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Knights of Columbus Good Shepherd Council #5573 Charities Breakfast

Sunday, April 14

Enjoy a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, and scrambled eggs, and know that you are supporting important area charities!

Breakfast will be served in the gym after the 7:30, 9:00, and 10:45 a.m. Masses on April 14th. The Knights are not charging for this breakfast; however, goodwill donations are encouraged and accepted. Cash and check only.

For additional information contact: Thomas Krepelka at 708-218-5733 or tpkrepelka@amerline.com

Mobile Food Pantry

Mobile Food Pantry is coming!

Monday, April 1, 2023, 4:30-6:00pm or until all food is distributed, whichever comes first

The Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet Mobile Food Pantry delivers healthy food (meat, produce, and non-perishable items) to people in need. No identification or information will be required or collected. This event is open to anyone in need of food!

Mobile Pantries use a ‘drive-thru’ method to distribute food during the CoVid-19 pandemic. Please clear space in your trunk or back seat so volunteers can load boxes of food directly into your vehicle


Lunes de 1 abril, 4:30-6:00pm

La despensa móvil de Caridades Católicas de la Diócesis de Joliet ofrece alimentos saludables
(carnes, verduras y alimentos no-perecederos) a personas en necesidad. No se le pide su identifi­cación ni información personal. Estos alimentos se ofrecen a cualquier persona en nece­sidad.

La despensa móvil estará distribuyendo alimentos en estilo “drive-thru” para evitar el contacto físico por causa de la pandemia de Covid-19. Haga espacio en su cajuela u en el asiento trasero del carro para que los voluntarios puedan subir cajas de comida directamente a su vehículo.


Catholic Charities helps people of all faiths and beliefs

YA Bible Study

Who: Young adults (ages 18-29) from around the diocese

Where: Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus
604 N. Raynor, Joliet
Bell Tower (park in the north lot off Raynor Ave.)

When: Beginning Friday, April 5th, 2024
7-8:30 pm
Half hour of social time followed by study for the night

BYOB- (Bring your own Bible)

Contact Info:⁠
Ben McCune⁠
bmccune14@gmail.com
Parish Office 815-722-6653, ext. 217⁠

Website:⁠
https://www.straymond.net/ya-bible-study

March for Life Illinois

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the power to protect the unborn was given back to states through our elected representatives. The Illinois state capital is now critical territory for protecting Life. Join us on April 17 to bring a voice to the voiceless. Together, we march to empower women to choose life, and to defend the dignity of the unborn.

Registration is required for bus transportation from the Blanchette Catholic Center to the Capital: Registration for Bus Transportation

Parishioners who travel independently can register for the Mass here. The Diocese of Joliet will pre-register those who will use bus transportation. 

Check the Events section of the DOJ website for the day’s full schedule: https://www.diojoliet.org/w/march-for-life-illinois

Together we march!

Parish Garden

Spring is here, which means it’s time for gardening season. Last year, we started a community garden project with the help of several dozen parishioners. We built, planted, tended, and harvested the garden together, which was a fantastic community-building effort. Additionally, it produced vegetables that we could share with the community, especially those in need.

We are planning to expand the garden slightly this Spring by introducing different vegetables, fruits, and flowers. We welcome new gardeners to join the effort, and no previous experience is necessary. Tending the garden, including watering and weeding, is something that families can do together.

Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

Saturday, May 11, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM, at the Garden – GARDEN BUILD: Meet at the garden to assemble and install four new raised beds, fill or refill raised beds, expand the fence and add gates, lay landscape fabric, and place ADA mulch in the garden for grass control and walking, roto-till ground beds.

Saturday, May 18, 8:00 AM – 12:00 Noon, at the Garden – GARDEN PLANTING: Meet at the garden to plant starter plants and seeds in all beds — in-ground beds, 17” high raised beds, and 31” high elevated beds. –

Weekends of April 13/14 and April 20/21 – Sacramental and Religious Gifts Sales: Our main fundraiser for the parish group garden is a two-weekend sale of religious gifts in the Commons area. We will need help staffing the tables during and after the Masses on those weekends.

Please check out the SignupGenius to sign up at  https://bit.ly/4cd1MqW

KC Kicker 5K

Join us for the Knights of Columbus / SMIP KC Kicker 5K / Kids 2K Fitness Run / Walk event on April 20, 2024.  This community event at the school campus and surrounding neighborhood will benefit the students of St. Mary Immaculate School. The Kids 2K event will begin at 7:30 A.M. with the 5K event following at 8:00 A.M.  Event participants will receive a T-shirt with post-race music, food and fellowship for all.

Contact Tom Brady, tbrady7202@aol.com, 815-370-0850 with questions.

Sign up at: raceroster.com/events/2024/82880/kc-kicker-runwalk

CRS Rice Bowls

This year, Saint Mary’s Lenten Almsgiving Project will be Project Rice Bowl from Catholic Relief Services. For over 75 years, Catholic Relief Services has used its experience and technical abilities to help as many people as possible when disaster strikes. 

Evita Tiro Wada and her son Daniel Ribu Kelen stand on a path leading to their farm. Evita has learned improved farming techniques with CRS’s Village Disaster Preparedness Group. Located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands. Many of the islands are in the Ring of Fire, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are common. Climate-related disasters such as cyclones also threaten communities here. These natural disasters make it difficult for people like Evita Tiro Wada to grow food. To help her family and community, Evita participated in a Catholic Relief Services’ program. She joined a disaster preparedness group, which helps people stay safe during emergencies. The group also maintains a community garden, using special farming methods to grow vegetables even during a drought. They teach people how to start their own gardens and care for their community by picking up trash and planting trees. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Catholic Relief Services

Each Lent, through CRS Rice Bowl, families learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and malnutrition, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world a better place for all. The idea is for each family to have a simpler meal one day a week (Friday is obviously a good choice), and donate to help those in need. Please take a CRS Rice Bowl, which comes with a Lenten calendar that contains short reflections for each day of Lent. You’ll also find recipes for meatless meals from around the world and Stories of Hope from families that benefit from your donation to CRS Rice Bowl.

Catholic Relief Services is one of the most efficient organizations in the world. 92% of the money they spend goes directly to programs that benefit the poor overseas. Additionally, they meet all 20 of the strict Charity Standards set by the BBB’s charity rating arm, the Wise Giving Alliance, and they have an “A+” rating from Charity Watch.

Father Pat Mulcahy, Pastor

Pick up your rice bowls and calendars! Collect your change over the course of Lent and return them to the church on April 7, Divine Mercy Sunday. Or return by using the envelope in the monthly packet or drop off in the Narthex. You can also go to OSV Online giving and make an online donation: smip.org/ricebowl

Lent & Easter Schedule 2024

Please note that the parish offices will be closed at noon on Holy Thursday, March 28, and remain closed through the week after Easter Sunday (April 1-5). They will reopen on April 8.

9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed)
7:00 pm • Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Live Streamed)

9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed)
Noon • Ecumenical Service
3:00 pm • Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion – English – Church (Live Streamed)
6:00 pm • Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion – Polish – Cana Hall
7:00 pm • Viacrucis – Spanish – Gym

9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed)
Noon • Blessing of Baskets – English
1:00 pm • Blessing of Baskets – Polish
8:00 pm • Easter Vigil (Live Streamed)

March 31st, Easter Sunday

7:30 am • English – Church
9:00 am • English – Church (Live Streamed)
9:00 am • English – Gym
9:00 am • Polish – Cana Hall
10:45 am • English – Church
10:45 am • English – Cana Hall
11:00 am • Spanish – Gym
12:30 pm • Spanish – Church
12:30 pm • English – Gym

Special Appeal – Painting and Pews

Dear Friends and Parishioners,

As you may be aware, we kicked off a Capital Campaign in January 2019 which encountered significant setbacks due to the protracted pandemic shutdown. While we managed to secure over $726,000 in pledges to date, it amounts to only 42% of the $1,702,000 we initially anticipated before the world was brought to a standstill in March 2020 by the COVID-19 virus.

Despite the obstacles, we’ve achieved remarkable things with the funds we’ve collected so far:

  • A brand new Sound System for the Church
  • New Skylights, along with necessary roofing and insulation improvements for the Commons and school
  • Vital repairs to the church’s cross roof area
  • New roofing for the church’s north wing
  • Revitalized roofing and siding for the Rectory
  • A 20% deposit for painting the church’s interior, slated for Summer 2024

The great news is that we have now gathered enough resources to cover the entire interior painting contract. This includes beautifying the walls and ceiling, along with the narthex and ambulatory areas. Father Pat is eager to create an atmosphere that is more hallowed, reverent, and purposeful. His vision is to underline the divine connection between heaven and earth during the consecration by adorning the dome above the altar with a celestial night sky, adorned with stars, symbolizing the heavens.

Additionally, we seek to enhance the nave with Marian images, providing parishioners with moments of contemplation before, during, and after Mass. On the upper walls behind you as you sit in church are four bumpouts. We’ve discovered four beautiful images that will adorn the walls above the doors: Madonna and Child, The Miraculous Medal, Mother and Child in Heaven, and Casa Barbieri (Mary and Jesus surrounded by angels). Two of these images have been generously sponsored by the Friends of Good Shepherd, and two are privately memorialized.

This image will be painted to match the rest

Father Pat also envisions the creation of a custom painting for the reredos and entire eastern walls of the church. This will emphasize all glory and honor bestowed upon Jesus Christ in the tabernacle, weaving in the symbolism of our stained-glass windows on the eastern walls, seamlessly merging with the liturgical experience.

As we plan to relocate summer Masses to the gym for the interior painting project, it’s an opportune moment to address the state of our aging pews. We seek to have them refurbished to their former glory, ensuring they serve us for many more years to come. While the initial estimate for refinishing them in place was $84,000, they have deteriorated further due to pandemic-related sanitization efforts. Therefore, we now intend to take them off-site for a comprehensive refurbishment, involving proper stripping, sanding, re-gluing, board replacements as needed, staining, and sealing, ensuring they remain magnificent for years to come. While we await the bids, we anticipate that the cost will exceed the $195,000 quote for offsite refurbishing we received in 2019.

Today, we earnestly seek your support for this vision through various avenues:

  • Honoring a loved one with a star painted on our domed ceiling, whether in celebration or remembrance. Please note that their names will not be on the stars, but a plaque in the narthex will commemorate their significance. Donations are recommended at $500 for small stars, $1,000 for medium stars, and $2,500 for large stars.
  • Donations in any denomination, starting at $100, to contribute to the artistic painting of the eastern walls and reredos.
  • Underwriting the custom artist’s fees or contributing to the reredos painting with donations of $2,000 and above.
  • Support for the structural and artistic enhancements to the tabernacle altar with a donation of $5,000.
  • Sponsoring the pew refurbishing project, with options of $500 for small pews, $1,000 for medium pews, or $2,500 for larger pews.

We understand the magnitude of this request, and we acknowledge that the interior of our beloved church has not seen a fresh coat of paint in over three decades. The ceiling, marred by candle soot and dust, no longer radiates the sacredness it deserves. Many of you have encountered issues with your pews, be it kneelers, splinters, or simply the creaking of wood that requires attention.

In the six years that Father Pat has led our congregation, he has introduced significant statues to our worship space. Now, it’s time to ensure our space is aesthetically pleasing, guiding our church and its parishioners forward, all for the greater glory of God.

Your support, whether through a donation, sponsorship, or prayer, is a vital contribution to this transformative endeavor. Together, we can make our church a true sanctuary, a place of reverence and inspiration for generations to come. Thank you for being part of this significant chapter in the history of St. Mary’s.