Immaculate Conception Parish Bulletin The Epiphany of the Lord www.icelmhurst.org January 3, 2021 2 The blessing of the home on the Epiphany is an invitation to Jesus to be a daily guest in our lives and to bless all who come in and out of our home. There will be cards available to take home this weekend which include the following prayer to pray and chalk. The tradition is to write the numbers of the new year over your front door with the chalk. Pictured above are the numbers for 2021. C+M+B are the cross and initials of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ bless this house). Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord. We encourage you to participate in this activity. THE PROCLAMATION OF EPIPHANY Dear brothers and sisters, The glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of His return. Through the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation. Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: His last supper, His crucifixion, His burial, and His rising celebrated between the evening of the First of April and the evening of the Forth of April. Each Easter – as on each Sunday – the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death. From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the Seventeenth of February. The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the Thirteenth of May. Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the Twenty-Third of May. This year, the First Sunday of Advent will be on the Twenty-Eighth of November. Likewise, the pilgrim of Church proclaims the Passover of Christ in the feasts of the Holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed. To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history be endless praise, for ever and ever. Amen. The Epiphany of the Lord www.icelmhurst.org January 3, 2021 3 This Week’s Schedule Monday, 1/4 6:15am and 7:30am Mass Church Tuesday, 1/5 6:15am and 7:30am Mass Church Wednesday,1/6 6:15am and 7:30am Mass Church Thursday,1/7 6:15am and 7:30am Mass Church Friday, 1/8 6:15am and 7:30am Mass Church Saturday,1/9 8:00am Mass Church 4:30pm Mass Sacred Heart Chapel Sunday, 1/10 7:30am Mass Church 9:00am Mass Sacred Heart Chapel 11:30am Mass Sacred Heart Chapel *Please note: you do not need reservations for weekday Mass. Please see the next page for Mass guidelines. Please also note that ICGS and ICCP Masses are available via livestream ONLY Reconciliation will take place 2pm-3:30pm on Saturday, January 9th in the Sacred Heart Chapel The following guidelines must be followed at all times without exception: • You must wear a face mask at all times • If you have any symptoms of illness or have been exposed directly to COVID-19 within the last 14 days you are not able to attend. • Those in a vulnerable population are encouraged not to attend. • Bathrooms are only available in the case of an extreme emergency. We ask that you properly prepare yourself in this manner. • You will enter the Sacred Heart Chapel through the center doors that face Arthur Street. Greeters will be present to direct you and to make sure you are following protocols. • Upon entering the Chapel, you will be given hand sanitizer. • You will remain standing – no chairs will be provided • You will choose whether to go behind the screen or face to face, both options are socially distant • When the Sacrament is completed, the penitent exits down the western side aisle without touching any surfaces • The penance that is prescribed can be done anywhere except in the Chapel. Suggested places include: by the Marian grotto, in your vehicle, or at your house The Epiphany of the Lord www.icelmhurst.org January 3, 2021 4 IN Person Mass Attendance Guidelines Before you leave home: • If you are 65 or older, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions, please consider joining us via our live streaming service. If you have symptoms of any type of illness, please remain at home and be attentive to your health needs. The obligation for Mass attendance is still suspended and will remain so until further notice. Your health and safety is our primary concern. • You will be required to wear a mask/face covering for the duration of our Mass. • A reservation is required for attendance at weekend Masses. Please contact the parish office by Fridays at noon at 630-530-8515 or email [email protected] to secure seating. Your reservation MUST be confirmed by the office. Walk-ups are welcome, but not guaranteed a seat. • Use the restroom before leaving the house. The facilities in the church or chapel must be sanitized after each use. We are striving to minimize their use. When you arrive for Mass: • Check in with a greeter at the check-in table. • Enter only through the center front doors. • Deposit your offering in the baskets provided. • An usher will provide you with hand sanitizer. • Take your place in the pew as directed by an usher. • You may only share a pew with those people who live in your home, except in cases of single participants sitting at a social distance. • Social distance will be maintained at all times. During Mass: • Do not change pews once you are seated. • Wear your mask/face covering throughout Mass (except when receiving Holy Communion). • No physical contact, except with members of your own household, during the sign of peace. • No singing or use of hymnals will occur during the Mass, in an effort to minimize risk of contamination. Receiving Holy Communion: • The priest will approach each row for communion. • When the usher approaches your pew, stand up. • You will be given more hand sanitizer by the usher; please remember not to touch your face after this. • Receive the Host in your hand ONLY. • After the priest passes by you, remove the strap from one ear of your mask or face covering, letting it hang from the other ear and uncovering your mouth, consume the Host. • Replace the mask over your mouth and nose. • You may kneel or pray silently until the priest is finished with the congregation. After Mass: • Gather all personal items. • Use only the proper exits, as directed by an usher. • Do not congregate outside the doors or in the parking lots. • Do not remove your mask until you have left the grounds. While our parish staff will attempt to take appropriate precautions consistent with the advice of public health authorities, parishioners and guests should understand that they assume the risk of contracting Covid-19 any time they enter a public space since such precautions do not eliminate the risk of infection. Parishioners will always be the first priority. We will strive to communicate clearly and frequently, to ensure we are doing all that we can to safeguard your health and to always support and prioritize your spiritual welfare. The Epiphany of the Lord www.icelmhurst.org January 3, 2021 5 Worship Masses will be live-streamed Sunday through Friday at 7:30am this week. You may also view them online at any time. Please visit our website at www.icelmhurst.org or use the link to our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/ICElmhurst TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! The Lord shines upon you and the glory of the Lord appears over you (Isaiah 60:1-6). Psalm — Lord, every nation on earth will adore you (Psalm 72). Second Reading — The Gentiles are coheirs, MONDAY, JANUARY 4 copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus 6:15AM:†Barbara Sylvester / Family through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6). 7:30AM:†Mary Jane LeGere / Gidcumb Family Gospel — Magi from the east arrived, looking †Pam Tharaldson / Tom & Margueritte for the newborn king of the Jews Paravola (Matthew 2:1-12). †Konstantino Maheras / Hyland Family The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. TUESDAY, JANUARY 6 6:15AM:†Thomas Hroza READINGS FOR THE WEEK 7:30AM:†Mary Dal Pino Monday: 1 Jn 3:22 — 4:6; Ps 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6 Tuesday: 1 Jn 4:7-10; Ps 72:1-4, 7-8; 6:15AM:†Patrick Conlon Mk 6:34-44 7:30AM:†Joyce Milder / Lamborn Family Wednesday: 1 Jn 4:11-18; Ps 72:1-2, 10, 12-13; Mk 6:45-52 THURSDAY, JANUARY 7 Thursday: 1 Jn 4:19 — 5:4; Ps 72: 1-2, 14, 15bc, 6:15AM:†Edward Ketchum / Family 17; Lk 4:14-22a 7:30AM:†Lois Van Der Molen / John Van Der Friday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20; Molen Lk 5:12-16 Saturday: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-6a, 9b; FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 Jn 3:22-30 6:15AM:†Gwen Eddington & Family / Family Sunday: Is 42:1-4, 6-7 or Is 55:1-11; Ps 29:1-4, 7:30AM:†Louella Rossi / Family 3, 9-10 or Is 12:2-3, 4bcd-6; Acts 10:34-38 or 1 Jn 5:1-9; Mk 1:7-11 SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 8:00AM:†Bill Cello / Friends SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES 4:30PM:†Conor Hendricks / Family Sunday: The Epiphany of the Lord; National Migration Week SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 7:30AM:†Edward O’Meara / Patricia Merwick Monday: St.