Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

Transcription

1 528 Lathrop Avenue River Forest, Illinois Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ~ John 6:32 A ug ust 5, 2018 Eig ht ee nt h S unday in Ord inary Ti me

2 MASS INTENTIONS Monday, August 6 - The Transfiguration of the Lord 6:30 am The Williams, Karasis and Kurr Families 8:00 am Josephine T. Dooley Tuesday, August 7 - St. Sixtus II and Companions; St. Cajetan 6:30 am Deceased Members of the Anderson and Froelich Families 8:00 am Loretta Higgins Wednesday, August 8 - St. Dominic 6:30 am Kathryn Ann Froelich 8:00 am James Burns Thursday, August 9 - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross 6:30 am Special Intention for Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke 8:00 am Dr. Donal Keane Friday, August 10 - St. Lawrence 6:30 am Dr. Kimberlee Curyn 8:00 am John Giura Saturday, August 11 - St. Clare 8:00 am Marcella Szpak 5:00 pm Kathy Smith Sunday, August 12 7:30 am The People of St. Luke Parish 9:00 am Josephine T. and Michael J. Dooley 11:00 am The Crowley and Cusack Families MINISTERS OF THE LITURGY Saturday, August 11 5:00 pm Servers C Glinke, A Vazquez, 1 Needed Lectors Y Hafner, F Auteri Euch Min H Donoghue, B Peterson, H Peterson, M Peterson, D Piper, W Piper, M Sullivan Ushers C Cox, J Fisher, M Nelson, R Nixon Sunday, August 12 7:30 am Servers D Devereux, B Greenberg, E Wolinski Lectors T Smedinghoff, L Binder Euch Min K Heiss, P Muldoon, MB Smedinghoff Ushers B Hickman, J Langton, C Maroon, M Oller 9:00 am Servers B Hardy, B Kerstetter, 1 Needed Lectors CJ Kerstetter, B Esposito Euch Min LM Froelich, G Hardy, L Langos, J Meek, R Norton, V Perera, G Rara Ushers B Aquilino, L Driscoll, P Driscoll, J Nowicki 11:00 am Servers C Leavy, L Phelan, 1 Needed Lectors N O Malley, S Price Euch Min J Baier, J Courtney, B Elwood, K Frank, M Frank, M Karasis, P Klein Ushers J McInerney, 3 Needed If the answer is yes to either of these questions, please stop by the rectory or give us a call today at to keep us up to date with all your contact information. Thanks. 2 WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL SCRIPTURE READINGS For Masses the week of August 6-12 Mon: Dn 7:9-10, 13-14/Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 9 [1a, 9a]/2 Pt 1:16-19/ Mk 9:2-10 Tue: Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22/Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, and [17]/Mt 14:22-36 or 15:1-2, Wed: Jer 31:1-7/Jer 31:10, 11-12ab, 13 [cf. 10d]/Mt 15:21-28 Thu: Jer 31:31-34/Ps 51:12-13, 14-15, [12a]/Mt 16:13-23 Fri: 2 Cor 9:6-10/Ps 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9 [5]/Jn 12:24-26 Sat: Hb 1:12 2:4/Ps 9:8-9, 10-11, [11b]/Mt 17:14-20 Next Sunday: 1 Kgs 19:4-8/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 [9a]/ Eph 4:30 5:2/Jn 6:41-51 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK Monica Affleck, Honor Brennan, David Carlson, Terry Coffey, Jimmy Dooley, Richard Farrell, Richard Gamache, Sr. Michelle Germanson OP, Robert Gorman, Kathleen Haney, Frank Kurr, Julia Mannix, Mariella Michelon, Sr. Colleen Nolan OP, Kevin Nolan, Paul Novak, Nick Perisin, Fr. Paul Reicher, Patti Sheehan, and Tom Trankina AND FOR OUR DECEASED James Hill STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. ~Exodus 16:4 When the Israelites gathered more than their daily portion of manna, the surplus became wormy and rotten. In the same way today, self-reliance, pride, and ego leads to hoarding and excessive surplus of goods and money. Living a stewardship lifestyle helps us discern our wants from our needs. Living a generous lifestyle reminds us that God will provide all that we need and that we have plenty to share. Our Weekly Offerings Week-to-Date Month-to-Date Year-to-Date Envelopes $ 7,746 $ 35,127 $ 35,127 Electronic 1,720 20,659 20,659 Total Giving $ 9,466 $ 55,786 $ 55,786 Budgeted 13,530 67,650 67,650 Variance +/(-) $( 4,064) $( 11,864) $( 11,864) (For Fiscal Year August 1, 2018 June 30, 2019) We greatly appreciate the sacrifices you make to support the mission and ministry of St. Luke Church. Thank you for your generosity! Want a safe and easy way to support St. Luke Parish using your credit card or bank account instead of writing a check each week? Register today at

3 If you are in a quandary as to whether you should read this article or not My child attends Religious Education or My child attends St. Luke School please read on. This is for both of you! I begin with a prayer of thanks for all who do so much for both our school and after-school religious education programs: our coordinators, teachers, and catechists, all who help form our young people in the faith and in their identity as Catholics. We are very grateful to Sr. Colleen Nolan, who did so much to pass on the faith to our young people during her seven years with us. I appreciate the care, dedication, and vision she shared with Mrs. Mary Beth Smedinghoff to run our wonderful Religious Education Program. Sister is now living permanently in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, and is able to better attend to her health. We connect from time to time, and she is doing well. Renew My Church Although we do not yet know the parish(es) with which we will be grouped or when our grouping will be activated, we are collaborating to some extent with neighboring parishes already. We welcomed students from another parish into our Confirmation class this past year and plan to do this again as well as cosponsoring catechist training and having a shared site for adult Confirmation classes. Over all, this is the umbrella of evangelization and sharing our faith in a way that is vital, vibrant, and hopeful. This captures the essence, the kerygma of our faith and how everyone is to proclaim the Risen Lord Jesus by having a loving relationship with Him. No matter where we are or which parish we belong to, we are all centered on the same mission in Jesus Christ and in leading everyone to love and serve God. Two Years of Preparation for Sacraments The Archdiocese now requires all schools and religious education programs to offer two years of preparation for the sacraments. So, both first and second graders will be learning about the Sacrament of Penance and the Eucharist. Seventh and eighth graders will be learning about Confirmation. Understandably, the intensity and depth of preparation becomes greater as the sacrament draws closer in the second year. Our Schedule: Earlier Date for Confirmation I wanted to share that it might take some time to get used to a new sacramental calendar. This year, the date given by the Archdiocese for Confirmation is much earlier March 20, two weeks into Lent and well before Easter. What used to take place near the end of the school year and what for many signified almost an end of the program, no longer will be. This year, our Religious Education Program will be beginning two weeks later than usual and will be extended through May. Students who are confirmed will be expected to continue classes to the end of May with the rest of the students. The Reality Since February, a panel of six teachers from our school and I have met to discuss the religion curriculum and materials used to teach religion. The materials we ve used are most excellent: certainly thorough and comprehensive. Religious knowledge is tested and quizzed. The materials, however, are weak in their presentation of scripture and the reflection it takes to really come to know and love our Lord and develop a relationship with Him. This analysis left us with several questions: How are students taught how to move the knowledge from the mind in order to make their faith an experience of the soul and heart? How are they learning so as to grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord? When they complete our program, are they all open to a lifelong process of learning and practice of the faith? Do they actively practice their faith by living the Mass and the sacraments? Have they come to see why the sacraments are necessary to the life of a Catholic Christian? For instance: Why does it benefit a couple of faith to get married in the Church? In their parish? Especially when the culture in which we live shows other options? Currently: Our Transition If we lived in a culture and society that was supportive of our religion and faith, and if every family was unconditionally supportive of the practice of the faith and sacraments, we could probably keep things exactly as they were. But with today s challenges in our locale, city, nation, and world, we cannot simply rely on doing things as we always have. We need a more relational model, one that is less heady and more thought-provoking and heart-challenging a spiritual way of teaching and one that ignites the hearts of our young ones with a knowledge of a transcendent (Continued on page 6) AUGUST 5, 2018 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 3

4 Next weekend we will have a visitor at all of the Masses from the St. Patrick Missionary Society (also known as St. Patrick Fathers) as part of the Archdiocese s summer program introducing missionaries from around the world to all the parishes in the Chicago area. The St. Patrick Society was founded on St. Patrick s Day in 1932 by several Irish diocesan priests who initially had volunteered to work on a temporary basis in Nigeria but then decided to dedicate their lives fully to mission work and invited others to join them. As the missionary society grew, the outreach extended to Kenya, Brazil, Malawi, Grenada, Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and Homelands of South Africa. The society now has a total of 291 priests, of which 21 are newly ordained African priests. After a drop in vocations in recent years, the missionaries are now happy to report that more than 50 students and two deacons are currently preparing for the priesthood in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Most of the people served by the missionaries in these developing countries are extremely poor, and so the missionary society depends upon donations to educate their seminarians and support the priests in the field. So please give their representative a warm welcome next weekend and a generous donation in our second collection to assist these missionaries efforts to spread the Gospel in the remotest corners of the world. 4 The Archdiocese invites all altar servers and their families from our parish and others in our Vicariate IV to a special Mass and celebration in appreciation of their service to Christ, the Church, and their parishes on Saturday, August 18. Bishop John Manz will celebrate the Mass at 10:30 am at Our Lady of Victory Church in Chicago, followed by a celebration. All altar servers will receive a special Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of their commitment to this special ministry. The event is free, but you must sign up in advance. Please RSVP to the Parish Office no later than this Thursday, August 9, by calling or by to stlukeparish@stlukeparish.org. Please provide the number of persons who will be attending and the full name of each server as well as the parents full names for the certificate. WELCOME TO ST. LUKE River Forest, IL The Peace and Justice Committee s Summer Book Discussion Series will have its final meeting tomorrow (Monday) night with this year s selection, The Sin of White Supremacy. The book, which is published by Orbis Books and also available on Amazon.com, examines the role of the Church in racism and positive steps that can change our society s views on race relations. The group will examine the final chapter of the book from 7:30 to 9:00 pm in the Hospitality House. All St. Lukers are welcome to join the discussion. Pope Francis invites Catholics around the world to remember a special intention in their prayers each month. Prayers for August are requested for the Treasure of Families: That any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.

5 Are you, or someone you know, interested in learning more about the Catholic Faith? Or someone who has not been to Mass and the sacraments for some time and would like to become active again? St. Luke s RCIA Program will be starting again this fall. For new inquirers as well as those who have been away from the Church for a while, this program has inspired many to become a member of the Catholic Church or to be renewed in their faith in Christ Jesus. Please call the Parish Office at for more information. every Thursday morning this month 9:00-10:30 am on courts across from the Jewel Food Store on Lake Street Amt Paid Amt Pledged Parish Goal ACA Pledge Report 85% to Date Thank you to all who have completed their pledge to the 2018 Annual Catholic Appeal. Monthly statements are being mailed to all those who still have an outstanding balance, and we appreciate everyone s full participation so that our parish will reach and, hopefully, exceed our goal. Once the pledge payments have exceeded our goal, all of the additional funds are returned to our parish for use in our ministries. PARISH GOAL: $58,617 AMOUNT PLEDGED: $75,656 AMOUNT PAID: $64,373 REMAINING BALANCE: $11,283 Thank you for your prayers and generous support of our archdiocesan and parish ministries! If you are an adult, 19 years of age or older, who has received your First Communion, and regularly attends Mass, but was never confirmed, this process is for you to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation! All preparation meetings and reception of the sacrament will take place at Ascension Parish in Oak Park. Meetings will be held on consecutive Tuesdays from September 4 through October 4. In addition, one Saturday meeting on September 22 will be held beginning at 3:15 pm and continuing through the 5:00 Mass. A maximum of one class can be missed. There is a $70 fee to cover the cost of books and materials. There will be reading assigned in preparation for each class. Sponsors are encouraged, but not required, to attend. To find out more, please contact Ascension s Pastoral Associate, Mary Catherine Meek, at or at mc.meek@ascensionoakpark.com. Registration will close on August 24, so sign up soon! This is the last week to bring donations of backpacks and school supplies for Catholic Charities free annual Community Health Fair at St. Frances of Rome School on August 18. Suggested items include: New backpacks Pens and pencils Glue, scissors, erasers Crayons and markers Rulers and folders Notebooks and college and wide-ruled paper Bring your donations to Mass next Saturday or Sunday and place them in the Backpack Drive container in the back of church. The Health Fair at St. Frances of Rome will start with registration from 8:00 to 10:30 am and free medical and dental exams for children (back-to-school) and adults and immunizations between 9:00 am and Noon. For full details, go to stlukeparish.org/portals/50/ Forms/2018-CC-Health-Fair.pdf. AUGUST 5, 2018 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 5

6 The St. Luke Athletic Committee congratulates this week s winner of the 500 Club drawing: Richard Carey Thank you to all who have purchased memberships in the Club, the proceeds of which go directly to fund St. Luke Parish School s athletic programs. Religious Education Update (Continued from page 3) yet immanent God. This is an exciting time and a time of transition for us. We purposely did not hire a religious education coordinator to maintain the status quo because we want to implement a new program, a pilot program, that is rather revolutionary. It focuses on developing a loving relationship with God on the part of student and teacher alike. Both are being evangelized during the process through the use of the scriptures, regularly scheduled topics, and shared experience of the love of God. This is the call of Renew My Church and the new evangelization called for by saints and popes alike. We are a teaching church; we are a learning and practicing community. I will share more about this program with you next week. Meanwhile, if anyone is interested in assisting the parish in its mission or those have served as catechists in the past and who are open to sharing their faith with our young ones as we embark on this new journey together, please contact me by phone or . May God bless you for considering this and being open to these efforts at bringing more people to Christ! ~Fr. John Rev. John Szmyd, Pastor jszmyd@stlukeparish.org Rev. Steven Bauer, Associate Pastor sbauer@stlukeparish.org Rev. Leroy Wickowski (Retired) lwickowski@stlukeparish.org Rev. Mr. John Baier johnbaier@isp.com Rev. Mr. Terry Norton reneeterrynorton@gmail.com Rev. Mr. Bob Slobig bobslobig@comcast.net Rev. Mr. Paul Faherty (retired) 528 Lathrop Avenue, River Forest stlukeparish@stlukeparish.org Carol Karlowski, Office Assistant ckarlowski@stlukeparish.org Daniel Szymanski, Director of Operations dszymanski@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 Joanie Schwarzbeck, Administrative Assistant 519 Ashland Avenue, River Forest (Enter through Lake Street door of school building) religiouseducation@stlukeparish.org Mary Beth Smedinghoff, Religious Ed Secretary 533 Ashland Avenue, River Forest Sr. Pat Farrell, O.P. pfarrell@stlukeparish.org Mass Schedule Saturday (Vigil) 5:00 pm, and Sunday 7:30, 9:00, and 11:00 am Weekdays: Monday-Friday 6:30 & 8:00 am (except 8:15 am on Wednesdays during the school year), 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-12:00 Noon and 1:00-4:00 pm and by appointment (Call ). 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. 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, except during Lent. 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.

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