Parish News - Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish

March 15th - Weekly Newsletter

3/16/2023

SJB Junior High Living Stations, DMI Survey, Revised Food Pantry Needs, and more ...

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

Dear Friends,

Happy Wednesday everyone, hope you're enjoying the extra bit of sunshine we have now after the time change!

Pope Francis’ 10th anniversary: On Monday, March 13th, Pope Francis celebrated his 10th Anniversary as Pope. Don't forget to say those 10 Hail Mary's for him. ‘Ad multos annos, Holy Father!’

Stations of the Cross - This FRIDAY, March 3: 6 p.m. ENGLISH Stations at St. John Berchmans; 7 p.m. SPANISH Stations at St. Hedwig. The full schedule is posted below.

Living Stations of the Cross - St. John Berchmans Junior High students will be performing Live Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 31st at 2 pm and 7 pm in St. John Berchmans Church. All are welcome.

DMI Survey - This Lent, parishioners of all ages are asked to share their input by participating in a 10-15 minute survey developed by the Catholic Leadership Institute, called the Disciple Maker Index Survey (DMI). The survey is ANONYMOUS and available in multiple languages, including English, Polish and Spanish. The survey runs through the end of the month. See below for more information ...

Lenten Movie Event "The Chosen" - There's still time to join us on Mondays OR Tuesdays during Lent as we watch the TV Series "The Chosen".

REVISED BCAP Food Pantry needs - Just a reminder that donating to the Food Pantry isn't a one time thing. Food and other necessities are CONSTANTLY needed. See below for our most current needs.

Eucharistic Testimonies - When we encounter Jesus Christ, he changes us—sometimes by signs and wonders, at other times by his peace that passes all understanding. During this Eucharistic Revival, we would like to share testimonies of our parishioners and their relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. This week we spotlight Olga Castro, see her testimony below.

The Passion of Christ, Live Theater - A live theater production of the Passion of the Christ is coming to our Parish on Saturday, March 25th, 6 pm at St. Hedwig. For a bit more about the live production, see below.

MASKS are still OPTIONAL, BUT ... With Covid and the Flu on the rise, please 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 Forms on the Website - https://www.carloacutisparish.org/parish-forms.html Did you know that many of our forms and requests are on our website? Inquiring about a Baptism ... Need a copy of your Baptismal Certificate ... Want to schedule your wedding? It's all on our website! Simply fill out the form and we'll get back to ya.

Prayers for the Sick - Both in the Sunday Bulletin, and here in the Weekly Newsletter, we list the names of those who are in sick and in need of our prayers. If you would like to add you someone's name to the sick list, please email the Parish Office. Please also email us when it's ok to remove them from the sick list. This helps to ensure our list is up to date.

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!! Oh ... and wear something PURPLE or PINK for Laetare Sunday!!

God Bless, see you in Church!
Michael White, Director of Music and Liturgy AND Weekly Newsletter Editor

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.

Vision Statement

Our vision is transforming spirits, hearts and minds.

Core Values

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

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.

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

Client Choice Food Pantry
Revised March 15, 2023

Please see the updated list of needs...

IN ADDITION TO FOOD ... Because peoples needs are more than just food, we are now collecting the following (new or gently used) items for our Immigrant brothers and sisters. Coats, Winter Clothes, Jeans, Shoes, Blankets, Towels, Sheets, Pots/Pans, and Utensils.

You can drop off any donations to 2517 W. Logan blvd between the hours of 9-3 pm M-F, or on Sundays in the bins at the back of the church.

Throughout the Season of Lent, Paschal Triduum and Easter, we will be sharing with you reflections to help "Keep the Season".

Saint Louise de Marillac
Saint of the Day for March 15
(August 12, 1591 – March 15, 1660)

Saint Louise de Marillac’s Story

Born near Meux, France, Louise lost her mother when she was still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son was born of this union. But Louise soon found herself nursing her beloved husband through a long illness that finally led to his death.
Louise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor, Francis de Sales, and then his friend, the bishop of Belley, France. Both of these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest Monsieur Vincent, later to be known as Saint Vincent de Paul.

At first, he was reluctant to be her confessor, busy as he was with his “Confraternities of Charity.” Members were aristocratic ladies of charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children, a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers, especially ones who were peasants themselves and therefore, close to the poor and able to win their hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them.
Only over a long period of time, as Vincent de Paul became more acquainted with Louise, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his prayers. She was intelligent, self-effacing, and had physical strength and endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was the need for a so-called “rule of life,” which Louise herself, under the guidance of Vincent, drew up for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Monsieur Vincent had always been slow and prudent in his dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea of starting a new community, that it was God who did everything. “Your convent,” he said, “will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital.” Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the women to take annual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It was still more years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under the direction of Vincent’s own congregation of priests.

Many of the young women were illiterate. Still it was with reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children. Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled throughout France, establishing her community members in hospitals, orphanages and other institutions. At her death on March 15, 1660, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Six months later Vincent de Paul followed her in death.

Louise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960.

Reflection
In Louise’s day, serving the needs of the poor was usually a luxury only fine ladies could afford. Her mentor, Saint Vincent de Paul, wisely realized that women of peasant stock could reach poor people more effectively, and the Daughters of Charity were born under her leadership. Today, that order—along with the Sisters of Charity—continues to nurse the sick and aging and provide refuge for orphans. Many of its members are social workers toiling under Louise’s patronage. The rest of us must share her concern for the disadvantaged.

Saint Louise de Marillac is the Patron Saint of:
Social workers

~ Franciscan Media

My Eucharistic Testimony
by Olga Castro

PRAYER
Prayer isn’t just about asking God for things you need or desire. Prayer has a Spiritual Communion with God, having a relationship with God. To love God, we need to know him. God already knows what we will ask him for, but he wants us to ask him personally. God knows what we need and will provide what we need; it is up to us to ask God through Prayers. In the Bible, he tells us that Our prayers to God are not unlike our men's requests. Our prayers are based on a relationship, as Jesus points out in Matthew 7:8. If a child asks his father for something the father knows to be hurtful, the request is denied. The child may be frustrated and unhappy when he doesn’t get what he asked for, but he should trust his father. Conversely, when the child asks for something the father knows is beneficial, he will provide it eagerly because he loves his child. Prayer helps me in my life. I have become more patient and understanding toward God, and my faith has increased to accept what God gives me. Knowing that Jesus Christ also kept a close relationship with his father and prayed regularly to his father in heaven when he was among us shows me how important it is for me to always stay close to God through prayer. I believe that through prayers, we receive God's graces and blessings for ourselves and those we pray for. It can also invite more peace into our lives and help us learn more about God’s plan for us. Praying is a private time between God and me. My prayer should be sincere and with the right intention.

I will never forget how I questioned God about miracles; I wanted to know how and who got those miracles. I remember how badly I wanted God to hear me with this one prayer, and I cried desperately for a miracle. Then I calmed down, and deep in my heart, I felt that God was telling me that I had to accept his will and that he would show me how I can have lots of blessings and miracles from him. That is when I felt I needed to get close to God. I need to communicate with him regularly, not only when I wanted or needed something from him but to talk with God about anything, to thank him for all I have and don’t have, and to let God know how much I appreciate his love for me and that I love him because he is the best father ever. From that day on, I have been learning more about God and have lived my life with many blessings and miracles. I trust in God, and I know that there will be huge problems; I will be calm and at peace because I know God will give me the strength to carry my cross. It will be in God’s Time because he knows when the best time for change is. I will always continue to pray and be in communion with God. My biggest worry is my children; I Leave my children in God’s hands. I know he will hear my prayers and keep my children safe and will ask others to keep my children and me in their prayers, knowing that prayer is powerful when more than one person is praying. I see how my prayers are being answered when I see the changes my children have been making, and they come to me for advice and take care of me when I become sick or not feeling well. That is when I see the love of God in my children.

Amen

The Passion of Christ
Saturday, March 25th, 6 pm at St. Hedwig

Live Theater Production is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to bring theater to our community, with the help of our community. It consists of 70 amateur volunteer actors and singers. It is an opportunity for families to make their dreams of being part of theater a reality, and where curious spectators are able to attend performances free of charge.

Cecylia Jablonska is the director and screenwriter of the Passion of Christ which was set to music by Emmy award-winning composer Andrzej Warzocha. Passion of Christ has been performed all over Chicagoland as a holiday tradition for the past 30 years.

The goals of the Passion of Christ are to deepen faith; provide a chance to fulfill the theatrical dreams of adults and children alike; integrate families through fellowship; discover new leaders; and inspire new passions.

For the viewer, it is an immersive theatrical experience to be enjoyed by all, in addition to a spiritual preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord.

“Continuously ask your guardian angel for help.
Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”

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.

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

Fr. Paul Reicher, Doreen Maneely, Anna Mann, Nicole Vilches, Karel O’Brien,Angela Rivera, Mary Anne Sedey, Linda Klickmann, Barbara Durbin, Danny Olivero, Junior Burgos, Dolores Kryszak, Joseph Price, Teresa Ellison, Tallulah Andresen, Robert Bauer, Antionette Krerowicz, Ana Flores, Apolonio Alarcon, Antonio de Vera, Patricio A. Yanez Guerra, Manglio Bonilla Gail, Jason & Family, 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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March 15th - Weekly Newsletter