Saint Josaphat’s Feast Day falls on a Saturday this year, so we will be honoring our patron saint at the 5pm Mass this Saturday.

Every year when we celebrate his feast day, we also celebrate the contributions of our parishioners who help make St. Josaphat, “a church to come home to.” We will be honoring those who have been nominated by their fellow parishioners to receive a parish service award. 

We present the St. Josaphat Parish Service Awards to parishioners who have been giving outstanding and generous service through a parish ministry or parish-related volunteer activity. This year's recipients are:

Jean Bystedt, Meredith O'Neil

Joseph Scheidler

Jennifer Magyar-Marlowe

Michael Miller

Matthew Turner

Josephine Zupko

What makes this year even more special is that we will also be honoring our very own Fr. Dominic Grassi, who has been officially recognized as the “Pastor Emeritus of St. Josaphat Parish” by Cardinal Blase Cupich. 

 

Fr. Grassi was the pastor here for 18 years, from 1987 - 2005. Since his retirement six years ago, he has been a consistent presence in our parish community, assisting not only at Sunday Masses but also celebrating weddings, baptisms and funerals for our parishioners. He is a very active member of our Boomers Group; and he attends our JosaFests, our Unity Galas and other parish activities. Fr. Grassi is everything a Pastor Emeritus should be!

The Cardinal agreed and wrote a letter to Fr. Grassi, officially conferring upon him the title of Pastor Emeritus of St. Josaphat Parish. In his letter to Fr. Grassi the Cardinal wrote, “know that I am deeply grateful for all you have accomplished during your forty-nine years of service to the Church, particularly for all you have done for St. Josaphat Parish. The Archdiocese of Chicago has been blessed by your faithful and devoted pastoral care.” 

We have all been blessed to be the beneficiaries of Fr. Grassi’s pastoral care for many years. A large portion of Fr. Grassi’s priestly ministry has been here at St. Josaphat Parish. So please join us on Saturday, November 12th at the 5 pm Mass to honor Fr. Grassi, our Pastor Emeritus, and to thank him for truly making St. Josaphat, “a church to come home to.”

All parish families are invited to our annual Advent Wreath Making event! Feel free to invite grandparents and more. We will gather in the gym on Sunday, November 27, from 6–7 PM to assemble our wreaths and learn the true meaning of the Advent Wreath. We supply all the materials and ask for a donation of $35 per wreath, to help defray costs. Email Mary Jane with any questions. Sign Up Here

Parishioner Jean Bystedt meets weekly with a refugee family to support their adjustment to life in Chicago. Please take a minute to read about her experience and consider her request to help a family from Syria by donating baby items from this Amazon Wishlist to assist the family. All items will be delivered to St Vincent de Paul Parish for storage until delivery.

 Children’s Liturgy of The Word

We are bringing it back! Liturgy of the Word for Children begins again on Sunday, November 20th at the 10 am Mass. Children’s Liturgy is for school age children to experience the readings and homily on their level. During Mass, the children will be dismissed to the chapel before the first reading and will return during the collection/ presentation of the gifts.

We are seeking 8th Grade and High School students to volunteer to lead the children during the Mass approximately 2 times a month. Contact Mary Jane Sullivan for details.

Mark your calendar for our annual Unity Gala on February 24, 2023! We are looking for volunteers for remote help with coordination, record-keeping, organization, communications, and various other things that can be accomplished from the comfort of your home. 

Visit the Signup Genius to register for an open role!

Contact Jim Maciejewski with questions.

 Do you need volunteer hours for school? Being a Greeter is a lot of fun, and a wonderful way to connect with our community. There’s no commitment, and you can control your own schedule. Email Emily Skafish to set up a quick training. 

Nominate them for our annual Unity Award! Nomination deadline is December 31.

If you do not give electronically and receive offertory envelopes from us in the mail, but did not yet receive your November envelopes, please contact the parish office to let us know.