August 10th Weekly Newsletter

8/11/2022

Mission Co-Op Second Collection, Assumption of Mary, and More ...

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness
but will have the light of life, says the Lord.

Dear Friends,

Happy Wednesday everyone, what a beautiful past couple days! Lots of news to get to today, so let's get right to it!

Missionary Co-op Collection - This weekend, our parish welcomes Fr. Francline Banadzem to speak to us about "The Catholic University of Cameroon." The University's Mission Statement is below ... Welcome Fr. Francline! There will be a special second collection this weekend in support of their Mission. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

St. John Berchmans Feast Day - Saturday is the Feast of St. John Berchmans. John Berchmans was a member of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and died at the age of 22. He is the Patron Saint of altar servers, Jesuit scholastics, and students. He is often depict with hands clasped, holding his crucifix, his book of rules, and his rosary.

St. John Berchmans, pray for us!

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Monday, August 15th, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While a Holy Day, the obligation to attend Mass is suspended because it falls on a Monday. Therefore, the only Mass that day will be the normal 8 a.m. Mass at the St. Hedwig Church site.

Hail, Holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria!

"Famous" Saints and their Feast Days - This week the Church Liturgical Calendar is FULL of famous Saints' Feast Day, many of whom you will probably recognize. St. Dominic, St Teresa of the Cross, St Claire of Assisi, just to name a few. Check out Franciscan Media if you want to learn more! https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/calendar

Religious Education - Registration for Religious Ed has begun, see below to learn more!

Mission and VISION Integration UPDATE - Thank you to all who have read, prayed and responded to our Parish Mission and Vision below. As the Eucharist was very important to Blessed Carlo, so it should be in our parish. We have updated our Mission Statement to include the importance of the Eucharist in our Parish life.

Remember, we are companions on this journey of faith as a "Unified Parish" together. While we have a new parish name, and we had the Unity Mass, these are just stepping stones. Please help us as we grow together!

Food Pantry - PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!! The Food Pantry at SJB is STOCKED and OVERFLOWING with Food! We are even having to throw away some food because it has expired! If you or someone you know is in need of food, please do not hesitate to call the SJB Office at 773-486-4300 (9-5, M-F) and we'll take care of you!! (Pass the word along, you do NOT have to be a parishioner or attend Mass at either SJB or SH to receive food!!!)

MASKS are OPTIONAL - Use your best judgement when it comes to your own safety and the safety of others, and do not come to church if you are feeling ill. As always, be kind and respectful to one another if the person choses or not to wear a mask. Remember, we're all in this together!

Parish Website - https://www.carloacutisparish.org - If you haven't already done so, be sure to check it out. While you're there, don't forget to follow us on the various social media platforms!!

We hope to see you at one of the Masses this weekend, wear a mask or not, and don't forget to bring a friend or two!!

God Bless, see you in Church on Sunday!

Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish Mission Statement

We are a multicultural, intergenerational Catholic parish community of people who through the help of the Eucharist, are on the journey to learning about, celebrating, serving and proclaiming our faith in the Risen Jesus.

A mission statement says who we are and what we do. Please take a few minutes and reflect and pray on this mission statement. Does this mission statement describe our parish? As we continue to grow together, we can add to this statement.

Vision Statement

Our vision is transforming spirits, hearts and minds.

A vision statement suggests how we need to grow. It is short, specific and memorable. Please take a few minutes and reflect and pray on this vision statement. Does this vision statement describe our parish? As we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ through our participation in Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish, we want to nourish our spirits, hearts and minds.

Core Values

We are welcoming, learning, believing, serving, celebrating,
understanding, sharing, diverse, community and focused on quality.

Core values are what we see as most important in our community. Do these values describe our parish?

Goals

1). To have vibrant, welcoming liturgies.
2). To be an evangelizing community.
3). To reach out to youth.
4). To provide social justice education and outreach to the poor.

Goals help us to focus on what needs to be done in the year ahead. Do these goals describe our parish? Yoiur input is welcome.

Your input is welcome.
Please send suggestions to Father Paul Sims, C.R. at pasims@ameritech.net.

Mission Statement of the Catholic University of Cameroon

The Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC), Bamenda the highest Catholic institute of learning in the English-speaking sector of Cameroon. In her ten years of existence, both staff and students have had a great experience of evangelization with many getting baptized, making their First Holy Communion, getting confirmed, getting married, celebrating the sacraments, answering to religious life and priestly vocations, “and the good news is preached to the poor,” thanks to the facilities and services put in place by the Bishops and Board of Trustees to enhance the Catholic witness to the Good News in the Catholic University of Cameroon.

In response to the situation of insecurity that has been orchestrated by the ongoing war in the English-speaking sector of Cameroon since 2016 that has claimed the lives of two teachers of the University, the abduction for ransoms of staff and students with thousands of other numerous killings, close to a hundred thousand displaced in the area, numerous rapes, stealing and torture in town, the need for a secured restaurant and dormitory facility to serve both staff and students has become pertinent and urgent. It will save the vulnerable, especially the young women from all sorts of trouble, contain a large portion of the university population, increase living standards, and limit the itch among Cameroonian students to get out of the country for good. The search for what to eat and where to live has landed many into trouble and the University needs help to provide a facility that would fulfill Our Lord’s injunction to “shelter the homeless,” and “give them something to eat yourselves.”

Registration for the 2022-23 school year has begun. Classes will begin September 18, 2022 and will meet weekly in person at the St. Hedwig Church Site on Sundays from 9:00 am-10:45 am with Mass participation at 11:00 am. All classes are taught in English with bilingual material.

La inscripción para el año escolar 2022-23 ha comenzado. Nuestras clases comenzarán el 18 de septiembre de 2022 y se reunirán semanalmente en persona en la Iglesia de Santa Eduviges los domingos de 9 :00 am-10:45 am con participación de la Misa a las 11:00 am. Todas las clases se imparten en inglés con material bilingüe.

For more information and to register, please visit our Parish Website.
Para más información y para registrarse, por favor visite nuestro sitio web parroquial.

https://www.carloacutisparish.org/form-religious-ed.html

Saint Lawrence
Saint of the Day for August 10
(c. 225 - August 10, 258)

Saint Lawrence's Story

The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrdom made a deep and lasting impression on the early Church. Celebration of his feast day spread rapidly.

He was a Roman deacon under Pope Saint Sixtus II. Four days after this pope was put to death, Lawrence and four clerics suffered martyrdom, probably during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian.

Legendary details of Lawrence's death were known to Damasus, Prudentius, Ambrose, and Augustine. The church built over his tomb became one of the seven principal churches in Rome and a favorite place for Roman pilgrimages.

A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times. As deacon in Rome, Lawrence was charged with the responsibility for the material goods of the Church, and the distribution of alms to the poor. When Lawrence knew he would be arrested like the pope, he sought out the poor, widows, and orphans of Rome and gave them all the money he had on hand, selling even the sacred vessels of the altar to increase the sum. When the prefect of Rome heard of this, he imagined that the Christians must have considerable treasure. He sent for Lawrence and said, “You Christians say we are cruel to you, but that is not what I have in mind. I am told that your priests offer in gold, that the sacred blood is received in silver cups, that you have golden candlesticks at your evening services. Now, your doctrine says you must render to Caesar what is his. Bring these treasures—the emperor needs them to maintain his forces. God does not cause money to be counted: He brought none of it into the world with him—only words. Give me the money, therefore, and be rich in words.”

Lawrence replied that the Church was indeed rich. “I will show you a valuable part. But give me time to set everything in order and make an inventory.” After three days he gathered a great number of blind, lame, maimed, leprous, orphaned, and widowed persons and put them in rows. When the prefect arrived, Lawrence simply said, “These are the treasure of the Church.”

The prefect was so angry he told Lawrence that he would indeed have his wish to die—but it would be by inches. He had a great gridiron prepared with coals beneath it, and had Lawrence’s body placed on it. After the martyr had suffered the pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he made his famous cheerful remark, “It is well done. Turn me over!”

Reflection

Once again we have a saint about whom almost nothing is known, yet one who has received extraordinary honor in the Church since the fourth century. Almost nothing—yet the greatest fact of his life is certain: He died for Christ. We who are hungry for details about the lives of the saints are again reminded that their holiness was after all, a total response to Christ, expressed perfectly by a death like this.

Saint Lawrence is a Patron Saint of:

Cooks
Deacons
Poor

~ Franciscan Media

Pope Francis is cautioning people not to get accustomed to the war in Ukraine, and is calling for the faithful to keep those suffering "this tragic reality" in our hearts and prayers. "The thought of the people of Ukraine, afflicted by war, should remain vivid in our hearts." Please continue to pray for them.

The St. Michael the Archangel statue is located in the city center of Kyiv in Independence Square.
(photo: Blik Sergey / Shutterstock)

Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander
through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

Sayings of Blessed Carlo Acutis

"What does it matter if you can win a thousand battles, if you cannot defeat your own corrupt passions? The real battles is within ourselves."

Online Book of Intentions

Praying for each other's intentions is an important part of our parish life. If you would like the parish to pray for your intention, please write the intention in a sentence or two in this Online "Book of Intentions." These intentions will be remembered in our intercessions at our Sunday masses. Click HERE

Please pray for the Sick of our Parish

Soledad Ruiz, Secilia Green, Anna Mann, Nicole Vilches, Karel O’Brien,
Angela Rivera, Felipe Caraballo, Mary Anne Sedey, Verena Tonnesen,
Rob Turrell, Dennis Zolidis, Linda Klickmann, Barbara Durbin, Danny Olivero, Junior Burgos, Dolores Kryszak, Joseph Price, Teresa Ellison,
Grace Gauss, Tallulah Andresen, Robert Bauer, Antionette Krerowicz,
Ana Flores, Apolonio Alarcon, Antonio de Vera, Patricio A. Yanez Guerra,
Manglio Bonilla Gail, Jason & Family, Basilisa M. De Guzman, Daniel Brady,
Cyndi De Lira, Carolyn S. Duckunue, Transito Alvarez, Frances Alequin,
Alejandro Carmona, Sophie Hernan, Eleanor Jura, Monika Kloniecka, Joseph Wyse,
Verena Tonnesen, Berenice Sosnowski, Nick Jurado, Jackie Schuman,
Terry Brady, Salomea Olszewska, Hertha Runowski, Angie Schuman, John Graff, Joseph Murphy, Linda Riske, Margaret Flisiak, Jazzmyne Aguilar, Hailey Marose, Sarah Ellison, Nancy Idaszak, Sally Cox, Daniel Salas, Eleanor Rylko, Nancy,
Brian, Jimmy Denges, & Crystal Mohetano.

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August 10th Weekly Newsletter