16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 19, 2020
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The Mission of the Parish
Hopefully, you saw last week’s Pastor Article, “We Have a Mission.” It was about reclaiming our sense of mission as baptized Catholics and what we expect of parishioners at St. Josaphat Parish. This week I would like to focus on what parishioners can expect from our parish. When people come to St. Josaphat they can expect to be
Welcomed,
Accompanied, and
Prepared to be Disciples of Jesus Christ.
Welcomed - We want St. Josaphat to be a place where everyone feels welcomed. As Pope Francis said, “Let the church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven.” We create that culture by remembering that we are all sinners in need of redemption. We all need God’s grace to grow in holiness. And we receive that grace by coming together as God’s family, as brothers and sisters, each Sunday as we gather around the Lord’s table to celebrate the Eucharist and listen to God’s word. And we welcome new members into our community through Alpha, which is designed to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them enter into a relationship with him.
Accompanied - We want to accompany our parishioners through all of the joys and struggles of life. We want to celebrate with our parishioners in joyful times like weddings and baptisms, First Communions, confirmations and graduations. And we want to be there for our families during difficult times like illness, divorce, loss of a job, or death of a loved one. Our Pastoral Staff, composed of Fr. Francis, Deacon Pat, and Mary Jane Sullivan, is available to meet with individuals, couples and families during each of these moments in life to accompany them, pray with them and help them to experience the love and mercy of God.
Prepared - We want to prepare our parishioners to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We help prepare people to be disciples through the celebration of liturgies and through opportunities to help people grow in their knowledge of the Catholic faith and in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We invite our parishioners to participate in Alpha, which helps people grow their relationship with Jesus and also teaches the essentials of the Christian faith. We offer Bible Studies so parishioners can learn more about sacred scripture and share their faith together. Our Men’s Spirituality Group and Women’s Group offer our adult parishioners an opportunity to discuss issues important to our Christian faith and to foster a greater sense of community within our parish.
As you can see,
building a relationship with Jesus Christ is at the heart of everything we do and offer as a parish. That’s because bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ is the mission of the Church and the mission of every Christian disciple.
I would love to hear from you. How can we help you grow in your relationship with Jesus? What would you like us to do or offer throughout the year? What have you participated in at other parishes that was helpful in forming disciples? How can I serve you and our community better as your Pastor? Please feel free to email me your comments and suggestions at frfrancis@stjosaphatparish.org
Your Brother in Christ,
Fr. Francis
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100 lbs + 100 Books
Here is our chance to make a difference in the education of low-income kids in the Englewood neighborhood. By Assumption (August 15), our St. Josaphat Women’s Group is sponsoring a parishwide challenge to donate 100 pounds of gently used + 100
new books
to Wentworth School.
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Since 2016, we have been working with Books First! Chicago to create libraries in the 70% of Chicago Public Schools in low-income neighborhoods that have none. Can you imagine growing up without books to read at home or at school?
Over the past few years, one of these schools, Wentworth, has seen growth in all areas except reading. Primary Reading Coach Jessica Christopher, who has successfully fostered a culture of learning in other CPS schools, has been hired to instill a love of reading in the kids at Wentworth (like our teachers do at St. Josaphat!) She can’t do this alone! Our books will play a vital role.
GENTLY USED:
Now is a good time to clean out books that your children have outgrown. We are looking for donations of children’s books (especially preschool through elementary level, but we’ll take all kids’ books). Books need not be new but should be in good condition.
DROP OFF AT THE RECTORY STARTING JULY 27
, times tbd
NEW
: Ms. Jessi says that "If we want our black and brown students to fall in love with reading, they must be able to picture themselves in the stories, relate to the content, and be inspired by what they see! We need high quality texts that highlight black characters, lifestyle, and culture." She has selected some great options
here
on Barnes & Noble or
here
on Amazon (remember to use Smile!), but you may order them from anywhere!
SHIP TO: Wentworth Book Drive, St. Josaphat Parish, 2311 N. Southport, 60614
Stay tuned for more info and insights from Ms. Jessi!
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Thank you for your support!
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Registered parishioners will receive an email at Noon on Fridays to register to attend Sunday 10:00 am Mass in person. If there are still spots open, everyone else in our database will get an email to register on Saturday morning.
Not a REGISTERED parishioner? Registration is free and easy and online. And yes, you can be registered at more than one parish.
Register Here
Protocol for registration: If you have already been to Mass in person, please wait until 5pm on Friday to register to attend Mass. The idea is that we will expand availability so that everyone who wants to attend can, PROVIDED WE HAVE VOLUNTEER GREETERS AND CLEANERS.
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We Need Additional Volunteers
to be greeters and cleaners. These ministers are in addition to our attendee limits. Please contact Kelly Smith
kellyqtml@yahoo.com or Diana McCartney
mccartneydiana@yahoo.com if you can help or click below and we will contact you to set up training.
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Need Masks?
School mom Tanya Koran is making washable custom masks for families for $15. You can pick your size and fabric, and these have the wire nose piece that helps them stay in place. Email her for more information.
tanyakoran@gmail.com
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Welcome New Parishioners!
Ross Parr
Sharon Wallyn
Noah Busk
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We Welcome in Baptism
Lucy Ann
child of Robrt Pirrello and Jamie Schroeder
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Baptisms/Baptismal Prep - Baptisms can be scheduled on Sundays at 11:15 am following Mass. Our next Baptismal Prep Class will be on August 10th at 7:00 pm.
First Holy Communion - Celebration Mass will be held in the fall, and 2nd Graders are invited to make their First Communion at any Mass this summer. Just stop in the sacristy before Mass to let Fr. Francis know!
PreCana - is offered virtually through the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Register Here
Religious Education
- Registration for 2020/21 is open!
Register Here
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Scripture Reflection
Reflection on this Sunday's
Readings
by Joe Labozetta, Music Director
The Parable of the Mustard Seed may perhaps be the most evidently prophetic parable attributed to Jesus. He begins, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed...” A seed so extraordinarily small becomes a tall mustard plant that can grow to more than twice the height of a man and provide shelter for the birds of the sky.
Consider the smallness of the origin of the kingdom: the humble birthplace of the Savior, a vulnerable baby born among beasts; son of a carpenter and a peasant girl, who were neither wealthy nor of great prestige; the beginning of his ministry in not-so-important Nazareth, without pomp or fanfare; the nature and character of his disciples as rural fishermen, illiterate peasants from Lower Galilee.
Consider now the progress of Christ’s kingdom: in the decades and centuries after Jesus’ death, the rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and ultimately the Roman Empire and much of the Western world; Christianity’s tremendous impact on world affairs in the last two millennia.
How did that happen? How did such a local story, such a small group of followers, dedicated though they were, come to influence global affairs in such a powerful way? One answer to that may be the author of today’s second reading, Paul. One could argue that, for its success and growth, Christianity owes as much to Paul as it does to Jesus.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explains that the Spirit of God receives even imperfect prayers, that “the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” Despite human failings and the inadequacy of words, the Spirit takes the meaning from the heart.
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More Opportunities to Reflect
Virtual Bible Studies!
Sign Up
for one or both today (it's never too late):
Tuesdays 10 am
"Breaking Open the Word" with Ellen and Hope
Wednesdays 7 pm
"Concepts from the Book of Matthew" with Lindsay and Charles
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Opportunities to Help Others
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Support Sharing Parish St. Agatha
Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos
Little Sisters of the Poor
Symphony
Symphony would appreciate donations of crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word searches, adult coloring books, colored pencils/crayons, etc. as well as nutritious protein shakes such as Boost or Ensure. If you can help, please deliver to the Symphony Residences entrance on Southport, and include at note that you are from St. Josaphat. Thanks!
Order Take Out or Dine In
Don's Helping Hands
We're most in need of white t-shirts (men's size XL or L), men's white socks and deodorant.
We welcome volunteers into the Red Door Room to serve lunches M-F from 9:30-10:30am. We are also asking for individuals and families to make and drop off sandwiches.
Learn more...
Thank You!
Sarah's Circle
is not taking donation drop offs due to COVID-19 until further notice. Learn more at
sarahs-circle.org. We have removed the donation basket at the back of church, but your small toiletry donations can still be put to good use by our Helping Hands ministry - just drop these off at the rectory!
Shop and Support
Shop
smile.amazon.com
and select St. Josaphat Parish as your charitable organization and St. Josaphat gets 5% on eligible items!
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THIS WEEK
Tuesday
10:00 am Breaking Open the Word -
Join Us
and we'll send you the link for our Virtual Prayer Group hosted by Ellen and Hope.
7-8 pm Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Reconciliation -
Register here for a seat in church.
Wednesday
7:00 pm Concepts from the Book of Matthew -
Join Us and we'll send you the link for our Virtual Prayer Group hosted by Charles & Lindsay.
Sunday
10:00 am Sunday Mass -
Join Us
for our LiveStream on Facebook, or watch your email for our weekly link to register for a seat in church.
Coming Soon - Friday 8:00 am Mass starting 7/31!
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Links from the Vicariate II Abuse Crisis Response Team
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office@stjosaphatparish.org
773.327.8955
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