Please join us in celebrating National Catholic Schools Week, our annual celebration of what makes education at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic School exceptional. Starting with Sunday Mass on January 26, we have a full week of activities planned to showcase our students’ accomplishments and celebrate the strong community we’ve built to educate tomorrow’s citizens and church leaders and enrollment for the 25-26 school year is open!
This year’s theme, “United in Faith and Community,” highlights the core values found in Catholic schools across the country. We are not only teaching students to become future servant leaders, faith-filled disciples, and active citizens, but our educators are growing alongside them. In Catholic schools, we are all learners, servants, and leaders. These shared qualities are what make Catholic schools thrive and succeed.
The theme also emphasizes key aspects of Catholic education: faith development, academic excellence, and a commitment to service. These elements distinguish Catholic schools from other educational options and are why families choose to make sacrifices for a Catholic education.
I encourage you to visit St. Mary Immaculate Catholic School during National Catholic Schools Week to see our students’ displays on faith development and community service projects. Please bring your friends and neighbors, especially those considering Catholic education for their children.
I am deeply grateful for the teachers, staff, board members, parents, and volunteers who make our school a success. National Catholic Schools Week is a wonderful time to thank them for their unwavering dedication and service.
Come Join Us for Our 18th Annual Super Tamale Fest! We will be taking orders for our authentic Mexican Tamales through February 7 for pick up on Sunday February 9th, from 8:00 a.m. to noon in the Commons.
You choose pork tamales with red (mild) or green sauce or chicken tamales with red (mild) or green sauce. The cost is $30 for one dozen or $15 for half a dozen. Credit Card, Cash or Check payable to “Knights of Columbus 5573” will be accepted at pick up on February 9th.
Place your order any time by calling Jerry Burns at 815-545-2860 or Tom Krepelka at 708-218-5733. Your order will be ready and waiting for you!
Advanced orders are recommended. There will be a limited number of tamales available for purchase on the pick-up date.
Are you married by the civil court but not in the Catholic Church?
Is it time to bring your marriage into the Church? For Catholics, matrimony is a sacrament, and all married couples are called to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church.
Sometimes the thought of planning a wedding may seem overwhelming or cost-prohibitive. Some couples have been married for 10, 15, 30 or more years and feel it’s too late for them to have their marriage brought into the Church.
Whether it’s been 3 or 30 or more years of civil marriage, St. Mary Immaculate Parish is looking to help civilly married couples receive the grace of the sacraments. The process will involve a series of six gatherings led by Father John and others on Sunday mornings, from 10:15—11:45 AM, from February 16 to March 23, 2025, at St. Mary Immaculate. The gatherings will focus on marriage enrichment and reflection on the sacraments.
We will offer a group Marriage Validation Mass in June 2025 where all couples will individually receive the Sacrament within a communal celebration. Other options for the celebration are possible as well.
Please complete the online form at bit.ly/41jU2QN to register for this process. If you have prior marriages that need annulments or other canonical remedies, we will help you through those. God has designed your marriage to make you holy more than to make you happy. If you have any questions, please contact Father John Regan at jregan@smip.org.
The 2025 Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal has begun!
As the Diocese of Joliet launches the 2025 Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal (CMAA), we are humbly asking all parishioners to pledge their support for this important effort, as together we can make a profound difference.
This year’s CMAA theme is Open your heart to God’s goodness. Through our support, we ensure that the mission and ministries of Christ’s Church are available to everyone. Together, we can help provide safe shelter for the homeless, feed the physical and social needs of those who are hungry, inspire those discerning a life of vocation, and aid in the education of our next generation of Catholics. Our parish could not accomplish all of this on its own. As a diocese working together, we can do so much more.
Our parish goal for the 2025 CMAA is $GOAL, and 70% of any amount we raise over our goal will be returned to us and used fruitfully within our own parish. Please review the materials you receive in the mail from the Diocese of Joliet this month and prayerfully reflect on your gift to this year’s annual appeal. If you do not receive a CMAA mailing, please contact the parish office. Thank you!
¡La Campaña Anual de Ministerios Católicos 2025 ha comenzado!
A medida que la Diócesis de Joliet lanza la Campaña Anual de los Ministerios Católicos 2025 (CAMC), pedimos humildemente a todos los feligreses que se comprometan a apoyar este importante esfuerzo, ya que juntos podemos hacer una profunda diferencia.
El tema de la CAMC de este año es Abre tu corazón a la bondad de Dios. A través de nuestro apoyo, nos aseguramos de que la misión y los ministerios de la Iglesia de Cristo estén disponibles para todos. Juntos, podemos ayudar a proporcionar refugio seguro para las personas sin hogar, alimentar las necesidades físicas y sociales de quienes tienen hambre, inspirar a quienes discernen una vida de vocación y ayudar en la educación de nuestra próxima generación de católicos. Nuestra parroquia no puede lograr todo esto por sí sola. Como diócesis que trabajamos juntos, podemos hacer mucho más.
Nuestra meta parroquial para el CAMC 2025 es $GOAL, y el 70% de cualquier cantidad que recaudemos por encima de nuestra meta nos será devuelta y utilizada fructíferamente dentro de nuestra propia parroquia. Revisen los materiales que reciben por correo de la Diócesis de Joliet este mes y reflexionen en oración sobre su donación a la Campaña Anual de este año. Si no reciben un correo de la CAMC, comuníquense con la oficina parroquial. ¡Gracias!
Grow closer to God than you’ve ever been before! Join Fr. James and the Unbound Joliet Team for a life-changing retreat hosted here at St. Mary’s February 21-22. You’re not going to want to miss this opportunity to experience the deepened peace, joy, and freedom that God has in store for you!
Register today for the upcoming Unbound Retreat hosted here at St. Mary’s by our very own Fr. James and the Unbound Joliet Team. God wants you to experience his love in a personal and powerful way, so you’re not going to want to miss this life-changing opportunity.
For Adults and Young Adults Friday Evening: Talk 1, Adoration & Confessions Saturday: Talks, Prayer Ministry, Lunch and Dinner $60 Registration covers all
Would you like to deepen your relationship with God?
Are you looking to connect with others and form new friendships?
Would you like to grow in your faith and love of others?
Do you want an opportunity to serve others as Jesus did?
St. Mary Immaculate Parish has a Ministry for you!
Please join us in the gym on Sunday, January 26 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. to learn more about many of our parish ministries. Representatives will be on hand to answer questions and share more information about their ministry’s mission.
We will also have Sunday Hospitality! So, come enjoy some Munchkins, coffee and juice.
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.
Know the reason for our Hope! God! God is both the reason for and the source of our hope. He provides the strength for us to be able to find hope in all circumstances through the many graces he has bestowed on us. On a mission trip to Jamaica where we built a little blue 14×16 house for a family when we went to hand over the keys to this family the husband/father told us that this house was a symbol of God’s Grace. He didn’t earn it, he could not have paid for it, but it was a gift. A gift freely given to his family.
Read the Bible, as well as the teachings of the Catholic Church and writings of the Saints. Reading and re-reading the stories of those who have gone before us will give us the inspiration to place our hope in God. A few weeks ago I was reading the book of Lamentations and was struck by how the Israelites saw in the dawning of a new day a renewal of the promises that the Log God had made to them. Knowing that the God of today is the same God of yesterday and of the future, we can be confident that He will provide for us in the same way that He has provided for all men and women who have gone before us and placed their trust in Him.
Prayer. Pray without ceasing! Prayer takes us out of ourselves and places us in the hands of the Lord. We learn from the Psalmist that we need to verbalize our feelings and emotions to God. Some prayer or maybe even just whisper the words, ‘Jesus, I trust in you!’ is all that is needed to remember “He is the source of our hope.” Prayer is a way to acknowledge that what is happening is bigger than me and I can’t but together with the Lord we can.
G. K. Chesterton’s great bit of wisdom: “Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all.”
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.
You greet God and thank him for the glorious gift of life He has given to you again today and then you remember……another day of quarantine.
Do you want to start your day with a bombardment of news telling you all that is wrong with the world? Maybe you choose not to listen today, but then you wonder, what have I missed? Is something important happening, has there been a new development that I am missing? Are they telling me the truth? This channel is telling me this, while this medical expert is telling me the complete opposite to be true. Who do you believe, who can you trust?
Amidst all this confusion we are blessed to have THE constant; God. He never leaves us. He didn’t leave Adam when he was uncertain who to believe. He didn’t leave Moses when he wrestled with his new found ‘freedom’ in the desert. And He didn’t leave Peter when he ached to choose a side. And he won’t leave us now. Our confusion is not because of God—but rather it is assuaged through of Him.
Revel in the peace He offers to us.
Song
Prayer
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you
Loving God, you care for me. You care for others. People and things on earth sometimes let me down. When this happens, I offer all my cares and wishes to You. You are the one who is worthy of care and praise. Take care of me and help me take care of others.
