Enjoy a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, and scrambled eggs, and know that you are supporting important area charities!
Breakfast will be served in the gym after the 7:30, 9:00, and 10:45 a.m. Masses on January 18th. The Knights are not charging for this breakfast; however, goodwill donations are encouraged and accepted. Cash and check only.
For additional information contact: Bob Marcucci at nitroboy58@gmail.com.
Make Learning How to deepen your Prayer Life one of your New Year’s Resolutions.
🌟 Ready to deepen your prayer life? 🌟
Join with other St. Mary Immaculate Parishioners for a 14-Day Prayer Challenge on the Hallow app: “How to Pray” 🙏✨
Guided by inspiring leaders like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Bishop Barron, Sr. Miriam, Jonathan Roumie, and Mark Wahlberg, you’ll explore 14 unique ways to pray over 14 days. Together, we’ll focus on listening to God and letting prayer transform our hearts to share His love through charity and service. ❤️
📅 Starting January 12, 2026! Don’t miss this chance to grow closer to God with your parish family.
➡️ Join our parish page on the Community tab to join the challenge! Let’s journey together.
If you’re brand new to Hallow, visit hallow.com/parish to get started!
Will you join us? 🙌
Are you interested in becoming Catholic, completing your sacraments, or exploring baptism as an adult? Or do you simply have questions about the Catholic faith?
Faith Curious? Come and Ask is an open and welcoming evening of conversation designed just for you—no lectures, no pressure, just honest conversation in a relaxed setting where your questions matter.
Wednesday, January 28 at 7:00 pm
St. Anne Room
Contact: Dr. Doug Muir — dmuir@smip.org
All are welcome!
The Saint Anne Sewing Angels are back! Members of this ministry will be available to mend or repair your clothing items on Saturday, January 10, in the St. Anne Room. Repair drop off will be from 9:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Pick up by noon.
Please make sure that all items are clean. They ask that even new clothing be washed, and that all price/vendor tags be removed.
The Sewing Angels will regularly be onsite for clothing repairs on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Check the parish bulletin, website, etc. for future dates.
Contact Mary Beth Perkins at maperkins58@hotmail.com with any questions.
Food Donations Needed BY JANUARY 5.
Our next Daybreak Meal donation date is January 6. We would greatly appreciate your help with donating various items for meal preparation.
If you would like to help, please sign up to donate an item at smip.org/daybreak by January 5. We ask that donated items please be brought to the Commons by Tuesday, January 6, at 10:00 a.m. for pick up that day. Perishable items should be marked and placed in the refrigerator in the parish kitchen.
Please note: Our offices will be closed from December 24 through January 4. Items may be brought to the commons on the weekends, when we are open for Mass.
Our meals are successful as a result of your generosity. Your participation is truly a way to make a positive difference in someone’s life.
Questions? Contact Chris McLawhorn at 815-436-8374 or Kathy Hall at 815-436-2729.
Scheduled every Saturday in Church at 2:30 PM. and every Tuesday in the Church from 6:15 – 7:15 PM
Please note there wil be no confessions heard on Saturday, December 27th or Tuesday, December 30th.
Confessionpalooza will be on Sunday, Dec. 21 from 1:30 PM until all in line are heard.
The parish offices will be closed starting at Noon on Tuesday, Dec. 23rd and then will not reopen until the morning of Jan. 5th, 2026.
In case of an emergency, you will still be able to reach a priest at our main number, 815-436-2651 and follow the instructions in the menu.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generous response to our Faithful Disciples: Sharing God’s Love program.
As Christians, we are all called to imitate Christ, proclaiming the Gospel with words and actions so that the world may come to know and love Christ.
St. Mary Immaculate Parish is vital to leading our community to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Your commitment to the mission, ministries, and service programs of our parish allows us to build up the Kingdom of God in our community.
I pray that the Lord continues to guide us and fill us with His grace and love, that we may be transformed in Him as He makes all things new.
Yours in Christ,
Father John Horan
Quisiera expresar mi sincera gratitud por su generosa respuesta a nuestro programa Discípulos Fieles: Compartiendo el Amor de Dios.
Como cristianos, todos estamos llamados a imitar a Cristo, proclamando el Evangelio con palabras y acciones para que el mundo llegue a conocer y amar a Cristo.
La Santa Maria Inmaculada es vital para llevar a nuestra comunidad a conocer, amar y servir a Jesús. Su compromiso con la misión, los ministerios y los programas de servicio de nuestra parroquia nos permite construir el Reino de Dios en nuestra comunidad.
Oro para que el Señor continúe guiándonos y llenándonos de Su gracia y amor, para que podamos ser transformados en Él mientras Él hace nuevas todas las cosas.
Suyo en Cristo,
Padre John Horan
Enjoy a night of fellowship, Trivia, Comedy, and AFFORDABLE food and drinks.
$100 for your 6-8 person team.
CASH Prizes for TOP TEAMS! Door Prizes! Basket Raffles! Table Theme Contest! MORE TRIVIA! AND Not so great comedy!
Register at: www.smip.org/trivianight
Questions? Call/Text Matt Trusk at 630.738.0081
“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us
and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty
by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting
heart, and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee
can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope
and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth
that we so urgently desire.” — Pope Francis
A Jubilee Year is a time of forgiveness, renewal, and spiritual reflection in our relationship with God. In biblical tradition, a Jubilee was marked by the remission of debts, the return of property, and the restoration of relationships—among individuals, nations, and even creation itself (cf. Leviticus 25:8-55). The first Christian Jubilee was declared in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII.
The upcoming Jubilee, titled Pilgrims of Hope, calls us to rediscover the hope found in Christianity and to become signs of hope in our daily lives. This sacred year will take place from December 29, 2024, to December 28, 2025.
As Pope Francis reminds us, “May this Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ (cf. Jn 10:7,9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere, and to all as ‘our hope’ (1 Tim 1:1)” (Spes Non Confundit, 1).
During Jubilee Years, the Pope designates Holy Doors for pilgrims to pass through as a sign of conversion—leaving behind their old way of life and embracing renewed faith and zeal. Passing through a Holy Door is an act of spiritual renewal and devotion.
This year, the only official Holy Doors will be in Rome. A replica of the Vatican’s Holy Doors can be found in our Commons area, serving as a reminder of the significance of this pilgrimage tradition.
While the official Holy Doors are in Rome, local pilgrimage sites provide an opportunity for spiritual renewal during the Jubilee Year. Pilgrimage sites in our area currently include:
An indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to sins that have already been forgiven. While repentance and confession bring forgiveness, sin disrupts God’s order and affects others. As part of divine justice, purification is necessary to restore this order.
An indulgence offers this purification through the merits of Christ’s sacrifice and the holiness of the saints, granting spiritual renewal without the suffering typically associated with penance.
To receive a Jubilee indulgence, one must:
The Jubilee Year is a profound opportunity for spiritual renewal and deepening our commitment to faith. May this time of grace inspire us to grow in hope and holiness.
Scripture
Matthew 8:23-27
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
Reflection
A few weeks ago as the Coronavirus swept through Italy, Pope Francis led a prayer service in the rain in the darkness of night in the middle of St. Peter’s Square. It was an eerie picture seeing a lone figure praying in this huge square that is typically filled with thousands of people. For me, in a way it was a modern re-telling of the story from Matthew’s Gospel quoted above.
It seems that in our world today, many become overwhelmed and begin to feel hopeless. It appears that things will never return to normal. All of the things that we cling to in order to receive hope we have found to be empty. Our lives have been turned upside down. Some have lost jobs, we worry about having enough money to pay the rent/mortgage, or to buy groceries to feed our families.
What is hope? Hope is placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1817). This is key – hope comes from NOT relying on my own strength but one the strength of the Holy Spirit. Our hope is based in part on the assurance of all the times God had proved faithful to his promises throughout history. How can we find hope when we feel hopeless? Here are 3 suggestions I found that have helped me.
Song
Prayer
My Lord, I bring my burdens to You, knowing You will take care of me. You will not permit me to slip and fall. I trust You to save me out of this hopeless predicament.
O God, have mercy on me, for I feel like I’m being hounded all day long. But I will put my trust in You. I praise You for Your promises of deliverance. I trust in You, so why should I be afraid? Thank You for carrying my burdens.
Amen.
