Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church

Transcription

1 Historic St. James at Sag Bridge Church Founded 1833 A Parish of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago South Archer Avenue, Lemont, IL Phone (630) FAX (630) Website: historicstjames.org stjames1833@att.net Founded in 1833, St. James at Sag Bridge is the sole country parish of the Archdiocese of Chicago serving a growing community of Catholics who come together to worship God through the celebration of the Eucharist and traditional devotional activities within truly unique and beautiful surroundings. Our faith filled community strives to bear witness to Jesus Christ by loving and serving one another to bring about the Kingdom of God. November 8, 2009 THIRTY-SECOND ORDINARY SUNDAY Rev. Edward D. Gleeson, Pastor Mr. John M. Wilkinson, Permanent Deacon Parish Boundaries The Village of Willow Springs Unincorporated Lemont Township Along Archer Avenue and Bell Road, Village of Burr Ridge (Cook County) Mass Schedule Weekends: Saturdays, 5:30 PM. Sundays, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 AM Holy Days: 8:15 AM and 7:00 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: 8:15 AM Wednesdays: 7:00 PM Confession Schedule Saturdays: 4:30 to 5:15 PM By appointment. Baptisms First Sundays of every month by appointment. Parents must be registered parishioners. Weddings Minimum eight months in advance. At least one partner must be a registered parishioner. Religious Education Classes 1st through 8th Grade Tuesday evenings, September through May Parents must be registered parishioners. Registration In Rectory Office Hours Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Thursdays: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. Parish Ministerial Staff Father Edward Gleeson, Pastor Deacon John Wilkinson, Minister of Care Brian Tishuk, RE Director Pamela Stafford, Music Coordinator Pamela Mikrut, Organist JoAnn Starha, Altar and Rosary President Rodney Poynter, Holy Name President Barbara Tishuk, Our Lady of the Forest President Rectory Support Staff Donna Slosowski, Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper Bernice Raj, Housekeeper/Cook

2 Page Two November 8, 2009 The widow in the Gospel was probably pretty old, maybe as old as forty. She had out lived her husband. But he didn t have a pension. All that the little old lady had left were a couple of coins worth maybe a penny. Her generosity was so great, however, that she donated what little she had to her place of worship. As a result there may not have been any food on her table that night. The rich folks in the temple made a big show of their contributions. Jesus wasn t fooled by their display. This poor widow put in more than all the others. For they contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty. Our Lord had just invented the concept of stewardship, making a free will offering from a person s want and not from a person s surplus. Jesus didn t reject the gold coins of the rich folks. But he didn t think they were giving enough. No pain. No gain. No grace. Among U.S. Christians Evangelicals give the most, Catholics the least. Evangelicals spend hours in church on Sundays. Catholics spend less than an hour, come late, make for the washroom in the middle of the Mass, and leave early. Evangelicals donate through tithing, around ten percent of their adjusted income. Catholics living in million dollar homes give the same few bucks that they have been giving for the last two generations. Contributing to the support of this parish is the virtue of justice. Being generous to the needy outside of this parish is the virtue of charity. We Catholics, for the most part, don t do real well with either virtue. In this wee bit of a faith community about sixty families give about eighty percent of the collection. The rest give little or nothing as do the non-registered worshippers. This is typical of every parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago. We Catholics need to imitate the little old lady in the Gospel and put our last few coins in the poor box. No FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR NO PAIN.. NO N GAIN.. NO N GRACE. pain. No gain. No grace. We can t be sure that the poor widow overheard all of the praise that Jesus was heaping upon her. We hope that she did. After all she deserved all of the reward that she had coming both on earth and in heaven. God the Son could see into her heart and recognize that by the grace of God the Father this little old lady had understood the lesson from the Book of Kings which has been selected for the first reading of this Mass. There was another poor widow in the town of Zarephath who just happened to run into the prophet Elijah who was thirsty from his journey. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there. He called out to her: please bring me a small cupful of water to drink. Soon Elijah realized that he was hungry as well as thirsty. Please bring along a bit of bread. The widow baked the bread for the prophet even though she had little flour left. For her generosity she was rewarded by God the Father. In spite of famine the widow and her son were able to eat for a year from the flour that she had shared with Elijah. When we come to Mass we experience the generosity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He feeds us with His Body and Blood, a gift even greater than that granted to the widow of Zarephath as Jesus the Christ is greater than the prophet Elijah. With the gift of Communion as our motive and our strength we can begin to match the generosity of both widows. And when we are generous it is not wrong for us to want to overhear God the Son telling God the Father about how good we are. So now is the time. Be generous. No pain. No gain. No grace. God Bless Our Parish, FATHER ED GLEESON, PASTOR

3 Thirty-Second Ordinary Sunday Page Three FLOWERS The flower bouquets on the main altars were donated by AL & CAROL SOBCZAK and JOYCE ARNOLD in memory of Ann & Harry Schickel. Let No Hero Be Forgotten The collection for St. James on the weekend of November 1st was $4, All Saints/All Souls was $1, Maintenance collection was $1, The number of November 1st Offertory Envelopes handed in the weekend of October 31st and November 1st was 163. The amount of money coming out of those envelopes was $3, which averages out to $22.69 per envelope. Our many thanks to the163 contributing families. BLESS YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED AND VALUED SUPPORT. ZACCHAEUS HOUSE is a ministry of Catholic Deacons on the south side of Chicago offering hospitality to men in transition to stability in their lives. This is a not-forprofit, non-treatment residential facility for displaced men seeking an opportunity to better their situation following misfortune or mistake. The House provides a secure environment of respect, order and peace while coaching men to sharpen life skills, growth in self-esteem and spiritual maturity towards achieving responsible and independent living. The House subsists solely on the volunteer offerings of our benefactors. Join us as we celebrate the ministry of Zacchaeus House and the people who support it. Benefit Luncheon and Raffle Drawing Saturday, Nov. 14th at 12:00 noon St. James Sag Hall Tickets cost $30 and include steak. Lunch catered by Jack & Pat s Raffle tickets are $5.00 each. Winner need not be present. Our recent OPERATION CARE PACKAGE project was about supporting the men and women who bravely answer the call to duty for you, myself and our Country. Our support is what motivates the troops to complete their mission. Just knowing that Americans care about their well being is a major factor to the success of the troops and for them to ultimately come home safely to their loved ones. The Holidays can be especially lonely. But YOU have helped to make a difference and put a smile on the face of some of those who serve our Country. Our parishioners were very generous with their donations and a few kept donating more each week. Our one time second collection in church was amazing because you donated $1,404 to defray the cost of shipment. We also received some donations outside of our parish and are grateful for ALL the generous people. THANK YOU TO ALL AND MAY GOD BLESS.

4 Page Four November 8, 2009 KINGSWOOD ACADEMY OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, November 11th 9:00-10:30am join us for an Open House. Tour the building, see the students and teachers in action, and experience the Kingswood difference. For more information, call or Save the Date! Everest Academy presents... CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT! Thursday, November 19 th 6:00pm-8:00pm Bell Road, Lemont, IL Representatives from several of the area s outstanding Catholic High Schools will be available to answer your questions all in one room! For more info: please contact Sue Zabilka or szabilka@everestlemont.com St. Julie Billiart Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner (wait until you taste the homemade desserts!) Thanksgiving Day! Thurs. November 26 1:00 3:00pm FREE Just bring your smile! St. Julie Billiart William Devine Center (located behind church) 7399 W. 159 th St. Tinley Park, IL RSVP: Please call Merilee at (Limit 200) Ordinary people doing extraordinary things with faith in the good God and in the goodness of each other. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

5 Thirty-Second Ordinary Sunday Page Five REMEMBRANCE MASS There will be a Remembrance Mass on Wednesday, November 18th, at 7:30pm at St. Alphonsus Chapel, located on the corner of Walnut St. and Logan St. in Lemont. This Mass will be held in remembrance of children who live eternally in our hearts. If you or those you love experienced the death of a child, through miscarriage or any other life circumstances, we invite you to this special Mass. There will be a table of remembrance available for you to share any pictures or mementos of your loved one. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact St. Alphonsus parish office at CATHOLICS COME HOME: CHICAGO STYLE EVANGELIZATION Many parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago have tried to find effective ways to reach out to inactive Catholics. This year there is an evangelization effort that will support those efforts through a media campaign called Catholics Come Home. The Archdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Joliet and Rockford have joined together in this evangelization effort and have funded the commercials, which will be shown on all major networks within this large viewing area including ABC, NBC, CBS, WGN, FOX, cable stations, Univision, Telemundo, Polsat and Polvision. The centerpiece of this evangelization effort is a commercial titled Epic that has been translated into three languages: English, Spanish and Polish. This commercial has won multiple awards including a 2008 Telly Award for Top Honors and 2009 Communicator Awards. The commercial campaign will begin on December 16, 2009 and run for 5 ½ weeks, over that time the average TV viewer will see a Catholics Come Home commercial 13 to 20 times. The Office for Evangelization has created a webpage devoted to Catholics Come Home. This is the place to see a truly Chicago look of the media campaign and to find facts, photos, and resources specifically for parishes in the Archdiocese. For more information go to: www/catholicscomehomechicago.org Please remember those who have gone before us this past year. Eternal rest grant on to them Oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. In Loving Memory of... Lawrence Hickey Diane F. Haack Victoria A. Bujas Josephine Lucas-Rossi Florence LaVelle Theresa O Connor Michael T. Nelson Arthur F. Chmelek Joseph Kappel Stanley Kuzmickas Irene Slosowski William Blimstrub Edward F. Obrochta Diane V. Obrochta Casimir Szlemborski Lauretta Kopping PRAYER SHAWL & KNITTING/ CROCHETING MINISTRY Do you know how to knit and/or crochet? Would you like to learn? If you are interested in joining in a knitting/crocheting ministry in the Lemont parishes please call Doreen at or We could form our own group or we could partner with other churches in the area and knit not only for own people but for chemotherapy units, neonatal nurseries, children s shelter and the like. Think about it and if you are interested, give Doreen a call.

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7 Thirty-Second Ordinary Sunday Page Seven VOTIVE CANDLES Votive offering for the week of November 8th: St. James Altar & Rosary Sodality For the soul of Denis Holich Special intention for the Brady Family Special intention for Jean Weekley Special intention for Scott, Marna, & Emma Walschlager EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES HOLY FAMILY VILLA, a 99-bed skilled care facility in Palos Park, is currently accepting applications for the following positions: Full & Part-Time Dietary Host/Hostess evenings & weekends Part-Time Activity Aide evenings & weekends Part-Time Receptionist evenings & weekends Interested applicants may fax resumes to , or apply in person South Will-Cook Road, Palos Park, IL. Monday 8:30AM Tuesday 8:15AM Wednesday 7:00PM Thursday 8:15AM November 9 Dedicatin of the Lateran Basilica in Rome John & Isabelle Dainis November 10 Pope Leo the Great Maurice Marchand November 11 St. Martin of Tours Purgatorial Society November 12 St. Josephat Hyman Mogy Catholic New World YOUR FAITH RESOURCE Subscribe or renew today Reporting news and events from a faith perspective is not something the secular media always does well. The Catholic New World provides the Catholic perspective on news and events around the world and right here in Lake and Cook counties Francis Cardinal George, OMI Friday 8:15AM November 13 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Irene Slosowski Saturday November 14 VIGIL: THIRTY-THIRD ORDINARY SUNDAY 5:30PM Jerry Mogy Sunday November 15 THIRTY-THIRD ORDINARY SUNDAY 8:30AM Targoneski Family members 10:00AM Angeline & Wally Wojciechowski 11:30AM Living & Deceased Parishioners Nov. 14 & 15 5:30PM 8:30AM 10:00 AM 11:30 AM Celebrant Father Gleeson Father Gleeson Father Gleeson Father Schmidt Altar Servers F. Zabilka J. Zabilka M. Ginger D. Lawler P. Lawler T. & B. Lawler D. LaSota W. Tishuk T. Wall R. Fugiel A. Fugiel A. Fugiel Lector S. Zabilka C. Stach-Pearman D. LaSota H. Fugiel LEM Deacon John Deacon John Deacon John Father Gleeson Ushers R. Lawler C. Hughes E. Liczwek T. Lang F. Pearman M. Hally H. Grutza M. Wall J. Wall M. Lavery J. Pajkos B. Czaja J. Neadly R. Poynter M. Fleckenstein