St. Kieran Parish Notes from Fr
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Notes from Fr. Tom St. Kieran Parish Next Thursday evening, a group of young men and women from our parish will be Confirmed. Bishop Alberto Rojas will anoint them with oil and assured them of the support and prayer of the Church as they allow the Spirit of God that is in them to move forth and touch the world of our future. From this point on, they will live their lives with a consciousness of how much they are trusted by God to do great and holy things with the gifts and talents that have been entrusted to them. Many of us older types never had this understanding of the true power of the Sacrament of Confirmation presented to us; but I think it is a valid and valuable way for all of us to look at ourselves and how the Holy Spirit still comes to us and through us to our world. Please pray for these young people - the future of our Church - and know that I will ask them to pray for all the people of this parish. First Eucharist Class of 2015 Fourth Sunday of Easter Roman Almeida April 26, 2015 Jasmin Baranski See what love Isabella Bruni the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Nnamno Emechebe — 1 John 3:1 Ethan Jean-Simon Noah Murphy TODAY’S READINGS Mia Narcissi First Reading — There is no salvation through anyone else (Acts 4:8-12). Mila Ponce Psalm — The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118). Finn Schmidt Second Reading — See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God (1 John 3:1-2). Gospel — The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11-18). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. Page 2 April 26, 2015 Francis Cardinal George ‘Almighty and merciful God, eternal shepherd of your people, listen to our prayers and grant that your servant, Francis George, our Archbishop emeritus, to whom you entrusted the care of this Church, may enter the joy of his eternal Master, there to receive the rich reward of his labors. We ask this through Christ our Lord.’ (taken from the Roman Rite, Order of Christian Funerals) Francis Cardinal George wanted to be a good priest and use his great intellectual ability in service of the work of the Church – both within his religious community (the Oblates of Mary Immaculate) and as our Archbishop. He lived with pain as a result of his childhood polio, yet still ‘showed up for work’ everyday and kept to his demanding schedule ever mindful of his responsibility to be the public face of our local Church. He witnessed to his belief that God would give him the strength that he would need to do whatever God would ask him to do. As we remember Cardinal George in his lifelong ministry, may we all grow in our awareness of what the power of the resurrected Christ in each of our lives can mean. May none of us be afraid; may we all realize that we are joined and connected to the very love of God by a bond that can never be broken. May Francis Cardinal George be truly remembered as a good and faithful servant of the Lord and may his lived example of faith give us the courage to live our lives fully each day, trusting in God’s love. Father Tom K. Fourth Sunday of Easter Page 3 Dear Friends, Congratulations to our First Communion Class of 2015! Thank you to all who have made this day so beautiful for these children and their families, including Father Tom Kasputis, Deacon Emil Vasek, Mrs. Joanne Rossbach, the musicians, choir, greeters, lectors, altar servers, gift bearers, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, Arts & Environment Committee, Mrs. Mary Bailey, and all of the Religious Education volunteers. A special thanks to the 2nd Grade catechist, Ms. Alexia Lopez, and her aides, Bella Pena and Ariza Delgado. May God bless all of you for your generosity of time and spirit. Bishop Alberto Rojas will be here to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on candidates from St. Kieran and St. Agnes parishes, as well as Marian Catholic High School, on Thursday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m. All are invited to celebrate with us. Next Saturday, May 2, we will celebrate May Crowning at the 5:00 p.m. Mass. All children of the parish are invited and encouraged to participate in the procession, which takes place just before the final blessing. Please send your children to the church vestibule immediately after Communion, so that we may organize them for the procession. After the crowning, we will hold your children in the back of the church, and, weather permitting, process to the grotto in front of the rectory to pray a decade of the rosary. In case of inclement weather, the children will be moved to the vestibule to await their parents. I hope to see all the children of our parish there. Happy Easter! Teri Klopp Specials Moments in our Parish Congratulations and Salutations to ... Leilany Porrata, Matteo Alessandrini, and Karla Porrata won first, second, and third place respectively in the Trash to Treasure competition hosted by Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at Prairie State College last Friday, April 17. All three members of our Parish won the competition after designing an art piece using recyclable materials. They got recognized for their creativity and imagination to inspired and educate others to recycle, reduce waste, and conserve the environment. Your parish family is proud of you! Page 4 April 26, 2015 Parish News & Events CONGRATULATIONS . “Smell the Coffee” to the St. Kieran Coffee Shop St. Kieran Women’s Club Woman of the Year, Sunday, May 3 Noreen Bussey. 8:30 to 11:30 AM Come gather and enjoy some coffee, sweets, and fellowship. Anyone is invited to bring snacks, goodies, and delicious baked goods to make this event the best possible. This month's Coffee Shop will feature homemade crepes with various fruit and crème fillings! For more information, please contact Matt Gornick, (708) 957-0066. Many thanks and we hope to see you there! This is a well-deserved honor. Please join us in offering best wishes to Noreen. MARKET DAY© PICK UP TUESDAY, APRIL 28 DONATIONS FOR 4:30 TO 5:30 P.M. ST. KIERAN CARES IN THE CHURCH VESTIBULE We have removed the “Poor Box” from the church For those who placed orders for the April Market vestibule because it is the one area that is not Day© sale, pick-up will be held this Tuesday in the checked on a regular basis for donations. If you church vestibule. This new venue was so well are a person who frequently leaves donations in received by last month’s Market Day© customers, the Poor Box, we do apologize for any that we have made the change permanent. inconvenience this may cause you; however, if checks are placed in the Poor Box, it sometimes The final Market Day© sale for this academic year takes a few months before they are turned into the is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26. Flyers will be Rectory Office. available in the church vestibule, rectory, and the Religious Education Office by mid-week. To compensate for this, we have placed some temporary “St. Kieran Cares” envelopes on one of Did you forget to place an order? You may order the tables in the vestibule of the church. We ask online at www.MarketDay.com and pick it up at a that you use these envelopes for your donation, GFS store near you. We will still earn a portion of no matter the size, and either place in the Sunday the normal proceeds. collection or on the counter in the sacristy. If you When you shop at GFS, we earn 5% profit on wish to have your donation recorded in your Market Day© items and 1% profit on any other parish donation file, please write your name on GFS Marketplace items. Simply tell the cashier the front of the envelope. Thank you for your you want your purchases credited to St. Kieran! cooperation in this matter. The St. Kieran Religious Education office We thank everyone in the parish for their appreciates your support of this fundraiser. generous donations to St. Kieran Cares! Fourth Sunday of Easter Page 5 Parish News & Events Ministers of Care This weekend our Ministers of Care will receive a special blessing and their Mandate Certificates at the Saturday, 5 PM Mass. The Ministry of Care is part of the church’s outreach to the community as this ministry is almost entirely outside of the parish church proper. Ministers of Care are, first of all, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion (or as many know it—Communion Ministers,) who have been through extensive training in many different disciplines to prepare them to visit the sick and dying of the parish. Their training consists of over twelve hours in the following areas: the Spirituality of the Minister, the Experience of Suffering, Pastoral Listening Skills, Theology of Suffering and Sickness, Ministerial Procedures, and Prayer and Sacraments. For many of our ministers, this training took place over the span of several weeks, requiring driving a distance to the host parish. Once this training is complete and a Certificate has been issued, the minister is Mandated to Serve by the Archdiocesan Office of Divine Worship.