In honor of St. Francis Assisi, whose Feast Day is October 4, Fr. Francis will be blessing household pets this Sunday, October 8 at 1 pm. Bring your furry and feathered friends to the Community Park after the Noon Mass; invite your neighbors, too!
St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. One of the earliest legends of St. Francis speaks of a fierce wolf near the Umbrian town of Gubbio who was eating animals and humans because he was starving. The entire town was afraid to go outside the town walls until St. Francis met with the wolf, blessed it and returned with it to Gubbio. The townsfolk gathered in the city marketplace, and were shocked to see the ferocious wolf behaving as though it were Francis's pet. When Francis reached the marketplace, he offered the assembled crowd an impromptu sermon with the tame wolf at his feet. He is quoted as saying: "How much we ought to dread the jaws of hell
, if the jaws of so small an animal as a wolf can make a whole city tremble through fear?"
The bond between person and pet is like no other relationship, because the communication between fellow creatures is at its most basic. No wonder people enjoy the opportunity to take their animal companions to church for a special blessing. Church is the place where the bond of creation is celebrated.
So what happens at a Pet Blessing?
Typically the presider will say a prayer something like this, "Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen." As the prayer is offered, the pet is gently sprinkled with holy water. Believe it or not, most pets receive this sacramental spritz with dignity!
The love we give to a pet, and receive from a pet, can draw us more deeply into the larger circle of life, into the wonder of our common relationship to our Creator.
Hope to see you and your creature companions on Sunday!
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Important Upcoming Dates!
Sunday October 8th- Blessing of Pets (after noon mass)
Friday, October 13th- 100th Aniversary of final Fatima Apparition
Monday October 16th- Baptismal Preparation Class
Saturday October 28th- PreCana Class
Tuesday October 31st- All Hallows Eve
Wednesday November 1st- All Saints Day (Holy Day)
Thursday November 2nd- All Souls Day
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The Boomers Plus Club will be collecting clothing for those in need on Saturday, November 4th and Sunday, November 5th before and after the Masses at
St. Josaphat Church. Individuals and families will receive the donations
through the Marillac St. Vincent Family Services Outreach Program.
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Shop on Amazon, get SJS money back!
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It's easy to support St. Josaphat on smile.amazon.com!
Use sjs.shutterflystorefront.com! SJS gets 13%!
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St. Josaphat Private Wine Tasting Event at VIN!
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OCT 26th from 7-8:30pm at
VIN Chicago, 1836 N. Elston Ave
Join us on Thursday OCT 26th at 7pm as we experience some new wines and and taste some of VIN Chicago's exclusive offering.
A portion of the proceeds benefit the St. Josaphat Unity Gala and VIN will graciously donate 10% of sales to St. Josaphat.
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Are you looking for a playgroup for your lil Tot?
Are you looking to connect with other mothers of Tots at St. Josaphat?
The Tots Playgroup meets Thursday mornings in the Fireplace Room from 10-11AM.
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Homeless Outreach:
Volunteers
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Signup to help with the Homeless Outreach Program
HERE!
We need volunteers on weekdays for about 2 hours. The Food Pantry operates from 9:15-11AM.
No experience needed!
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It's not too late to sign up for Religious Ed!
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Has your Child been Baptized and received Reconciliation and First Communion?
Enroll your Children in Religious Ed on Tuesdays evenings from 6pm-7:30PM.
Contact Mary Jane Sullivan for more info and to schedule your child.
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On Saturday February 10, 2018, our Parish's will run our largest annual fundraiser: the "St. Josaphat Unity Gala". Just like the Unity Ball and Sweet Home Chicago fundraisers in the past, this event will bring us all together and raise essential funds for the place that we all call "home".
Pulling off an event of this size and scale requires a lot of volunteers, so we need YOUR HELP! Opportunities to volunteer at the Committee level or for small 1-2 hour tasks are available now and throughout the year. Please contact the Unity Gala Volunteer Coordinator, Stephanie Samz, at [email protected]
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Become an SJS Substitute Teacher
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St. Josaphat School is always on the lookout for new Substitute Teachers. If you are interested in becoming a Substitute Teacher for SJS please contact Jen Kowieski.
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Meeting dates for the SJ School Board:
SB meeting dates 2017-2018
(all regular meetings begin at 6:30pm in the Rectory)
Wednesday, September 6th, 2017
Monday, October 16th, 2017
Monday, November 20th, 2017
Monday, December 18th, 2017
Monday, January 22nd, 2018
Monday, February 26th, 2018
Monday, March 19th, 2018
Monday, April 16th, 2018
Monday, May 21st, 2018
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