Blog Archives

Prayer for Pope Leo XIV

5/16/2025

In accordance with tradition, white-and-gold bunting has been draped around the front doors of our parish churches in honor of the election of Pope Leo XVI. We join Catholics around the world in celebrating our new pontiff and take special pride in his Chicago roots.

May the good Lord bless you, Pope Leo, and may you bring your values as an Augustinian friar to the papacy.

A Prayer for the Pope:
Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give to your shepherd a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the Apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build your Church into a sacrament of unity, love and peace for all the world. Amen.

Celebrating Loyola Student Volunteers

5/15/2025

Every week, the Office of Community Service & Action (CSA) at Loyola University coordinates student volunteers at the Soup Kitchen. Below are photos of the students throughout this past academic year. We are grateful for this on-going collaboration and want to thank the students who have helped with cooking, hospitality, and cleaning each week.

Parish Pastoral Council Minutes - May 15, 2025

5/15/2025

Mary, Mother of God Parish Pastoral Council
Meeting Minutes, Thursday, May 15, 2025, 7:00 p.m.
St. Ita Rectory Basement

PDF in English

We need your talents and voices! All parishioners are invited to join the restructured Parish Pastoral Council as members of the standing commissions. (All commissioners are asked to commit 1.5-2.5 hours per month to their role.) If you feel called to serve in parish governance, please contact the front office at 773-562-5343 or [email protected] to learn more.

PDF en español

¡Necesitamos vuestros talentos y vuestras voces! Todos los feligreses están invitados a unirse al reestructurado Consejo Pastoral Parroquial como miembros de las comisiones permanentes. (Se pide a todos los comisionados que se comprometan a dedicar entre 1.5 y 2.5 horas al mes a su función). Si usted se siente llamado a servir en el gobierno de la parroquia, por favor póngase en contacto con la oficina al 773-561-5343 ó [email protected] para obtener más información

In Attendance: Stephanie Held, Jack Nuelle, Fr. Alejandro Lopez, Joyce Knight, Robert Krug, Ellen Credille, Lorena Nava de Machado, Heberto Machado, Lionel Osaghae, Eunice Daniels, Miroslava Mejia Krug, Susan Silvano, Tony Silvano, Vince Singvongsa

Meeting commenced at 7:06pm

Why do you serve as an Altar Server?

5/13/2025

The altar server is an important part of the celebration of the Mass and assists the priest and deacon throughout the liturgy. This ministry is not just a job. It is a way to meet new friends, better understand the Mass, and assist the worship of our entire parish!

All children 4th grade and older who have received First Communion are welcome to serve at the altar for Holy Mass. If a young person in your life would like to be an Altar Server, contact Director of Liturgical Ministries, Dan Lagacy, at 773-561-5343 x 13 or via email.

Hear from our current servers...

AMANDA:
“Hi my name is Amanda. I’ve been serving for 2 years and 9 months – since I was 8 years old and now, I am ten. I am very grateful to get this opportunity to serve Jesus, God, and the Church. The reason why I continue serving is because it’s so beautiful to serve. I also want to get closer to God and Jesus. Ever since I started serving, I started to believe more and more and now I truly believe. I enjoy serving because I see people uniting at the church to visit God and Jesus. It’s beautiful to see the community who comes to the church. Serving inspired me a lot. I hope more kids would like to serve! God bless you!”

SAMANTHA:
"My name is Samantha. I have been serving for 10 years. I have been in St. Ita’s Children’s Choir since I was 6 years old, and one year later, I started training to become an altar server. I wanted to find different ways to help out around the parish. To be an altar server to me means I have the opportunity to strengthen my relationship with God. It helped shape my spiritual identity.

Serving at the foot of the altar is an incredible privilege. To be so close to the consecration is one thing, but to have unique roles in the preparation of the altar, assisting in the washing of the priest’s hands, ringing the bells - just to name a few- puts the altar server right in the middle of it all.

It has been gratifying training for the hands-on service and being an active participant during this sacred time. Mary, Mother of God Parish is such a warm-hearted, tight-knit community, and altar serving helped me forge deep connections with other parishioners. I met some of my best friends through altar serving and weekly Masses. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I have been given for these past 10 years- whether it be being a candle holder, cross bearer, incense holder, or singer- and aspire to continue serving."

JOSPEH:
“My name is Joseph. I began my journey of service when I was eight years old, and now at sixteen, I continue to find joy and purpose in helping out at church. Initially, I started simply to make my mom happy, but I soon discovered that serving is both refreshing and fulfilling. What I enjoy most about serving is knowing that even small acts can make a big difference. Every time I lend a hand – whether by sharing a smile or offering support – I feel like I’m an important part of our community and contributing to something greater than myself.

Through serving, I’ve learned about commitment, responsibility, and the value of selflessness. This experience has enriched my life and deepened my connection to the people around me. If you’re thinking about joining in, I encourage you to give it a try – you might be surprised at how much joy and strength it brings to our community.”

Volunteer Spotlight Food Pantry

5/12/2025

"I'm a huge believer in giving back to the community...every little bit helps. I'm fortunate that I'm able to volunteer two days a week at the food pantry, and I try to put a smile on our clients' faces. I think building a community is very important in today's world, and having a community comprised of both volunteers and clients is rewarding.

Also, I am so happy to be able to contribute to the food pantry by making food storage bins and tables. It just takes a bit of patience and some planning and I love to build things! I want to make the experience better for both the volunteers and the clients. I encourage everyone to come and help at the food pantry. It is great fun and there is super positive energy in the church basement on Monday and Thursday mornings! It takes a team to make the pantry work!

-Kara Chmielewski
Food Pantry Volunteer

We are always looking for volunteers to help patrons shop and to restock shelves. Learn more about the Food Pantry and ways you can volunteer by emailing our Food Pantry Manager, Br. Ayub Mwenda.

First Communions 2025

5/10/2025

Congratulations to the children from the Religious Education Program and St. Thomas of Canterbury School who celebrated their First Holy Communion on Saturday, May 10.

Let us pray for all the children who, for the first time, received the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion. May they always know His peace, the light of His love, and the joy of His life within them.

Let us pray for their relatives and friends. May they continue to nurture these children in their faith and relationship with the Church.

Let us pray for all the catechists and clergy who prepared the students for First Confession and Holy Communion. May God bless them and bestow upon them the gifts they need in their important ministry.

Amen.

Felicitaciones a los niños del Programa de Educación Religiosa y del Colegio Santo Tomás de Canterbury que celebraron su Primera Comunión el sábado 10 de mayo.

Oremos por todos los niños que, por primera vez, recibieron al Señor Jesús en la Sagrada Comunión. Que siempre sientan su paz, la luz de su amor y la alegría de su vida en ellos.

Oremos por sus familiares y amigos. Que sigan nutriendo a estos niños en su fe y su relación con la Iglesia.

Oremos por todos los catequistas y clérigos que prepararon a los alumnos para la Primera Confesión y la Sagrada Comunión. Que Dios los bendiga y les conceda los dones que necesitan en su importante ministerio.

Amén.

Volunteer Spotlight Soup Kitchen

5/9/2025

“All of my adult life I have now and again volunteered in soup kitchens whether in New Jersey, New York, or here in Chicago. My faith and the words from the Gospel of Matthew 25: 23 “I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me” have inspired me. It is a blessing to help provide a meal for the guest and an additional blessing to receive their appreciation and gratitude for our efforts. I fell in line with a fantastic group of volunteers, it is a shared community experience as we work hand-in-hand to make the Soup Kitchen happen. Pope Francis wrote, “When you pray for the poor and hungry, you feed them and that's how prayer works.”

- Joseph Murry,
Soup Kitchen volunteer

If you are interested in preparing warm meals, serving dinner, and offering fellowship, please contact the coordinator of outreach volunteers, Jennifer. Learn more about the story of the Soup Kitchen by clicking here.

Soup Kitchen Donation

5/9/2025

The Soup Kitchen recently received a very large anonymous donation. 📦 The volunteers would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the person who sent this generous gift of bowls, utensils, gloves, tape, and more. We deeply appreciate your commitment to our Outreach Ministries.

🥣 Learn more about the Soup Kitchen and ways you can support its efforts by clicking here.

Prayer for the Conclave

5/7/2025

Today, Wednesday, May 7, as the cardinals gather in conclave to elect our next Pope, we as a Church pray...

Holy Spirit, enlighten the Church at this time, especially all the cardinals you call to take part in the conclave. Grant them wisdom and holiness so that all may cooperate with your inspiration and guidance to elect the next Vicar of Christ, your chosen servant. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our parish churches, and Catholic churches around the world, have draped black bunting around their doors as a symbol of mourning since the death of Pope Francis. According to tradition, black bunting is to remain in place until the election of a new pope, when it will be replaced by white-and-gold bunting.

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