THE RECTORY OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED THIS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH, IN OBSERVANCE OF PRESIDENT S DAY.

THE CROWN

HOW IS YOUR LENT Do you have a Lent plan? If not, it is not too late to start. The period between Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday of Lent (today) is a kind of preseason warm up. The 40 days of Lent are numbered from today (The First Sunday of Lent) to Holy Thursday do the math. Lent ends Holy Thursday afternoon. Holy Thursday evening is the beginning of the Sacred Paschal Triduum or holy three days of the Christian Passover. I hope every one of you has a Lent plan. Last week I wrote about our Lent tools: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I hope your Lent plan includes some extra prayer. Are you praying each morning and evening? Do you pray before you eat? Do you read the bible and prayerfully reflect on what God is saying to you? We list the daily Scripture readings in our bulletin each week. As for fasting, it could be from food, TV, internet, shopping, idol talk, alcohol, or something else you have too much of in your life. Almsgiving could be assisting our parish St. Vincent de Paul society with food as listed in the bulletin, or a monetary gift. There are many other charities that deserve your support. And there are lonely people you could call or visit. All of this is the work of charity, part of Lent. Making our parish mission is another good way to keep Lent. It is described elsewhere in our bulletin. Setting aside these four evenings is a time of spiritual renewal for you. You deserve to be at your spiritual best. The last night of the mission is an opportunity to receive the sacrament of forgiveness. A good sacramental confession should be part of everyone s Lent. You may think that because you do not have any serious sins, you can skip this. I say it is like the dentist. You go twice year whether you need it or not. Having our teeth checked and cleaned prevents more serious dental problems. Receiving the sacrament of Penance is preventative of serious sin. And we all have our venial sins. While going to confession is not essential to be forgiven for these (going to Communion will do that), but it helps us be morally strengthened. Plan on coming on the last night of the mission for our Reconciliation Service, or on a Saturday afternoon between 4:00 and 4:45, or call for an appointment. The Little Black Book Once again, we have been blessed by some anonymous donors who have provided us with the Little Black Book. This is their way of evangelizing. This book contains daily reflections, zeroing in on the Passion of Mark. Please take one and use it each day. Renew My Church: Town Hall Meetings I have written in the past about our participation in our Archdiocesan program called Renew My Church. Our parish grouping (St. Barbara, St. Louise de Marrillac, Divine Providence, and ourselves) are having many meetings in the next two and a half months. I have chosen Deacon Jim Sponder, Rose Guttierrez, and Al Castillo to represent our parish. Len Gramarossa, our school principal, has chosen Peggy Perry and Samantha Houston to represent our school. The seven of us will have some very important meetings to discern our future. Pray for us. There will be two very important town hall meetings, so all our parishioners can participate in this process. These town hall meetings will be on Wednesday, February 28, and Wednesday, March 21 in Langan Hall from 7:00 until 8:30. More about this next week, but please reserve the dates now. God bless your Lent! Father Mike Ahlstrom Administrator, Divine Infant Jesus THE RECTORY OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED THIS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH, IN OBSERVANCE OF PRESIDENT S DAY.

PARISH MISSION Again this year we will have a combined parish mission with the 4 churches in our Renew My Church grouping. Our grouping consists of Divine Infant, Divine Providence, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Barbara. Here is the schedule: Tuesday, February 27, 7pm at St. Barbara. Fr. Robert Casey will present Making Intentional Disciples. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MEETINGS Officers' Meetings begin at 6:30 Business Meetings begin at 7:00 Anyone interested in K of C, please join us at 8:30 for our social hour following the meetings. February 22 - Counting Room in Rectory March 22 - Langan Hall April 26 - Langan Hall Tuesday, March 5, 7pm at Divine Infant. Msgr. John Canary will present Building Community. Tuesday, March 13, 7pm at St. Louise de Marillac. Fr. Michael Knotek will present Inspiring Witness. Tuesday, March 20, 7pm at Divine Providence. Fr. Tim Fiala. Lenten Reconciliation Liturgy. This will be the only Lenten Reconciliation Liturgy. Please mark your calendars and make every effort to join in this Mission. Not only will it be a good way to keep Lent, but it will be an excellent way to get to know the people of the parishes in our grouping. THANK YOU! On behalf of Divine Infant Parish, thank you for participating in our 75 th Anniversary Album. One hundred seventy-seven families participated. DI received a check for $746 because of your participation. Special thanks to Toni Podock, Peggy & Frank Perry, Rita & Bill Raysa, Kay Pona, Bob Van Lannen, Lauren & Sue Maczak and Kathy Xenakis. PEOPLE OF THE COVENANT If there is one word that stands out in today's readings, it is "covenant." God's faithfulness and goodness serve as examples to us of how to live. Genesis tells the story of Noah and of God's covenant not only with all people, but with all of nature. Never will the cleansing waters of the flood bring their destructive power to all the earth again. The sign, the reminder to both God and nature, is the rainbow in the heavens. The psalm reminds us of this compassion of God, and begs God to remember us, not because of our goodness, but because of God's goodness and fidelity to the promise. God shows us how to be good, not by decree, but by example. Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

FATHER DAUGHTER VALENTINE DANCE

Divine Infant Langan Hall 1640 Newcastle Westchester, IL YORKTOWN CENTER SCHOOL BUCKS PROGRAM Don t forget we are still participating in the School Bucks program! Collect your receipts and help the school win big money. How it Works.. After shopping and dining, family and friends of our school can show their Yorktown Center receipts at the Guest Services desk to accumulate points. Shoppers will specify which participating school (Divine Infant Jesus in Westchester) to allocate points to. For every dollar spent at Yorktown Center, that school will receive one point. At the end of the school year, the top 5 school with the most points will receive prizes that range from $1,000 to $10,000!!! Our program is active now and shoppers many begin submitting receipts immediately. In addition, we will also have the chance to earn bonus points at certain retailers each month: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY receipts will be taken only in the mall management office (2 nd floor near Forever 21).Monday Friday from 9am -5pm only. If these times do not work into your schedule.you can send your receipts to the school. Please mark envelopes RECEIPTS Attn. Lisa Gudmundson Friday February 23rd from 4:30 pm 8:00 pm *Menu* Choice of Meal: Fried Fish or Grilled Cheese Sandwich Served with: Fries, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans and French Bread **Dine in or Carry Out** ADULTS: $10.00 SENIORS: $8.00 CHILDREN: $6.00 (11 and Under) *Beverages* Soda Water Beer Wine Beverages sold separately *Fish prepared courtesy of Frank Perry formerly, Joe s Place* *Bread donated from Jewel, Westchester* *Proceeds will help support the Langan Scholarship Fund* Specials for the month of February 2/17-2/19.Double points at all stores and restaurants ALSO.Don t forget to show your AMC ticket receipts from AMC Yorktown for 75 points per ticket. Let s work together to make Divine Infant Jesus School a big winner this year!!!!

LENT, 2018 LET S IMITATE JESUS Forget giving-up yummy things that you ll go back to anyway once Easter comes! LENTEN CALENDAR 2018 Please note the following opportunities for prayer and growth during this Holy Lenten season. Friday, February 23 4:30-8:00 p.m. The Divine Infant Jesus School Advisory Board Fish Fry in Langan Hall Second Sunday of Lent, February 24-25 Donations for St. Vincent de Paul: see article Tuesday, February 27 7:00 p.m. Parish Lenten Mission St. Barbara Church, Brookfield Friday, March 2 7:30 p.m. Monthly Holy Hour in Church Third Sunday of Lent, March 3-4 Donations for St. Vincent de Paul: see article Tuesday, March 6 7:00 p.m. Parish Lenten Mission Divine Infant Friday, March 9 7:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross in Church Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 10-11 Donations for St. Vincent de Paul: see article Tuesday, March 13 7:00 p.m. Parish Lenten Mission St. Louise de Marillac Church, LaGrange Park Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 17-18 Donations for St. Vincent de Paul: see article Tuesday, March 20 7:00 p.m. Parish Lenten Mission Reconciliation Service Divine Providence Church, Westchester Friday, March 23 1:30 p.m. Living Stations of the Cross in Church presented by Divine Infant Students. Palm Sunday, March 24-25 Donations for St. Vincent de Paul: see article Tuesday, March 27 6:30 p.m. Living Stations of the Cross in Church presented by Divine Infant Students. How DID Jesus begin Lent? He went to the desert. So as children of the Father in Heaven, let s imitate our brother Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit where He wants to lead us instead of planning Lent for ourselves. As a DI COMMUNITY we will collect DIAPERS for the Lagrange Women s Shelter. Bring them to the RE Office any time during Lent. THE SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM March 29: Holy Thursday 7:00 p.m. Mass of the Lord s Supper March 30: Good Friday 3:00 p.m. The Passion of the Lord 7:00 p.m. Solemn Stations of the Cross and Veneration of the Cross March 31: Holy Saturday 1:00 p.m. Blessing of the First Foods of Easter 8:00 p.m. The Easter Vigil in The Holy Night April 1: Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord Masses at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EMPLOYMENT AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES The Archdiocese of Chicago has many current open and exciting career opportunities! The Archdiocese of Chicago offers attractive compensation and benefits. We invite you, and encourage you to invite those in your network, to visit our Career site to review our positions: http://legacy.archchicago.org/ Employment

STEWARDSHIP FOR LENT HELPING ST. VINCENT DE PAUL The Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday concerns itself with what has become a traditional threepart Lenten exercise: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Jesus instructs his followers to turn to God, to turn from self-interest and to deepen their relationship with the Lord in secret. He tells them in effect that a humble and quiet pattern of prayer, self-denial and reaching out to others is transforming and leads to a favorable outcome. What is our plan to turn ever closer to God in this Lenten season? Are we prepared to treat this season as a time to deepen our own relationship with the One who redeemed us? It has been a tradition at Divine Infant Jesus Parish to donate food, paper and cleaning products, and personal products to our St. Vincent de Paul society to distribute to members of our community in need. Below are specified items that may be donated during each week of Lent. These are merely suggestions and any food product, etc., is welcome at any time. Monetary donations are always appreciated as they are used to purchase gift cards and for emergencies. Our faith is reflected most strongly in our actions to help the most vulnerable, especially those who hunger. May God continue to bless your generous hearts. Weekend of February 24-25: Canned fruits, vegetables, ready to eat soups; Kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, napkins Weekend of March 3-4: Canned meats, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, breakfast & granola bars, bottled 100% juice; cleaning supplies, laundry supplies Weekend of March 10-11: Pudding, jello; sandwich, quart & gallon zip bags, tall kitchen garbage bags, foil, plastic wrap, liquid dishwashing detergent Weekend of March 17-18: Coffee, drink mixes such as lemonade and hot chocolate, salad dressings, catsup, mayonnaise, pickles, olives; body lotions and/or oils, hand lotion Weekend of March 24-25: Creamettes, mac and cheese; hand sanitizer, bandaids, antiseptic cream/ spray, etc., toothbrushes, toothpaste MORNING OF MEDITATION Unlocking Freedom and Joy Christian Meditation in Prison Guest Speaker JAMES BISHOP International Coordinator for Prison Outreach The World Community for Christian Meditation Author of A Way in the Wilderness, a commentary on the Rule of Benedict with Fwd by Laurence Freeman James Bishop, an oblate of The World Community for Christian Meditation, spent ten years as an inmate in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Center and State Prison. While there, he discovered Christian meditation. And it changed his life. Few people would be grateful for having spent ten years in prison. But James Bishop was imprisoned for a decade, and hails it as a lifesaver. Mary O Regan, Catholic Herald, London As James meditated, his mind became more clear. Soon James, an alcoholic with severe obsessive compulsive disorder, began to heal. Drawing on his years of experience in artificial intelligence computer software and his experiences in prison, James tells a compelling story of tragedy and triumph, and how Christian Meditation helped him discover the causes of his problems, as well as how to deal with them. James has spoken to audiences all over the world and has given guest lectures at the University of Southern California and Georgetown University. His compelling and gripping story tells of the power of Christian meditation and how it can help those who feel imprisoned in their lives. For more information about James Bishop, visit his website at wccmprison.org All are invited: Those who meditate Those who want to know more about meditation Saturday, February 24, 2018 9:00 11:30 am, hospitality 8:30 am St. John of the Cross Parish Center 5005 Wolf Road, Western Springs, IL Sponsored by the Christian Meditation groups (wccm-us.org, wccm.org) Free will offering appreciated Reservations requested but not required Contact: Betsy 708-246-8315 or wccmchgo@gmail.com

LITURGY FOR THE WEEK SATURDAY, February 17 5:00 pm Al & Lucille Fogg; Michael Assenato; Dee Mulvihill SUNDAY, February 18 7:30 Thomas Smith; Rick Yurkovich; The Otto Bezouska Family; Olga Zalazinski 9:30 Fr. Fred Tomzik; Anthony Belsanti; Nick Favia; Selma Pytko 11:30 Edward Dillon; Jane Ulsafer-VanLanen; Timothy Grace; Mauricio Montilla MONDAY, February 19 8:00 Frances J. Bauman; Fernando David; Rick Yurkovich TUESDAY, February 20 8:00 John McLeod WEDNESDAY, February 21 8:00 Walter & Mary Wanick; Donna Dean Russ; Patricia Grammas THURSDAY, February 22 8:00 All the faithful departed FRIDAY, February 23 8:00 Rita Kaiser SATURDAY, February 24 8:00 All the faithful departed 5:00 pm Mary Volka & C. Earl Blankenship; Helen Borst; Carol Murray; Eda & Charles Gimino SUNDAY, February 25 7:30 Thomas Smith; Deceased members of St. Vincent de Paul Society; Emil & Henrietta Bezouska 9:30 Tony Concialdi; James O Connor 11:30 Edward Dillon; Antoinette Sepnafsky; Mary Pat, Therese & Barney Crosson; People of the Parish PRAY FOR THE SICK OF THE PARISH Charles Anderson Dorothy Asher Ed Backer Jerry Benesh Bill Beuck Arlene Buszkiewicz Carl Celestino, Sr. Margaret Cullen Donald Doucet Joseph Gurzejk Donna Huber Ron Huefner Arlene Kalisiak Joseph R. Lentino Jean Lidzbienski Rena Lizzadro John Lytle Gordon Macpherson Johnny Mulligan Janine Nywood Frank Pedota, Sr. Dave Peloza Lisa Peloza Kathy Reed Michael Scherer 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 Mary Lah THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY 8:00 Payton Cullum MAY THEY REST IN PEACE Robert Feehan James Krudl NEXT WEEKEND S MINISTERS CELEBRANT COMM. MINISTERS MUSIC LECTORS SERVERS SAT. 5:00 Fr. Tom B. Chiostri A. Duff A. Israel S. Kill M. Weber J. Calabrese SUN. 7:30 Fr. Mike M. Novotny G. Zangara P. Lopez C. Saflover S. Laszkiewicz R. Shuflit SUN. 9:30 Fr. Joyce M. Zebert M. Giannelli D. Bermudez W. Beuck J. Williams J. Blumhagen SUN. 11:30 R. Carnagio Strings of Faith A. Groppe R. Eisenhart Youth Ensemble K. James

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 CH 9:30 am Rite of Children Election MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 RE No classes TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 CH 3:00 pm Chimes CR 7:00 pm Finance Meeting WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 CH 4:00 pm Music Dept. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 CR 7:00 pm Knights of Columbus PR 7:00 pm Bible Study FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23 LH 4:30 Fish Fry SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 CH 7:00 pm Confirmation Vigil SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 CH 11:30 am Confirmation MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 RE Classes 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 February 11, 2018 - This week s collection $5,619 When you are away for a weekend, we hope you will remember your offering to Divine Infant. Thank you. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:8-10, 15; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday: Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday: Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday: 1 Pt 5:1-4; Ps 23:1-3a, 4-6; Mt 16:13-19 Friday: Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130:1-8; Mt 5:20-26 Saturday: Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48 Sunday: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 116:10, 15-19; Rom 8:31b-34; Mk 9:2-10 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 call the rectory (708) 865-8071. Welcome to Divine Infant. We look forward to seeing you again!

DUELING PIANOS Saturday, March 24 th Tickets go on sale Sunday, March 4 th The annual Divine Infant Women s Guild Mother/ Son Bowling Event will be held on Saturday, March 3rd this year. A Raffle is a highlight of this event. Thanks to the generosity and assistance of people like you, many individuals and businesses participated in the success of last year s Raffle! Once again, our Women s Guild is hoping that you can help us with a donation that best reflects your company or business affiliation. Gift certificates and/or raffle items would be most appreciated. This fundraiser directly supports the educational needs of our students as well as maintenance and improvement of our school and church facilities. Due to funding reductions made statewide to private educators, our school relies on the kindness and generosity of others so that through fundraisers, we will be able to maintain and enhance our children s educational future. Funds raised by our Women s Guild may cover the cost of curricular activities such as music, computer technology and educational scholarships. This event reaches hundreds of women in attendance including our school, parish and community. Please help us achieve our fundraising goal! Thank you for your time. If you have any questions, please contact Jeanine Dent 708-681-1128. All donations are due February 27th. Thank you. AISLE OF GIFTS NEW GIFT BOOTH The Aisle of Gifts New Gift Booth is in need of items. Anything brand new never used. Gifts received you cannot use we will be happy to take from you, perfumes, jewelry, purses, lotions, stationary items, toys, clothes, crafts, tools, bath and kitchen items. We will be glad to pick them up or you can drop them off. Call Jeanine Dent 708-681-1128 or Barbara Calabrese 708-343-3908. Please do not leave items in the vestibule of the church.

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) REV. JAMES BEATH, Associate (ext. 208) 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 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 12 SUNDAY DATE OF BULLETIN February 18, 2018 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS