Saint Monica Parish Nineteenth Sunday In Ordinary Time August 11, 2013 St. Monica Mission Statement Saint Monica is a welcoming Catholic faith community. Proclaiming the power of the Word of God, we join together in the celebration of the Eucharist and all Sacraments. We aim to follow Jesus Christ— To Serve as He Served, To Live as He Lived and To Love as He Loved. SAINT MONICA PARISH Church Location: Corner of Foster and Nottingham Avenues Office Address: 5136 N. Nottingham Ave., Chicago, IL 60656 Telephone: 773-763-1661 Fax: 773-763-4917 August 1 to 18 Office Hours: Monday through Friday — 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Sunday: 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 Noon Parish Website: www.stmonicachicago.com Bulletin Article Requests: E-mail to [email protected] Parish Staff Weekend Mass Schedule Saturday at 4:00 p.m.—English and 6:00 p.m.—Polish Rev. Fred Tomzik Pastor Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 12:00 Noon. Rev. Andrew Izyk Associate Pastor Polish at 1:30 p.m. Rev. James O’Brien, Pastor Emeritus St. Eugene Parish & Senior Priest Weekday Mass Schedule Rev. William Holbrook Senior Priest Monday through Friday at 8:00 a.m. Mr. Ken Jenney Deacon Mr. Ron Gronek Deacon Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet Mr. Ed Podgorski Deacon Prayed weekdays after the 8:00 a.m. Eucharist. Mrs. Laurie Becker Director of Religious Education Eucharistic Adoration Mr. Jon Callahan Director of Music & Liturgy Held on the first Friday of each month, beginning at Mrs. Sabina Debski Parish Secretary 1:00 p.m. and concluding with Benediction at 7:00 p.m. (some Mr. Richard Grabowiecki Maintenance Engineer exceptions due to Holy Days and liturgical celebrations). Mrs. Mary Haj Bulletin Editor/Facility Scheduling Mrs. Dorothy Spencer Director of Finance SACRAMENTS: Mrs. Gwenn Suvada Business Office Coordinator Anointing of the Sick The special grace of this Sacrament offers the Lord’s healing strength, peace and courage to anyone St. Monica Academy who is seriously or chronically ill, hospitalized or about 5115 N. Mont Clare, Chicago, Illinois 60656 to undergo surgery. Please contact the Parish Office if Telephone: 773-631-7880 you wish to have someone anointed. Fax: 773-631-3266 Website: www.stmonicaacademy.org Baptism The Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated twice a Academy Staff month, the first Saturday of the month at 11:00 a.m. and Mr. Raymond Coleman Principal the third Sunday of the month at 3:30 p.m. (some exceptions Mrs. Lucia Pellegrini Secretary due to Holy Days and liturgical celebrations). Please call the Parish Office to register for the program and to set Church Etiquette a date for the Baptism. The presiding priest should be the last one Marriage entering the church, and the first one to be leaving the Archdiocese of Chicago guidelines for marriage church. preparation ask that a minimum of six months be set If you are arriving late for Mass, please choose aside for preparation for marriage. No firm date for a an appropriate time to enter the church, such as when wedding will be set until the conclusion of the couple’s everyone is standing, but not during the readings or first meeting with the parish minister. At least one of prayers. Please know that it is better to be present at the engaged persons (or their parents) must be a Mass, even if you are a little late, than not to be registered and active parishioner of St. Monica. No Sunday present at all. weddings are scheduled. Please be respectful and courteous when Ministry to the Sick/Homebound entering church by turning off ALL cell phones If you or a family member are in a local and beepers. Church is a place of worship and hospital or are homebound and would like to have a should be treated with reverence. Thank You. visit from a priest, please call the Parish Office to make arrangements. Ministers of Care are also available to St. Monica’s is fully handicap bring Communion to those who are confined at home accessible. Dedicated in 1988, St. Monica and are unable to attend Mass, either temporarily or on Church was the first in the Archdiocese a continual basis. Please call the Parish Office to of Chicago to be fully accessible to people schedule a visit. with disabilities. There are no steps, all Reconciliation (Confession) doors have levers instead of knobs, and Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. (English and Polish) the sanctuary is ramped. Individual confessions available by appointment. Parish News . From the August 11, 2013 Pastor’s Desk very Sunday we hear the Prayers of the Faithful during which we are E asked to “pray for the sick our parish especially….” It seems that the only name that is included under the names of the sick is mine. I am happy that everyone in the parish continues to pray for me, but I wonder, isn’t there anyone else in our parish that is seriously sick and in special need of prayer? I know there must be someone else who is seriously sick once in a while and in need of prayers. We are a normal parish and unfortunately some of us do get sick, sometimes with a serious illness. It may be that you don’t know how to get someone on the sick list. Yes, it has become a little more complicated than it used to be because of privacy laws, but it isn’t too difficult. The privacy laws require that a “family member” call the Parish Office and specifically request to be put on the prayer list for that week’s Sunday Mass. Unfortunately, it can’t be a concerned friend; the family has to call each week to put it on (darn privacy laws!) but that is all it takes. One last little detail, it does help to call as early in the week as possible so it will get in for the upcoming week. That’s all it takes. It’s not that I’m wishing others to be sick, but I want to share our public prayers. It’s OK if you don’t want to be mentioned in the public prayers on Sunday but please know that we do want to include others. It’s not an exclusive club; all are welcome to be prayed for. With regards to the prayers for the dead, we will always include anyone buried from St. Monica during the past week or for the coming week. If a family member dies but is buried from another church, we would be glad to pray for them. Simply have a family member call the Parish Office (preferably during the week) and ask for them to be put on the prayer list. Last week, some folks at the 4:00 p.m. Mass asked me to give an update on how I am doing with my cancer battle since the last time I wrote was back in March. Since Easter, things have been up and down. My numbers had been going in the wrong direction since my chemotherapy ended in March. In mid-April at a follow up appointment, I was first scolded for doing too much over Easter and then plans were made for more tests to see what was going on. For the next three months, I have pretty much been at a doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital two or three times a week. I felt I moved in without having to stay overnight. I think I given up a gallon or more of blood, drank enough radioactive tracers to be my own night light, and endured enough scans to qualify as nuclear medicine technician. It has been three months of “looking good” but not “feeling good.” We had weekly starts and stops. It felt like we were driving in a car which first went 60 miles an hour only to slam on the brakes to stop and start over and over again. My availability in the parish suffered during these last three months because of this. I am sorry if I missed something you wanted me at, but I had to do what was necessary for my health. Chemotherapy has messed with some of my insides which have interfered with what they want to use as a treatment. After finding more specialists to add to my list of doctors and ultimately some surgery for a liver biopsy (no fun), we are finally, as of July 1, moving forward with a medication. However, there once again seems to be another setback and complication following one of my doctor visits this past week. Hopefully, this can be resolved quickly and easily. Thank you all for your prayers, they have really helped. Fr. Fred Tomzik August 11, 2013 Page 3 In Our Thoughts & Prayers . Special Prayers For Those Who Are In Need MONDAY, August 12, 2013 Marilyn Bell, Helen Borer, Pat Brennan, Jo Buscemi, 8:00 a.m. — Vito & Mary Napolitano—God’s blessings Cindy Cisek, Patrick Creighan, Irma D’Orazio, James T. Devine, Eugene Dunaj, Carole Edwards, Fred Lasare, Kiana Mary, Agnes & Edward Stachnik Marconi, Laura Merczak, Dolores Nieciecki, Stella Ognar, Max Melinda Malatesta (Birthday) Piekos, Scott Ronstadt, Dan Rozek, Augie Sansone, Theresa TUESDAY, August 13, 2013 Serek, Tim Sheehan, Denise Slaski, Emil Sliwa, Fr. Fred 8:00 a.m. — Joseph Paul Tomzik, Ida Traczyk, Janice Vercillo, Wanda Weglarz, Laura WEDNESDAY, August 14, 2013 Wysocki, and all the sick and aged of our parish.