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Dear Parishioners:
At Mary, Mother of God parish, Christ shines forth in our many faces and traditions. We friars love all the expressions of faith here and we try to serve you by learning your cultures. To better minister at our parish, I have begun learning Vietnamese. Seeing my progress, Fr. Alejandro and our Conventual Franciscan Order have graciously permitted me to visit Vietnam for immersion. Thus, I will be away studying in Vietnam from February 5 – March 19. Upon my return, not only will I be better able to minister to our Vietnamese parishioners, but I hope to create relationships with Vietnamese friars for the future. In the short term, having one less priest here for a month and a half will be challenging, but I believe that the long-term benefits for our community are worth the sacrifice. I want to thank Mary, Mother of God Parish, Fr. Alejandro, and the Conventual Franciscan Order for supporting me; you have all been so kind. Please continue to pray for me, as I know that this experience will come with difficulties. I will do my best to remain in touch with the parish while I am away: I will pray for you all daily, offer up my sufferings for your needs, and will remain accessible through e-mail. May God give you His peace! Fr. Thomas Calling all cooks and those who want to show support for the Franciscan friars of Mary, Mother of God Parish! Your fellow parishioners have created a signup to provide a simple and healthy dinner for the men who serve our faith community. Your generosity will allow them to share a meal and strengthen their fellowship before their evening obligations. Meal Guidelines:
 How to Sign Up:
Delivery Details:
Thank you for your kindness and generosity! ¡Ayuda a alimentar a nuestros frailes!¡Llamando a todos los cocineros y aquellos que quieren mostrar su apoyo a los frailes franciscanos de María, Madre de Dios Parroquia! Sus compañeros feligreses han creado una inscripción para proporcionar una cena sencilla y saludable para los hombres que sirven a nuestra comunidad de fe. Su generosidad les permitirá compartir una comida y fortalecer su compañerismo antes de sus obligaciones nocturnas. Cómo inscribirse:
 Guías para la comida:
Detalles de Entrega:
¡Gracias por su bondad y generosidad!  If you would like a statement of your 2024 contribution to Mary, Mother of God for tax purposes, please print out the below form and return it to the parish office. You can mail the form, drop it off in person to 1220 W. Catalpa, or drop it in the collection basket at Mass. Si desea una declaración de su contribución de 2024 a María, Madre de Dios a efectos fiscales, imprima este formulario y devuélvalo a la oficina parroquial. Puede enviar el formulario por correo, entregarlo personalmente en 1220 W. Catalpa o dejarlo en la canasta de recolección en Misa.
 Every hoodie is more than clothing - it is a symbol of hope, community, and care. Proceeds support our Soup Kitchen and Outreach Programs, helping us:
The Archdiocese of Chicago has put together a list of links and contact information for organizations that offer pastoral, humanitarian, and legal advocacy support for immigrants, refugees and all in need. The descriptions are provided by the respective organizations. Please see their websites for a full understanding of programs and services offered. Click the button below to visit the website. PASTORAL AND HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) - Responding to Immigration Enforcement Efforts Pastoral Migratoria: The Immigration Ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago answers the call to welcome all immigrants in Cook and Lake counties. In doing so, we build communion between immigrants and non-immigrants as brothers and sisters in Christ and accompany and empower immigrants toward their formation and integration as members of society and people of faith in the one family of God. https://pvm.archchicago.org/human-dignity-solidarity/immigration-ministry/immigrant-social-ministries Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: We accompany anyone in need, regardless of their faith, gender, race, or ethnicity. In fact, the majority of the thousands of people we serve each day are not Catholic. https://www.catholiccharities.net/
ADVOCACY AND LEGAL SUPPORT American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): Find an immigration lawyer by practice specialization, geographic area and language fluency. https://www.ailalawyer.com / 202.507.7600 National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC): NIJC’s mission is to establish and defend the legal rights of immigrants, regardless of background, and to transform the immigration system to one that affords equal opportunity for all. https://immigrantjustice.org / 312.660.1328 Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC): Embracing the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger, CLINIC promotes the dignity and protects the rights of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and community legal immigration programs. https://www.cliniclegal.org/issues / 301.565.4800 The Resurrection Project: We provide the tools and services necessary to navigate a complex immigration legal system, ensuring access to justice for immigrants. We strive to keep families together and protect the rights of our most vulnerable community members. We advocate for immigration policies and offer high-quality legal screenings, representation, and bilingual trainings. https://resurrectionproject.org / 312.666.1623 National Immigration Legal Services Directory - Immigration Advocates Network: allows users to search for free or low-cost immigration legal services providers by state, county, or detention facility. Users can refine their search by areas and types of legal assistance provided, populations served, and languages spoken. https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/ Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS): CVLS is comprised of 2,100+ volunteer attorneys who donate free services to thousands of low-income Chicagoans annually. Our services are 100% free, accessible & real. We have done our best to bring together all the resources of the great city of Chicago. We do this by utilizing our small staff to support and train a pool of thousands of volunteer attorneys from more than 990 firms, companies, and organizations throughout the city. We support, organize and train these wonderful volunteers in order to make the biggest impact in the most cost-effective way possible. https://www.cvls.org / 312.332.1624 North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic: We provide accessible, quality, equitable, free legal services in the areas of domestic violence, housing, and immigration to give low-income, at-risk community members access to justice and the opportunity to live productive and secure lives. https://nslegalaid.org / 847.737.4042 Life Span (domestic violence): provides comprehensive services for survivors and children, enabling them to live without violence, build upon their strengths and become self-sufficient. https://life-span.org / 312.408.1210
 El domingo 19 de enero la comunidad guatemalteca de nuestra parroquia nos invitó a todos a celebrar la fiesta del Señor de Esquipulas en la misa de las 12:30 p.m. en la iglesia de Santa Ita. La misa incluyó una procesión con la imagen del Señor de Esquipulas y música especial de nuestro coro. Después de la misa, hubo una recepción en el Salón Jubileo con comida tradicional guatemalteca. Gracias a todos los que ayudaron a hacer posible esta celebración y estamos agradecidos con la comunidad guatemalteca por incluir a toda nuestra parroquia en esta fiesta especial. On Sunday, January 19 the Guatemalan community of our parish invited us all to celebrate the feast of Senor de Esquipulas at the 12:30 PM Mass at St. Ita church. Mass included a procession with the image of Senor de Esquipulas and special music from our choir. After Mass, there was a reception in Jubilee Hall with traditional Guatemalan food. Thank you to everyone who helped to made this celebration possible and we are grateful to the Guatemalan community for including our entire parish in this special feast. *Photos courtesy of parish volunteer Damian Chlanda
 At a recent meeting, the Filipinos of Saint Gregory the Great presented our Pastor Fr. Alejandro Lopez a check for the needs of the parish including the purchases of chalices for the distribution of Precious Blood that Mass. We thank them for the tireless care they give Mary, Mother of God parish and their continued generosity.
Happy New Year from the volunteers at the parish Soup Kitchen! We would like to thank the anonymous donors who sent a ladle, package of reusable grocery bags, a bag of bite-size candy, three bags of dry lentils, and a six pack of Scotch tape to St. Thomas of Canterbury. Below are photos of volunteers putting these gifts to good use. |
