Father Mike Ahlstrom Parish Administrator

THE CROWN

WELCOME FATHER JAMES BEATH A CHRISTMAS SURPRISE We have a new priest at Divine Infant! He is Father James Beath. He is coming to live with us for only six months. Let me explain how we received this Christmas surprise. As I explained to you when I gave my State of the Parish homily four weeks ago, I thought it best for the needs of the parish that we enter the first phase of the Renew My Church initiative. This will be required of all parishes in the next few years. Because this means a lot of extra meetings and work, I decided to commit myself to staying at Divine Infant until we have a new pastor named this coming July. I could have gotten a relief pitcher the last six months and returned to being retired. It is unusual to have a temporary parish administrator for over a year. But I enjoy being here at DI, and want to get you off to a good start with Renew My Church. However, I had planned a fourweek trip in January for some time. I was concerned about being gone so long, and asked the Priest Placement Board if I could have some help for January. They surprised me by giving us a priest not only for January, but for six months. God is good! Father Beath is just now finishing a sabbatical after his last assignment. He is in the associate pastor pool for July. He is available to help us out in the meantime. Just to dispel any rumors, he will not be our next pastor. He is in the associate pastor pool, not the pastor pool, for a new assignment in July. I remember when I finished my sabbatical, I gave a couple of months to be a temp before I began my role as vicar for deacons. Please give a warm welcome to Father Beath, as you have to me. CHRISTMAS FEAST DAYS We have celebrated the Nativity of Our Lord this past Monday. Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. The Son of God who came to us, as one of us, is revealed as part of a very real family. It would be good to read The Joy of Love by Pope Francis. He has many beautiful and challenging things to say about family life. This Monday is New Year s Day. In the Church s calendar it is the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Ordinarily this is a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics are required to come to church and offer Mass. Because this holy day is falling on a Monday, the obligation is dropped for this year. None the less, I want to encourage you to start the New Year right and come to Mass. For your convenience Mass will be offered at 8:00 and 10:00 Monday Morning. Why not bring the family? Next weekend is the Feast of the Epiphany when we hear the story of the Magi following a star and presenting their gifts to Jesus. Then on Monday, January 8, the Christmas season concludes with the Feast of The Baptism of the Lord. This marks the transition of Jesus' life with his family, and the beginning of his public ministry. HUGE THANK YOUS! We have many people to thank for our beautiful Christmas Season. Our Liturgical ministry of Art and Environment transformed our church into a beautiful space welcoming the Divine Infant. We are grateful for many hands who worked many hours to make this is happen. Our Music Ministry was over the top. Many voices and instrumentalists help us sing our joyful and faithfilled Christmas music. This not only compliments our worship, but places us in the divine presence of the Infant Jesus. Our priests, deacon, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, servers and ushers also each played a special role in enabling us to experience the presence of God as we celebrated the Feast of our parish patron, the Divine Infant Jesus. And of course, I need to acknowledge all our assembly, the people of our parish. We had 1,270 people come on Christmas, twice the number we get on an ordinary Sunday. Hopefully and prayerfully we would like to see them come more often. Inviting them and loving them back is a challenge we must partake in, so we can be a whole Church. Finally, a huge thank you to those who have been so generous in responding to my Christmas letter and making a sacrifice to be generous in our Christmas collection. You are special people and I thank our God for you! May God bless your New Year in every way and on every day! Father Mike Ahlstrom Parish Administrator

MESSAGE FROM MINISTRY OF CONSOLATION Because of a change of circumstances at the workplace and on the home front, I will no longer be able to coordinate the Ministry of Consolation. I will be stepping down as Coordinator, effective January 28. If anyone would like to work in this volunteer ministry, please contact me at (708) 865-8071, ext. 304 or Toni Podock, ext. 201, during the month of January. If you have a loving heart and concern for those who have lost a loved one, bereavement ministry can offer many rewards in return for the kindness and prayer you will offer Divine Infant parishioners. I will be willing to help get you started and have all materials you would need, organized at the rectory. Toni, our rectory secretary, will also help you. Please consider helping the bereaved of our parish. I am grateful I have been able to make the loss of a loved one less painful for grieving family and friends. It has truly been a labor of love for me to work in the Ministry of Consolation. Many blessings to you all and I will keep you in my prayers. Dr. Claudia Maria Dado, M.A.L. Coordinator, Ministry of Consolation HOLY HOUR FOR JANUARY The Holy Hour for January will be held at 7:30pm on Friday, January 19. We have moved the date in order to save a time when we can pray for the mothers and fathers who have been victims of the abortion industry since it was legalized in January 22, 1973. We will also pray that abortion will soon be abolished in our country and in the world. Please mark the date and time and join us on January 19. December 31 January 1 New Year s Eve No 5:00 pm anticipation Mass New Year s Day (Solemnity of Mary) Masses at 8:00 & 10:00 am Not a Holy Day of obligation this year WRONG EMAIL Oops! Wrong email! In the December 10 issue of The Crown, you were invited to write or email the Priest Placement Board of the Archdiocese about the process for selecting a new pastor. However, we misspelled Father Knotek s name. Consequently, the emails would not have been received. The correct email is given below. In case you have not written, it is not too late to do so now. Here are three questions you could address in your letter: Name the top three strong points of our parish. Name the top three areas of greatest need for our parish. What qualities would you like to see in the pastor? Correct email for Fr. Knotek mknotek@archchicago.org

DI PARISH 70TH ANNIVERSARY PHOTO ALBUM Our album will have four tabs: PLEASE NOTE! For January 3rd only Lifetouch Pictures will be taken in the gym. Our Pastoral Staff Our People Our Primary Lay Leadership Our Educators We will be opening up the following additional photo dates: Wednesday Jan 10 Monday Jan 22 Saturday Jan 27 Photographs will be held in the north end of Langan Hall. Please use the Hull school parking lot and enter via the northwest door (#10) of Langan Hall. Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time. You can still sign up by calling the rectory or on-line: How to sign up on-line for our 70th Anniversary Photo Album Go to website: https://booknow-lifetouch.appointment-plus.com/ y7zg8zme/ ALL ARE WELCOME! If you are a current or former parishioner, current or former student of Divine Infant, current or former student of our Religious Education program, or if you have raised your children Catholicwe invite you to have your picture taken for our 70 th Anniversary Picture Album. Photo shoots will take place during the first week of December. If you know someone who doesn t always make it Mass, invite them. What a great excuse to invite out-of-town family members! Sign up for your time at the back of church today, on-line or at the rectory. When signing up, please include your name, the number being photographed, your phone # and your e-mail address. Select number in group Select Day (January 10, 22 or 27 th ) you want. Book time you want. First time through: Select new user Enter First Name Last Name Phone Understand that none of your contact information will be included in the album. WHY SIGN UP FOR THE 70 th ANNIVERSARY PHOTO ALBUM To get a free, professional 8x10 photo To get a free parish album with faces identified by names. To potentially get a free parish album every year. To potentially get a free Neighborhood album (including DP, St. Barbara s and St. Louise) every year. To make money for the parish. Though no one is obligated to buy anything, some families will want to buy pictures. Out of the photographer s gross revenue, 5% is coming back to DI.

The Divine Infant Knights of Columbus Council will be handing out Families Fully Alive Program Booklets after each Mass on Epiphany weekend, January 6 th and 7 th. To cultivate life as a domestic church, a family must deliberately welcome God into its home. The Knights of Columbus Family Fully Alive Program has been created to help each family do this. The Family Fully Alive program provides monthly themes, reflections, meditations, family projects and Scripture verses designed to help each family place God and the Catholic faith at the center of its life. Through prayer and reflection each family has the opportunity to grow in holiness together. Launching Families Fully Alive Program The Family Fully Alive program can be used as a devotional for all families throughout the liturgical year and all of the programs resources are available at http://www.kofc.org/en/domestic-church/ overview/family-fully-alive-getting-started.html or contact Divine Infant Knights of Columbus Council Grand Knight, Jeff LaPorte via email: jefelaporte25@hotmail.com or cell # 269-591-2171 Adapting This Program to Your Family The family fully alive program is designed to be flexible to meet the continuously changing needs of your family. This program can be started during any month of the year, completing projects and saying prayers at the times and places most suitable for your family. Some suitable times would be after family dinner or shortly before bedtime, making it easier to deal with the challenge of bringing the entire family together. However you decide to incorporate the family fully alive program into your family s busy schedule, one thing is certain it will change your life. The monthly cycle of themes, prayers, reflections, meditations and family projects will help your family focus on the important things in the world. They will help build your domestic church as a place of faith, hope and charity, where each member will grow with grace toward his or her full potential in God. PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE Looking to make a positive impact in the life of a fellow parishioner? Consider a donation to the Go- FundMe page for Marc Shuflit, battling MS, who has undergone stem cell replacement therapy to halt the progression of this debilitating disease. Marc, Meg and their families genuinely appreciate your support. For more information please visit the GoFundMe website at www.gofundme.com. In the search engine type in Marc Shuflit. Click on MRS battling MS. Should you choose, your donation can be made anonymously.

LITURGY FOR THE WEEK SATURDAY, December 30 5:00 pm People of the Parish SUNDAY, December 31 7:30 Emil & Henrietta Bezouska; Thomas Smith 9:30 Jack, Marie & John Svabek & Richard Jurevich; Joyce Wilkin; Carmella Troszynski 11:30 Deceased members of St. Vincent de Paul Society; Patricia Grammas; Bob Breneisen; Ed & Mary Alice Dillon; Rene Husak MONDAY, January 1 8:00 Thomas Kovarik 10:00 Thomas W. Parker; Andrea Giannelli; Pamela Kouimelis TUESDAY, January 2 8:00 Pamela Kouimelis WEDNESDAY, January 3 8:00 Mary McLeod; Walter & Mary Wanick THURSDAY, January 4 8:00 Gloria Bruno; Francisco & Belen Cabrera (wedding anniversary) FRIDAY, January 5 8:00 Fr. Fred Tomzik SATURDAY, January 6 8:00 All the faithful departed 5:00 pm Holy souls in purgatory; Maurice Ragusin; Lou, & Josephine Galella; Mary Fox SUNDAY, January 7 7:30 Thomas Smith 9:30 Lou, Val & Joe Greco; Fr. Fred Tomzik; Ed Mullins 11:30 People of the Parish PRAY FOR THE SICK OF THE PARISH Charles Anderson Dorothy Asher Ed Backer Jerry Benesh Arlene Buszkiewicz Carl Celestino, Sr. Donald Doucet Joseph Gurzejk Marie Gurzejk Ron Huefner Arlene Kalisiak Jean Lidzbienski Rena Lizzadro John Lytle Gordon Macpherson Johnny Mulligan Janine Nywood Frank Pedota, Sr. Dave Peloza Lisa Peloza Kathy Reed Thomas Sloan Paul Sodayko Edward Valle Jacob Vincent Bridget Walsh John Williams Loving God, give strength to all who struggle with illness. Grant them courage when they are afraid and comfort when they are in pain. Because of government regulations, hospitals and nursing homes are no longer allowed to notify us if you are admitted to either facility. If you or a family member would like to be visited in the hospital or nursing home, please call the rectory at 865-8071. If you or a family member are sick or homebound and would like to be added to our prayer list, visited, receive Holy Communion or be anointed, please call the rectory at 865-8071. WEEKDAY SERVERS MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY 8:00 Ethan Caday THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY 8:00 Payton Cullum MAY THEY REST IN PEACE Joyce Griffith NEXT WEEKEND S MINISTERS CELEBRANT COMM. MINISTERS MUSIC LECTORS SERVERS SAT. 5:00 D. Thoms Adult M. Klincewicz J. Chi W. Thoms Choir A. DiFiore J. Blumhagen SUN. 7:30 C. Saflover M. Weber R. Shuflit J. Saraceno G. Zangara S. Houston SUN. 9:30 W. Beuck Strings of R. Calcagno K. James R. Calcagno Faith R. Smola M. Lah SUN. 11:30 L. Brown Teens E. Caday R. Brown J. Stiso

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31 NEW YEAR S EVE No 5:00 pm Anticipation Mass MONDAY, JANUARY 1 NEW YEAR S DAY SOLEMNITY OF MARY Not a Holy Day of obligation this year Masses are at 8:00 and 10:00 am WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 Gym 2:00 pm Parish Photo Album Pictures SUNDAY, JANUARY 7 CH 12:45 pm Baptismal Prep MONDAY, JANUARY 8 School Resumes RE Classes LH 6:30 pm Athletic Board CR 7:00 pm Liturgy Meeting TUESDAY, JANUARY 9 CH 3:00 pm Chimes PR 7:00 pm School Board WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 CH 4:00 pm Music Dept. LH 2:00 pm Parish Photo Album Pictures PLEASE USE GiveCentral.org FOR ALL YOUR DONATIONS Divine Infant Jesus Parish depends on your generosity in order to carry out its ministry of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ and teaching and healing in his name. We do not charge for anything. We rely solely on your Sunday and Holy Day donations. To make it easier for you to give your gifts to Divine Infant, we work with GiveCentral.org. When you sign up with GiveCentral.org, you can make all your Sunday, Holy Day, second collection, and every other donation that you make to the parish. Then you never have to use a parish envelope or put anything in the collection basket ever again! Please visit GiveCentral.org to create your personal and secure donations account. Thank you for your generosity! SUNDAY OFFERING December 24, 2017 - This week s collection $12,083 When you are away for a weekend, we hope you will remember your offering to Divine Infant. Thank you. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21 Tuesday: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Wednesday: 1 Jn 2:29 3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn 1:29-34 Thursday: 1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Jn 1:35-42 Friday: 1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-5; Jn 1:43-51 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-28 [23, 31-34, 36, 38] Sunday: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12 PROTECTING CHILDREN At Divine Infant Jesus Parish and School, the protection of our children is of utmost importance, and we comply fully with the policies of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. To learn more, go to our website dnn.archchicago.org/divine infant and click on the tab Protecting Children at D.I. or visit archchicago.org and click on the button Protecting Children. If you do not have internet access and would like to learn more, please contact the rectory or call the Office for Protection of Children and Youth at 312 534-5254. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE ALL PARISH MAILINGS ELECTRONICALLY If you would like to receive parish mailings Christmas and Easter letters, statement of annual contributions, and yearly report by email, please send an email to the parish at d.infant@comcast.net. In the subject line write Parish Email, and then in the body of the email write your name, street address and envelope number if you know it. This will help save the parish money in printing and postage. Thank you! WELCOME... We are happy you have chosen to be with us. We hope your experience is warm and welcoming whether you are here to celebrate the Eucharist or spend time in quiet prayer. If you wish to learn more about Divine Infant and/or become a new member of our parish please take an envelope in the back of the Church. The envelope contains information about our parish. If you have any questions, call (708) 865-8071. Welcome to Divine Infant. We look forward to seeing you again!

PILLARS SEEKING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VOLUNTEERS Did you know that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime? You can help. Attend this 40-hour training on domestic violence crisis intervention. The training will prepare you for possible volunteer opportunities, such as assisting with our 24-hour hotline, providing crisis intervention, providing presentations to our children's group, or assisting with day-to-day tasks at Constance Morris House, Pillars' domestic violence shelter. Training Dates: Monday, January 8, 2018, 9 am-4 pm; then Mondays and Wednesdays, January 10- January 31, 10 am-4 pm Cost: Training is FREE with a 6-month volunteer commitment (and free for current Pillars employees/ sexual assault volunteers); cost is $250 without volunteer commitment (to cover training materials) For more information: Register online at www.pillarscommunity.org or call 708.995.3649 or 708.995.3805. YOUNG HEARTS FOR LIFE Cardiac Screening Volunteers Needed Montini Catholic High School is looking for volunteers to help with Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening to be held on Friday, January 19, 2018. This is a free heart screening service provided to high school students to identify students at risk for sudden cardiac death. Volunteers must attend a training session on Thursday, January 18 th at 5:30 pm or 7:00 pm held at Montini Catholic High School. Times to volunteer for on Friday, January 19 th are: 7:15 2:45 (full day) 7:15 11:45 (morning session) 11:00 2:45 (later session) No experience is needed! Registration is online at https://signup.com/client/ invitation2/secure/1856727/false#invitation This important life saving service is provided by Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening (YH4L), Montini Catholic High School and Good Samaritan Hospital. For more information about YH4L Please visit www.yh4l.org. BEARERS OF THE WORD The Church has placed a number of notable feast days immediately after Christmas. The feasts of Stephen, John the Evangelist, and the Holy Innocents form a summary of the life lived in Christ, the Word made flesh. What do these have to do with the feast of the Holy Family, which crowns the Octave of Christmas? These feasts remind us that suffering will occur in fulfilling the mission of Christ, and that we are all called to be bearers of this Word whose birth we celebrate. We also see this manifested in the lives of Joseph and Mary, both of whom took social and religious risks in obedience to the will of God, and both of whom were open to the word of God sent to them from on high. In these ways they prefigured the life of Jesus himself. Most likely, few of us found ourselves at Mass this past Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but the essence of these feasts and the essence of the holiness of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus remain central, a holiness we celebrate today. Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. Montini Catholic High School is located at 19W070 16 th Street in Lombard.

DIVINE INFANT PARISH NEWCASTLE AND CANTERBURY AVENUES WESTCHESTER, ILLINOIS 60154 Like us on Facebook REV. MICHAEL AHLSTROM, Administrator (ext. 203) REV. GERALD JOYCE, Pastor Emeritus (ext. 206) REV. THOMAS WINIKATES, Associate (ext. 204) DEACON JAMES SPONDER (ext. 306) MR. LEONARD GRAMAROSSA, School Principal SR. SUSAN MAJCEN, O.P., Director of Religious Education Website: divineinfant.archchicago.org Rectory: 1601 Newcastle Avenue, 708 865-8071 Fax number: 708-865-8032 E-mail: d.infant@comcast.net School: 1640 Newcastle Avenue, 865-0122 & 865-0233 E-mail: divineinfant@comcast.net Office of Religious Education: 865-8086 Bereavement Ministry: Dr. Claudia Dado, MAL (ext. 304) Catechumenate: Dr. Claudia Dado, MAL (ext. 304) Music Director: Mrs. Janet Reif, (ext. 302) Assc. Mus. Dir: Mrs. Judy Schindler, 383-4288 or (ext 302) Business Manager: Mr. Jerry Priore, (ext. 209) Rectory Secretary: Mrs. Toni Podock, (ext. 201) SUNDAY MASSES: 7:30, 9:30 & 11.30 SATURDAY EVENING: 5:00 pm WEEKDAY MASSES: 8:00 am SATURDAY MORNING: 8:00 am HOLY DAY MASSES: 6:30, 8:00, and 7:00 pm SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: (Confession) Saturday: In the Reconciliation Room 4:00 to 4:45 pm or by appointment. BAPTISMS: Baptisms are celebrated on the 2nd & 3rd Sundays of the month at 12:45 pm. By Archdiocesan regulation and parish policy, parents are required to attend a Baptismal Preparation session before the Baptism of their child. These sessions will usually be held on the first Sunday afternoon of the month. Call the secretary at the rectory (865-8071) to register for the session and schedule the Baptism. D.I.V.M. SERVICES: Communion to the sick, food shopping, necessary transportation, emergency meals, transportation to Mass. Resource information also available. If you need help from any of these services, please let us know as much in advance as possible so the chairpersons can make arrangements and the volunteers arrange their schedules. If you are able to volunteer to help provide these services to our parishioners, we can always use more help. Please call the rectory at 865-8071. WEDDINGS: Couples should contact the rectory and speak to a priest shortly after the engagement, but no less than four months before the desired wedding day. No date should be set (especially in reserving a hall) for your wedding until you have spoken to a priest. In this way, you will not be disappointed if the church has been previously reserved for another ceremony. Please keep in mind the times that are available for weddings at Divine Infant: SATURDAYS 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm WEEKDAYS Any reasonable hour

CHURCH NAME & NUMBER Divine Infant #9216 ADDRESS 1601 Newcastle, Westchester, Il. 60154 PHONE 708-865-8071 E-mail: d.infant@comcast.net CONTACT PERSON SOFTWARE Microsoft Publisher 2003 Windows XP Professional Adobe Acrobat 6.0 PRINTER HP Laserjet 5P NUMBER OF PAGES SENT Cover through 10 SUNDAY DATE OF BULLETIN December 31, 2017 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS