 This week we celebrate the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time refers to all of those parts of the Church's liturgical year that aren't included in the major seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. There's an interesting article on the website of the Catholic Telegraph, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, that explains the structure of this part of the liturgical year. The Ultimate Guide to Ordinary Time Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website; www.usccb.org On Saturday, June 12, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live streamed on YouTube. You may access the live stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. Please take a look at the article "We are open!" for information about moving into Restore Illinois Phase 5 beginning June 11. The Archdiocese encourages getting vaccinated. "A Catholic can, in good conscience, receive the COVID-19 vaccines, as declared by our Holy Father and evidenced by Cardinal Cupich’s own vaccination. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be understood as an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good." Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass Intention for the 11th Week in Ordinary Time  Good news! We are open!
Thank you to all who made it possible for us to continue to gather in worship during this unprecedented, stressful, and difficult time. Ushers, greeters, and cleaners worked extremely hard to keep us safe while attending Mass. Behind the scenes volunteers took great care in implementing protocols and procedures that were required. Technology “geniuses” spent long hours with creating and updating our protocol for making reservations on SignUpGenius, another requirement. The Archdiocese of Chicago has given us new guidelines that, with few exceptions, bring us back church in ways that are familiar and needed for our spiritual life. These guidelines are effective with the start of Restore Illinois Phase 5 beginning June 11. Capacity
See you in church!  Donate now, reduce your state income tax and invest in our children’s future! Take advantage of a limited time, 1-for-1 matching gift benefiting St. Hilary School!
Looking for a way to decrease your Illinois state income tax liability? What if you could decrease what you owe to the state and potentially increase your state tax refund, while also helping fund scholarships for students to attend St. Hilary School? Click on the link below for complete information. OCS Match Program  This week we celebrate Trinity Sunday.
Trinity Sunday is celebrated a week after Pentecost Sunday. Trinity Sunday honors the most fundamental of Christian beliefs—belief in the Holy Trinity. The human mind can never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, but we can sum it up in the following formula: God is three Persons in one Nature. There is only one God, and the three Persons of God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—are all equally God, and they cannot be divided. Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org On Saturday, May 29, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live streamed on YouTube. You may access the live stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. The Archdiocese of Chicago continues to update the COVID-19 protocols for attending Mass in person. Although the CDC, the state, and the city have made new recommendations, for the time being, reservations and masks are still required for attending Mass here at St. Padre Pio. Also, the Archdiocese encourages getting vaccinated. "A Catholic can, in good conscience, receive the COVID-19 vaccines, as declared by our Holy Father and evidenced by Cardinal Cupich’s own vaccination. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be understood as an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good." Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass Intentions for Trinity Week  This week we celebrate Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
The Feast of Corpus Christi, also known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, celebrates the Real Presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. Two months earlier, the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is observed on Holy Thursday in celebration leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also commemorates Christ's washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the priesthood, and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by Saint Thomas Aquinas to Pope Urban IV to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasizing the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. In 1264, the pontiff, then living in Orvieto, established the feast of Corpus Christi as a Solemnity and extended it to the whole Roman Catholic Church. The feast is assigned to the Sunday after the Most Holy Trinity. In some parishes, there is a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, usually displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. A notable Eucharistic procession, presided over by the Pope each year in Rome, begins at the Lateran Basilica and passes to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where it concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org On Saturday, June 5, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live streamed on YouTube. You may access the live stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. The Archdiocese of Chicago continues to update the COVID-19 protocols for attending Mass in person. Although the CDC, the state, and the city have made new recommendations, for the time being, reservations and masks are still required for attending Mass here at St. Padre Pio. Also, the Archdiocese encourages getting vaccinated. "A Catholic can, in good conscience, receive the COVID-19 vaccines, as declared by our Holy Father and evidenced by Cardinal Cupich’s own vaccination. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be understood as an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good." Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass intentions for the week of Corpus Christi  May 25 is the birthday of our patron saint! Please take look at this from Catholic Online for some information on the remarkable life of Padre Pio:
Catholic Online We also look forward to celebrating his Feast Day on September 23. As we continue to move forward in the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, we prayerfully anticipate a proper celebration!  This week we celebrate Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) from Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). The stained-glass window over the north door of the main entrance of the church depicts the descent of the Holy Spirit. An interesting note is that the windows over the main entrance are not the originals from F.X. Zettler, the company that designed and installed our fantastic windows. Those windows were stolen decades ago by people posing as workmen. The windows we now have are copies of somewhat lesser quality. Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org On Saturday, May 22, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the live-stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. The Archdiocese of Chicago continues to update the COVID-19 protocols for attending Mass in person. Although the city and the CDC have made new recommendations, for the time being, reservations and masks are still required for attending Mass here at St. Padre Pio. Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass Intentions for Pentecost Week  This week we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord.
Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org On Saturday, May 15, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the live-stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. The Church of St. Hilary is home to a remarkable installation of stained glass windows from F.X. Zettler of Munich. This was one of the most respected designers of stained glass windows at the time they were installed in 1956. The "Ascension of the Lord" is depicted in the center window on the north side of the church. The Archdiocese of Chicago has updated some of the COVID-19 protocols for attending Mass in person. Please see the article on the website that is next to this one for more information. It is good news! Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass Intentions for the Week of Ascension  Good news!
The Archdiocese of Chicago has increased the number of people allowed inside the church for Masses to 60% of our seating capacity. Beginning this weekend, with the celebration of the Ascension of the Lord, we will be allowed to have 360 people attend any of our Masses. The safety protocols to which we've become accustomed will remain in place. Reservations on SignUpGenius are still required. Masks must still be worn at all times while inside the church. Making reservations is quick and easy. The link may be found on the parish website under "In-Person Masses" along with the Mass schedule. Also, the Archdiocese encourages getting vaccinated. "A Catholic can, in good conscience, receive the COVID-19 vaccines, as declared by our Holy Father and evidenced by Cardinal Cupich’s own vaccination. Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should be understood as an act of love of our neighbor and part of our moral responsibility for the common good." Progress is happening! Take care of yourselves!  This week we celebrate the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Readings are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: www.usccb.org On Saturday, May 8, the 5PM English and 7PM Spanish Masses will be live-streamed on YouTube. You may access the live-stream by clicking on the YouTube logo under “CONNECT WITH US” at the bottom of the website frontpage. These Masses will be available for future viewing as recordings by clicking the same YouTube link. The Wednesday 8:30AM Daily Mass is live-streamed on Facebook. There is a direct link on the bottom of the website frontpage. On Saturday, May 8, we celebrated First Communion for our 2nd grade students of St. Hilary School. Please keep these children and their families in your prayers. Happy Mother’s Day! Let us please keep all our mothers, living and deceased, in our prayers. Mass Intentions are available with the following link: Mass Intentions Sixth Week of Easter |
