St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, March 10, 2024

Laetare Sunday/Fourth Sunday of Lent

From Fr. Mike Gabriel

This is the fourth week of Lent. We have only three more weeks to work on clearing the stumbling blocks of our lives and becoming a new creation in Christ.

Obviously, this will not just happen automatically when Easter arrives. It will take commitment and ongoing work at growing in faith. Where nothing changes, nothing changes. What a tragedy it would be if we came to Easter and nothing different happened or changed in our lives!

To assist with some of this change, we offer Reconciliation every Saturday from 4:00-4:45 pm. There is also a parish communal service next Sunday, March 17 at 1: 00 pm and a deanery reconciliation at St. Ita’s on Monday, March 25 at 7:00 pm.

We have Eucharistic Adoration every Friday in Lent from 12:00-3:00 pm, as well as Stations of the Cross at 3:00 pm and again at 6:30 pm. We also offer Scripture studies on Wednesdays at 10:00 am and again at 7:00 pm. Of course, we also have our Sunday Masses and 7:30 am daily Masses.

Use these opportunities and make them work for you. Easter will soon be here. Let us arise to new life!

The Scutinies

Last week, we celebrated the First Scrutiny, and this weekend, we have the Second Scrutiny with our Elect. We pray that our lives, too, will be changed. The Gospels, especially during Lent, are calling us to a change in our lives.

Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place here this Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 pm. The young people of our Religious Education and NCA are a source of pride for all of us. My deepest prayer is that this moment of grace will touch our hearts and help us all to appreciate and live our Catholic faith. 

Friday, March 8

• 12:00-3:00 pm - Eucharistic Adoration in church
• 3:00 & 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross in church
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group

Sunday, March 10

• Second Scrutiny
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program/McDonald’s cards distributed to give to those in need
• 11:30 am - Rehearsal for Confirmation (after the 10:30 am Mass)  

Monday, March 11 

• 7:00 pm - Book club in the Ministry Center

Tuesday, March 12 

• 6:30 pm - Confirmation candidates’ meeting with Bishop Bartosic in the 
•  Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Sacrament of Confirmation in Church 

Wednesday, March 13

• 10:00 am - Lenten Bible Study in the Ministry Center 
• 6:00 pm - Simple Supper hosted by the Prayer Porch Ministry in the Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Lenten Bible Study in the Ministry Center and live-streamed on Facebook

Friday, March 15

• 12:00-3:00 pm - Eucharistic Adoration in church
• 3:00 & 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross in church
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group

Sunday, March 17 

• Third Scrutiny
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s
• Program/McDonald’s cards distributed to give to those in need
• 8:00 am-1:00 pm - Blood Drive in the Bloodmobile located on Glenwood Ave.
• 1:00 pm - Lenten Reconciliation Service

Wednesday, March 20

• 10:00 am - Lenten Bible Study in the Ministry Center
• 6:00 pm - Simple Supper in the Ministry Center
• 7:00 pm - Lenten Bible Study in the Ministry Center and live-streamed on Facebook

Friday, March 22

• 12:00-3:00 pm - Eucharistic Adoration in church
• 3:00 & 6:30 pm - Stations of the Cross in church
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group

Saturday, March 23 (Eve of Palm Sunday)

• 5:00 pm - Mass

Palm Sunday, March 24

• 8:00 am - Mass
• 10:30 am - Combined Mass in church (no Gym Mass)
• Second Collection for our Almoner’s Program/McDonald’s cards distributed to give to those in need

Monday, March 25

• 7:00 pm - Deanery's Reconciliation Service at Church of Mary Mother of God (St. Ita's campus)

Holy Thursday, March 28

• No morning Mass
• 7:00 pm - Mass of the Last Supper (live-streamed on Facebook)

Good Friday, March 29

• No morning Mass
• The Rectory office is closed. 
• 3:00 - Living Stations of the Cross
• 7:00 pm - Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Veneration of the Cross (live-streamed on Facebook)
• Second collection for the Pontifical Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land  

Holy Saturday, March 30

• No morning Mass
• 11:00 am - Blessing of Easter Baskets 
• 7:00 pm - Easter Vigil (live-streamed on Facebook)

Easter Sunday, March 31

• 8:00 am - Mass in church
• 10:30 am - Mass in church (live-streamed on Facebook)
• 10:30 am - Gym Mass

Easter Monday, April 1

• The rectory office is closed.

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.

Spring Ahead! Daylight Savings Time is THIS Weekend

Reminder: We change clocks this Saturday! Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 10. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, March 9.

Confirmation Rehearsal is Sunday and the Sacrament of Confirmation is Tuesday!

The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place next week. We ask that families of these students please note these important dates:

• Sunday, March 10 - After the 10:30 am Mass in Church, there is a rehearsal for Confirmation.
• Tuesday, March 12 - The Sacrament of Confirmation will take place at 7:00 pm in Church. Confirmation candidates are expected to attend a meeting with Bishop Bartosic at 6:30 pm in the Ministry Center. 
• Thursday, April 25 - There is a second Confirmation Retreat planned in the Ministry Center from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Questions? Contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org. 

Lenten Simple Supper Planned for Wednesday, March 13

All are welcome to join us during Lent for Simple Suppers, offered weekly in the Ministry Center at 6:00 pm. This Wednesday, March 13, the Prayer Porch Ministry will host the Simple Supper.

Additional dates and hosts are:

• Wednesday, March 20 - TBD
• Wednesday, March 27 - the Gym Mass

Thank you to those who joined us last week!

The Silence of God: Finding God in a Void: Lenten Retreat/Bible Study on Wednesday, March 13

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

• 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/ and then posted to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@saintgertrude1117/videos. You do not need a Facebook account to watch the live-stream!

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

Book Club is This Monday, March 11

Please join the book club in the Ministry Center on Monday, March 11 at 7:00 pm. We will discuss The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, and we would love new voices and opinions.

On Monday, April 8, our group will talk about The Man Who Broke out of Auschwitz to Warn the World by Jonathan Freeland.

The Chicago Public Library has multiple copies of both books. 

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

Parish Blood Drive Planned for Next Sunday, March 17

The next blood drive at St. Gertrude Church is Sunday, March 17 from 8:00 am–1:00 pm. The Vitalant Bloodmobile will be located on Glenwood Avenue in front of the entrance to St. Gert's. 

Blood donors are greatly needed in our area to help local patients. Every blood donation can save up to 3 lives in our community!

Please prepare for your donation by eating well and hydrating before your appointment. Additionally, bring ID.

To schedule your donation, call Vitalant at 877.258.4825 or register online at vitalant.org and use code ORD00591.  Walk-ins are welcome!

For more information, contact Pat Knowles at pknowles2@gmail.com.

Choral Mass for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph on Tuesday, March 19

All are welcome to celebrate this great feast with a special choral Mass on Tuesday, March 19 at St. Gregory the Great’s Hall, located at 5545 N. Paulina St 

Music will include Missa Fidelis Servus and O Holy Joseph by composer-in-residence Kevin Allen, and O Salutaris Hostia by Jacobus Gallus.

 

For more information and to register, visit https://www.stgregoryhall.org/liturgies.html. 

Teens, Join St. Gertrude’s Youth Mission Experience This July!

If you are sixth grade through high school, you are invited to take part in St. Gertrude's Youth Mission Experience! Planned for the week of July 22-26, the group will volunteer with a different Chicagoland organization each day.

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.

Growing in Faith: Rejoice and open your hearts to the gift of God’s salvation

"Laetare Sunday": this name is taken from the first words of the opening antiphon for today's Eucharistic Liturgy. "Laetare" means "rejoice." We are invited to rejoice in God's great love for humanity.

Christians, are strong in the knowledge that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to give us eternal life. They are strong, because even when the situation appears desperate, they know that God will intervene offering humanity salvation and joy.

God, does not stand aside, but enters the history of humanity to animate it with his grace and to save it  When we find the courage to recognize ourselves for what we are, we realize that we are called to deal with our fragility and our limits. Then it can happen that we become overcome by anguish, by the anxiety for tomorrow, by the fear of illness and death.  

Christianity does not offer easy consolations: it is not a shortcut, it requires faith and a strong moral standing, which rejects evil, selfishness, corruption.



It also gives us the true and great hope in God the Father, who is rich in mercy and who has given us his Son, thus revealing to us his immense love.

This is why we rejoice today: because God is always there to take us by the hand.”

Adapted from Pope Francis’ Angelus Homily, Laetare Sunday, March 11, 2018. 

NCA: Be a Part of Something Greater 



The best way to learn about Northside Catholic Academy and to see if it’s the right fit for your family is to walk through our halls and visit our classrooms. We encourage prospective parents to discover first-hand what makes NCA a Blue Ribbon School. We accept applications up to one year in advance.

Private admissions tours are available by 

appointment. Please contact Brad Gschwendtner at bgschwendtner@ncaschools.com or 773.743.6277 with any questions about our admissions process or to schedule a tour.



Almoners Lenten Ministry



Each weekend during Lent, we have a weekly second collection for the Almoner’s Program. The funds raised are used to purchase $10.00 McDonald gift cards which parishioners can pick up at the weekend Masses and share with those in need.



Last weekend, we collected $955.00! Thank you for your generosity!

Rest in Peace

• Therese Goode, sister of Rich Goode
• Charles R. Tobin, husband of Dale A. Fahnstrom 

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Sunday, March 10: 8:00 am - Alana McKee+; 10:30 am in church - Bernice Kiedysz+; 10:30 am Gym Mass - Mary Buttitta+
• Monday, March 11: 7:30 am - Therese Goode+
• Tuesday, March 12: 7:30 am - Eleanor McGuire+
• Wednesday, March 13: 7:30 am - Charles Tobin+
• Thursday, March 14: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, March 15: 7:30 am - Living & deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
• Saturday, March 16: 7:30 am - Mary Buttitta+; 5:00 pm - Caprice Boylan+

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.