Hello St. Alphonsus,

Celebrate Sunday Mass at St. Alphonsus!

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus heals 10 lepers, and one, the Samaritan, returns to give thanks. This story is a lesson about faith and reminds us that faith is sometimes found in unlikely places.It is also a lesson of gratitude in recognizing the gifts we have been given and knowing to whom we must offer our thanks.

Invite your friends/loved ones to worship at Mass! Daily prayer keeps you in good relationship with the LORD, and yourself.

Mass Readings for Twenty Eighth Sunday In Ordinary Time

28th Sunday In Ordinary Time Reflection

Oct. 9 Parish Bulletin

Pumpkin Carving Event Pumpkin decorating and carving, Sunday, October 23 after the 11 AM mass, outside of Festival Hall (near the St. Alphonsus parking lot). All are invited! Pumpkins, supplies and treats will be provided. To help with the pumpkin count, please RSVP here! The pumpkins are being harvested from Michigan. The event will relocate to Festival Hall in the case of bad weather. Hosted by our parish Knights of Columbus.

Sunday, Oct. 23 will also feature our children's choir singing at the 11 AM Mass. 

St. Alphonsus will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Sunday November 6 in the Festival Hall. Please consider donating life-saving blood! You can make an appointment here. (scroll through dates until you get to Nov. 6)

Pope Francis' recent address on the elements of discernment and self-knowledge.

Praying the Rosary as a Family

The Church devotes the month of October to the Holy Rosary. This is a great time for families to establish a family routine of praying the rosary together daily. This article talks about the basics of praying the rosary and offers some resources to help families get started with praying the rosary together.

Adults new to our faith may not have experience praying the rosary. If this is the case, Hallow provides this step by step guide on how to pray the rosary, including prayers said in the rosary, the mysteries of the rosary, and a general overview of what the rosary is and why we pray it.

All Souls Day, November 2nd is a special day in the life of the Church as we take time to pray for our deceased family members and friends who have died and gone before us marked with the sign of faith. St. Alphonsus Parish will be holding a special Requiem Mass on Wednesday, November 2nd at 6 PM, to pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died. Through the Sacred Liturgy, the Church invokes the forgiving love and abundant mercy of God, that He may receive all those we remember into His kingdom so they can come to know the fullness of life and peace of Heaven. During the Requiem Mass a memorial candle will be lit for each person asked to be remembered. Additionally, our music director Brian Bloye is arranging a special program with a men's schola singing chant in Latin and English from the traditional Requiem Mass of the Church. If you would like to honor a loved one who has died, please fill out the form here. You can also write the names of your loved ones in the Book of the Names of the Dead, which will be available in the Church during November. 

Faith Formation News

Rev. Steven Bauer and our parish staff are always open to the faithful in assisting with your spiritual journey. May God bless us with patience and peace as we seek to live in harmony with one another and all creation!

Registration is open for St. Alphonsus 2022-2023 Religious Education program! Volunteer as a Catechist!  

Register your child(ren) here for the upcoming year.

Our RE program is for children grades 1st-8th on Tuesday evenings at 6:15 PM.

RE Schedule for 2022-2023

Each year, St. Alphonsus joyfully educates the children of our parish in their Catholic faith. If you would like to spend more time with children, strengthen the faith bonds in our families or enjoy serving in our parish— please consider volunteering as a catechist for our religious education program! We’d love to talk to you and no experience is necessary :) There are training

opportunities and support as you get started and throughout your time of service. Contact our RE Coordinator Erica Cook for more information.

Are you ready to become Catholic? Registration is still actively open for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). If you or someone who know is interested, contact our pastoral associate Brooks Robinson.  

Walking With Purpose- Women’s Group at St. Alphonsus— Tuesday mornings and evenings 9:30-11 AM or 6:30-8 PM. 

Beholding His Glory, a nine-lesson Bible study, reminds us how all Scripture points us to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We will learn to recognize and appreciate God’s plan for our own lives, His aweinspiring majesty, and His desire for personal intimacy with each one of us. Questions? Contact Susan Combes

More Faith Formation News

Ignatian, Silent Retreats for Men and Women

A weekend retreat at Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House is a special time to invite silence into your soul and to rest in quiet communion with God. The retreats feature thematic talks on St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises to guide you as you listen for God’s voice in the stillness of your heart.

FemCatholic Conference- Oct. 29 in Nashville, TN

Where feminism + Catholicism meet.

Women are the greatest untapped resource in the world, and in the Church. But who is going to take seriously the real issues women face, and explore where faith can empower women's real lives? At a time when women are leading like never before, FemCatholic is bringing together women from across the country for a day of education, connection, and activation.

Exodus 90 is a 90-day program that helps men break unhealthy attachments in order to gain true freedom in Christ, strengthen their spiritual lives and forge bonds of fraternity and prayer based on three pillars: prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. Join for food and fellowship with Exodus 90 men (after 12:30 PM mass) Sunday, October 9 from 2 – 5:30 PM at St. John Cantius, 825 N. Carpenter.  All are welcome to attend!

Anointed For Ministry: Exercising Your Baptismal Call, November 5 at St. Thomas the Apostle, 5467 S. Woodlawn

Building A Culture of Life

October is Respect Life Month

Support The Baby Bottle Project 

This October, our parish will be participating in The Baby Bottle Project benefiting The Women’s Centers of Greater Chicagoland. This non-profit organization directly assists mothers and families experiencing crisis pregnancies by offering emotional, financial, material, and spiritual support through counseling, clothing and monetary provisions, prayer, and other aid. Each year the center’s three locations together have over 5,000 appointments with expecting mothers. Please take a Baby Bottle home with you this weekend. Fill it with your spare change and return it to church by Sunday, October 16. The bottles may be found at the exits as you leave Mass. Thank you for your support!

In honor of Respect Life month, Safe Families for Children’s Ministry at St. Alphonsus is looking for volunteer babysitters to support moms and families in need! If you would like to join the network of babysitters, reach out to Safe Families and they will provide more info, training, and a background check, so you are ready to go when the need arises!

The Faith Formation Leaders' Kit offers action guides, intercessions, and activities to help catechists to build a culture of life within their formation sessions.

During Respect Life Month we invite you to rejoice in the beauty of the individual person. Join the Sisters of Life, CampCampo, and the McGrath Institute on a journey to understand what it means to truly accompany someone into God’s life and freedom.

Novena to End the Death Penalty

Project Rachel is a diocese network of specially trained priests, religious, counselors, and laypersons who provide a team response of care for those suffering in the aftermath of abortion. 

Flyer in English and en Español

Walking with Moms in Need is a response to Pope Francis’ repeated challenge for Catholic parishes and communities "walk in the shoes" of local pregnant and parenting women in need.. To join this effort, please contact Dawn Fitzpatrick, Senior Coordinator Respect Life Ministries for more information. 

Young Adult Ministry

Visit our Linktree

October YAM Newsletter 

Deeper Dialogue: Theology of the Body

Mondays at 7:30 PM

Immerse yourself in a deeper form of conversation surrounding JPII's Theology of the Body. Led by Casey Karbowski and Marisa Michak, the group will examine excerpts from the book as well as other related materials to break up the content into more digestible and easily understandable elements for discussion. No need to have a hard copy of any Theology of the Body books as all materials and discussion points will be provided on a weekly basis.

Fall Trivia Night!  Saturday Nov 5

Are you the friend whose schtick is sharing random factoids? Or, the one with the most fun party conversations? Well, calling all you trivia fans and friends, alike, to come join us, in the St. Alphonsus' Festival Hall (basement), on Saturday, Nov 5th from 5 PM-8 PM because St. Al’s YAM Trivia is back!

The cost of tickets is $25 per person (it is a fundraiser! ). Teams of 5-6 people can register individually or together. For anyone registering as a team, simply list the names of everyone in the "Comments" section of the GiveCentral link, during your purchase. Light refreshments, beer and wine are included in the event cost. We will have prizes for 3rd, 2nd and 1st place winning teams.

Don't know anyone or don't have 6 people on your team? Fear not! You may also register individually or in a smaller group (2-4 people). We will assign you to a team. All are welcome!

***Please note: pre-registration with payment through the GiveCentral link is required to attend. No walk-ups will be allowed since we have teams.

If trivia isn’t your thing, but still want to join us, consider volunteering as well!

For any questions or concerns, please reach out to the YAM social team.

County Line Orchard w/ YAM, Saturday Oct. 15 

More Young Adult News and Events

Join Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, author and spiritual director, and Jen Settle, Consecrated Virgin and Director of Ongoing Formation for the Theology of the Body Institute on October 22, the feast day of Saint John Paul II, as they guide you through a virtual retreat honoring Our Lady.

Catholic Sports Leagues- 5 Year Anniversary Party at D'Agostinos on Addison. Saturday Oct. 15

World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, July 29-Aug 7, 2023

"Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." (Proverbs 3: 9-10)

What Does It Mean To Give First Fruits?

If you would like to learn more about living a stewardship way of life, please visit our section on giving on our website, or contact a member of our parish stewardship team by calling the rectory at 773-525-0709 or by emailing parish Director of Operations Daniel Szymanski.

Thank you and God bless you!

• Text sunday to 773-570-7600
• Click on the link you receive via text
• Fill in the information and click "Submit Form" to make your giftt!

A charitable gift annuity to benefit Saint Alphonsus, our AACA school, or ministries — as designated by you — is a generous expression of your support for God’s work within our community and for future generations of Catholics. Learn more here!

Safe Families for Children

Taking Action to Love Mothers and Families During Respect Life Month

Compassionate Families Needed!

Safe Families for Children is a national, Christian nonprofit which connects local families in crisis with "safe families" who volunteer to watch their children while parent(s) get back on their feet. This is a great opportunity to show Christ's love and compassion for local families, often young single moms with no support system, in a tangible and meaningful way.

Interested in learning more? Reach out to safefamiliesstals@gmail.com

Athenaeum Center

Join us in celebrating the grand opening of the Paradiso, our brand new, state-of-the-art performance & event space in the historic Athenaeum Center!

Sunday October 23 • 12-2PM

Live music & Refreshments. Cash bar. One (1) free drink ticket will be given to the first 50 people who RSVP.

All are welcome! This is a free event, but we ask that you RSVP with the number of people in your party for planning purposes.

Around the Archdiocese

Catholic Charities' St. Martin De Porres Society recently launched with a conversation between Sally Blount, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Chicago, and Fr. James Martin, S.J. about finding our path to build a better world. You can watch the recording here

Children's Resale Shop

Queen of Angels School will hold its annual Children's Resale Shop on Saturday, October 15th at 2330 W. Sunnyside Ave. from 8 AM to 1 PM. Bring your shopping bags and stock up on tons of new and gently used children's clothing, shoes, accessories, strollers, furniture, toys, games, puzzles, baby equipment, books, ride-ons, sports equipment, Halloween costumes, and more! Cash and credit accepted. Admission is $1.

11^th Annual Mass for Hope and Healing - October 15

The Annual Mass for Hope and Healing is an opportunity for victim-survivors to find a safe space where they can feel supported and loved. In 1992, the Archdiocese of Chicago put in place policies and procedures to address allegations and issues related to sexual abuse of minors. The Archdiocese's Office for the Protection of Children and Youth is committed to continuing the important work to protect children and to accompany victim-survivors of sexual abuse. All are encouraged and welcomed to attend the Mass on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10 AM. at St. Gertrude Church (6200 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago)

Is there a future for Christian art? Join Lumen Christi on campus October 20 for a symposium with Fr. Stephen Fields, SJ (Georgetown University), with response from UChicago art historian Karin Krause, and Chicago sculptor John David Mooney.

New documentary calls on lay Catholics to become civic leaders.