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Thanks Marilyn Charba for Your
Watercolor Renderings of Our Churches!!!
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Faithful can subscribe to the notes by contacting the parish office and providing their e-mail address. Thanks for your support of our border town parishes!!!
Please remember - Fr. Pete does not send out text messages, e-mails or social media posts to solicit
funds for himself or any organizations outside of the parishes he serves. Fr. Pete's emergency phone
number is (815) 685-1359 and his e-mail addresses
are either pjankowski@yahoo.com or pjankowski@stfrancis.edu.
Please do not trust any correspondences that
utilize any other phone number or e-mail address.
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Please support our parishes by clicking the ONLINE GIVING picture - these are your local homes where God is present! Let's share this grace with those of the next generation! | |
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News & Notes with Fr. Pete Jankowski
Holy Week at the Border Town
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Feel free to contact Fr. Pete at email pjankowski@yahoo.com. If you have an emergency, please contact Fr. Pete at (815) 685-1359 | |
And so we come to it… the services for the Holiest Week of our Church’s Liturgical Year. Because of so many blessings in our parish, we were able to record the Holy Week Videos in advance for your benefit that can be accessed early online – either at our Parish Websites or on our YouTube “Border Town Parishes” Channel. This endeavor took about FORTY-EIGHT HOURS to complete but… the dividends that have paid off from these videos has been fantastic! Included in these notes are the Holy Week Services for both parishes. | |
CHANTING THE PASSION OF THE LORD | |
THE COMPLETED CEMETERY PROJECTS FOR BOTH ST. ANNE'S AND ST. PATRICK'S CEMETERIES | |
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On Monday - March 19, Former Director of Catholic Cemeteries for the Diocese of Joliet Richard Tapella visited St. Anne's to meet Jim Sparenberg (the sexton of St. Anne's Cemetery) and discuss with him the completed layout for St. Anne's Cemetery.
As you know, a few years ago, Rich had suggested I find an engineering student from a local college who needed experience for his/her resume to plot out our cemeteries for the sake of our parishes. Thanks to Ethan Fritz from Kankakee Community College and his Associate's Degree in Engineering (I am told he recently earned his Bachelor's Degree in the same field), Ethan handed the project over to Rich, who plotted out all the names in the locations that Ethan spotted.
Once Rich handed the St. Anne Cemetery spreadsheet to Jim Sparenberg, the project now has come to a completion... FOUR YEARS LATER!!! As with Roger "Bones" Hess (the sexton of St. Patrick's Cemetery), Jim Sparenberg will be responsible for "tweaking" the spreadsheet to adjust to whatever direction he wants to move forward.
By plotting out our cemeteries the way we did, we at least now have the layout of the cemeteries on computer, something that normally would cost thousands of dollars (maybe tens of thousands?) that we just got finished... AT NO COST!!!
Thanks to everyone for being patient with us on all of this. God bless St. Anne's & St. Patrick's Churches!!!
This week, Nadine White and the good folks from Soundtronix came to visit us at the parish, with the hope that our new Campus-Wide Internet Upgrade (thank you Zef and Computer Network Solutions!) would allow us to livestream our Masses at St. Patrick's and upgrade our camera systems at both parishes. Nadine told me that a few years ago when she first met Jim LaMotte (who donated the $40,000+ sound system at St. Patrick's in memory of wife Marlene), only EIGHT souls were in attendance at the Sunday Mass when she visited us. Nadine has been AMAZED at the growth of the parish the last few years. Hopefully, the folks at Soundtronix can make it possible for us to go LIVE and broadcast these Masses on YouTube and on our websites when we get to that point.
On a final, more personal note... the person responsible for bringing us the Christendom College Mission (mind you, there were only three missions the College offered for Spring Break this year - in Honduras, in Costa Rica and at our parishes... and they had the entire country at their disposal!), this individual has offered the kind of kindness and generosity that cannot be dismissed or forgotten.
We have A LOT of good souls at our parish who have done this... and you know who you are!!! I hope you all know that this is all for the glory of God - certainly NOT for me - I keep saying with tongue slightly in cheek that if I wanted to get rich, I would have become the diocesan attorney, NOT the diocesan priest!
What this person and so many like this person have done for us should not be forgotten. I ask everyone on our list please to pray for these good souls who help our parishes from a distance. God knows what they are doing and God will bless them for their kindness. God bless all of you as well! - Fr. Pete
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The Strength
St. Joseph Offers Those in Need...
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When I was in seminary, a professor of history used to tell us the story of why St. Joseph was inserted in the First Eucharistic Prayer by St. Pope John XXIII. I found the story this week in Commonweal Magazine. To remind ourselves of REAL suffering in the world helps me remember why St. Joseph is so important in our lives of faith…
At the discussion of the schema on the liturgy at the first session of Vatican II, at least three bishops proposed that St. Joseph’s name be added to the Canon of the Mass. One of them was Bishop Peter Čule from Mostar, Yugoslavia, whose health had been seriously compromised by his having been sentenced to eleven years of hard labor in one of Tito’s show trials in 1948. As he made his plea for St. Joseph at the Council, he wandered and began to repeat himself, and Cardinal Ruffini, who was presiding that day, finally interrupted him: “I ask you please conclude your very pious sermon. I am sure that we are all very devoted to St. Joseph,” a remark greeted by laughter in the council hall. This rude treatment of a bishop who had suffered severely for the faith under the Communists is said to have irritated Pope John and prompted him to announce three days later, on November 13, 1962, that he had decided that St. Joseph’s name was to be inserted into the Canon. For at least 150 years petitions had been sent to Rome for this action, the most recent of which, presented in six volumes to the Pope in March 1962, appears to have persuaded John XXIII to intervene.
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RCIA LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN | |
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Meanwhile, Eileen Rivas (and Maria Soto) from the Hispanic Community and David Surprenant (as well as Mary Jo & Bailey Boicken) on the English side have informed me that TWENTY-FIVE individuals are preparing for the Easter Sacraments! Good luck on the cathedral getting twenty-five anything on the Easter Vigil!
Towards this cause, I drove today to the Sam’s Club Parking Lot to exchange “cash for merchandise” (for some reason, that made me feel like a felon) with Nabil Rishnawi from Bethlehem Gifts. Our Olive Wood folks will return to our area when the weather gets a little better, but for now, Nabil gave me the RCIA gifts we purchased today, along with ten olive wood crosses that Cookie Schroeder asked me to procure for her.
This weekend, we have put the RCIA Board so that all of you to write letters of support but for now, the attached picture serves as a “preview” for what lies ahead for the group.
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HELP US SELL OUR 50/50 RAFFLE TIX!!! | |
Now that The Irish Review (Our St. Patrick’s Church and Alumni Newsletter) has been mailed out, we are in the process of selling our 50/50 Raffle Tickets for the event ($10 a ticket or $50 for six tickets). Last year, we were able to take in around $25,000 the raffle, half of which being used for prizes and half retained by the parish. If you could help us sell these tickets, please call the parish office at (815) 472-2864. | |
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Reflections from the Students of Christendom College Included in this Video!
With the assistance of the students and staff of Christendom College from Front Royal, VA on a Spring Break Mission Trip to the Border Town Parishes, Fr. Pete Jankowski offers this Liturgy on location at St. Patrick's Church (Momence, IL) on behalf of the parishioners of St. Patrick's Church (Momence) and the National Shrine of St. Anne (St. Anne) who are not able to attend services. Everyone is invited to our indoor liturgies at the border town parishes (we have plenty of room)!
"Sir, I want to see Jesus" (Jn 12: 21). These words from John's gospel are reflected in the Breastplate of St. Patrick (the patron of the Momence Church that Fr. Pete serves) and is a fitting theme to the type of ministry the students of Christendom College - and all of us! - should learn in reference to Christian Service. Assisting Fr. Pete with his homily are the students on this mission, who offer reflections of their own after spending a week in the Border Town community (from March 2-9).
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2024 St. Patrick's Church Irish Mass & Dinner Highlights | |
2024 Border Town Confirmation Retreat Highlights | |
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Border Town Appreciation Dinner
February 10, 2024
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St. Anne Valentine Luncheon February 11, 2024 | |
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Mass for Palm Sunday
Celebrated at St. Anne's Church - St. Anne, IL
In his homily, Fr. Pete references Philippians 2, encouraging all of us (including himself!) to prepare for Holy Week - and life on earth in general, to be prepared to suffer, sacrifice and, most importantly to offer mercy to those around us.
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LOADS OF LENTEN RESOURCES!!! | | |
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Come Join Both of Our parishes at their Respective Fish Fry Events!!!
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THE LAST FISH FRY FOR 2024 at St. Patrick's Church from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (119 N. Market St. - Momence) | |
UPCOMING PROJECTS AT ST. PATRICK'S | |
WE HAVE REDUCED OUR PARISH DEBT AT ST. PATRICK'S BY A FACTOR OF OVER $200,000 IN THE LAST TWO YEARS!!! | |
With the estate of Fr. Dan Hessling sending St. Patrick's c. $5,500 our debt is now down to the $100,000 mark, a $220,000 drop since 2022. Thanks to everyone who has helped us to eliminate this debt, paving the way to going on the plus side at the parish! | |
ST. PATRICK'S / ST. ANNE'S
PHOTO DIRECTORIES
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Thanks to Ruth Sparenberg, Anne Andrade & Joanne Hermann for assembling, scanning and editing the follow Photo Directories from the Church History of St. Patrick's and St. Anne's Churches! | |
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The Holy Father provides a wonderful opportunity to receive an Apostolic Blessing for Birthdays, Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Weddings, Religious Professions, Ordinations and Anniversaries of these sacraments. | | |
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For weddings and such, Fr. Pete offers a special blessing on the first Sunday weekend of each month and is willing to purchase an Apostolic Blessing for anyone who asks (and if he can afford it... since he pays out of pocket!!!).
If you are interested in receiving an Apostolic Blessing, you can do so by clicking the link below or by calling the parish offices.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR OWN APOSTOLIC BLESSING!!!
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Parish Hotline... If you know of someone who is sick and in need of the sacraments or if you know someone who wishes a visit at the hospital or care facility, please contact the parish office or Fr. Pete Jankowski at (815) 685-1359.
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Fr. Pete offers the Anointing of the Sick at both parishes at the First Friday Masses every month (St. Patrick’s at 9:15 a.m. and St. Anne’s at 5:00 p.m. (English) and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish). | |
PULPIT ANNOUNCEMENTS THIS WEEKEND | |
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You can view all online Lenten Offerings that we have offered on our parish websites.
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We have placed in our church a display board for our RCIA Letters of Support. Feel free to write a letter to those receiving the Easter Sacraments on April 8-9, 2023.
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We will begin the Divine Mercy Novena at St. Patrick’s on Good Friday. Please see next weekend’s bulletin for more details.
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We need help selling our 50/50 Progressive Raffle for St. Patrick’s Church. Please contact St. Patrick’s Church for more information.
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The Divine Mercy Novena begins at St. Patrick’s on Good Friday at 9:15 a.m. and works its way through Sunday, April 7th with a Holy at 2:00 p.m. Fr. Pete Jankowski will preside, with adoration and confessions from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
- The Holy Week Schedule…
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(St. Anne’s) Holy Thursday English Service (Fr. Pete) at 5:00 p.m.
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(St. Patrick’s) Holy Thursday English Service (Fr. Pete) at 7:00 p.m., with confessions to follow.
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(St. Patrick’s) Good Friday Stations of the Cross in Spanish and English (Fr. Pete / Kevin Blanchette) at 12:00 noon
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(St. Anne’s) Good Friday Stations of the Cross in English (Cookie Schroeder) with Communion – NO SERVICE at 3:00 p.m.
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(St. Patrick’s) Good Friday Service at 3:00 p.m.
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(St. Anne’s) Holy Saturday Blessing of the Food Baskets at 10:00 a.m.
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(St. Patrick’s) Holy Saturday Blessing of the Food Baskets at 11:00 a.m.
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(St. Patrick’s) Easter Vigil Service at 8:00 p.m. (no Confessions or 4:00 Mass)
- Regular Sunday Mass Schedule at both Parishes for Easter
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KEEP UPDATED WITH OUR PARISH BULLETINS!!! | |
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To View St. Patrick's Bulletin for
March 24, 2024
CLICK HERE!
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To View St. Anne's Bulletin for
March 24, 2024
CLICK HERE!
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FROM FR. PETE... After Mass, a family asked me to pray for Beth Ellis from Bellflower, IL (by Champagne, IL). Beth is in her early 30s and has two small children. Her husband, Andrew, who is 40, suffered two major heart attacks this last month. He's being kept on life-support until doctors can find donors for his organs.
I was told that the family may or may not be Catholic but irregardless, I said we would pray for Beth and the kids so that God would take care of the family. If you can say an extra prayer for the family today, I would most appreciate it. Ema, please put Andrew Ellis on the prayer list.
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK: Mary Kay Blankestyn, Ashley & Jesse Childress, Guadalupe Maria De Leon, Austin Fuhrmann, Ron Gall, Cindy Gould, Joel Hart, Karen Hensa, Don Hout, Joanne McCracken, Marilyn Peterson, Joanne Prather, Evelyn Provost, Ruth Sparenberg, Cynthia Vickery, Gary Witherall... and all those on our sick list.
At St. Anne's... Eva Bell, Paula Bertrand, Lola Billings, Duane Blanchette, Cheryl Boswell, Patrick Burns, Cindy Capriotti, Abraham Daily, Tom Dandurand, Aria Dionne, Carol Futcher, Raelynn Garrett, Jack Houk, Val Lagacy, Bentley Lottinville, Linda Miramontes and John Wojnowski.
At St. Patrick's... P. Anderson, N. Atkinson, R. Bailey, D. Barth, Beedle Family, D. Brown, W. Bukowski, B & E. Coffman, S. Conner, M & D Cousin, M. Cruz, A. Delaney, D. Demack, M. Dionne, J. Dobbins, E. Duke, D. Dunlap, G. Field, C. Fritz, R. Gall, J. Grill, R. Harper, J. Hibbs, D. Hiller, C. Jones, L. Kane, R. Kazee, A. Kijewski, L. Lee, L. Leranth, E. Lopez, B. Love, J. Marcotte, W. Marten, L. McNulty, L. Mercado, R & V Morse, C. Ortman, D. Petronio, M. Peterson, C. Piec, C. Provost, E. Provost, R. Rehmer, P. Reising, D. Roberts, B. Ryan, A. Schaff, J. Schopf. Schmied, K. Simpson, B. Siwicki, B. Spagnola, M. Tolbert, M. Tolmer, H. Tousignant, M. Velazquez, C. Vickery, M. Williams, M. Witherspoon, S. Young, A. Zimmerman, M & L Zink and G. Zokal.
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Fr. Pete Jankowski posts his homilies online at the parish website for those who wish to keep up with the gospel message each week.
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PARISH REGISTRATION FORMS | |
FR. PETE'S TELEVISION SERIES | |
CLICK HERE to watch Fr. Pete’s Twelve Part Series “Stories on the Journey,” Broadcast on Shalom World TV! | |
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BOOK, BRICK & PEW DEDICATION PROGRAM | |
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For only $100, you can dedicate a brick to someone special at St. Patrick's Outdoor Grotto (where the Our Lady of Lourdes Outdoor Masses are celebrated)!!!
(815) 472-2864
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For only $25, you can dedicate a Journeysongs Pew Book from either parish. Please call (815) 472-2864 (St. Patrick's) or (815) 427-8265 (St. Anne's) for more information! | | |
LINKS TO CATHOLIC WEBSITES
CLICK ON PICTURE TO ACCESS SITE
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