Thank you for the prayers and intentions offered for the Cardinal and the priests of the Archdiocese this past week as we gathered for the Convocation. Through talks, meals, conversations, and sharing, priestly fraternity was strengthened. The focus of the time together at Convocation was twofold
; Renew My Church
and theConvocation theme:
One in Christ: Brotherhood, Diversity, and Gratitude.
Know that the parishioners of St. Mary's as well as every parish of the Archdiocese were lifted in prayer by the Cardinal, bishops and priests throughout the Convocation.
Many families are making plans of what to do and where to go for the 4
th
of July holiday that falls in the middle of the week this year. I want to let you know that parishioners are hard at work preparing for and planning for the 2
nd
Annual Parish Block Party that will take place the weekend after the last holiday of the summer, Labor Day!
The 2
nd
Annual Block Party will take place on Saturday, September 8
th
with Mass at 5:00pm followed by Block Party celebrations.
You are encouraged to mark your calendars today. Parishioners will receive a Block Party Mailing next month with information on how you can participate, support, and be part of this parish celebration.
Hopefully you are aware of the Tax Credit Scholarship program offered through the State of Illinois. I have been receiving updates from the Archdiocese, encouraging participation by parishioners.
Here is some recent information that I have received:
The following web page will offer the status of the program:
My Tax Illinois.
Once on this page, you will need to click on individuals and then
Invest in Kids Act
found on the bottom right side of the web page. This is only if it does not go right to the current results page.
This web page changes every day. St. Mary's Parish is in Region #2
As of earlier this month over 1,200 scholarships have been awarded to families/students. This is the information provided to us from Empower Illinois. Our goal is to achieve enough funds to award 5,000-7,000 scholarships.
Assistance is available through the Archdiocese for individuals wanting to support the Tuition Tax Scholarship program.
May the success of this program open doors to families that are interested in Catholic education for their children.
Parishioners are accustomed to saying hello as well as saying good bye. Neighbors receive job transfers and promotions requiring relocation across the country or across the world. Priests are given an assignment by the Archbishop to a parish, office or institution in the Archdiocese. This weekend our parish says good bye to
Fr. Grzesik
with
a reception following the 5:00pm Saturday evening Mass. We send Fr. Grzesik forth with our prayers and support to Our Lady of the Lakes Parish.
Next weekend our parish says hello to Fr. Mark Augustine, as we welcome him back to St. Mary's since the time he served here as a transitional deacon. Fr. Mark will be celebrating the 5:00pm Mass
next weekend at his new parish. I trust you will welcome him.
Next Saturday, I will be in Flossmoor celebrating a wedding of friends from Infant Jesus of Prague. See you in July!
