From September 26 through October 25, crosses will be displayed in the parkway along Route 59 in front of St. Mary Immaculate Church. These crosses will remind people driving by that each abortion ends the life of a child. In this country, in the last 53 years, abortion has ended the lives of over 66,000,000 babies.
We, in the Reverence for life Ministry, hope that you will pray for our country, and for all government officials, that the hearts and minds of all would accept God in their lives and then be open to protecting ALL LIFE FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH.
Please join us to pray the “Rosary for Life” at the crosses on Sundays during October: 4, 11, 18 & 25, following the 12:15 Mass at 1:30 PM. We will also pray the Rosary for Life on October 17, during Make a Difference Day, at 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM. Please bring your own chair.
SPIRITUAL ADOPTION OF UNBORN BABIES IN DANGER OF ABORTION
Our parish spiritually adopted babies who were in danger of abortion in March. After six months from conception our babies are now sitting up straight.
By the sixth month, the baby’s oil and sweat glands are functioning; these help regulate body temperature. A white filmy layer covers the baby and protects her delicate skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid and from scratches as she twists and turns. This waxy substance, a sort of natural skin cream, will be quickly absorbed into her skin soon after she is born. She can now respond to sound. Her lungs are fairly well developed and she would stand a good chance of survival if born at this time.
Please pray for our Spiritually Adopted Babies:
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.”
Bethlehem Nativity Products will be visiting our parish on October 10th and 11th on behalf of St. Catherine Catholic Parish of Bethlehem and the Christian families in Bethlehem (Holy Land). For centuries, the Christians and Catholics in Bethlehem have earned a living by carving olive wood religious art to sell to visiting pilgrims. Nowdays there are no tourists or pilgrimage groups visiting the Holy Land because of the war, making it difficult for Catholic artisans to support their families by the dignified work of Christ’s birth.
During their visit to our parish, Bethlehem Nativity Products will be selling hand carved religious items. They ask that you please consider purchasing a piece of art from the Holy Land to support your fellow Catholics who choose to stay and protect the Holy sites where Jesus himself lived. They believe that your purchase will make a difference in the lives of many Catholic families, and ask that you please support this noble cause.
Bethlehem Nativity Products accepts cash, personal checks, all credit cards, and monthly installment payments as well. They thank you for your generosity.
You can protect mothers and childrenby joining this worldwide mobilization to pray, fast and witness for an end to abortion! Through prayer and fasting, peaceful vigils, and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 1,000,000+ volunteers in 71 nations!
With God’s help, here are the proven results in 34 coordinated campaigns:
Over 26,500 babies saved from abortion
Over 270 abortion workers converted
Over 180 abortion centers closed
PLEASE JOIN US for the ST MARY IMMACULATE PARISH VIGIL DATE on OCTOBER 10th, anytime between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM. We will pray the Rosary at 10:00 AM. Sign up for the SMI October 10 prayer times, or prayer times on any day during the campaign, by visiting the 40 Days for Life website: https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/aurorail or http://40daysforlife.com/es/Aurorail (Spanish)
Vigil location: Outside Waterleaf Women’s Center across from Planned Parenthood, 3055 E. New York Ave, Aurora – Park behind Auto Zone
Contact the 40 Days for Life local contact, Pat Burke, at pburke14@live.com with any questions.
If you would like to become a member of St. Mary Immaculate Parish, you are welcome to register as a new parishioner online anytime at smip.org/register.
If you have already registered online and would like a tour of the campus, or would like to register in person, please join us on Sunday, September 27, at 10:15 AM in the St. Anne Room for our Welcome Gathering. Long-standing parishioners are also welcome to attend!
Please contact Laura Van Ham at lvanham@smip.org or 815-436-2651, x887 with any questions.
Our parish is excited to offer RaiseRight, an easy way to support our Catholic school through earning rebates on purchases you already make!
Parishioners can purchase digital or physical gift cards for everyday shopping and choose to have the rebates benefit a specific school family. Don’t have a family to sponsor? No problem! Your rebates will go directly toward our school fundraising to purchase supplies, help cover unexpected expenses, plan for upgrades, and more.
With hundreds of participating brands, stores, and restaurants, it’s an easy way to make a difference through purchases you’re already making.
Click below and check out the attached FAQ to learn more. Together, we can support Catholic education and our school community!
Make a Difference Day is on Saturday, October 17th this year!
You can sign up now for a service project at smip.org/MaDD
There are dozens of meaningful, family-oriented service projects are offered here at SMI and all around the community. It’s also a great opportunity for everyone to come together in loving service and fellowship!
Schedule of Events:
8:30 AM Daily Mass in the Church
9:00 AM Volunteer Blessing in the Church
9:00 AM – 3:45 PM Perform your service project some time during the day
We’re also working with the Plainfield Fire Department on sensory bags for Make a Difference Day!
In the lead-up to Make a Difference Day, we’re also looking for donations of rolls of fleece in solids or fun prints for Make a Difference Day.
Please note: we are in need of people that can sew who can bring their machine and sew the fleece the day of MaDD.
We are participating in making 14’ x 14” square blankets to help children at Linden Oaks relieve stress. All fleece can be dropped off in the commons now through October 11th. A donation of 1 yard will make 8 squares or donation of 2 yards will make 20 squares with less waste.
We are also looking for a volunteer painter or 2 to paint the Stations of the Cross and Benches in that area. Must be very meticulous when painting. Please consider helping “to shoulder a piece of the load” on our journey and support of our great parish. We have paint/stain already for this project. Interested? Have Questions?
For Make a Difference Day, we will be collecting food for 12 Micro Panties. Here are non-perishable food items that we need. Donations can be left in the blue wagons in the Narthex, near Commons Reception Desk or at the North entrance on the weekend of October 10/11. Only consider unexpired, unopened/sealed food. Of course, non-perishable. Canned Meats (Tuna, Chicken, Sausages) Canned soup and Chili Canned Spaghetti and Spaghetti O’S Canned Fruit Boxes of Breakfast Cereals Boxes of Rice-a-Roni and Pasta Roni Bars (Granola, Fruit, Breakfast) Applesauce Snack packs (Jell0O and Pudding Powdered Milk Bottles of Vegetable Oil, Salad Dressing, Condiments We have an ongoing ministry that brings food to 12 micro-pantries in the area. Any extra donations will be used to support all the micro pantries in the area.
Questions about the fleece donations or about MADD contact: Pam Angelus 815-436-2651 Ext. 849 or pangelus@smip.org
SMI is offering for sale bricks at the statue of Mary the north side of the main church doors. A great gift idea for First Communions and Graduations! What a beautiful way to remember a special occasion for someone! If you are interested, please download, print, and fill out the form below and return it to the Parish Office. Copies of the form can also be picked up in the Commons.
For any questions or to see a sample, please contact Pam Angelus at 815-436-2651 or pangelus@smip.org
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.
