St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville, Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

[email protected]

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, January 22, 2023

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

I must confess, I still have my small fiber optic tree up. I just really like sitting with my first cup of coffee in the dark with just this little tree lit. Guess it just gives me something to hold on to, something that slows me down. A friend reminded me of a song called, “The Gift Goes On”, by Sandi Patti. The song is about living Christmas, (the incarnation). You might enjoy checking it out on You Tube. 

A Warm Welcome to Fr. Jim Flaherty!

A very special welcome to Fr. Jim Flaherty, S.J. Father Jim, from Loyola University, has offered to join us on weekends to preside at some of our Eucharistic Celebrations. Please take the time to stop and welcome him.

Parish Events & Activities

This weekend, we had Pre-Cana couples who are preparing for their upcoming weddings here at St. Gertrude. Please keep them in your prayers.

This is a very busy week here: 

• Monday, January 23rd - There is parent formation meeting for First Communion and Confirmation Candidates in the church at 6:30 pm.
• Also, Monday, January 23rd - The Peace and Justice Ministry will meet at 7:00 pm in the Ministry Center to evaluate past events and look ahead to a few others.
• Tuesday, January 24th - The Finance Board will meet in the Rectory at 7:00 pm.
• Friday, January 28th - It's CABARET NIGHT in the Gym at 7:00 pm.

Catholic Schools Week

Starting next Sunday, NCA will begin a weeklong celebration of Catholic Education. The theme this year is Catholic Schools: Faith, Excellence, Service. This celebration begins at all the Masses next weekend. Some families will be giving a reflection. All are all then invited to an Open House at NCA school on Sunday January 29th from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

We value greatly our students, faculty, staff, and parents. Let us join in this wonderful opportunity to celebrate with them.

This Weekend: Support the Church in Latin America

For over 50 years, Catholic dioceses in the United States have participated in the bishops’ special annual collection for the Church in Latin America as a sign of solidarity and unity with Catholics in Central and South America and the islands of the Caribbean. For many living in Latin America and the Caribbean, a rising secular culture, difficult rural terrain, and a shortage of ministers make it difficult for people to practice the faith.

Parishioner donations to this collection have supported pastoral ministries like evangelization and catechesis, family ministries, lay ministry training, and the education and formation of priests, deacons, and religious brothers and sisters.

A second collection for the Church in Latin America will take place this weekend, Saturday, January 21 and Sunday, January 22. It is a chance to share the faith with our brothers and sisters in Latin America. You can give at Mass or online HERE.

Growing in Faith

There’s a tendency nowadays — maybe it’s in every age — to fear that we’re going to hell in a handbasket. In other words, that all is dark, and we’re racing for disaster. It’s not clear where this phrase “going to hell in a handbasket” started. One theory is that it had something to do with the guillotine used during the French Revolution which, when it did its job, dropped the head of the executed into a basket.

An interesting aspect of the liberal-conservative polarization in politics, religion, and seemingly everything else today is that, as much as the right and the left disagree, they both agree that we’re going to hell in a handbasket unless a drastic shift in their direction takes place.

In the reading from Corinthians this weekend, Paul complains that rivalries have popped up within the Christian community. He writes that there should be “no divisions among you.” By this, he doesn’t mean that all Christians should agree about everything. Disagreements are a key part of human society. 

I think what Paul means is that, despite such everyday disagreements, all believers should keep their eyes on the prize — keep striving to follow the example of Jesus, to be better people. In that faith and in the model of love of Jesus, there is deep hope.

The deep hope — the prize — that is described in the first reading from Isaiah this weekend and then quoted by Jesus in the Gospel: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”

~ Patrick T. Reardon 

NCA's Open House is Next Sunday, January 29

Northside Catholic Academy will host an Open House on Sunday, January 29 during Catholic Schools Week at both campus locations. 

The Open House will take place at the NCA Primary School Campus at 6216 N. Glenwood Ave. from 11:30 am -1:00 pm. An Open House will also take place at the NCA Middle School Campus at 7318 N. Oakley Ave. from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.

All parishioners are welcome to attend!

For more information, please contact Jacob Utz at [email protected] or call 773.743.6277 ext. 201.

Reconciliation for First Communion Candidates - Monday, January 30

Please keep the young students of our parish in your prayers as they prepare for their First Reconciliation on Monday, January 30 at 6:30 pm in church.

Contact Eloy Escamilla, our Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Youth Ministry, at [email protected] if you have questions.

Refugee Ministry Weekend is Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5: Second Collection, Information Table, Free Lunch and Speaker Program Planned

Eight years ago, the humanitarian crisis of mass displacement of refugees was brought to the world’s consciousness with the Syrian civil war.

In response, the St. Gertrude faith community came together and stepped up! We established this ministry to work in partnership with Catholic Charities to support new arrivals. And still our work goes on.

We are witness to the continued inhumanity that displaces people in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Latin America, Syria, Africa, and Bangladesh where Rohingya live in large camps. On the Doctors Without Borders website, an article dated June 15, 2022 noted that there are now more than 100 million forcibly displaced persons around the world. You wonder what we can do in the face of such suffering. The answer…A LOT!!

Working with Catholic Charities, our role as a parish is three-fold: (1) we provide tangible support for the initial settling in, with a contribution of $5,000 to cover security deposit and rent for about three months; (2) we provide a Welcome Pack of all the household goods needed to start off in the apartment, including kitchen stuff and linens; and (3) when a parishioner feels that call we provide accompaniment, regular visits, and support for the initial few months. The goal, though not always reachable, is for families to be settled and self-sufficient within six months of arrival.

And what a difference you’ve made! We first came together in Fall of 2015. Since then we’ve sponsored a family roughly every six months, officially sponsoring 11 families so far and offering additional support to four others. We have seen kids grow up and thrive in school, parents get jobs and buy a home, and in some cases have seen deep friendships develop.

We have sponsored several Rohinya families, as well as families from Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Syria, and Guatemala. All of this is thanks to your prayers and generosity. You are the light of the world, bringing the kingdom of heaven to Edgewater.

We will be celebrating our ministry on February 4-5. There will be a second collection at all of the Masses, with information in the back of church, special prayers, and a very special program on Sunday, February 5.

We’ll have a free simple soup lunch in the Social Hall starting around 11:45 am and a program from 12:15-1:15 pm featuring two speakers: Emily Parker, the case management supervisor at Catholic Charities, and Sr. Wendy Cotter, who has been spending time at the southern border working directly with migrants.

Please join us, and, as always – thank you!

~ Denise Goodman

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, January 23: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
• Tuesday, January 24: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members
• Wednesday, January 25: 7:30 am - Almo Manzardo †
• Thursday, January 26: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, January 27: 7:30 am -  Purgatorial Society
• Saturday, January 28: 7:30 am - Living and deceased Torreano family members; 5:00 pm - Laura & James McGuire † 
• Sunday, January 29: 8:00 am - Adora Santos; 10:30am - Hugo Alarcon †; 10:30 am Gym - Jeanne hasbrook Hugo Alarcon †



(† indicates the person is deceased) 

Click HERE for the daily readings for Masses. Here is the list of readings for this week for parishioners that prefer to look them up:

• Monday, January 23: Heb 9:15, 24-28/Mk 3:22-30
• Tuesday, January 24: Heb 10:1-10/Mk 3:31-35
• Wednesday, January 25: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22/Mk 16:15-18
• Thursday, January 26: 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Tit 1:1-5 (520)/Mk 4:21-25
• Friday, January 27: Heb 10:32-39/Mk 4:26-34
• Saturday, January 28: Heb 9:2-3, 11-14/Mk 3:20-21
• Sunday, January 29: Zep 2:3; 3:12-13/1 Cor 1:26-31/Mt 5:1-12a

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email [email protected]. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.