REGISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S RELIGIOUS ED CLASSES TO BEGIN Children not attending a Catholic School may be registered for Sunday Morning Religious Classes (Kindergarten through Level 7) and Confirmation Preparation (eighth grade through high school) after all Masses August 16 and 17 as well as August 23 and 24. Registration will be in the Gathering Area at the rear of the church.
While sacramental preparation is a part of this program, it is not designed for sacrament preparation only. Classes are structured to help children learn and grow in their faith. The class schedule and an explanation of the fees will be given at registration.
If you need any further information, call 773-769-4986, ext. 23 and leave a message. In order to ensure we have adequate books and teachers, it is important to register before classes begin.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE! TAKE TIME FOR GOD ON NORTH SIDE KAIROS Students who have just completed their sophomore, junior or senior years of high school are invited to a four-day, co-ed North Side Kairos retreat at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington. Firmly grounded in Ignatian spirituality, the retreat gives teens a time to examine, discuss and reflect on commitment to family, friends and God. And of course, since it is summer, there is also time to enjoy nature, laugh and play.
This diverse, multi-parish retreat currently draws teen participants from both city and suburban parishes. It is open to all public, private and Catholic school students who have not already attended a Kairos retreat. The retreat will be held August 8-11 and costs $200, which includes all lodging, transportation and meals. Financial help is available. You owe it to yourself to take these retreat days and make friends with others, with God, and with yourself. Contact Rachel at 773-539-7510 or rhohner@queenofangelschicago.org.
THEOLOGY ON TAP ENDS THIS WEEK AT ST. BEN’S The weekly Theology on Tap speaker series presented by the Ravenswood Catholic Young Adults (RCYA) concludes at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, August 6 in Heidenreich Hall at St. Benedict Parish. The topic is “How to Win the Love of Your Life: Intimacy, Sexuality and Relationships” and will be presented by Mr. and Mrs. Brian Hengesbaugh and Mary-Louise Kurey. This event will appeal to anyone who likes provocative discussion, great speakers and good fellowship. Call Craig at 773-653-8834.
Now in its 28th year, Theology on Tap will conclude August 10 with a picnic and Mass on the Quad at DePaul University. This year, 40 parishes were sites for the event. Call Kate DeVries at Young Adult Ministry at 312-466-9474.
RCYA bible study meets on the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 7:30 to 9 p.m. For more information, contact Jamie Basso at jamiebasso@yahoo.com.
ARE YOU ON THE CALENDAR? If your organization did not participate in Calendar Week, it is necessary to make immediate arrangements at the Parish Center. The new Calendar Week process replaced the Calendar Meeting as the means by which the parish calendar for August 2008 through July 2009 is being put together.
If you do not record your meetings on the Master Calendar, they will be disallowed. This includes off-site meetings. Thank you for your cooperation.
HARVEST JAM NEEDS The Harvest Jam Committee is looking for gift certificates and new or gently used items as prizes for the September 20 raffle. Items are needed that can be enjoyed by adults, children and the whole family. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact Erin Shea at erin@joeshealaw.com or 773-899-0169 or call the Parish Center at 773-539-7510.
PRAY THE ROSARY The Rosary is prayed every Saturday morning after the 9 a.m. Mass. Come for Mass and stay for the Rosary. People are needed to lead the prayers of the Rosary. Call Joann Salas at 773-583-1371 or email jasnetworks@myibocs.com.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST Some of the most comforting words in scripture come to us today in these readings. The passage from Romans is particularly comforting when we are worried about our spiritual life and fretting about it. “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35). Of course, nothing can!
Christ’s love, manifested in his life, death, and resurrection, was wholly for God and us, and he will not permit anything, great or small, to separate us from him. Our longing, our hunger for him is sustained by the Eucharist, and even in the darkest of times, when God seems absent and it is difficult to pray, we know by faith that God is with us. God’s fidelity to us is absolute, especially when we are in darkness and confusion.
EL AMOR DE CRISTO Nos llegan hoy unas de las más consoladoras palabras de la Biblia en estas lecturas. El pasaje de la Carta a los Romanos es particularmente consolador cuando nos preocupamos y agitamos por nuestra vida espiritual. “¿Qué cosa podrá apartarnos del amor con que nos ama Cristo?” (Romanos 8:35) ¡Nada, por supuesto!
El amor de Cristo, que se manifestó en su vida, muerte y resurrección, fue totalmente para Dios y para nosotros, y no permitirá que ninguna cosa, grande o pequeña, nos separe de él. Nuestro anhelo, nuestra hambre de él es sostenida por la Eucaristía, y aun en los momentos más oscuros, cuando Dios parece ausente y es difícil rezar, sabemos por fe que Dios está con nosotros. La fidelidad de Dios hacia nosotros es absoluta, en especial cuando estamos en oscuridad y confusión.
MISSION APPEAL FOR THE DIOCESE OF UROMI IS NEXT WEEK The Catholic Diocese of Uromi is at the northern part of Edo State in the midwestern part of Nigeria, West Africa. The Diocese has a general population of about 750,000 people, the majority of whom are peasant farmers and low income workers. The population is predominantly Catholic with a fewer and fast decreasing percentage holding on to the Traditional Religion. However, many of these people who previously clung to the Traditional Religion are, in recent times, converting to the Catholic faith at a rapid rate. At the moment, about 70 percent of the population is Catholic. We remain deeply grateful to God for this development of the growth of the Catholic faith in our area.
The diocese was created in February 2006 from the Archdiocese of Benin City. Thus, the diocese is relatively young. Just now we are faced with the challenges of providing for not only the administrative and infrastructural needs of our young diocese but also meeting the needs and demands of the fast growing faith community.
These challenges range from, but are not limited to a) payment of tuition fees for young seminarians training for the priesthood, who will later contribute to the propagation and entrenchment of the faith; b) erection and renovation of convents and houses for nuns who run and support largely the educational endeavors in the diocese; c) building of new schools and expansion of old ones to accommodate the fast growing populations of students who now prefer the Catholic education to its alternative in the area; and d) further education of priests and religious of the diocese for the purpose of equipping and empowering them to competently and more effectively manage the essential administrative and related offices of the diocese. With these before us, we are tagging this year’s appeal, Assisting God’s People in Their Time of Need.
These needs are no doubt enormous and financially demanding. We realize that if we depend solely on the generous contributions of the relatively poor people of the diocese we will not be able to generate the required resources to meaningfully supply for these important and urgent needs. Thus, we turn to you in the knowledge and appreciation of your Christian charity and generosity, our oneness in Christ, the fraternal unity we share, our interconnectedness and interdependence as members of the mystical body of Christ, to ask for your assistance and support. We strongly believe that with the contributions/donations you may want to consider, the condition of our diocese will be better for it and the good people of God in the area will be more richly and meaningfully served.
You will then be assured of our indebtedness and the prayers of the large population of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi for your kindness and practical charity.
—Father O. Samson Imhangbe Diocesan Representative
EXPOSICIÓN DEL SANTÍSIMO LOS VIERNES Haga los viernes un buen día para orar y estar con el Señor. La iglesia estará abierta los viernes desde las 9:30 a.m. hasta las 5 p.m. Entre por la puerta en la Claremont, suba las escaleras y vire hacia la izquierda. Suba cinco escalones más y pase por la sacristía y detrás del altar. Ahí entrará en la capilla de Veneración. El Santísimo estará expuesto. Traiga su Biblia, rosario, libros y sus pensamientos. Pase algún tiempo con el Santísimo. Si usted lo desea, inscríbase para una hora de oración cada viernes. Deténgase en la capilla durante el día para pasar un rato con el Señor en oración. Favor de llamar al Centro Parroquial al 773-539-7510.
SHOPPING WITH THE ANGELS See a Shop With the Angels representative in back of church after Mass on Sunday or at the Parish Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Call 773-539-7730.
CATHOLIC SCRIPTURE SCHOOL Chicago Catholic Scripture School of the Archdiocese of Chicago offers Catholic biblical scholarship, prayer and long-term faith formation to help adults bring the light of God’s Word into their lives. Next session begins in September. Register now for classes to be held 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at St. Teresa of Avila. Call 312-243-3700.
SCHOOL PARENTS: YOUR HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED NOW Volunteers are still needed for summer maintenance in our parish school. If you are willing to work on a Saturday in the school from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., August 9, you can work off 2008- 2009 school volunteers hours and make a difference. Five workers are needed each session. Working together provides a sense of community and sets a great example of volunteerism for our children. All adult parishioners (18 and over) are invited to help in this project. Workers must be able to do light lifting. Call Bob Ross at 773-802-3456.
