Saint Robert Bellarmine

Saint Robert Bellarmine Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish Mission Statement We are a diverse Catholic community of generations, experiencing the living God and reflecting our faith in action with one another. 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time September 23, 2012

Page 2 September 23, 2012 Mass Intentions MON. September 24, Weekday in Ordinary Time 8:30 am Joseph J. Koziarz, Barbara Jean Hoffelt TUES. September 25, Weekday in Ordinary Time 8:30 am Marie Stecker, Helen Trush WED. September 26, Sts. Cosmas and Damian 8:30 am George Brizzolara, Finoy Lukose THURS. September 27, St. Vincent de Paul 8:30 am Laurence Clarke, Mark Holt, Peter Joseph O Brien Jr. FRI. September 28, St. Wenceslaus, St. Lawrence Ruiz 8:30 am Leonard Nowak, Robert LaPlume SAT. September 29, Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael 8:30 am Special Intention, Joseph Jalocha (dec.) 5:00 pm Richard Pociask, Robert Gobat, Elmer Mertes, T. J. Keane SUN. September 30, Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 am John Rybicki, Joseph Stockhausen, Mark Fackler, Special Intention 10:00 am People of St. Robert Bellarmine 12:00 pm Henry & LaVerna Lehmann, Jeanne Manz, Weekly Collections September 9, 2012 Sunday Offertory $ 9,038 Sharing $ 124 Thank you for your generosity! Please consider donating online, see our website at: www.srb-chicago.org Do you still have questions? We have answers! Why should I use GiveCentral? GiveCentral is a way for donors to give easily. For those who are unable to attend church or are traveling, it is the most convenient way to support your parish. How do I know that you're a trusted site? What is your security? GiveCentral is completely secure and uses Secure Sockets Layer(SSL) encryption. TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME In the reading from the Book of Wisdom we hear that evil doers are plotting against the just one of God, the prophet who calls the people back to the Covenant and repentance for their sins. The wicked plot to revile him, torture him and condemn him to a shameful death. St. James reminds his listeners that the passions of jealousy, envy and selfishness lead to evil and violence. He exhorts the people to peace, mercy and righteousness. In the gospel Jesus tells his disciples that he will be handed over to those who will kill him; and that after three days he will rise from the dead. He then takes a child in his arms and tells the disciples that whoever receives a child in his name receives Jesus himself as well as the Father who sent him. Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 James 3:16 -- 4:3 Mark 9:30-37 YEAR OF SUNDAY MASS The Year of Sunday Mass is designed to help all Catholics to understand the importance of the Eucharist and Sunday Eucharistic Worship (the mass) in our lives as well as to deepen our own personal faith, appreciation of the Body of Christ and our relationship with the Risen Lord. Christ is calling each us all more deeply into union with him. The Body of Christ has three unique aspects. First there is the actual crucified and risen Body of Christ who walked the earth I first century Palestine. We deepen our relationship with him through the study of Sacre Scriptures. This is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit acting through the priest during the Mass in the presence of the same Christ is his people baptized by his Holy Spirit. This is most powerfully realized in the gathered faith community around the Table of the Lord. This is why Sunday Mass is so important and central to our lives. For this is the only place we are gathered together with the faith community to hear the Words of the Holy Spirit and receive the living Body of Christ, intimately uniting us with our God. Fr. Neil

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Page 3 From the Pastor s Desk In today s scriptures we hear how sin distorts our lives and our world. We also hear of God s plan for redemption and our opportunity to participate in that redemption through personal conversion. God calls us back to his covenant through trust in his love for us that gives us the courage to transform our lives. Due to original sin, we often allow our passions to control our lives. Jesus invites us to come to him like little children, confident in his love. In doing so our distorted emotions will be calmed and transformed into that peace which Christ alone can give. In the Book of Wisdom the prophet calls the people to turn away from sin and to turn back to the Covenant. But the wicked do not want to hear the truth so they contrive to have him condemned to a shameful death. In the gospel, Jesus foretells that he will be handed over to evil men who will kill him. We see in Christ the fulfillment of the Old Testament, that Jesus is the just one of God and that he will be put to death because he calls the people back to the Covenant. Our pride often prevents us from seeing or acting on God s Word. In the gospel Jesus also tells his disciples that after three days he will rise from the dead. The resurrection of Christ promises that evil can be overcome. The call to conversion is the call to overcome the evil in our own hearts. In the second half of the gospel reading Jesus teaches us the path to humility. He tells us that those who wish to be first will be last. If we want to receive the grace of God we must come to him as the children do, by living in simple faith and trust, rather than by the sophisticated cunning of worldly wisdom. Last Sunday we recognized the Catechists, Staff and Volunteers in our Religious Education Program for all they do to share our faith with the children of the parish and to prepare them to receive the sacraments. This is one of the most important ministries in the Church and I am deeply grateful to all who share their gifts of time and talent to nurture the faith life of our community. This past Tuesday we held the Parent Confirmation Meeting; and this Tuesday, September 25th, we will hold the meeting for parents of those children preparing to receive the sacraments of First Reconciliation and Eucharist. Please keep all these children and their families in your prayers. Today we celebrate Seminary Sunday. We welcome Adam Droll a second year theologian preparing for the Diocese of San Angelo in Texas. He will share his vocation journey with us at all the masses. There will also be a second collection to support our Archdiocesan seminaries. This Thursday morning the school will be hosting the annual Run-A-Thon fundraiser. Please be especially careful in the parking lots. On Thursday there evening there will be an introductory session for the Parish Transformation process, beginning at 7 p.m. in Kernaghan Hall. All parishioners are encouraged to attend to help us discern a strategic plan for out future. I invite all our parishioners willing to commit to participate in the discussions to attend the meeting on Thursday. Next Sunday, September 30, there will be a special Sports Blessing at the 10 a.m. mass for all our student athletes participating in team sports this fall, including those attending high school, college, public and private schools. The Archdiocese is celebrating the Year of Sunday Mass as the second year of the strategic plan to support the faith life of our people. It is at the Table of the Word and Sacrament that we are most closely united as the Body of Christ. Please read the short article on page two to help understand the importance of this initiative. Our Harvest Gala is only three weeks away. This is the major annual fundraiser for our parish. This year we will be honoring Father Scott for all his contributions to our parish over the past fifteen years. Everyone is invited to attend; and I ask for your prayers and financial support to ensure our success. Please see page seven for details. Have a great week. Sincerely, Fr. Neil

Page 4 September 23, 2012 Our Sympathy and Prayers for all who have passed away. II Michael Brown and Dawn Anderson I Ronald Pasko and Sarah Thomas We pray for our recently deceased Lorraine Tokarz Baptized into Faith A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW PARISHIONERS Alfredo Cervantes and Family Mr. Anthony Pirrello Mr. Jarod Witkowski Brady Townsend Freeman and Patton John Freeman Sons of John Freeman & Kristin Codilis Andrew George Staff Son of Thomas and Jennifer Staff SUPPORT THEIR CALL TO THE PRIESTHOOD How many times in our lives has a priest brought healing to you and to your families? How many times has a priest celebrated the liturgy on Sunday, throughout the week and at special parish and family celebrations, bringing Christ to you through the Eucharist? How many times has a priest stood with you in joy at the birth of a child; at your bedside in the hospital, or in sorrow at the death of a loved one? Let us pray for vocations to the priesthood; that we may have priests whose lives are directed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the service of God s people. Thank you for your ongoing prayers and financial support for this Collection for the Seminary System of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

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Page 6 September 23, 2012 St. Robert s Religious Education Program gets off to a great start. Catechists, students and parents are all in place and looking forward to a great year! Conversations On Faith What does it mean to be Catholic today?. How do we live our faith? Wednesday Evenings at 7pm St. Robert Bellarmine Church For more info contact Chrissy at 777-2666 or at srbvolunteers@yahoo.com Each evening is being hosted jointly by St. Robert Bellarmine, Our Lady of Victory and St. Pascal s parishes. Presenters will include local pastors, deacons and parishioners. September 26 th Understanding the Hebrew Scriptures. October 24 th Exploring the New Testament. November 28 th Why are the Sacraments important? January 9 th From the Beginning: A look at the history of the Church and Saints. January 30 th Living a life of Prayer February 27 th Do the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes still have meaning? April 24th - Why does the church have an Option for the Poor? If you want a chance to ask some questions and talk with others about how they live their faith, then these Conversations are for you.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Page 7 We are delighted to announce the 2012 Harvest Gala Celebrating St. Robert Bellarmine s Community. This celebration will take place on Saturday, October 13, 2012, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight. The festive atmosphere includes silent and live auctions, raffles, split-the-pot, music and dancing, food stations, and special recognition to Father Scott Donahue, our resident priest and president of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. BAND AND CHOIR MEMBERS WANTED FOR NEW SUNDAY EVENING MASS If you play guitar or bass (acoustic or electric), drums, any other instrument and/or you enjoy singing, you are invited to be a part of the musical leadership for a new Sunday evening Mass that is starting soon in our area. St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Pascal and Our Lady of Victory parishes are working to put together a Sunday evening Mass with a particular focus around youth and young adults but with a decidedly fresh/ contemporary musical bent that will help to lead people of all ages into deeper prayer at Mass. If you play or sing in a band or you d like to and you d like to offer your gifts and passion to God for the building up of the Church, you re invited to participate in this effort. Our first rehearsal will be on Sunday evening, September 30 at 5:30pm at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 4646 N. Austin Ave. For more information, contact Beau Surratt, Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Pascal at bsurratt@stpascal.org or 773-458-5194. 2013 MASS INTENTION BOOK IS NOW OPEN We ask that you only request one weekday mass per week per family and one weekend mass per month per family. As always, we do not offer individual mass intentions on Holy Days or Holidays. We limit the number of intentions to two for the 8:30am daily masses and four intentions for the weekend masses. Thank you for your cooperation. HOW DO I REQUEST A MASS INTENTION? It is our honor to celebrate a Mass for your loved one. Please stop by the rectory to see if the dates you would like are available. The usual donation is $10.00 per Mass. Requests should be made at least three weeks in advance. Last year, donations helped to make the Harvest Gala a tremendous success. We were able to raise 25,000. We are writing to ask if you might consider supporting us with a donation. Your generous tax-deductable support is greatly appreciated. You will positively impact our parish community and school. Feel free to be creative. Some of our auction categories include: sports memorabilia, home goods, pamper yourself, professional services, pet lovers, family activities, and just about anything you feel would be a wonderful addition. We would love your support! There are a number of ways to support our celebration including: Donation of financial support Donation of goods or services Donation of time and talent Thank you for your consideration and making a donation today. Donation forms are available in the Rectory, vestibule, and online at srb-chicago.org. For more information regarding your donation, contact a Gala Committee Auction Team Co-chair: Kathy Ernst @ 773.640.1488, kathyernst@ymail.com, or Christina Zaker at 773.777.8274, srbvolunteers@yahoo.com. Thank you, SRB Harvest Gala Committee P.S. Tickets are available in the Rectory and will be on sale in the vestibule every weekend after mass in September.

Page 8 September 23, 2012 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY Edward Bell (Army) Gy. Sgt. Timothy R. Hogan (Marines) Raymond Weernink (Navy) Brig. Gen. Tau aika Uta atu (Tongan Defense) Captain Dan Allen (Army) Ln. Corporal Kurt Williams (Marines) Mike Janson (Navy) First Lieutenant Brian G. Lutz (Army) Bernard Brennan, (Marines) Pvt. 2 Michael Rosenthal (Army) Martin Durcan (Navy) Pvt. Colleen McDonald (Army) Ewa Dabrowski (Navy) Capt. Kevin P. O Grady (Air Force) Capt. Daniel C. Ouper (Air Force) Airman Daniel Roger Cimon (Air Force) EM3 Abraham Ubi (Navy) Pvt. 1 Michael Barry (Army) Capt. Patrick J. Collins (Army) Corp. Armando Bolivar (Marines) Sgt. Scott Pekar (Marines) Capt. Albert Eiffes (Air Force) Sgt. Joseph Konieczny (Army Specialist Samuel Stanciel (Army) Specialist Sean Cheker (Army) Specialist David A. Torres (Army) Weekly Schedule Monday, September 24 3:15 pm Children s Choir (MR) 7 pm Community Spirit Garden Meeting (SMR) 7 pm School Board Meeting (MR) Tuesday, September 25 6:30 pm Novena (C) 7 pm Reconciliation / Eucharist Parent Meeting (KH) Wednesday, September 26 6 pm 10 pm SPRED Preparation (KH) 7 pm 9 pm RCIA Conversations in Faith (C) Thursday, September 27 8 am -2 pm Run-A-Thon (KH, S, P) 7 pm Parish Transformation Meeting (KH) 7 pm Choir (C) Friday, September 28 No School Saturday, September 29 Gala Ticket Sales after 5 pm Mass (V) Sunday, September 30 10 am Mass Sports Blessing Gala Tickets on Sale after all Masses (V) Daily Scripture Readings Monday Prv 3:27-34 / Lk 8:16-18 Tuesday Prv 21:1-6, 10-13 / Lk 8:19-21 Wednesday Prv 30:5-9 / Lk 9:1-6 Thursday Eccl 1:2-11 / Lk 9:7-9 Friday Eccl 3:1-11 / Lk 9:18-22 Saturday Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 / Jn 1:47-51 Sunday Nm 11:25-29 / Jas 5:1-6 / Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 September 29 / 30, 2012 Mass Presider Servers Lector Auxiliary Ministers 5:00 PM Fr. Kalas 8:00 AM Msgr. Hynes 10:00 AM Fr. Neil Fackler 12:00 PM Fr. Neil Fackler L. Kalayil, J. Meade, M. Silva S. Cave, J. Conway, D. Walsh N. Lindahl, K. Brosnan, J. Brosnan S. Simmons, M. Persangi, H. Heidkamp E. Stecker T Kerin B. Murphy, K. Nelson, D. Nowak, J. Bauman, K. Bauman, K, Caminiti, L. Loudon N. Hester, J. Pandocchi, P. Zyburt C. Bell P. Eifert, R. Loch, B. Meyering M. Brennan J. Carlson, E. Radcliffe, J. Ryan

Saint Robert Bellarmine Church Mass Schedule Weekdays - Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. Weekends - Saturday Morning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday Evening at 5:00 p.m., Sundays at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 12:00 noon Holy Days - 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Parish Office & Rectory Rev. Neil E. Fackler, Pastor Rev. Scott Donahue, Resident Rev. Michael A. Goergen, Pastor Emeritus Tony Delgado, Deacon James Schiltz, Deacon Virginia Underwood, Adm. Assist/Office Mgr Dr. Christina Zaker, Adult Education Kathy Goetz, Business Manager 4646 North Austin Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60630 Tel. 773.777.2666 Fax 773.777.2770 Website: www.srb-chicago.org Religious Education Office Debi DeMario, Director SRBRE1@yahoo.com Joyce Schoenecker, Admin. Asst. 6036 West Eastwood Avenue Tel. 773.286.0956 St. Robert Bellarmine School Carrie Mijal, Principal Chris Wilson, Secretary 6036 West Eastwood Avenue Tel. 773.725.5133 Office of Music Director Jean Tuohy 6036 West Eastwood Avenue Tel. 773.286.0956 Bulletin Deadline: Thursday 12 Noon 10 days in advance Submit articles by: email at srbbulletineditor@gmail.com fax 773.777.2770 or in person at the rectory office. Pulpit Announcement Deadline Friday by 7:30 p.m. in the rectory. Rectory Office Hours Monday - Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Closed from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. for lunch) Saturday - 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday - 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Weddings Arrangements to be made with a priest or deacon at least six months in advance. Please contact the rectory for date and time availability before making other arrangements. Baptisms Celebrated the second and fourth Sunday at 1:15 p.m. Parents need to register at the rectory office. Please note: there are no baptisms scheduled during the season of Lent. Preparation Class is on the last Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the rectory. Confessions/Reconciliations Saturdays 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. or by appointment. Anointing of the Sick 1st Saturday of the month after the 8:30 a.m. mass. Eucharistic Adoration & Benediction Third Wednesday of every month. Adoration begins after 8:30 a.m. mass. Benediction at 5 p.m. Please sign up at the rectory office. New Parishioners Welcome to Saint Robert s! Please register at the rectory office. Novena Mother of Perpetual Help Novena is offered on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in the church. Recitation of the Rosary Monday through Saturday at 8:00 a.m.