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We had a fantastic time at the EDGE Middle School Youth Ministry Kick-Off celebration this past Monday, where our middle school youth connected with their small group peers and leaders through fun icebreakers and games!

We are excited to invite the middle school youth to the EDGE Bonfire and Rosary Night this coming Monday, September 30th, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. If you haven't already, please RSVP by Friday, September 27th by emailing joanal@olmercy.com with your child's name. This will help us plan accordingly.
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We had a fantastic time at the EDGE Middle School Youth Ministry Kick-Off celebration this past Monday, where our middle school youth connected with their small group peers and leaders through fun icebreakers and games!

We are excited to invite the middle school youth to the EDGE Bonfire and Rosary Night this coming Monday, September 30th, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. If you havent already, please RSVP by Friday, September 27th by emailing joanal@olmercy.com with your childs name. This will help us plan accordingly.Image attachmentImage attachment+7Image attachment

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—”๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฎ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ ๐Ÿฏ: ๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฒ?๐ŸŒŸ

Last Thursday, we dove deep into one of lifeโ€™s biggest questions: ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘ฆ ๐ท๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ท๐‘–๐‘’? It was an evening filled with powerful insights, open hearts, and meaningful connections. We explored how Jesus' death and resurrection are the ultimate answers to the problem of sin. The cross reminds us of God's immense love, shows that death has been defeated, and opens the door to a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

One of our participants shared: โ€œ๐™’๐™๐™š๐™ฃ ๐™„ ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™ง๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ค๐™™ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™ฎ ๐™…๐™š๐™จ๐™ช๐™จ ๐™๐™–๐™™ ๐™™๐™ž๐™š๐™™ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ƒ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™™๐™š๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ ๐™–๐™˜๐™๐™ž๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™™ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ข๐™š, ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™˜๐™๐™–๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™š๐™™ ๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™ง๐™ฎ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ.โ€ ๐Ÿ™

The experience was profound, and we captured the evening with some beautiful moments (snapshots below).

Keep our Alpha guests and team in your prayers as we continue to explore faith together this week, diving into the evidence for believing in Christianity. Come, Holy Spirit! ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

If you havenโ€™t joined us yet, consider this your invitation to encounter something greater. Thereโ€™s always room for you at Alpha.

#Alpha #WhyDidJesusDie #OurLadyofMercy #CommunityAndFaith #ComeHolySpirit #AlphaatOLM
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๐ŸŒŸ ๐—”๐—น๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ฎ ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ธ ๐Ÿฏ: ๐—ช๐—ต๐˜† ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐——๐—ถ๐—ฒ?๐ŸŒŸ

Last Thursday, we dove deep into one of lifeโ€™s biggest questions: ๐‘Šโ„Ž๐‘ฆ ๐ท๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐ฝ๐‘’๐‘ ๐‘ข๐‘  ๐ท๐‘–๐‘’? It was an evening filled with powerful insights, open hearts, and meaningful connections. We explored how Jesus death and resurrection are the ultimate answers to the problem of sin. The cross reminds us of Gods immense love, shows that death has been defeated, and opens the door to a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.

One of our participants shared: โ€œ๐™’๐™๐™š๐™ฃ ๐™„ ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™ง๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ค๐™™ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™ฎ ๐™…๐™š๐™จ๐™ช๐™จ ๐™๐™–๐™™ ๐™™๐™ž๐™š๐™™ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ƒ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™™๐™š๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ ๐™–๐™˜๐™๐™ž๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™™ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ข๐™š, ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™˜๐™๐™–๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™š๐™™ ๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™ง๐™ฎ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ.โ€ ๐Ÿ™

The experience was profound, and we captured the evening with some beautiful moments (snapshots below).

Keep our Alpha guests and team in your prayers as we continue to explore faith together this week, diving into the evidence for believing in Christianity. Come, Holy Spirit! ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

If you havenโ€™t joined us yet, consider this your invitation to encounter something greater. Thereโ€™s always room for you at Alpha.

#Alpha #WhyDidJesusDie #OurLadyofMercy #CommunityAndFaith #ComeHolySpirit #AlphaatOLMImage attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment

Who are Saints Cosmas and Damian?

Cosmas and Damian were most likely born in modern-day Syria, and later moved to modern-day Turkey, in the mid-to late-third century. They were twins, sons of a Christian mother and possibly a Christian father, who raised them in the faith. They were educated in the science of healing and became physicians.

At that time, physicians were often paid based on their reputations. Those who were highly skilled and successful often catered to the wealthy, receiving regular salaries from them. Others charged for services on a case-by-case basis. Because Cosmas and Damian were Christians, legend holds that they decided to evangelize the largely pagan community in which they lived by doing something extraordinary. They offered their healing services for free! This charitable work earned them the title โ€œAnargyroi,โ€ meaning โ€œwithout silver.โ€ Their counter-cultural practice caught the attention of their fellow citizens and drew many to the faith.

In 284, Diocletian became the Roman emperor and began to issue a series of edicts that led to an empire-wide persecution and death of many Christians. Around the year 287 the Roman Prefect Lysias arrested the twins Cosmas and Damian.
The brothers were given the opportunity to publicly renounce their faith and honor the Roman gods to save their lives. They refused and were sentenced to death. Multiple attempts were made to kill them by drowning, fire, arrows, and stoning, but each failed. Finally, they were beheaded.

Many miraculous healings have been attributed to their intercession. Within a century of their martyrdom, churches were built in their honor in Jerusalem, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.

The virtues that Cosmas and Damian enshrine should be a source of inspiration and encouragement. Their work of evangelization through free and selfless service in the name of Christ is worthy of imitation. Their heroic martyrdom presents us with the virtues of courage and fidelity to Christ.
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Who are Saints Cosmas and Damian?

Cosmas and Damian were most likely born in modern-day Syria, and later moved to modern-day Turkey, in the mid-to late-third century. They were twins, sons of a Christian mother and possibly a Christian father, who raised them in the faith. They were educated in the science of healing and became physicians.

At that time, physicians were often paid based on their reputations. Those who were highly skilled and successful often catered to the wealthy, receiving regular salaries from them. Others charged for services on a case-by-case basis. Because Cosmas and Damian were Christians, legend holds that they decided to evangelize the largely pagan community in which they lived by doing something extraordinary. They offered their healing services for free! This charitable work earned them the title โ€œAnargyroi,โ€ meaning โ€œwithout silver.โ€ Their counter-cultural practice caught the attention of their fellow citizens and drew many to the faith.

In 284, Diocletian became the Roman emperor and began to issue a series of edicts that led to an empire-wide persecution and death of many Christians. Around the year 287 the Roman Prefect Lysias arrested the twins Cosmas and Damian. 
The brothers were given the opportunity to publicly renounce their faith and honor the Roman gods to save their lives. They refused and were sentenced to death. Multiple attempts were made to kill them by drowning, fire, arrows, and stoning, but each failed. Finally, they were beheaded. 

Many miraculous healings have been attributed to their intercession. Within a century of their martyrdom, churches were built in their honor in Jerusalem, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.

The virtues that Cosmas and Damian enshrine should be a source of inspiration and encouragement. Their work of evangelization through free and selfless service in the name of Christ is worthy of imitation. Their heroic martyrdom presents us with the virtues of courage and fidelity to Christ.

Oh, there's nothing better than You
There's nothing better than You
Lord, there's nothing
Nothing is better than You

You turn mourning to dancing
You give beauty for ashes
You turn shame into glory
You're the only one who can
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๐—ช๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐˜๐—ต @ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐—ฝ๐—บ to be in prayer together through the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We will meet outside in front of Our Lady of Mercy.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
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๐—ช๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐˜๐—ต @ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ๐—ฝ๐—บ to be in prayer together through the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We will meet outside in front of Our Lady of Mercy.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church commemorated our 36th Anniversary and Feast Day with a celebratory Pig Roast held at the Parish Life Center, immediately after the 12 noon Mass on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024. Although the celebrations had to be moved indoors because of the rain, it did not deter the crowd nor dampen the spirits of the more than 700 attendees who came to party and partake in the festivities. Beyond the delicious food, there was music, games, and activities for people of all ages to participate. It was a great day of fun and revelry, but also a good time to reflect on how far we have come as a church and to give thanks for our energized, vibrant and growing faith community. To God be the glory! ... See MoreSee Less

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church commemorated our 36th Anniversary and Feast Day with a celebratory Pig Roast held at the Parish Life Center, immediately after the 12 noon Mass on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024. Although the celebrations had to be moved indoors because of the rain, it did not deter the crowd nor dampen the spirits of the more than 700 attendees who came to party and partake in the festivities. Beyond the delicious food, there was music, games, and activities for people of all ages to participate. It was a great day of fun and revelry, but also a good time to reflect on how far we have come as a church and to give thanks for our energized, vibrant and growing faith community. To God be the glory!Image attachmentImage attachment+Image attachment

This OLM Anniversary slideshow is a labor of love that attempts to chronicle the important timelines on our establishment, construction, expansion, the impactful leadership of our Pastors (past and present), and contributions of our community members that have made us this beautiful, vibrant and energized church we are today. It runs for 20 minutes, so sit back and enjoy these compelling images of our journey of 36 years. Happy Feast Day OLM!
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๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€/๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—”๐—•๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—˜๐—ฆ- ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ/๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ

Parents and caregivers of those with disABILITIES attended the Diocese of Joliet's second-annual retreat on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the Blanchette Catholic Center in Crest Hill. The event will include Mass, confessions, breakout sessions, spiritual direction, Eucharistic adoration, and fellowship.

Register HERE: forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=o6RE-5_1SU2EXQaSblAGqv1nkAzq9JFFpK5fImlsZhhUNVc3S0VXN...
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๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฐ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€/๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—”๐—•๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ง๐—œ๐—˜๐—ฆ- ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ/๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ

Parents and caregivers of those with disABILITIES attended the Diocese of Joliets second-annual retreat on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the Blanchette Catholic Center in Crest Hill. The event will include Mass, confessions, breakout sessions, spiritual direction, Eucharistic adoration, and fellowship.

Register HERE: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=o6RE-5_1SU2EXQaSblAGqv1nkAzq9JFFpK5fImlsZhhUNVc3S0VXN0FGQzBRWUU3UklJWUZSMzhWMC4u

Who is Saint Pius of Pietrelcina?

Many people have turned to this Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease.

Born Francesco, Padre Pio grew up in southern Italy. At the age of 15, he joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo.

On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side.

Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities, and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924, and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed.

Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day. Many people said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned.

Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. At his urging, a hospital was built nearby. Building the hospital was a technical wonder because of the difficulty of getting water there and of hauling up the building supplies. This โ€œHouse for the Alleviation of Sufferingโ€ has 350 beds.

A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. He died on September 23, 1968, and was beatified in 1999.
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Who is Saint Pius of Pietrelcina?

Many people have turned to this Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease.

Born Francesco, Padre Pio grew up in southern Italy. At the age of 15, he joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo.

On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet, and side.

Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities, and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924, and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed.

Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day. Many people said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned.

Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. At his urging, a hospital was built nearby. Building the hospital was a technical wonder because of the difficulty of getting water there and of hauling up the building supplies. This โ€œHouse for the Alleviation of Sufferingโ€ has 350 beds.

A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. He died on September 23, 1968, and was beatified in 1999.

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Mercy & 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Thank You Heavenly Father for the gift of our parish Our Lady of Mercy, may we continue to live out the vision You gave us; to offer every person a life-changing encounter with Jesus, grow as disciples so as to be sent out on mission. Thank You for sending Jesus to rescue us and showing us what true Love is may we come to understand the impact of Your Love, how it captures our hearts, transforms us, and sends us forth with renewed purpose.

You can also view livestream by subscribing to our YouTube channel here www.youtube.com/ourladyofmercyaurora

\_Streaming and copyright license is through One License #730922-A and CCLI #20486708

\_For those who are able, please consider supporting our efforts here at OLM, the offertory can be made through our secure online platform located here www.osvhub.com/olmercy/giving/funds.

Thank you for supporting Our Lady of Mercy, your generosity continues to create more opportunities for OLM to keep our family connected and bring people to Jesus, form them as disciples and send them on mission.

\_For those at the livestream; make an act of Spiritual Communion Prayer bit.ly/SpiritualCommunionPrayer

\_Livestreaming from the following, please share; this is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith with one another and family and friends from afar. olmercy.com/ www.facebook.com/olmercy/ www.youtube.com/ourladyofmercyaurora

\_Find community in the following

Grow Groups

olmercy.com/consumingfire/

olmercy.com/mamasgrace/

olmercy.com/saltandlight/

olmercy.com/vineandbranches/

\_Spend your days at Our Lady of Mercy

bit.ly/HangingOutatOLM

\_Share your heart with Jesus at Eucharist Adoration
olmercy.com/eucharisticadoration/

\_How can we pray for you today?
olmercy.com/prayerforme/
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Experiencing the loss of a loved one is a difficult journey. Our Lady of Mercy is offering a monthly supportive place for participants ages 18 and older living with grief to be together in a faith community to find healing and hope. ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ต๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿด๐˜๐—ต ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿญ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐Ÿฎ:๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿณ ... See MoreSee Less

Experiencing the loss of a loved one is a difficult journey. Our Lady of Mercy is offering a monthly supportive place for participants ages 18 and older living with grief to be together in a faith community to find healing and hope. ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ต๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿด๐˜๐—ต ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿญ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐Ÿฎ:๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ๐—ฝ๐—บ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿณ
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