Catholic Office of the Deaf Signs of the Times Volume 65 Inside this issue: We are now accepting reservations for our 5th Annual Deaf Lenten Retreat March 16 18, 2012 at Bishop Lane Retreat Center Director s Thoughts 2 Prayers for... 2 Mass Schedules Ash Wednesday Holy Triduum Easter 7 Confession Schedule Deaf Lenten Retreat Flyer 8 Plus a special four Page insert of Christmas pictures Pages 3-4-5-6 A Lenten Reminder Mass is a time for praying and giving thanks to our Lord for all His blessings. Let s give Jesus our full attention during Mass especially after communion. Lent Begins Ash Wed. February 22nd Through April 7th The Law of Fasting and Abstinence: (These rules do not apply to women who are pregnant or people who are sick) Fast: [age 18-59] You may eat 2 light meals and one regular size meal. No snaking between meals (unless doctor says you need to or need to take medicine; drinking milk water and juice is ok.) Abstinence: [all ages] Eat Fish is ok. No meat (chicken, beef, pork) Lenten Retreat Theme A Pilgrimage Through: The Catholicism Project Please join us this year for our 5th annual Deaf Lenten Retreat sponsored by The Deaf Ladies of the Visitation. It will be held at the Bishop Lane Retreat Center beginning with registration at 7:00 PM Friday, March 16th and ending after lunch on Sunday, March 18th. Deaf Mass will be held in the Chapel at Bishop Lane Retreat Center prior to lunch. The cost for a private room which includes your linens and all your meals is $135. If you would like to share a room, the cost is $105 per person and also includes linens and meals. For those who would like to join for the day but are unable to spend the night, you can join us and purchase a meal (or meals). Breakfast is $7, lunch is $8 and dinner is $10 per person. We MUST have reservations ahead of time for rooms and meals by March 2nd. Please e-mail Cathy.Signor@yahoo.com or DBeatty@RockfordDiocese.org to make your reservations as soon as possible. See our flyer on Page 8 for more information and don t forget to check out our new website for up to date information all the time. We hope to see you there! www.rockforddiocese.org/deafapostolate/
Page 2 Diocesan News From the Director: Msgr. Glenn L. Nelson My Dear Friends in Christ, I hope this newsletter finds you well and in good health! As you read this I am in Rome, Italy. I have traveled with our Bishop, Thomas Doran, as he goes to meet the Holy Father and give him a report for the Diocese of Rockford. Every so many years, each bishop travels to Rome to report to the pope! I will remember all of you in my prayers as I celebrate Mass and visit the tombs of such wonderful saints as Peter, Paul, Agnes, Monica, Catherine, Philip & James to name a few. I thank all the wonderful volunteers that helped make our Jack Mabley Christmas party and our own Christmas party such a success. I hope you enjoy the pictures of both! Please check our website to be up to date regarding the progress of keeping the Jack Mabley Center open! We pray that the State of Illinois will keep this wonderful home open for the residents! Also, I ask for your prayers and action to write to your Congressman regarding a very important issue. The U.S. Government Department of Health and Human Services is now requiring every Catholic Diocese to provide health insurance that pays for contraception, abortioninducing drugs and sterilization!!! This means that our own U.S. government is requiring Catholics to disobey God s law against such sinful practices or else! The First Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof We are in danger of losing our religious freedom to follow God s law and are being required to obey an unjust and sinful law made by government. We, as Catholics, want to be good citizens! As good citizens the Church expects we would obey the laws of the govern- ment (speed limit, tax laws, etc.) HOWEVER, the Church says we do not have to obey any unjust law that asks us to commit a sin or disobey God! An unjust law is not a law because it is not just! When a government requires the Catholic church to pay for the murder of an innocent child it is NOT a just law! Please see our website to find information to contact your Congressman to tell them to protect our freedom and right to practice our religion free from the unjust ruling of government as protected in the First Amendment! We the People are the government and we have a right to obey God. Finally please remember to pray for Bishop Doran as he gets ready to retire. Pray also for whoever our new bishop will be! God knows who will come and we pray he sends us a new holy shepherd! God bless you all!!! Congratulations Dave Zarembski Saturday, February 25, 2012, David Zarembski will be among fifteen candidates received into Institution as Acolyte, one of the Ministries of the Church, as they prepare for Permanent Diaconate. Institution of Acolyte is the last step prior to Ordination as a Permanent Deacon, which will take place in October 2012. The Institution as Acolyte will take place at the Cathedral of St. Peter, Rockford, with Bishop Thomas G. Doran officiating. Dave will now have particular responsibility to be faithful in ministering at the table of the Lord and to be generous in sharing the Body and Blood of Christ with his brothers and sisters at his Parish as an ordinary minister of the Eucharist. We congratulate Dave Zarembski and promise our prayers for him and his wife, BethAnn, as they together continue their journey toward his ordination to the Permanent Diaconate. Saturday April 7, 2012-10:30 AM Newman Center, DeKalb Join Monsignor Nelson and have your Easter Basket Blessed! Those who are sick: Those members of our Deaf Apostolate and their families Those who have died: Members, family and friends of our Deaf Apostolate (If someone is sick or has died, please let us know so we can pray for them)
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7 AURORA (Interpreted) St. Joseph Church 722 High Street Ash Wednesday Feb. 22 7:00 PM Holy Thursday April 5 7:45 PM CRYSTAL LAKE (Interpreted) St. Thomas Church 451 W. Terra Cotta Ave. Easter Sunday April 8th 9:00 AM (Contact Mary so she can reserve pews. Arrive early as parking lot fills up quickly!) Good Friday April 6 7:45 PM None Saturday Easter Sunday April 8 10:30 AM ELGIN (Interpreted) St. Thomas More 215 Thomas More Drive No Interpreted Mass please contact Mary Donner at dockie50@yahoo.com ROCKFORD (Interpreted) Holy Family Church Alpine & Highcrest Roads Ash Wednesday Feb. 22 5:30 PM Holy Thursday April 5 7:00 PM Good Friday April 6 7:00 PM None Saturday DeKALB Newman Center 512 Normal Rd. Ash Wednesday Feb. 22 Deaf Mass 4:30 PM Holy Thursday April 5 Interpreted 7:30 PM Good Friday April 6 Interpreted at Noon None Saturday Easter Sunday April 8 Deaf Mass 10:15 AM Easter Sunday April 8 9:30 AM AURORA St. Joseph Church 722 High Street CRYSTAL LAKE St. Thomas Church 272 King Street Amboy St. Patrick Church 32 N. Jones Ave. March 11, 2012 8:30 to 9:00 AM ELGIN St. Thomas More 215 Thomas More Drive March 11, 2012 12:30 PM after Mass March 25, 2012 8:30 to 9:00 AM ROCKFORD Bishop Lane Retreat Center 7708 E.McGregor Rd,Rockford March 17, 2012 at 4:00 PM March 18, 2012 at 10:30 AM At Bishop Lane Retreat Ctr. For Deaf Lenten Retreat March 3, 2012 4:00 PM Freeport St. Thomas Aquinas Church 1400 Kiwanis Drive March 10, 2012 4:00 PM DeKALB Newman Center 512 Normal Rd. April 2, 2011 7:00 PM Printable colored copies of our Newsletter and event information is Available on our website: http://rockforddiocese.org/deafapostolate/ (If you no longer want a mailed copy and prefer e-mail, contact DBeatty@RockfordDiocese.Org)
Page 8 A Pilgrimage Through The Catholicism Project" 5 th Annual Lenten Retreat for the Deaf DATE: March 16, 17 and 18, 2012 PLACE: Bishop Lane Retreat Center, 7708 E. McGregor Road, Rockford, Illinois 61102 TIME: Arrival Friday, March 16, 2012 at 7 pm. Departure: Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 2 pm (after lunch). ROSARY! Costs for Each Person: Private own room is $135.00 for 2 nights Shared room (2 beds) is $105.00 per person for 2 nights Includes: 5 meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Saturday, Breakfast and Lunch on Sunday), Linens and Towels. Deaf Ladies of the Visitation will provide snacks for Friday and Saturday nights. REGISTRATION DUE: MARCH 2, 2012. We MUST have a count of people staying overnight or just staying for a meal MASS! Please let Deb know if you plan to attend for the day only and pay for a lunch and/or dinner e-mail: DBeatty@RockfordDiocese.org Registration Form for 5th Annual Lenten Retreat for the Deaf Total: $ (Check or Money Order) $135.00 for 2 nights (Private Own Room) $105.00 for 2 night (each to share with someone - 2 beds) NAME: If sharing, second persons name: ADDRESS: CITY, STATE & ZIP: E-MAIL: SATURDAY ONLY Breakfast ($7.00) Lunch ($8.00) Dinner ($10.00) SUNDAY ONLY Breakfast($7.00) Lunch ($8.00) TTY OR VP (CIRCLE): Make a check/money order payable to Deaf Apostolate. Mail the check/money order and form to: Deaf Apostolate Office, Attn: Deb Beatty, PO Box 7044, Rockford, IL 61125 For more information, please contact Cathy Signor, cathy.signor@yahoo.com or VP Dawn 815-977-7640. Thank you!