St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday February 11, 2024

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

From Fr. Mike Gabriel

This weekend, all the parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago are participating in the Catholic Annual Appeal, “Together at the Table”. As we all gather at the table and recognize one another at the table we see many are struggling, and in need to be served.

Please give to this Annual Appeal to help transform everyone. Before giving your gift, please spend some time praying and thinking about your gift. Our parish has the goal of $48,835.00. This seems like a huge amount, but last year our goal was similar, and we reached it. Our community is so generous!

Lent begins this Wednesday, February 14, Ash Wednesday. Please see the schedule below for Mass time and distribution of Ashes.

“Repent and follow the Gospel." This is a challenge both as an individual and as a community, one that I can assure you won’t happen because someone put ashes on your forehead. It is through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we can change our lives and become more like Christ.

We will be offering many opportunities, including Station of the Cross on Fridays, for your own spiritual growth. Please respond to the invitation and these opportunities to help you become a new person on Easter Sunday, March 31.

Lenten Activities: Ash Wednesday is February 14!

Ash Wednesday Info:

• 7:30 am - Mass with Ashes distributed
• 8:30 am - Mass with Ashes distributed
• 12:00-1:00 - Distribution of Ashes (only)
• 6:30 pm - Mass with Ashes distributed

Fridays: Eucharistic Adoration and Two Stations of the Cross

Each Friday during Lent, there will be Eucharistic Adoration from noon until 3:00 pm. Mark your calendars so that you can participate in Stations of the Cross each Friday. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and be reminded of God’s love for us and the sacrifice that was made to save us. At 3:00 pm, we will offer a traditional Way of the Cross. Another Stations of the Cross will be held at 6:30 pm on Fridays with a social justice theme. On Good Friday, March 29, our Youth Group will lead a Living Stations of the Cross. 

Wednesdays: Simple Suppers and a Lenten Bible Study: The Silence of God: Finding God in a Void

We will be having a special Lenten Retreat/Bible Study series, led by Father Paul. The title will be The Silence of God: Finding God in a Void. It will held on Wednesdays during Lent, beginning February 21. There will be a morning session at 10:00 am and be held again at 7:00 pm. Just before this Lenten program will be Simple Suppers, which will start at 6:00 pm. Both of these activities have more info below in the bulletin.

Sacrament of Reconciliation Opportunities

If it has been a while since you have last celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, every Saturday from 4:00-4:45 pm, private confession is available. A parish communal reconciliation has been planned for March 17, and a deanery an Reconciliation Service for all parishes of Deanery 2B Monday of Holy Week (Monday, March 25 at 7:00 pm), at (Saint Ita) Church of Mary, Mother of God Parish.

Almoners Lenten Ministry

Our parish's Almoners’ Program will be held again. Each weekend, a second collection will be held, with funds used to distribute McDonald's Cards to those who are in need. At the end of each Mass, those wishing to participate in distributing cards to the needy will be invited to come forward, receive the cards, and be given a blessing as they go out in this charitable outreach. 

Quadragesima Simplificata (Lent Made Easy) 

1. What is Lent and where did it come from? 

Lent is a special time (a period of 40 days) of prayer, penance, sacrifice and good works in preparation of the celebration of Easter. the word Lent itself is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words lencten, meaning "Spring," and lenctentid, which literally means not only "Springtide" but also was the word for "March," the month in which the majority of Lent falls. 

2. Why 40 days? 

The number "40" has always had special spiritual significance regarding preparation. On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water" (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked "40 days and 40 nights" to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for "40 days and 40 nights" in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2). Lent becomes more regularized after the legalization of Christianity in A.D. 313. The Council of Nicaea (325), gave us the idea that the practice of ‘40’ had become fixed when it noted that two provincial synods (meeting) should be held each year, "one before the 40 days of Lent."

3. How are the days calculated?

Lent is the forty days before Easter. It starts from Ash Wednesday and ends at sunset on the Thursday of the Holy Week. Note that Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are treated as a single day and are called The Holy Triduum. The days of Holy Triduum are sort of not part of Lent. While the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday) is technically 44 days, the number of days for penance and fasting before Easter is still 40: 44 days minus 6 Sundays equals 38, plus Good Friday and Holy Saturday equals 40. We are subtracting Sundays since a Sunday is a day we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, we neither fast nor practice abstinence. 

4. How should we fast? 

The present fasting and abstinence laws are very simple: On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the faithful fast and abstain from meat; on the other Fridays of Lent, the faithful abstain from meat. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, fasting during Lent is obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

While the consumption of solid food between meals is forbidden, liquids, including tea, coffee and juices, may be taken at any time.

Canon 1251: “Abstinence from eating meat or some other food according to the prescripts of the conference of bishops is to be observed on every Friday of the year unless a Friday occurs on a day listed as a solemnity. Abstinence and fasting however are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.” 

The purpose of these laws of abstinence is to educate us in the higher spiritual law of charity and self-mastery. In this way, it makes little sense to give up steak so as to gorge on lobster and caviar. The idea of abstinence is to prefer a simpler, less sumptuous diet than normal.

5. How about this idea of giving something up? 

People are still encouraged "to give up something" for Lent as a sacrifice. (An interesting note is that technically on Sundays and solemnities like St. Joseph's Day (March 19) and the Annunciation (March 25), one is exempt and can partake of whatever has been offered up for Lent.

6. How about this issue of not eating meat? So, the Church actually loves vegans? 

In most ancient cultures meat was considered a delicacy and the “fattened calf” was not slaughtered unless there was something to celebrate. The law of abstinence prohibits eating the flesh, marrow and blood products of such animals and birds as constitute flesh meat. In earlier times the law of abstinence also forbade such foods that originated from such animals, such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, lard and sauces made from animal fat. This restriction is no longer in force in the Roman rite. This spiritual purpose can also help us to understand the reasons for excluding flesh meat on penitential days. There was a once-widespread belief that flesh mean provoked and excited the baser human passions. Renouncing these foodstuffs was considered an excellent means of conquering the wayward self and orienting one’s life toward God. I think it is okay to see such a sacrifice during Lent as offering up something to help ourselves grow closer to Jesus and also protect the climate He has blessed us with.

7. Why are we using Ash on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday? Is that not kinda gross? 

We are made of stardust, the Scientists say—the iron in our blood, the calcium in our bones, the chlorine in our skin forged in the furnaces of ancient stars whose explosions scattered the elements across the galaxy. In the wake of tragedy or in anticipation of judgment, the ancient peoples traded their finer clothes for coarse, colorless sackcloth and smeared their faces with the ashes of burned-up things. They ritualized their smallness, their dependency, their complicity. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.” It is the only thing we know for sure: we will die.

Sources used

1. https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/history-of-lent.html

2. http://www.uscatholic.org/node/425

3. http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence.cfm

4. https://aleteia.org/2017/03/01/heres-why-catholics-dont-eat-meat-on-fridays-during-lent/

5. Why Abstinence from Meat by Father Edward McNamara, LC (www.zenit.org) 

6. Rachel Held Evans, Searching for Sunday (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books, 2015), 43-46. 

Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) on Friday Evenings

All are welcome to attend the weekly Rosary group held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm.

The bilingual gathering is held in the dining room of the Ministry Center, located at 6214 North Glenwood Avenue.

Super Bowl Tamale Benefit for Midwest Workers Association: Pick-Up Your Orders This Weekend



This weekend, volunteers from Midwest Workers Association (MWA) will return to St. Gert's to deliver orders of tamales on Sunday for their annual Super Bowl Tamale Benefit.

MWA volunteers will be at the 8:00 am and 10:30 am Masses. Please note, Saturday Mass attendees should come on Sunday to pick up your tamales. Forgot to place your tamale order? Stop by the table to see if there are any extras.

The tamale benefit generates critical support for MWA’s Winter Survival Campaign, which includes door-to-door membership canvasses, utility bill advocacy to avert utility shutoffs and restore service, winter-watch phoning and warm clothing distributions.

This Saturday is Our Parish's Evening of Romance

Save the date! St. Gertrude's Marriage Ministry is planning a special evening for couples on Saturday, February 10. The night will celebrate, renew, and strengthen your sacred commitment to your life partner. 

All couples are welcome, but space is limited!

The night will start off with Mass, followed by cocktails, appetizers, dinner, and dancing. Dim lighting, romantic decorations, and great food will set the mood for an evening for you and your partner to reconnect and socialize with other couples in the Social Hall.

The cost is $125 per couple and includes dinner, beer, and wine. Tickets are available at the rectory. Gift certificates are available!

For more information, contact mgabriel@stgertrudechicago.org or spatterson@stgertrudechicago.org. 

This Weekend is the 2024 Annual Catholic Appeal's Commitment Sunday

We invite you to spend some time this week reflecting on the Annual Catholic Appeal materials you should have received in your bulletin or in the mail. The Annual Catholic Appeal is much different than a one-time special collection: It is a pledged commitment to make a gift over time. Your pledge can be made payable in installments.

Each pledge makes a difference because all parishes participate in the campaign and the gifts of many enable our archdiocese to deliver needed ministries and services to answer the call of “Together at the table.”

If you received your pledge form in the mail, please complete it and mail it back. This year, we also encourage our parishioners to make their Annual Catholic Appeal gifts online at annualcatholicappeal.com. 

Book Club Planned for Monday, February 12

Please join us in the Ministry Center on Monday, February 12 at 7:00 pm. We will discuss Octavia E. Butler's book, Kindred, and would love new voices and opinions.

Contact Lea Cloninger at 773.973.2465 or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions. 

No Religious Ed Classes on Sunday, February 18/Rectory Closed on February 19

Presidents Day is celebrated on Monday, February 19. Due to the long weekend, there will be no Religious Ed classes that weekend.

Additionally, the Rectory office will be closed on Monday, February 20.

Lenten Simple Supper Planned for Late February

The Parish Pastoral Council will be hosting the first Simple Supper of Lent on Wednesday, February 21 at 6:00 pm in the Ministry Center. 

More info will be shared in the bulletin soon!

The Silence of God: Finding God in a Void: Lenten Retreat/Bible Study Program Begins February 21

Please join Fr. Paul Àdajà for a special Bible study during Lent! The sessions will be held twice on Wednesdays, at 10:00-11:00 am and again from 7:00-8:00 pm. Here are the dates, topics, and the readings: 

• February 21 - Job: Job 1:1-22; 38:1-11; 42:1-6
• February 28 - Habakkuk: Habakkuk 1:1-14; 3: 1-19
• March 6 - Elijah on Horeb: 1 Kings 19: 1-18
• March 13 - The Syrophoenician Woman: Mark 7: 24-30
• March 20 - Jesus on the Cross: Mark 14: 32-42; 15:33-41; Psalm 22

The programs will be held in the Ministry Center. The evening sessions will be live-streamed on our Facebook page, facebook.com/stgertrudechicago/. You do not need a Facebook account to watch the live-stream!

Questions? Email Fr. Paul at padaja@stgertrudechicago.org.

Youth Group Bowling Outing on February 25

Our parish youth group is going bowling! All teens in 7th grade through high school are welcome to join us on Sunday, February 25 at 12:30 pm. There is free transportation available. The cost is $10 per student.

Please RSVP to Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org by Tuesday, February 20.

Save the Date! NCA's Soiree is Saturday, March 2

The 2024 NCA Soiree will be held on Saturday, March 2 at Loyola University with food, drinks, dancing and a live auction. 



Tickets can be purchased at ncasoiree.com, where we're also selling tickets for the Grand Raffle. Three winners of the Grand Raffle will receive either $1,000, $2,000, or a $3,000 prize and the buyer does not need to be present at the event to win. 

PreCana Class Offered at St. Gertrude on Saturday, March 2 and Saturday, September 7

Pre Cana classes at St. Gertrude are primarily intended for couples getting married at St. Gertrude. Before registering you must speak with Father Mike Gabriel about your planned wedding at St. Gertrude or receive consent to attend if you are getting married at a different parish.

These full day, in-person gathering on Saturday, March 2 and Saturday, September 7 is dedicated to considering your life together as a married couple. Led by a facilitator couple from St. Gertrude, each session begins at 9:00 am and features presentations, prayers, and discussions with your partner and 5-10 other couples. Lunch and snacks are provided.

Couples can register for either session by calling the Rectory office at 773.764.3621or by filling out an online PreCana registration form at https://stgertrudechicago.org/marriage. If a sufficient number of couples do not sign up for a specific date, the session will be canceled and you will be provided with information to sign up somewhere else.

The cost of PreCana is covered by the church fee couples planning a wedding at St. Gertrude are charged. 

This Summer: St. Gertrude’s Youth Group Mission Experience

Attention teens in sixth grade through high school! This summer, from July 22-26, the parish youth group will volunteer with a different Chicagoland organization each day. This is an excellent opportunity to have fun and earn volunteer hours!

There is a $100 fee for the week. A $50 deposit is required at the time of registration. Please note that there are scholarships available!

All participants will receive a t-shirt, water bottle, and a sports drawstring backpack.

To reserve a spot or to get more information, contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.

Student Essay Contest Winner Lulu Tabora

Recently, students preparing for Confirmation were asked to take part in an essay contest about their role as a Christian Catholic to obtain world peace. 

Lulu Tabora is one of our two winners. Her thoughtful submission can be read below.

What is your role as a Christian Catholic to obtain world peace?

As Christian Catholics, we have long been taught to look up to Jesus as an example of how to live and, more importantly, how to love. In our current world climate, the downfall of peace is almost always caused by bigotry. Leaders around the world are losing sight of what it means to be human and the connectedness that is necessary for our world to live in harmony.

Being a part of the larger Christian Catholic community, I have learned that world peace is only ever going to be obtained when everyone is actively working for it. The ability to accept differences and disagreements is what each and every one of us must have to peacefully coexist with the rest of the world. I have also learned that taking part in this faith means being an upstander in every other aspect of life. It is the role and responsibility of us Christian Catholics to be the voice of peace. Jesus, even when dying on the cross, accepted all those who had wronged him. He found the light in every dark situation and was the living embodiment of peace. With him as our role model, we Christian Catholics must continue his work by being upstanders in our community.

Yes, it is also our duty to volunteer, donate, and open our doors to those in need. Those actions, undoubtedly, make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. But to truly tackle the issue of antagonistic conflict, we need to cultivate a global community of love, or at the very least, tolerance. This is my role, as a Christian Catholic, because of the characteristics my faith has instilled in me. I have learned to be an advocate for the neglected, through volunteering and service work. I have learned to be a leader, as Student Council Vice President.

And lastly, I have learned to always maintain an attitude of hope. No matter what life throws at me, I strive to follow Jesus’ example and look for the good. This idea of keeping a positive attitude is what allows me, and other Christian Catholics, to be leaders in our community. Leadership comes, or should come, with the duty of accepting others and promoting peace worldwide.

The Catholic Christian Church also promotes welcoming those victimized by war and violence. In today’s world, many communities simply turn their backs and shut their doors to those in need of help. Not only victims of war, but also impoverished people, migrants, and asylum. A part of my role as a Christian Catholic hoping for world peace is to address the needs of those neglected by others. World peace will only ever be established if people realize that we are all a part of the human race, living on the same planet, and that discrimination and violence will get us nowhere. Psalms 34:12-22 writes, “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

As a Christian Catholic, I am devoted to my faith and I have learned from Jesus on how to use that devotion to better our world. I must stand up for what I believe in, I must accept

and love everyone, even those who have wronged me, and most of all, I must promote these ideas on a larger scale, so that everyone may partake in the act of obtaining world peace.

In Church Last Weekend

Last weekend, the Blessing of Throats was given, in honor of the Feast of St. Blase. Additionally, the local scouts held their annual popcorn fundraiser in the back of church.

Thanks to all who supported the Cub Scouts!

Photos courtesy of Maria Ugarte.

Growing in Faith

Chronically ill, socially isolated, so close to the edge of his last hope, the leper asks without asking: If you wish, you can make me clean.

Jesus doesn’t miss a beat. He’s moved with pity, touches the untouchable leper, and speaks His healing. Christ’s actions are breathtaking in their speed, reassuring in their compassion and in their demonstration of the power of God’s love. God loves us, and wants to free us from sin and its effects.  

This is so worthy of our prayerful meditation. We are, in a sense, on both sides of this scene. We are imperfect sinners in a fallen world needing the healing touch of our Savior. And Jesus, our Savior, has trusted each of us with gifts to be of service to one another, with the Holy Spirit to guide us.   

I find myself holding Mark’s Gospel in one hand, and Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians in my other hand. We are the Body of Christ, and each of us is a part of it.   

Speaking for myself, I’m amazed that Jesus trusts me to be a part of this. I’m in, though, and I’m praying that God will constantly reset my path on “the most excellent way” of Love.

~ Bernie O'Connor

New Parishioners

• James M. Shields
• Brian & Victoria Righeimer
• Max Schweikert & Gina Massa
• Jenny Armendarez

Baptisms

• Mary Madeline Bake

Ministers of the Word

• Saturday, February 10 at 5:00 pm - Susan McKean, Joseph McMahon
• Sunday, February 11 at 8:00 am - Jay Cook, Jennifer Kiedaisch
• Sunday, February 11 at 10:30 am - Patrick Robinson, Troy McMillan

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, February 10 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, February 11at 8:00 am - Barb Daly
• Sunday, February 11 at 10:30 am - Rafael Melendez, Carlos Barragan, Steven Monti

Cantors

• Saturday, February 10 at 5:00 pm - Bernie O'Connor 
• Sunday, February 11 at 8:00 am - Jon Blake
• Sunday, February 11 at 10:30 am - Rob Schroeder

Altar Servers

• Sunday, February 11 at 10:30 am - Xavier Lassus, cross bearer; Abby Thomson, and Mathius Paulus, acolytes

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Sunday, February 11: 8:00 am - Deceased of the Strubbe-Galoney families; 10:30 am in church - Carlos Flores; 10:30 am Gym Mass - Barb McKee+
• Monday, February 12: 7:30 am - Irene Alcazart+
• Tuesday, February 13: 7:30 am - Eileen McGuire+
• Ash Wednesday, February 14: 7:30 am - Shirley Martin+; 8:30 am - NCA community ; 6:30 pm - People of God
• Thursday, February 15: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, February 16: 7:30 am - Joseph "Terry" Shields+
• Saturday, February 17: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners; 5:00 pm - Isabelle Laczkowski+

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.