English | Español Dear parishioners, I hope you are enjoying the blessings of this Easter Season and the beauty of Springtime in Chicago. I want to personally thank everyone who helped to make this year’s Holy Week a glorious celebration. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday we reenacted, relived, and participated in the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our entire parish community came together, and our devotion bloomed through the beauty of our churches and the size of our congregations. Wonderful volunteers gloriously decorated each of our three altars. Thank you to the Vietnamese community, Deacon Paul Spalla, and the team at Saint Ita’s for their fantastic work. I would also like to thank those who purchased memorial Easter Flowers. The lilies looked lovely at all three of our churches on Easter Sunday. A special thank you to the choirs and ensembles who helped us pray more deeply through the gift of sacred music. I was especially moved during Tenebrae when the symbols and drums created the strepitus (loud noise) commemorating the moment of Christ’s death. We deeply appreciate every singer and musician who accompanied us throughout Holy Week – what an incredible commitment! Dan Lagacy deserves our thanks for assisting with and coordinating all of the big days during Holy Week. Without his help, it would be impossible to do what we do well. I also want to thank Ed Prause and his team who were able to make our spaces beautiful. This preparation doesn’t happen on its own and often we fail to appreciate the hard work behind the scenes. My sincere appreciation for the friars, deacons, priests, and visiting clergy who celebrated with us. The scale of our festivities – from the office of readings and Adoration to stations of the cross and Easter basket blessings – would not have been possible without your help. Thank you to the altar servers, and all of our confirmation students who assisted in making the liturgies run smoothly. Finally, thank you to all of the parishioners and volunteer photographers who contributed to our Holy Week 2024 photo album. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to check it out (click here). May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year bring you and your families closer to the Lord, with peace and joy overflowing around us to others. Blessings and hugs, your pastor, Haga clic aquí para la traducción al español.
We would like to wish the Lao Catholic community a very happy New Year! Parish festivities were held last Sunday at St. Thomas of Canterbury church. Mass was followed by a reception with traditional food of Lao and Vietnam. We would especially like to thank the visiting clergy Fr. Bang, Fr. Nick, and Deacon Joseph Thuan for helping us celebrate this special occasion. Holy Mass Reception *Photos courtesy volunteer Wes Kinard
Our parish has a rich treasury of over 50 relics. The collection speaks to the history of our three churches, our stewardship under the Conventual Franciscans, and our new identity as Mary, Mother of God Parish. These relics are on display across our parish and can be easily viewed in person or you can explore them in more detail in the new digital gallery below! Following the main gallery, photographs are further grouped into Franciscan Saints, Saints of Mercy, and Parish Church Patrons (click "read more"). Click on the photograph to expand it. You can read more about the Church's tradition of venerating relics here! Our parish has a rich treasury of over 50 relics. The collection speaks to the history of our three churches, our stewardship under the Conventual Franciscans, and our new identity as Mary, Mother of God Parish. Read more about the Church's tradition of venerating relics below and/or explore the full photograph collection here.
Where does this tradition come from?
What are the three kinds of relics?
We've created a digital photo album for Holy Week. New photographs will be uploaded each day so you can follow along with the celebrations! Click "Read More" to see all of the photographs. If you have any photographs you would like to add, please email them to our parish's Communications Coordinator Stephanie Held. "May the glory and the promise of this joyous time of year bring peace and happiness to you and those you hold most dear. May Christ, Our Risen Savior, always be there by your side to bless you most abundantly and be your loving guide. Amen" Introducing the superstar volunteers from the Mary, Mother of God Parish photography team! Damian, Matt, Wes, and Dina – you may have noticed them with their name tags and cameras – have been generously sharing their time and photography talents with our community. They have photographed parish devotions and events as well as our relic collection and all three of the churches. Click "Read More" to get to know them and find out what kind of photography they specialize in. You can also see examples of their work at the parish. *If you would like to volunteer with the photography team, please email the parish's Communications Coordinator Stephanie Held at sheld@archchicago.org. You do not have to have professional experience to volunteer. All you need is enthusiasm! |
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