is $40 per person. Anyone interested in this training should first contact their pastor to get approval. For more information or to register, call Deacon Dave Brencic at 708/ or call the rectory office at GIVE US YOUR PICTURES! The 60th Anniversary Committee is compiling a visual presentation of our parish history. We are asking each organization/group to give us three to four pictures of past/present activities along with a brief description of the picture. Place in envelope and bring them to the rectory by June 30. Please pick up your pictures at the rectory by August 15. June 14, 2015 Page 3

4 Invitation to Bereavement Support Group Our lives are covered with many types of loss; one of the hardest being the loss of a loved one. I welcome you to journey with others whom have lost a loved one, to share and comfort while continuing to learn to cope and grow in God s love. Whether your loss was recent or many moons ago, I invite you to join our bereavement group on Tuesdays June 16 and August 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Marillac Room (east side of school.) If you want to join, but are unable to attend or have any questions, feel free to call me. Jen Reynolds: bbreyfam@comcast.net or We are Listening! We do want to hear from you. We do need you to act as our eyes and our ears. Is there a neighbor of yours in our parish who might benefit by our visiting them, a neighbor who is in temporary need because of loss of a job or who is experiencing a financial crisis? We may be able to assist them during a difficult time. The St. Vincent de Paul Society would like to hear from you. Please leave a message at the rectory ( ) for us. Thank you...to those who place a contribution in the St. Vincent de Paul Poor Box. We appreciate your allowing us to be a channel of your charity. On behalf of the poor you assist, we thank you. Brookfield Kiwanis Park Sunday, June 14, 2-5pm *********** Games ~ Food Hot Dogs/Burgers B.Y.O.B.& dish to share Playground & Splash Park for the kids! Thank you to ALL the volunteers and families who participated in the Outreach Feed the Hungry foodpacking project we did on April 19! Your time, effort and dedication to this project was instrumental in getting 25,000 meals packaged and sent to local needy families. LOOKING FOR FUN THIS SUMMER? Plan on Summerfest at SLM from July Free Admission. Local food vendors, Midway games, rides, live bands on stage each night-featuring live music from Billy Croft and the 5 Alarm Band on Thursday, Hot LZ and The Lounge Puppets on Friday, American English on Saturday and the Sylvies on Sunday afternoon. Prepurchase a 4-day Megapass for unlimited rides at and save $10. See website for more details or call TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION A wedding celebrated in the Eastern Church as a form that was fixed a thousand years ago. In the West, our story is more complicated by constant change and variation. As the world s structures tottered in the ninth century, bishops and priests stepped into the void left by collapsing civil structures. For the first time, marriage was referred to as a sacrament, and wedding ceremonies were to be in public (assuring the free consent of the bride) after an investigation of the couple by a priest. The custom of the blessing of the bridal room diminished, and was finally forbidden in 1012 by the Council of Rouen, although it continued for centuries. In the diocese of Perigueux in France, a ritual from 1827 had the parish priest clad in surplice and stole sprinkling the bridal couple as they stood modestly in their pajamas by the wedding bed. Next the bed and all those present were sprinkled, too! That s a tradition that few Americans, either the betrothed or the clergy, are ready to revive! June 14, 2015 Page 4

5 TEEN CLUB: June Teen Club on June 19 and 26, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Open Gym at 8:00 p.m. Deep River Water Park The Chicago Archdiocese Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry is sponsoring Splash Action at Deep River Water Park on the evening of June 29. Admission is $22 plus transportation. Families welcome. Permission forms at rectory or from Ms. Miller due by June 15. Coming Soon: Six Flags Great America Youth Ministry Day July 22 Suburban Catholic Singles Group June/July Events Saturday, June 20, 6:00 p.m. Zoo Nights at Brookfield Zoo. Meet and carpool from Panera Bread. Zoo members free. Non-members $ Includes dining, beer & wine gardens, live music, and new laser light show. All surrounded by wildlife and nature. RSVP by June 18. Saturday, July 11, 3:00 p.m. Visit Cantigny Park, Wheaton. Meet and carpool from Panera Bread. Gardens, museums, restaurants, and hiking trails on premises. $5 per car. RSVP by July 6. Contact: The Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass will be on Sunday, August 30, 2015 at 2:45 p.m. at Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State St., Chicago. Couples married in 1965 interested in attending this celebration should call the rectory to register. For further information call Family Ministries at or visit the website: June 14, 2015 Page 5

6 June Monday 8:30 - Otto & Mae Weiler, Sandy Purl Tuesday 8:30 - Felix Francis Wednesday 8:30 - Grace Fausher Thursday 8:30 - Lolita Traina Friday, St. Romuald 8:30 - Petrovic & Melin Families Saturday 1:00-Wedding-Daniel Conroy & Kaitlyn Bell 5:00 - Fritz Rochowiak, Joseph Smuda, Charles Ressl, Pat Purl, Joan Dolezal, Sylvia Lipinski Sunday 7:30 - Walter Bednarz, Donald Siuda, Carlo Biondini, Ed Grzywacz 9:30 - Edward Kasper, Joseph Majerczak 11:00 - George Zalac, Carmine Esposito, Robert Kuchynka, Regina Kondor Altar Servers Mon. - Wed., June 15, 16, 17 8:30 - B. Ripoli, M. Flynn Thurs. - Fri., June 18, 19 8:30 - B. Copp, A. Copp Sat., June 20 5:00 - L. Dunn, A. Thomas, E. Kimmelman-Wyles Sun., June 21 7:30 - Z. Mazurkiewicz, M. Hanson 9:30 - T. D Altorio, K. Keen, M. Adams 11:00 - K. Valdez, A. Copp, B. Copp Altar Women June 18-E. Siuda June 23-B. Strnad, June 25-F. Johanek Presiders June 20 June 21 Confessions - Fr. Henry 7:30 - Fr. Henry 5:00 - Fr. Henry 9:30 - Fr. Denis 11:00 - Fr. Denis Our sympathy to the family of Gino Mazzucchi Readers June 20 June 21 5:00 - D. DeSanto 7:30-M. Koutek 9:30-M.A. Donlon 11:00-C. Lemkau/L. Mate Eucharistic Ministers June 20 5:00 - P. Thorburn, C. Sherman, M. Gyorke, S. Czarnik, J. Lisiecki, T. Nedvar, L. Sroka June 21 7:30 - W.&K. Prokop, M. Voss, R. Voss, F. Johanek, B. Petek, A. Porras 9:30 - L. Korenchan, M&B. Garvey, R. Jevorutsky, B. Kraus, P. Pacholski, D. Parcel 11:00 - J. Skowronski, R.&L. Valdez, P. Cavaliere, A. Czerwien, A. Janacek, B. Koll WEEKLY OFFERTORY June 7, 2015 Sunday Collection this week: This Year $ 11,000 Last Year $ 9,700 Sunday Collectiony Year-to-Date: This Year $ 457,500 Last Year $ 475,200 Year-to-Date Collection Budget $ 476,800 Envelopes Returned this week: This Year 372 Last Year 373 June 14, 2015 Page 6

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