The Parish Family of St. Patrick 200 Illinois Street Lemont, Illinois June 7, 2009 The Most Holy Trinity
Page 2 June 7, 2009 Dear Parishioners, What was the first prayer you learned? I have watched my siblings and my nieces and nephews teach their infants, seemingly too young to learn anything else, how to make the sign of the cross. At grace before meals, they take the little one s hand and move it along with the words of the prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It would be easy (though expensive) to fill our church from floor to ceiling with books and treatises about the Trinity. And even if we read them all and understood them, we would not comprehend the life of God. It is beyond our mental reach. St. Patrick tried to demonstrate it to the people of Ireland by holding up a shamrock and explaining the three distinct leaves with one life that flowed through them all. Others have tried to explain it as well, but it remains a mystery. But just because it is a mystery doesn t mean we can t live the mystery. We know that there is a God. Through scripture and by reason we come to believe God made the world and all that is in it. He is our Father and Creator, and said It is good! We know that because of our fallen nature we need redemption and to be forgiven. We have come to know and believe in Jesus, who came and lived our life on earth, and who died for us. And we have come to believe that after He died and ascended back to heaven, we experience His presence and His power still with us through the Holy Spirit. He strengthens us when we are weak or fearful, He gives us hope and courage and wisdom when we least expect it and most need it. We live the mystery of the Trinity. We know God made us, that Jesus redeems us, that the Spirit makes us holy and strengthens us. We know that we are not alone when we try to do God s work. Let us take courage as we go this week to love and serve the Lord. Once again, thank you to all those who have returned your Declaration of Intention cards indicating your commitment to financially support the parish during the coming fiscal year. I will shortly be sending letters of gratitude to you on behalf of your fellow parishioners. Fr. Kevin Collins, who has been a weekend celebrant for us for three years, has accepted an appointment to the DePaul Evangelization Center in Montebello, California (near Los Angeles). He will begin work there at the beginning of July. We have enjoyed having Fr. Kevin celebrate the Eucharist with us, with his engaging style of preaching and presiding. We will miss him. If you wish to thank him for being with us and helping us out, plan on being at one of his masses the next two weekends. Father will celebrate next Sunday, June 14 th, the 7:30 and 10 AM masses. He will also be here for the Noon mass on Sunday, June 21 st. To contact him after that, his address will be: De Paul Evangelization Center, 1105 S. Bluff Road, Montebello, CA 90640. The email will be DePaulCenter@att.net. Thank you, Fr. Kevin, for your enthusiasm for the faith, your generosity to us, and the gift of your life to the church. May God reward you and bless you on your way.
The Most Holy Trinity Page 3 Next weekend our parish will acknowledge our Pastor Emeritus for his fifty years in the priesthood. That s a long time to be faithful to anything. And we are glad that Father Shannon chose to be a priest. He has served in the military and in different parishes around the archdiocese. We wish to honor him for his service as our pastor here at St. Patrick s from July, 1996 to January of 2004. You are invited to show your appreciation to Father Shannon by attending Mass at Noon next Sunday, June 14 th. Father Shannon will say the Mass and then come down to the parish hall where we will have refreshments and the opportunity to offer congratulations to Father. If you are unable to come to the Noon Mass, please come down to the Parish Hall between 1:00 and 3:00 PM Sunday after the Mass. Another person celebrating a milestone of ordination - Fr. Larry Lisowski, our neighboring pastor at Sts. Cyril and Methodius, is celebrating today his 25 th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. We congratulate him and pray for him that God may continue to use Fr. Larry and his ministry for the good of the church and the building up of God s kingdom on earth for many more years. Congratulations, Father Larry! We also want to thank Mary Ann Pobiega and Dale Hennebry for their service on the Parish Pastoral Council. For many years, and through several pastors, they have offered their good counsel on this important parish consultative body. As they step off the council, we welcome Becky Granat, Tammy Hayes and Glenn Mathias, who will serve for three years. They join Cindi La Porte and Angela Pascente on the council. Thanks to all of them for participating in this aspect of parish life. God bless you, Father Mike During the month of May, Fr. Shannon reached the 50th year of his ordination as a priest. We will have a celebration for him after the noon mass on Sunday, June 14, 2009, in the Parish Hall. Please join us for refreshments and to personally congratulate him. Fr. Shannon asks that you not bring any gifts.your presence will be present enough.
Page 4 June 7, 2009 June, 2009 Dear Friends in Christ, On the weekend of June 13-14, 2009, we will take up a special collection for the Retired Priests of the Archdiocese. During the past year, hundreds of parishes in the Archdiocese have benefited from the gracious willingness of our retired priests to respond to the call to serve as temporary administrators of parishes, to celebrate Sunday and weekday Mass, or to celebrate Baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Please join me in offering our retired priests words of appreciation and gratitude for their many years of priestly ministry. The Priests Retirement and Mutual Aid Association (PRMAA) continues to take care of our retired priests. As for all of us, the costs for healthcare, prescription drug coverage, and nursing home care continue to rise. In addition, the priest s pension fund has been seriously impacted by the economic downturn. This special collection will help us to continue to care for our retired priests. You may be aware that the December collection for Retired Religious is designated to provide only for Religious Orders. Archdiocesan priests do not receive any funds from this collection. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our retired priests for the exemplary ministry they do in the parishes of the Archdiocese and for the generosity that has been shaped many decades of priestly life and ministry. Please accept my thanks and my prayers. I am thankful to all of you for your amazing generosity in this collection last year. I ask you to repeat your kindness this year. Your donations and your prayers are a great affirmation of our retired priests. You and those you love are in my prayers; please keep me in yours. Sincerely yours in Christ, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I. Archbishop of Chicago
The Most Holy Trinity Page 5 Beatitudes for Parents Blessed are those parents who make their peace with spilled milk and with mud, for of such is the kingdom of childhood. Blessed is the parent who engages not in the comparison of his child with others, for precious unto each is the rhythm of his own growth. Blessed are the fathers and mothers who have learned laughter, for it is the music of the child s world. Blessed and wise are those parents who understand the goodness of time, for they make it not a sword that kills growth but a shield to protect. Blessed and mature are they who without anger can say no, for comforting to the child is the security of firm decisions. Blessed is the gift of consistency, for it is heart sease in childhood. Blessed are they who accept the awkwardness of growth, for they are aware of the choice between marred furnishings and damaged personalities. Blessed are the teachable, for knowledge brings understanding, and understanding brings love. Blessed are the men and women who in the midst of the unpromising mundane, give love, for they bestow the greatest of all gifts to each other, to their children, and in an ever-widening circle to all people. Written by Marion E. Kinneman Renee Payne Principal Registration Please turn in your registration forms for the 2008-2009 school year as soon as possible as classes are filled on a first come, first served basis. Early registration tuition rates are available up until June 30 th. If you need a registration packet, please call the RE Office at 630-257-8012. Volunteers It s not too early to start thinking and praying about becoming a catechist or aide in the RE program. Catechists and aides are needed on Sunday mornings (8:25-9:40 am) and Wednesday evenings (6-7:15 pm). Please call Linda O Connor (630) 257-8012, for more information. Congratulations to the following young people who attended altar server training and have become altar servers for our parish: Erin Armbruster Anna Brunk William Elenteny Anna Ignarski John O Brien Maggie O Brien Phinu Philip Michael Principe We thank them for answering the call to serve us in this special way and pray that God will bless them for their generosity to our parish. - Linda O Connor
Page 6 June 7, 2009 MASS INTENTIONS SATURDAY, JUNE 6 The Most Holy Trinity 5:00 pm Special Intention for Carol & Melvin Zagorski 49th Wedding Ann. SUNDAY, JUNE 7 The Most Holy Trinity 7:30 am John W. Stoops Family 10:00 am Stephen Nevell Mary Nevell Noon St. Patrick Parishioners 5:00 pm Rev. William P. Murphy MONDAY, JUNE 8 Weekday 7:30 am Al Dalpos Dale & Val Hennebry TUESDAY, JUNE 9 Weekday 7:30 am Special Intention for Fr. Larry Lisowski 25 yrs. Ordained WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10 Weekday 7:30 am Special Intention for Fr. Richard Shannon 50 yrs. Ordained SATURDAY, JUNE 13 The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ 5:00 pm John Pastewski. Pirc Family SUNDAY, JUNE 14 The Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ 7:30 am Barbara Ann Zeveckas John O Connor 10:00 am Deceased Members of Owens & Glynn Families The Nevins Noon Ruth M. Nowak Florence Rybski 5:00 pm St. Patrick Parishioners Vocations In today s Gospel the disciples saw Jesus in Galilee, and they worshiped him, but they doubted. If you doubt that God could ever call you to the priesthood or religious life, you re wrong. For information about the priesthood contact Fr. Joe Noonan at 312-534-8298 or at jnoonan@archchicago.org. For information about the religious life contact Sr. Elyse Ramirez, OP at 312-534-5240 or at eramirez@archchicago.org Summer Family Choir Schedule (2nd and 4th Sundays) June 14th Noon mass* June 21st 10am mass July12th 10am mass July 26th 10am mass August 9th 10am mass August 23rd 10am mass *June14th's Choir has been moved to the Noon mass. Fr. Shannon's 50th Anniversary reception to follow in the Parish Hall! All Ages and Musical Talents Are Welcome to take part. Rehearsal 1 hour prior to mass in the Parish Hall. Meals for the Hungry Once again our parish has been asked to participate in the Meals for the Hungry program. This program provides meals for the homeless at St. Blase in Summit. The request includes providing a $350 donation to pay for the meal and 8 to 10 volunteers to serve the meal. We will be serving on Wednesday, June 24 th from 5:30 to 7:00pm. There are donation envelopes in the church if you are interested in helping with the cost of this worthy cause, just mark Meals for the Hungry on the envelope. If you would like to volunteer to serve on June 24 th please call the Parish office (630)257-6134 or Roseanne at 630-257-7254. Parishioners who are on active duty Ryan Rudman John Kenney Kody Peters Chad Peters Steven Korbus
The Most Holy Trinity Page 7 Stewardship The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - Romans 8:16-17 PARISH STAFF Rev. Michael J. Cronin, Pastor Rev. Richard J. Shannon, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Mr. Joseph R. Winblad, Retired Deacon Ms. Renee Payne, Principal Ms. Linda O Connor, Liturgy & Religious Education Coordinator Mr. James Shubert, Music Director Ms. Rosarita Hennebry, Organist Mr. Neil Windt, Youth Choir Director If we are heirs to the kingdom of God, should we not work to build up that kingdom? Should we not be good stewards of our inheritance, using our time, talent and treasure to care for the Church that God has left to us? Our Church is a treasured heirloom from God. Do we treat it that way? PARISH OFFICE: PARISH SCHOOL: RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: 200 Illinois Street (630) 257-6134 20W145 Davey Rd. Lemont, IL 60439 (630) 783-2220 205 Cass Street (630) 257-8012 PARISH FAX NUMBER: (630) 257-0401 Weekly Offering... Pentecost May 30 & 31, 2009 Mass Attendance 603 Offertory Basket $5,710.76 Mail-in $312.00 Number of Contributions 207 Sharing $851.00 Ascension $245.00 PARISH WEBSITE: Saturday Mass 5:00 PM www.stpatricklemont.org MASSES Sunday Masses 7:30 AM - 10 AM - Noon - 5 PM Daily Mass 7:30 AM (Mon.-Wed.) Holy Day As Announced Confession Saturday - at 4:15 PM BAPTISMS: 4th Sunday of the Month at 1:15 PM. Baptism Preparation Classes first Thursday of the month. We encourage participation in this program before the baby s birth. Please call the Parish Office to schedule. MARRIAGES: Prospective bride or groom must be a registered, participating parishioner for at least six months before making wedding arrangements. NEW PARISHIONERS: We warmly welcome you and kindly ask you to register at the Parish Office.