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February 12
Carlo Acutis Parish Weekly Newsletter - Feb 12Dear Friends ...
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
Good Snowy Wednesday to you all, hopefully you're home safe and warm by now ...
Letter of the Holy Father to the Bishops of the United States - Recently, Pope Francis wrote a letter to the Bishops of the United States on the delicate times we are living in. That letter can be found HERE, it's well worth the couple of minutes of your time.
Lay Liturgical Ministries at BCAP - Over the next couple weeks, we will be sharing information about Lay Liturgical Ministry opportunities in our parish in the hopes that you will step up and help us keep our Liturgies vibrant and welcoming. See below for our introduction. This week, we feature our "Greeter" ministry, aka the Directors of First Impressions.
Annual Catholic Appeal - The Archdiocese of Chicago's Annual Catholic Appeal, and Cardinal's Homily will be on February 22/23. Please prayerfully consider your gift to this vital campaign for our Archdiocese.
Devotional Candles - Six Day "Devotional Candles" have returned to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at St. John Berchmans for a donation of $5.
Pope Francis Monthly Intention for FEBRUARY - For vocations to the priesthood and religious life
Let us pray that the ecclesial community might welcome the desires and doubts of those young people who feel a call to serve Christ's mission in the priesthood and religious life.
Sunday Collection & Monthly Summary - The Sunday Collection & Monthly Summary will now be posted here in the newsletter and Sunday Bulletin. Thank you for your generosity in helping support the mission of the Parish.
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. These people are remembered each week as part of the Universal Prayer/Petitions. If you would like to add you someone's name to the sick list, please email or call the Parish Office. Please also email/call us when it's OK to remove them from the sick list as this helps to ensure our list is up to date.
Online Book of Intentions - Praying for each other's intentions is an important part of our parish life. Did you know that each Sunday at Mass, during the Universal Prayer/Petitions, we pray for those who have listed their intentions in our "Online Book of Intentions"?
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 you.
Mass Times and Devotional Schedule - Please be sure to visit our website for the full schedule of Masses and Devotions.
We hope to see you at one of the Masses this weekend, and don't forget to bring a friend or two!!
God Bless, see you in Church!
Michael White, Director of Music and Liturgy AND the 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.
Jubilee 2025Prayer for the Jubilee Year Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen
–Pope Francis
Lay Liturgical Ministries at BCAP
All Liturgical celebrations, especially the celebration of the Eucharistic Liturgy, are celebrations of the WHOLE Church, they are not private functions. The Church is the “sacrament of unity: the holy people united and arranged under their bishops. Therefore, liturgical services pertain to the whole Body of the Church”. (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy 26)
Liturgies at BCAP embody the vibrancy and spiritual life of the parish. The time, talent, and treasure of our liturgical ministries all join to manifest the many dimensions and aspects of the Body of Christ.
While BCAP has a good core set of volunteers that currently serve as Lay Liturgical Ministers, but we need participation in these ministries to GROW to continue our vibrant liturgies. In other words … we need you!
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing a bit about each of the Liturgical Ministries in our Parish. We hope that you take the time to pray and consider participating in the Liturgical life of our parish.
Remember, without you … we are less!
Who we are: We are the “Directors of First Impressions”.
What we do: We offer a warm word of welcome to visitors and parishioners, as well as:
Greet, and hand people a hymnal when they arrive.
Answer basic questions about the parish,
Establish an atmosphere of love, family, and spirituality,
Help take up the collection
Collect hymnals from the exiting assembly.
Time commitment: We arrive at least 10 minutes before Mass, stay throughout the Mass, and then 5-10 min after Mass. Scheduling is based upon your schedule, could be once a month, twice a month, or once every other month, it's up to you! Requirements: Do you like to smile? Do you enjoy talking to people? Do you enjoy meeting new people? If you do, then the Greeters Ministry may be perfect for you. Let the Church always be a place of mercy and hope, where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven. ~ Pope Francis.If you think this is something you might be interested in, please fill out this quick form and tell us more about you!
Six Day "Devotional Candles" are now available for your intention, in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at St. John Berchmans for a donation of $5.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us!
Saturday, February 8, 2025 Baptisms
Forest S. McBride
Willow D. McBride
BCAP Collections - February 8/9, 2025
Sunday Collections from Masses
$2,302.00
BCAP - 2nd Collection - Capital Improvements
$751.00
Mail In Donations
$1,190.00
Other Collections/Donations
$941.00
Total Collections This Week
$5,184.00
Our Lady of Lourdes
Saint of the Day for February 11
The Story of Our Lady of Lourdes
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
Bernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.”
During interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.
Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.Reflection
Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is not surprising. It is a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Some would say that the greater miracles are hidden. Many who visit Lourdes return home with renewed faith and a readiness to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters.
There still may be people who doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”Our Lady of Lourdes is the Patron Saint of:
Relief from Physical Ills
The biggest gift that God made to men was to send his only Son, Jesus Christ…It is very important to pray that Jesus Christ be loved and known by all peoples throughout the world.
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
Marcos Torres, Jose & Maria Garcia, Julie Rivera, Frank McMahon, Maria Mendizabal, Helen Jendricks, Lori Turner Alfirevich, Ben Leo, Ligia G. Galvan de la Cruz, Sergio Torres, Genaro Cortes, Antonio Alcantara, Lukas Fitzpatrick, Ryan Krug, Fr. Paul Reicher, Rachel Mauricio Elizar, Charlene Herda, 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, 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, Angie Schuman, John Graff, Joseph Murphy, Linda Riske, Margaret Flisiak, Jazzmyne Aguilar, Hailey Marose, Sarah Ellison, Nancy Idaszak, Sally Cox, Eleanor Rylko, Nancy, Brian, Jimmy Denges, & Crystal Mohetano.
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