Providing Catholic Faith Formation and Superior Education
DOJ Catholic Schools…….
Are dedicated to enhancing the ongoing spiritual and educational development of students and staff by managing the curriculum to align with standardized methods that improve teaching, learning and faith formation.
St. Mary Immaculate is looking for a passionate principal for the 26-27 school year. With enrollment on the rise, a strong financial foundation, and a dedicated staff, this is your chance to lead a vibrant community.
Do you like to decorate? Have a keen eye for design? We are looking to create a new team to keep the interior of our church looking reverent, festive and beautiful all year long. Your commitment can be weekly, monthly or seasonal. We need people all year long to water plants, change liturgical colors, put together plant orders, etc. We also would like to be able to have this group concentrate on the Church and Cana Hall as well as the Gym for Easter and Christmas Masses.
Please prayerfully consider helping us with any time you have to offer. Contact Denise Rowan (drowan@smip.org) in the parish office to discuss your interest level.
Join us in a journey to return to our Father this Lent, guided by honestly some my favorite people in the world: Sister Miriam, Mother Olga, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Pratt, and of course the one and only Jonathan Roumie!
To really help bring the truths of this parable to life this Lent in Pray40, we’ll dive into the incredible book, in my humble opinion the greatest novel of all time, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky!
Join the Kids’ Lent Challenge: Miracle Hunters! Follow Mia, Paul, Brad, and Grace as they set out to discover the truth about miracles and how God is always at work in our lives. Throughout the series, families will meet new friends, dive into Saints Alive-style saint stories, hear inspiring vocation journeys, play games, pray together, and enjoy episodes from the hit game show Holy Moly! Together we’ll see that even when miracles don’t happen the way we want or expect, God is still at work in His love for us. This series is perfect for kids aged 6-12.
Join Mark Hart, Sr. Josephine, Fr. Frankie Cicero and more for The 180, a Lent challenge for teens presented by Life Teen International. Designed for busy schedules, this challenge features short, 180-second sessions all designed to help you make a 180-degree turn towards Christ. Reflect on the daily Gospel readings, learn about the lives of the Saints, and take on a new fasting challenge each week. This Lent, don’t just give something up—take a step closer to Christ every day.
Únete al reto de Cuaresma de Hallow, “El Regreso” y vuelve al Padre en esta Cuaresma. Inspirados en la parábola del Hijo Pródigo, nos adentraremos en las profundidades espirituales de Los hermanos Karamázov de Fiódor Dostoyevski. Comenzamos el Miércoles de Ceniza, 18 de febrero.
Este camino nos invita a mirar de frente el corazón humano inquieto y la misericordia que lo espera. A través de la Escritura, la literatura y la oración, reflexionaremos sobre el pecado y la responsabilidad, la libertad y la fe, la humildad y el amor, escuchando la invitación silenciosa a soltar aquello que nos aleja de Dios, dejarnos restaurar y empezar de nuevo. Muy pronto compartiremos más anuncios emocionantes sobre los guías y mucho más.
For information on how to sign up for the app with our parish’s discount and to join the challenges, go to smip.org/hallow.
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
Knights of Columbus & Friends of the Good Shepherd Council #5573
St. Mary Immaculate Parish Gym
15629 S. Rt. 59, Plainfield
February 20 & 27, March 6, 13, 20, & 27
Why cook when you can enjoy a delicious Lenten dinner? Knights of Columbus and Friends of the Good Shepherd #5573 are hosting the annual Lent Fish Fry in the Gym for dine-in or carry-out. For carry-out, please call 815.577.6673 between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM on Friday to place your order.
Menu
• 1 piece fish meal: $8.75 • 2 piece fish meal: $12.50 • 3 piece fish meal: $16.00 • Combo meal (3 shrimp, 1 piece of cod): $14.50 • Fish sandwich meal: $8.75 • Fish sandwich only: $5.75 • 3 fish taco meal: $11.50 • Grilled cheese meal: $4.50 • Grilled cheese sandwich only: $4.00 • Slice of pizza: $3.00 • Extra piece of fish: $4.75 • Extra shrimp: $2.50 • Extra potato: $2.00 • Extra taco: $4.00
Please note that the parish offices will be closed at noon on Holy Thursday, April 2, and remain closed through the week after Easter Sunday (April 6-10). They will reopen on April 13.
February 18th, Ash Wednesday
6:30 am • English Mass in Church 7:30 am • English Mass in Church 9:00 am • School Mass in Church (Live Streamed) 12:00 Noon • English Mass in Church 2:00 pm • English Prayer Service with Ashes Distribution in Church 4:00 pm • English Prayer Service with Ashes Distribution in Church 6:00 pm • Spanish Mass in Church 6:00 pm • Polish Stations in Cana 8:00 pm • English Mass in Church 8:00 pm • Spanish Prayer Service with Ashes Distribution in Cana
Friday Stations and Confessions
6:15 pm • Confessions 7:00 pm • English Stations in Church 7:00 pm • Polish Stations in Cana 7:30 pm • Spanish Stations in Church
March 22nd, Confessionpalooza
1:30 pm • until all are heard
March 29th, Palm Sunday
7:30 am • English Mass in Church 9:00 am • English Mass in Church (Live Streamed) 9:00 am • Polish Mass in Cana 10:45 am • English Mass in Church 10:45 am • Spanish Mass in Cana 12:15 pm • English Mass in Cana 12:15 pm • Spanish Mass in Church
April 2nd, Good Friday
9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed) 7:00 pm • Mass of the Lord’s Supper
April 3rd, Good Friday
9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed) 3:00 pm • Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion 6:00 pm • Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion in Polish in Cana 7:00 pm • Living Stations in Church 7:00 pm • Viacrucis in the Gym
April 4th, Holy Saturday
9:00 am • Morning Prayer (Live Streamed) Noon • Blessing of Baskets – English 1:00 pm • Blessing of Baskets – Polish 8:00 pm • Easter Vigil (Live Streamed)
April 5th, Easter Sunday
7:30 am • English in Church 9:00 am • English in Church (Live Streamed) 9:00 am • English in Gym 9:00 am • Polish in Cana 10:45 am • English in Church 10:45 am • English in Gym 12:15 am • English in Gym 12:15 pm • Spanish in Church 12:15 pm • Spanish in Cana
April 12th, Divine Mercy Sunday
2:00 pm • Confessions 3:00 pm • Divine Mercy Service
St. Mary Immaculate Parish is seeking to hire a part-time Custodian to maintain the cleanliness and function of the parish campus on the weekend. Duties include cleaning bathrooms, floors/carpets, disposing of garbage and recycling, setting up and taking down tables, chairs and other needed items for meetings/events, cleaning up rooms following meetings/events, and assisting with repairing/replacing items throughout campus, as needed. The pay is $17 to $18 per hour.
A High School diploma or equivalent is required. Previous Custodian experience is preferred. Candidate will need to be physically able to perform the duties as assigned, including the ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
Must support the mission, philosophy, objectives and policies of St. Mary Immaculate Parish, the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Joliet.
Please submit cover letter and resume to Laura Van Ham at LVanHam@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.
