St. Paul the Apostle Parish www.stpauljoliet.com 815-725-1527

Greetings!

Friends, This weekend we encounter a scripture which you will hear me reference many times throughout the year. I consider this Gospel to be one of my favorites simply because it sums up our call as disciples. Jesus reminds us today that "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If we are at times sketchy on the finer points of theology... if at times we don't remember the rich history of the church or the many nuances of our faith... if we sometimes lack in our knowledge of the lives of the saints or couldn't get through a devotional without some sort of aid or written guide... Even if all these things and more leave some of us feeling like baby Christians who have so much to get caught up on in our Catholic identity and practice... We have these two simple commands to fall back on. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. If you can remember these two things and more importantly live them out then you are already a disciple. You already have good news to share and you already are helping to build up God's kingdom. I think sometimes as Catholics it's very easy in the richness of our faith and tradition to remember that it does boil down to something so simple. Learn and grow in Christ. This is important, but never forget that it began with LOVE. God bless you my neighbor, Fr Mark

Please click the link below to register for mass. Be sure to select the time that you wish to attend. You will receive a confirmation email upon registering to confirm your spot. https://stpaultheapostlejoliet.eventbrite.com The Guidelines for attending mass can be found below at the end if the email blast.

St Paul’s is Honoring our Veterans & Active Military The weekend of Nov 7th & 8th Let’s all come together and pray them at all weekend masses this Veteran’s Day!   Please help us honor and pray for your loved ones by sending in his or her Name and Branch of the Armed Forces Years of Service & A Picture to be displayed!  Please email your loved one's information to iwillserve@stpauljoliet.com call 815-725-1527 or mail it to 18 Woodlawn Ave, 60435, or feel free to drop it at the Parish Ministry Center!

Update from Mrs. Brodhead

Hello St. Paul Families! We have successfully completed 8 weeks of in-person learning with our students. We are so thankful for everything our parents, students and parents are doing to keep us all safe and healthy. Our Diocese has done an excellent job as a whole. Dr. Michael Boyle, Superintendent, reported to the principals this week, that there have been only 70 reported student cases of COVID-19 in the entire Diocese. This equates to .0002% of the student population. An amazing statistic! Also, there have been only 15 reported staff cases of COVID-19. These numbers are a true testament to our guidelines and protocols we have all worked so hard to maintain. We continue to ask for your prayers and your vigilance as we enter the holiday seasons. With Halloween and Thanksgiving right around the corner, we ask that parents continue to make good family decisions about friend and family gatherings. College students (including my own :) will be coming home to celebrate the holidays with loved ones. We will be able to keep our schools open if we all continue to be safe by wearing masks, sanitizing our hands often and practice social distancing.  Thank you, again, for all of your help and support!

We were so blessed to welcome Bishop Hicks to St. Paul today for a tour of our school! Fourth grade students Brady May and Ella Horn were our gracious tour guides. Bishop Hicks complemented St. Paul’s for safe and socially distant school and praised our staff and students for working hard to keep everyone safe!

St. Paul Giant's Fun Fact Did you know.........Mrs. Brodhead is the oldest of 5, and the only girl! Her Dad's birthday was one January 1st (New Years Day) and her Mom's birthday is on February 29th (Leap Day)!!!

Needed … Devout Catholic Substitute Teachers No degree in education? No problem! Each Catholic school in the Diocese of Joliet is successfully implementing face-to-face instruction that honors the safety measures outlined in within its School Reopening Plan. As a result, several Catholic educators are needed to serve as substitute teachers at the Pre-School – Grade 12 levels. The substitute teacher candidate must love children and hold either a current Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) or an Illinois Substitute License. Please complete an online application by clicking on the link below. https://www.applitrack.com/dioceseofjoliet/onlineapp/ A degree in education is not a prerequisite for becoming a licensed substitute teacher. An individual who holds a BA in any discipline is eligible to apply for an Illinois Substitute License through the seamless process of transcript evaluation. For further information about obtaining a teaching license in this manner, contact Karen Udell, CSO Assistant Superintendent of Leadership and Personnel, at 815221-6123.

Religious Education Family Video Week #3

Elementary School Ages

Middle School Ages

This is a great exercise to take a look at how we treat people. What we may need to change and how we can achieve everlasting life with Jesus. This Sunday's Gospel is about the Greatest Commandment, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. I would also greatly suggest to listen to Fr. Mark's homily this coming weekend, if you have not had the opportunity to hear Fr. Mark preach please do so. Our weekend masses can be found on our YouTube channel which you can access from our St. Paul website. If you have not been back to mass since the shutdown I encourage you to call the Parish Office and sign up, there is room at each of the masses although 4:30 is the least attended. There is nothing like being all together back in our house, God's house. Even more to receive the Eucharist, when was the last time you shared in the most precious gift our Lord has ever given us? There is something about receiving the Eucharist after not being able to partake in this amazing act of love. I've always had a sense of calm after receiving, we truly need that nourishment.

The Beatitales The Three Kingdoms Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. There were three kingdoms in the land. The first and greatest kingdom was full of strong warriors who won many heroic battles by might and sword.    The second kingdom was smaller than the first, but full of the smartest people in the world. They were cunning and strong in intelligence.   The third and smallest kingdom was not strong or superior in intelligence. The people of this kingdom valued peace over war. They were satisfied with what they had and not eager to prove their superiority by might or mind.    One day the king of the first kingdom said, "We will conquer the other kingdoms and rule the land!"    The king of the second kingdom heard of these intentions and prepared for battle with a plan to defeat the strong warriors who would attack them.   The war between these two kingdoms lasted many years with the first kingdom winning with might and the second countering with the mind. Years passed until there were very few people in either kingdom left to fight.    The kings said to themselves, "We have fought for many long years and now we are poor and hungry. We must go to the third kingdom for assistance against our enemy."    The two kings arrived at the castle of the third kingdom at the same time, both with small armies who were weary with battle.   The third king saw the armies and called them all to a council of the three kingdoms. There the kings discussed the future.    "You will declare a truce," said the third king. "Our kingdom, which now has plentiful resources will be able to provide for you. You will each hand over control of your kingdoms to me as we rebuild for the both of you. We will ensure that peace remains for the many years to come."     The kings refused, but their counselors and knights were too hungry and tired to continue the war. They kidnapped their kings and pleaded with the ruler of the third kingdom to save them from starvation.    The third king took them under his rule and inherited all three kingdoms, ruling over all the land forever.     Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

FOLLOW YOUTH MINISTRY Meets weekly on Tuesday's 5:00-8:00 in the Parish Center don't forget your mask. For more information contact Jeremy Hylka @ jhylka@stpauljoliet.com

Listening to Father Mark Bernhard’s awesome homily tonight during ALPHA NIGHT. You can watch this great homily on YouTube - Jesus, Democrat or Republican. Must watch for all Catholics before this important election. https://youtu.be/KqIsliLMlYI

Please continue to pray for our parishioners that are in need of prayers at this time If there is someone you would like to add to the prayer list please contact the Parish Office at 815-725-1527 or email parishsec@stpauljoliet.com

October 24th Kenny Larson October 25th The People of St. Paul 8AM Jim Buchar 10AM Helen Bakos The Klika & Ellis Families October 26th Ron Bebar October 27th Jim Buchar October 28th Judy Hadala October 29th Glenn Marcum October 30th Irene Zdziarski

Pope Francis Tweet of the Week Prayer is the center of life. If there is prayer even a brother, a sister, becomes important. Those who adore God love His children. Those who respect God, respect human beings.

Song Of The Week Love God Love People

Mass Sign Up Please click the link below to register for mass. Be sure to select the time that you wish to attend. You will receive a confirmation email upon registering to confirm your spot. https://stpaultheapostlejoliet.eventbrite.com

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iwillserve@stpauljoliet.com