February 23, 2021 | Weekly Update

February 23, 2021 | Weekly Update

First week of Lent greetings everyone!  We hope that through your Lenten undertakings that you are growing to become a spiritual athlete so as to have greater conversion in receiving love from God or giving His love to others.

Love is the point of it all; the Church enjoins penitential practices upon us because, as a good mother, she wishes that each of us love Jesus more perfectly. Lent is thus a perfect time to take seriously, growing our spiritual life and our relationships, it’s why “We Need Lent” as Father James says.  If you didn’t get a chance to hear his Lenten homily, please see below and be encouraged especially if you are feeling overwhelmed.

THIS COMING WEEK

Magnify on Wednesday 2/24

  • It’s a Lenten Magnify. If spending more time in prayer with Jesus is part of your Lenten undertaking, pray in His very Presence at Magnify, a personal time with just you and Jesus.  It is family-friendly Adoration so bring kids with you!
  • Come and join Father James as he leads us in adoring Jesus, accompanied by Josh Goodman. Father James will be hearing Confessions up until sometime before Benediction after he leads us in a scriptural reflection.  Sign-in at the door or ahead of time here.

St. Peregrine Prayer Service on 2/24th

  • The St. Peregrine Ministry accompanies caregivers and those who live with serious illness, especially cancer, and chronic illness to provide prayer support, resources, education, and sacred space for sharing. Please come to the St. Peregrine Prayer Service led by Deacon Tony Leazzo on Wednesday, 2/24th at 2pm via livestream.
    After the prayer service, join in a conversation via Zoom from 2:30pm to 3pm to learn more about the ministry and form a community of support for one another.  Zoom details will be posted during the livestream.
  • For questions or additional information, contact Jolene LeRoy RN Director of Pastoral Care at jolenel@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org or call 331-707-5380.

Living Your Baptism in Lent on 2/24th

  • Join Father Don this Lenten season, as he leads a 6-week reflection and discussion on “Living Your Baptism in Lent.”
  • We all know that Lent is a time of prayer and fasting, but did you realize that Lent is also a time to prepare you for the renewal of your baptismal promises on Easter Sunday?
  • A booklet will be provided as a prayer resource that seeks to awaken our awareness of God’s unending grace given to us in the sacrament of Baptism.
  • There will be personal reflection questions and Scripture passage to consider in your prayer throughout the six weeks of Lent.
  • The program will be offered in-person (50 max) and Zoom. Register here for the Online study and here for the In-Person study

Eucharistic Adoration Weekly Sign-Up

  • Did you know we have Eucharistic Adoration at the following times?  Mondays and Thursdays immediately after daily Holy Mass through 6pm, and Wednesdays 9am – 12pm.  Sign-up here.

Stations of the Cross Fridays 2/26th

  • We hope to see you at the Stations of the Cross on Fridays @ 7pm.  We will be using the “Way of the Cross” by Saint Alphonsus Liguori.  For those attending in-person, you may bring your own or you may take one that we have available for your own use.  They are for you to keep but we ask that you bring them with you each time you come to the church to pray the Stations of the Cross.
  • You can also scan the QR code when you come in to view the booklet on your cell phones or click on this link
  • Praying the Stations of the Cross is a wonderful way to enter more deeply into the life of Jesus and the Pascal Mystery; if it’s been a while or if you’ve never prayed the Stations of the Cross, we encourage you to embrace this powerful prayer this Lenten season to understand better what Jesus did for us.

Weekend Mass Links

  • Father Don will be preaching at all the Masses this weekend, the 2nd Sunday in Lent where we will hear of Abraham and Isaac, St. Paul emphasizing how God loved us so much that He did not spare His Son and Jesus Transfiguration; sounds like a Sunday we want to be present at.
  • Whether at the Livestream or the in-person Mass times, we hope you join us in this 2021 Lenten journey because compared to last year, this year we have the opportunity to keep the Sabbath holy together at Mass inside our church (following social distancing safety protocols of course).  Please sign-in ahead of time at this link so we can adequately prepare in welcoming you.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lent Resource Highlight – Catholic Podcasts

  • In addition to the literary, and visual weekly lenten reflections that are helpful accompaniments in our 2021 Lenten Journey (FORMED, Bishop Barron’s Lenten Gospel Reflection, Dr. Tim Gray’s Daily Lenten Reflections, Seminarian from USML Weekly Lenten Reflections, Lenten Daily Apologetics from Catholic Answers) which are located at our Lenten Resources here
    …. there is also the following
  • Mercy Boys Podcasts.  Listen to Our Lady of Mercy parishioners Joe Wiacek and Brian Kibler as they host guests on their podcast who speak about their faith journey.  Below are several of the Lenten Podcasts.  Click on this link to take you to previous podcasts (previous guests are parishioners and our parish priests who speak about their Catholic faith journey)
    • Lent a Miraculous Story of Forgiveness‬.  Hear from one of our parishioners tell her story of tragedy, forgiveness, and a beautiful Friendship that could only happen through healing and God’s grace.  You don’t want to miss this powerful message.
    • Lent Part 1 202‪1‬.  In this episode, Joe and Brian talk about what Lent is, what Ash Wednesday is, and how you can be successful in your Lenten Journey.
  • 40 Days of Catholic Podcasts for Lent by Spoke Street Media.  This Lent, they are sending out 40 podcasts over 40 days to all listeners! It’s free to join, click here to commit to going deeper this Lent!  Here are the podcasts thus far:
    • The Messy Family Project.  Lent isn’t just a time for transformation for individuals. It is also a time for our families. In this episode, Mike and Alicia Hernon share some of their best practices for Lent as a family and as a couple.
    • Truth in Charity.  Bishop Kevin Rhoades reflects on this past Sunday’s gospel about Jesus’s temptations in the desert.
    • The Daily Refill.  Andrea Serrani talks about 3 things in 8 minutes. This episode talks about Saints that turned their lives around, a message from Pope Francis for Lent 2021, and how to survive Lent if you are feeling overwhelmed.
    • Abiding Together. After the kind of year 2020 was, many of us have found ourselves in a spot where we feel stuck and do not know the way forward. This episode offers that way forward.
    • RENOVO Renew, Restore, Revive.  Lent is here! But, what really is Lent about and why is it important? Doug Tooke answers this question in today’s episode.

PADS Hesed House on 3/2 https://pads.rehmer.com/

  • Please help our brothers and sisters in need; sign up for any of the items posted above or send funds via the Give page or checks payable to Our Lady of Mercy and note on the memo “Hesed House-PAD”. Thank you so much for your generosity.
  • ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’— Matthew 25:40

Confession Schedule

  • Don’t deprive yourself of the grace the Lord wants to give us in the Sacrament of Confession and in the Sacrament of the Eucharist that’s there for the taking; all we have to do is repent.  Jesus came and died to wipe away our sins.  Here is the Lent Confession schedule and Confession Resources.  Or see the graphic below.

Bulletin

  • Don’t forget to check out Father Don’s insightful weekly Bulletin article is located here.

Supporting OLM through the CMAA

  • The Diocesan Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal (CMAA) allows us, together, to do our part in building God’s kingdom here on earth.  Father Don and Bishop Hicks are asking us to join them in supporting the CMAA to help the poor and vulnerable, form our future shepherds, and spread the faith through our Catholic schools, faith formation programs in parishes, and programs for young adults.
  • Our parish’s goal for the 2021 CMAA is $154,400, with 70 percent of any amount we raise over this goal returned to us for our use.
  • If you wish to donate now, please click here https://bit.ly/2MOQHVY  Read the following report at this link https://bit.ly/3dd154X on how your gifts to the CMAA helps. For further details, please click here https://bit.ly/3jQxf7i  Thank you for prayerfully considering supporting the 30 ministries and shining Jesus’ light brightly in our diocese.

Mission Trip Help Our Teens Fundraiser

  • Support our teens on their Senior High Youth Ministry Mission Trip this summer who are traveling outside their comfort zone to experience the call of Jesus to serve the poor. Please pray for their trip and consider donating financially; donations can be made through this link.

For the Hispanic Community

  • Please proceed here for the Diocese of Joliet Office of Hispanic & Ethnic Ministry to view upcoming events and wealth of resources.Continúe aquí para la Oficina del Ministerio Hispano y Étnico de la Diócesis de Joliet para ver los próximos eventos y la gran cantidad de recursos.

A Note from the Intercessory Prayer Ministry

  • How can we be praying for you today?
    There are times when life is overwhelming when all we have is questions. In those moments, hope can feel far away. The great thing about prayer is that it shifts our perspective toward the One who stands ready to listen. No matter what you’re facing, we’d love to pray with you! Submit your prayer requests at this link

Are you a Grandparent?

  • The Grandparents Ministry is formed to create awareness, encourage and support the vocation of Grandparents to pass on their faith within their families and the Church.  In the words of Pope Francis, “The mission of grandparents is a real and true vocation.” “Grandparents’ words hold something special for the young. This is how faith is transmitted – through the elders who have made their faith the leaven of their life.”
  • If you would like more information about the Grandparents Ministry or would like to join, please contact Deacon Tony and Allyson Martini at tonym@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org or Jolene and Jeff LeRoy at jolenel@olmercy.old.diocesanweb.org.

Thank you so much for being mindful about keeping each other safe by observing social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing your hands while inside the Church and PLC. 
Your cautious way of following the social distancing parameters helps us to stay open and hold the Sacraments.