"Let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth."
~ 1 John 3:18
Bearing Fruit
Few of us, even when we meditate on the image of the vine and branches, stop to really think about how God “prunes” us. For some there is the danger of thinking that we are already producing fruit for the kingdom, in deed and truth as John says, perhaps raising a family, being active in our parish, and so on. But even those branches which are bearing fruit, the Gospel tells us, can be pruned to produce still more. Today Saul, freshly “pruned” by his conversion, arrives in Jerusalem and meets resistance. Since he had been persecuting Christians, this was only natural. But even after he is accepted and begins to bear fruit, he meets further adversity, and his letters are filled with many accounts of how his trials “pruned” him to produce greater fruit for the kingdom. Like him, as long as we remain in Christ we will continue to bear fruit and, when the will of the Father determines it is time to prune us, the strength of the true vine must enable us to endure it.
RSVP for Mass on Sunday
RSVP for liturgies for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 2nd, are live on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:00pm.

Please note, attendance is limited and registration is required. Schedule follows (if you need assistance making or changing your registration, please call or e-mail parish offices):

Saturday
SJE Church, 5:00pm

Sunday
QR Church, 8:00am

SJE Church, 9:15am

QR Church, 10:30am
Follow this link to keep up with Readings for Daily and Sunday liturgies.
The parking lot attendance option remains available at the QR 10:30am Mass for those with underlying conditions. Park in the designated lot and tune to 102.5 FM radio channel to listen to Mass on your car radio, or watch from your phone on our Facebook page or Web page. At Communion, an Extraordinary Minister will distribute the Holy Eucharist to guests in each car.

Important Note: The following safety protocols continue to be enforced at ALL liturgies and in-person gatherings at both churches, parish centers and on parish grounds: face covering worn securely over nose and mouth, hands sanitized upon entry (and again prior to receiving Holy Communion), seating in marked areas only to respect social distancing, temperature checks for all events involving youth or food service and no congregating in church facilities including parking lots.

If in the previous 14 days you have traveled to a state on the watch list, experienced any cold or flu symptoms or have spent time with anyone experiencing symptoms, we ask out of an abundance of caution that you please stay home to help insure the safety of our parish family.

Wondering what to expect? Follow this link to download Parishioner Reopening Guides in Polish, Spanish or English. And take a minute to watch our Welcome Home Video on the home page!

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this time.
May Is the Month of Mary
Pope Francis is encouraging Catholics around the world 
to dedicate the month of May to praying for the end of the virus which has seen more than three million people die. 

Let's all join Pope Francis in this "marathon" month of prayer for the intercession of Our Lady to end the global pandemic. Pope Francis will start us off in Rosary prayer on May 1st, then let’s keep it going!


Our new Music Director, Michael Hawes, shares this beautiful version of Ave Maria to start us thinking about Our Blessed Mother, the queen of May. This video is from a concert at St. John Cantius Church, in Chicago, and sung by Michael with a Male quintet of singers called His Majesty's Men. The music they are singing is the "Ave Maria" by Renaissance musician, Josquin Des Pres (c.1451-1521), who is known as the greatest musician of his time. Josquin sang as a member of the Papal Choir under Pope Innocent VIII, and served under King Louis XII of France as well. His music is known for incredible expression and beauty, and he was one of the first composers to write music that had this sort of descriptive expression in it, where the text, in this case, the Ave Maria, dictated how he wrote his music in a way that had never been done before, when chant and more basic vocal writing was the norm.
Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with thee, serene Virgin. 
Hail, thou whose Conception, Full of great joy, Fills heaven and earth With new gladness. 
Hail, thou whose Nativity Became our great celebration, As the light-bearing Morning Star anticipates the true Sun. 
Hail, faithful humility, Fruitful without man, Whose Annunciation Was our salvation. 
Hail, true virginity, Immaculate chastity, Whose Purification Was our cleansing. 
Hail, glorious one In all angelic virtues, Whose Assumption Was our glorification. 
O Mother of God, Remember me. Amen.
Season for Life
Spring, a season of renewal and hope, is adorned in the natural beauty of new life. God’s great creation bursts forth with the sights, smells and sounds of a world emerging from the slumber of winter. Green grass, flowering trees, chirping birds and gentle rains fill our senses and hearts with a great anticipation of good things to come.

In this spirit of renewal and hope, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Respect Life Ministry invites us all to participate in a Season for Life.
Honor Mom, Support Project Love
Project Love is again offering beautiful Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards to help raise money to support women facing a crisis pregnancy. Mother’s Day cards are suitable for any mom, daughter, daughter-in-law or mother-like figure and the inside of the cards will read that “a donation to Project Love has been made in your honor.”

Following COVID-19 protocols, Project Love offers three ways to order cards this year.
  • Through the Mail. Download Order Form. The requested donation is just $5 per card and checks should be made payable to Illinois Right to Life.
  • Download & Print. Find printable PDFs here. These PDF Mother's Day cards can be printed out (scaled to 100%) and given to any woman in your life who is a great mother--perhaps your daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, etc.
  • eMail Digital eCards. These e-cards are sent via email, so they don't require envelopes, paper, or stamps!

We Can Be the Face of Hope
Eva is doing all she can to raise her grandchild alone on a limited income. She called Catholic Charities when she couldn’t afford to fix her plumbing. We made the home repair, and invited her to our caregiver support group. She was one of the 398,078 seniors we helped last year.

Please give to Catholic Charities on Mother’s Day to help seniors live in comfort. Learn more at www.catholiccharities.net.

“People have a dignity that is priceless and worth far more than things.” - Pope Francis
May Summer Supper
Beginning in May we transition from Winter to Summer Suppers. On Thursday, May 6th, in addition to feeding guests who remain sheltered in local hotels, we will serve drive-through guests. Meals will be available to-go style in a contactless drive-through in the St. Julian parking lot.

Please follow this link to volunteer to cook, prep, serve or cleanup at the May Summer Supper.
School Report
Run, don't walk, to support QR School with a Track-A-Thon Sponsorship Opportunity!

One of the school's major fundraising events, QR School Track-A-Thon will take place on Friday, May 14th. The Track-A-Thon is a student-body and staff favorite and has become a highly-anticipated day of fun and celebration for the whole school. Students willingness to collect pledges beforehand and their enthusiasm on the track is a testament to their dedication to QR School. We invite you to consider supporting this event through a corporate sponsorship. All sponsors will receive recognition on participant t-shirts, event signage, QR School website and in the OLBS Parish bulletin.

Please contact Cheri Cage if you would like to learn more about becoming a sponsor.
RE Roundup
Congratulations to Second Graders from the QR RE program who will celebrate First Eucharist this Saturday, May 1st.

May Is the Month of Mary
During this month of Our Lady, we honor Mary, Jesus’ mother and ours as the “Queen of May.”
May 2nd at the 9:15am Mass, SJE SOR
May 8th at 9:30am, QR RE
Scholarship Opportunity
The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (ACCW) offers a $1000 four-year renewable scholarship to young women who are seniors in high school.

Deadline for submission is April 30, 2021. Follow this link for the application and guidelines.
GOD AT WORK...BUILDING SOMETHING NEW!
In an effort to better serve the needs of the parish, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament will temporarily relocate all staff to the St. Julian site at the end of May. This move in no way foreshadows future parish church or office location decisions. This is a temporary move that will allow us to consolidate staff under one roof for better collaboration and communication so that we may minister to the needs of the parish more effectively.

During this time, we will evaluate options and explore costs to renovate, rebuild or construct new structures and spaces. “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1) Parishioners will be invited to participate in this process, and we will communicate transparently at every step along the way.

Follow this link to learn more.
Follow the parish bulletin, eNews, pulpit announcements and social channels for updates. And, as always, feel free to contact the parish office with questions, or schedule time to meet with Fr. Dan about the temporary office relocation or other parish news.
Administrative Assistant Wanted
OLBS is looking for a part-time administrative assistant to join our team. This role will support the business office and will require approximately 20-25 hrs per week. Duties will include, but are not limited to; data entry, filing, answering phones, recording and looking up sacramental records.

To learn more or request a complete job description, please contact the parish office.
VIRTUAL TOOLBOX
We may still be limited in gathering and need to keep our social distance for a little while longer, so we remind you that we have the following virtual tools to help us stay connected:

Sunday's Digital Worship Aid. Whether you print out or follow along on your phone, from home or inside our churches, you will find Sunday's Digital Worship Aid on the home page of our church websites: QR (scroll down to the link "Click here for digital worship aid...") and SJE (scroll down to the button "Sunday's Digital Worship Aid").

Daily Prayer. Follow this link to review daily prayer, or signup to receive daily prayer delivered right to your inbox.

Morning Prayer. No commute, no computer needed...join us on your phone Monday through Saturday for Morning Prayer. Learn more.

Weekly Bulletin. Download the weekly parish bulletin when you are unable to attend Mass.

Weekly Rosary. The Rosary is prayed at SJE on Tuesdays at 7pm. If you are unable to join us in church, we invite you to join the live-stream.

Live-Stream. We have live-stream available for Sunday liturgy and some daily Mass from both churches: QR and SJE.

Let's Get Social. Like or follow us on Facebook to receive news and updates in real time and join the conversation: QR and SJE.
Raise Your Hand
For the faithful, being separated from the Eucharist can be painful. Our OLBS Ministry of Care brings the healing comfort of Jesus Christ to homebound parishioners by bringing the Eucharist to them. Please contact the parish office today to learn more about the comfort and healing offered by our Ministry of Care.

Follow this space for spotlights and updates on the various volunteer opportunities available around the parish. Joining a council or board or volunteering for a ministry requires a short time commitment and shows great stewardship. Please share your gifts and offer your talents to a consultative board or one of the many ministries serving our parish and community. Raise your hand. Make a real difference in the life of our parish, school and religious education programs. OLBS needs YOU!

Want to know more? Please contact the parish office (847) 956-0130.
DID YOU KNOW?
Our Rosary Group meets weekly in the church at SJE to lead group rosary prayer. Recently they began live-streaming each Tuesday to allow even those who aren’t able to join in person to participate. Join our Rosary Group in answering Pope Francis’s call for a “marathon”month of prayer!

We are grateful for your continued generosity to the needs of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament family during this time. In addition to dropping or mailing your donation to church, you may give online where you may make weekly contributions to our parish family and keep the vital ministries and services we provide going. We thank you for your generosity!

SJE Campus | 601 Biesterfield Road | (847) 956-0130
QR Campus | 750 W Elk Grove Blvd | (847) 437-0403