St. Paul the Apostle Parish www.stpauljoliet.com 815-725-1527

Greetings!

Great News You May Not Have Heard     I have not seen much in the media, but I was there, and I witnessed a great event impacting the more than 650,000 Catholics of the seven-county region in Illinois, known as the Diocese of Joliet. On Tuesday, September 29th, Bishop Ronald A. Hicks was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Joliet. Bishop Hicks is only the sixth bishop in the 71-year history of our diocese to serve in this position. Bishop Hicks is a young man (as bishops go), only 52 years old and he comes to us from the Archdiocese of Chicago, where he served in a variety of capacities, both pastorally and administratively. The experience that seemed most formative for Bishop Hicks was the five years that he served as a priest in El Salvador working with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters), an organization with homes serving orphaned children. During his homilies on Monday and Tuesday he shared his heart for service. He said that he wants to be the “good shepherd” in the Diocese of Joliet, a “shepherd who smells like the sheep.” This is a phrase used by Pope Francis to describe the closeness of a pastor to his flock.      I was blessed to be able to serve on the altar for the Installation Mass. I was particularly moved as Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the nuncio or representative of Pope Francis, and Cardinal Blasé Cupich walked Bishop Hicks to his cathedra (chair) and seated him in his position of authority over the diocese. Bishop Hicks was filled with emotion and so were we as we applauded him and welcomed him to his new home. As a deacon, I have a special relationship to the bishop. Deacons take an oath of fidelity to the Church through the bishop. I like to say, “I am his guy.” I look forward to working closely with Bishop Hicks and he looks forward to working closely with us. He said we are “together in this (estamos juntos).” Please join me in welcoming Bishop Ronald Hicks to our diocese and along with me, continue to keep him in your prayers.  Your brother in Christ, Deacon John

Everyone knows what a first day at work feels like: excitement, nerves, hopes, and maybe a little overwhelm. Today was Bishop Hicks first day at his office inside the Blanchette Catholic Center. To show how excited we are to have him as our bishop, the staff met him outside with a warm greeting and loud applause. He addressed them and prayed before entering the building. What a positive way to start this first day!

October is Respect Life Month!  As Catholics, we believe that every life is sacred, from the moment of conception until natural death. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and so each and every person has inherent dignity.

Please click the link below to register for mass. Be sure to select the time that you wish to attend. You will receive a confirmation email upon registering to confirm your spot. https://stpaultheapostlejoliet.eventbrite.com The Guidelines for attending mass can be found below at the end if the email blast.

We have a brand new ministry starting in October called Samaritan Sunday, this will take place each month featuring a different organization that is in need. With so many people being affected by the pandemic we are all looking for ways to help. This is our opportunity to do unto others. We will have baskets in the back of church for you to drop your donations in or you are welcome to drop them off at the Parish Ministry Center. The month of October is Right to Life, please be sure to have your donations in by Sunday, October 18th.

Did you know... We Can Earn Money for St. Paul School while you shop through the SCRIP Program!!! Enroll now by loading the RaiseRight app on your phone, or go to www.ShopWithScrip.com. *Enter St. Paul’s enrollment code AA81EC4255864 Orders for physical gift cards will be processed Tuesday nights, and will be available for pickup in the school office by Monday. Contact Erica O’Connor at emettille78@att.net, for additional information, or visit the St. Paul Scrip Facebook page - St. Paul Scrip Program - Facebook page

As we continue on our journey to keep our teachers, staff and students safe and healthy, we want parents to know what will happen if a student gets sick. Learn more about our preparations for returning to school at https://bit.ly/2EgwPGS. #WeTeachMore

Material packets for all families are available for pick up. The packets will be in the Parish Office, please stop by during normal business hours Monday through Thursday 8:00 to 4:00 and Friday 8:00-12:00. If you are unable to make it at this time please contact Michele for other arrangements at 815-725-1527. There is still time to register, we still have openings in every grade.

We are in need of a few Family Shepherds for our 2020-2021 Religious Education Year. If you are able to dedicate a small amount of time each week to our program please contact Michele Kmety in the RE office at 815-725-6927. There is a discount offered for those with children in the program.

What does Ordinary Time mean? Why is Ordinary time called “ordinary”? When is Ordinary Time in the liturgical year? Although it might come as a surprise, Ordinary Time is not called “ordinary” based on its level of importance. The origin of the name Ordinary Time comes from the Latin word ordinalis, which means “numbered.” Ordinary Time, which occurs between Christmas and Lent then again between Easter and Advent, signifies a numbered (or ordered) list of Sundays that anchor our daily lives in the Catholic Church. www.thereligionteacher.com/videos/liturgicalyear/ordinary-time

Virtual Rosary - The Glorious Mysteries (Sundays & Wednesdays) Virtual Rosary - The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays & Fridays) Virtual Rosary - The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays & Saturdays)

FOLLOW YOUTH MINISTRY Meets weekly on Tuesday's 5:00-8:00 in the Parish Center don't forget your mask. For more information contact Jeremy Hylka @ jhylka@stpauljoliet.com

There is a new incorrupt Saint (Blessed) in the Church! For those who don’t know there are incorrupt saints in the Catholic Church. These are people who have died and their bodies have (sometimes after hundreds of years) not began to decay. This young teenager, Venerable Carlo Acutis, died in 2006 from M3 fulminant leukemia, and his body was discovered incorrupt when it was exhumed as he will soon be declared a Blessed. This is one step before sainthood. His story is copied below. Venerable Carlo Acuts, Ora pro nobis! This is the incorrupt Venerable Carlo Acutis (3 May 1991 - 12 October 2006) was an Italian Roman Catholic teenager. He was best known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloging them all onto a website that he himself created in the months before his death from leukemia. He was noted for his cheerfulness and for his computer skills as well as for his deep devotion to the Eucharist which became a core theme of his life. His parents worked in London though settled in Milan not long after their son's birth in September 1991. He became devoted as a child to the Mother of God and recited frequent rosaries as a sign of his devotion to her. He became a frequent communicant after the reception of his First Communion and made the effort either before or after Mass to reflect in front of the tabernacle. He also made his confession once a week. Ven Carlo Acutis was worried about those friends of his whose parents were divorcing and so he would invite those friends to his home to support them. He defended the rights of the disabled and defended disabled peers at school when bullies mocked them. He loved travelling but loved to visit Assisi more than other places. He contracted leukemia and offered his pain for both Pope Benedict XVI and for the Universal Church in which he said that "I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church”. He had asked his parents to take him on pilgrimages to the sites of all the known Eucharistic miracles in the world but his worsening health prevented this from happening. Being passionate about computers led Ven Carlo to make a website dedicated to careful cataloging of each reported miracle and he did this in 2005 (he had cataloged each case since he was eleven). It was on the website that he said: "the more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven". The doctor treating him asked him if he was suffering much pain and he responded that "there are people who suffer much more than me". He died on 12 October 2006 at 6:45am from M3 fulminant leukemia and he was buried in Assisi in accordance with his wishes. Pope Francis confirmed his life of heroic virtue on 5 July 2018 and named him as Venerable. He will be beatified at the Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi on Saturday, October 10 at 4 P.M. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, will preside. Venerable Carlo Acutis, Pray for us.

If you look around the parish campus you will see that the landscape looks cleaner. Much of the dead wood has been removed, and MOST of the weeds are under control (but the battle will continue into next Spring and Summer. Thanks to a number of generous parishioners, we were able to purchase 32 new plants to put into the parish landscape. These will replace some of what has died, and some will be added to areas that have been cleaned up and became "areas of opportunity".  As I stated in my plea for help back at the beginning of August, "beauty attracts", it helps to bridge that which separates. Many have been separated from the Eucharist these last 6 months by the COVID-19, and many are afraid to return. The landscape will not make COVID go away, but it will, I believe, show that there is still some life here, and there is also some NEW life here. If you are afraid to come to mass, please drive by sometime and stay in your car. Drive around the campus and see what has been done. Hopefully, many of the new plants will be planted this week (We can always use some help call me [John Klika 815-325-7400] if you would like to help).  The new life is not just in the landscape. We also have a new pastor who is wanting to bring new life into the body of the Church. Hopefully, you can meet him soon. I know you will like him.

Please continue to pray for our parishioners that are in need of prayers at this time If there is someone you would like to add to the prayer list please contact the Parish Office at 815-725-1527 or email parishsec@stpauljoliet.com

October 3rd Raymond Monde Pesavento October 4th The People of St. Paul 8AM Bob & Eva Chignoli Mary & Barney Bottino10AM Mary Spolnik October 5th John Schwerha Sr. October 6th Mark Dames October 7th Intention of the Celebrant October 8th Marie Moroz October 9th Dan Kobe

Pope Francis Tweet of the Week #SaintTheresOfLisieux invites us to practice the little way of love, not to let the possibility of offering s smile to slip by, or any small gesture that sows peace and friendship. #SeasonOfCreation

Song Of The Week Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace

Mass Sign Up Please click the link below to register for mass. Be sure to select the time that you wish to attend. You will receive a confirmation email upon registering to confirm your spot. https://stpaultheapostlejoliet.eventbrite.com

Click here to go to the Parish's new YouTube channel for Mass, Announcements and More...

iwillserve@stpauljoliet.com