 On June 30, our parish cultural center, St. Gregory's Hall, hosted a tour of St. Gregory the Great church (5545 N. Paulina) with Artist-in-residence Sarah Crow. Attendees learned about the liturgical and decorative art from a practicing sacred artist! 🎨 Crow took visitors through the church, showcasing its Norman Gothic architectural beauty and unique decorations which employ a diversity of artistic styles. The marble statues, hand-carved wooden shrines, polychromed ceiling, jewel-stained glass, and other decorative features comprise a survey of the history of sacred art including medieval, neoclassical, preraphaelite, art-deco, and folk art styles. Everyone had a wonderful time on the tour. *Photos courtesy of parish volunteer Damian Chlanda
At the end of June, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed though the Archdiocese of Chicago. (The Pilgrimage is as part of the National Eucharistic Revival which you can learn more online: eucharisticrevival.org🔗.) On June 29, Mary, Mother of God parishioners joined other Catholics from Vicariate II, our geographical region in the Archdiocese, to celebrate the Pilgrimage with a special Mass Devotion at Queen of All Saints Basilica. Bishop Bartosic celebrated Mass and afterwards led a Eucharistic Procession that stopped at seven altars set up around the parish campus representing our seven Deaneries in Vicariate II. Thank you to Mark Franzen and Ron Carrier for creating the Mary, Mother of God Parish altar to represent our Deanery! *Photos courtesy of volunteer Damian Chlanda
We have a new friar helping out at the parish this summer! We are happy to introduce you all to Friar Maximilian Anselm Rewa. Get to know him a little bit better and see what kind of work he will be doing at Mary, Mother of God Parish for the next couple months.
Where were you before coming to Mary, Mother of God Parish? I grew up in a Catholic family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and after high school, I earned a degree in History and Social Studies from Central Michigan University. Later, I received a degree in Philosophy from Mundelein Seminary and spent about two years working as a substitute teacher. The past year, I have lived in San Antonio, TX while studying at the Oblate School of Theology and my ministry was the Franciscan Outreach Ministry – serving the poor in a soup kitchen – at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Before my time in San Antonio, my first two years of formation with the friars were Postulancy (2021-’22) and Novitiate (2022-’23). Postulancy was here in Chicago and one of my ministries was teaching religion classes at the St. Thomas of Canterbury School. The novitiate was in Arroyo Grande, CA and my two ministries then were at a food pantry and prison ministry. What will you be doing here at the parish? I will be here at Mary, Mother of God Parish for most of the summer and my two primary objectives are to improve my skills using the Spanish language and to experience our friar’s ministries in a parish setting. The ministries that I will be involved in include the Food Pantry at St. Thomas of Canterbury as well as help with Canterbury House and some catechesis (also at Canterbury House). I will be getting practice using my Spanish skills in all these ministries while I am taking one Spanish course through the City Colleges of Chicago. What are some of the things you enjoy in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time outdoors, especially in the Summer and Fall; some of my favorite activities include fishing, camping, hiking, swimming, and running. Other things I enjoy are reading (religious, history, or fantasy), watching movies (fantasy, science fiction, or action/adventure) and sports (baseball and football), and spending time with friends and family. Some of my interests include history, astronomy, and music.
 By the request of parishioners, we have created a Death & Funeral Announcements page on the website. This will allow our community to share short obituaries of our recently deceased as well as details of funeral services or memorial Masses. You can find the announcement page at motherofgodchicago.org/funerals. If you would like to post a death or funeral announcement for your recently deceased loved one, please email the following information to the office or bring it in-person to the main office (1220 W. Catalpa).
Anuncios de defunción y funeralesA petición de los feligreses, hemos creado una página de Anuncios de Defunción y Funeral en el sitio web. Esto permitirá a nuestra comunidad compartir obituarios breves de nuestros fallecidos recientemente, así como detalles de los servicios funerarios o misas conmemorativas. Puede encontrar la página del anuncio en motherofgodchicago.org/funerals.
Si desea publicar un anuncio de defunción o funeral de un ser querido recientemente fallecido, envíe la siguiente información por correo electrónico o tráigala en persona a la oficina principal (1220 W. Catalpa).
 Introducing the newest members of our parish Finance Council – Brian Wells and Miroslava Krug! Thank you both for your commitment and willingness to serve our parish community. Gracious God, we humbly come before You in prayer today to offer our immense gratitude for the blessing of the selfless volunteers in our community. We are filled with wonderment at their tireless dedication and benevolence. The Finance Council works with the Pastor to balance long-term financial goals against short-term financial needs. Together they strive to meet the spiritual needs of our faith community and the needs of the buildings that are the “bricks and mortar” of the parish. In other words, to pay for today’s bills while ensuring the parish’s future vitality.
Mary, Mother of God Parish Pastoral Council Meeting Minutes, Tuesday, June 11, 2024, 7:00 p.m. St. Ita Jubilee Hall Present: Fr. Alejandro Lopez, Jack Nuelle, Frank Ativie, Kokou Dagawa, Fr. Bob Sprott, Cheryl Sporlein, Joyce Ramirez-Knight, James Murphy, Deacon Paul Spalla, Susan Silvano, Robert Krug, Eunice Daniels, Yasha Hookens, Stephanie Held
Not present: Chris Grant, Deacon Ron, Diane Trinh, Eva Niewiadomski, Fr. Thomas Fetz, Heberto Machado, Jr., Juan Ramirez, Lionel Osaghae, Lorena Nava de Machado, Lucy Cordon, Mark A. Franzen, Mercedes Mac Laughlin, Michael Magada, Ms. Boyd, Fr. Romert Morales, Vince Singvongsa Guests: Ellen L. Credille. Rick Landry and Sarah Pelrine from Archdiocesan Directorate of Vicariate Renewal  Dear Parishioners: God, the Father, has entrusted each person to the care of an earthly father. Whether he be an actual father or a grandfather, godfather, stepfather, uncle, brother, or trusted friend, God intends this figure to teach us by word and witness of our Lord’s unconditional love. At Mary, Mother of God Parish, we have an opportunity to offer God and our father figures gratitude with the gift of prayer during our annual Father’s Day Novena. Envelops are available in the back of all three churches for you to enroll your loved ones (living and deceased) in the novena. Those enrolled will be remembered at every Mass throughout Mary, Mother of God Parish and in the Franciscan friars’ daily prayers for the nine days leading up to Father’s Day, from June 8th through June 16th. No donation is necessary for names to be enrolled in the novena. You can mail the envelope back to us, drop it off at the parish office, or put it in the collection basket. Have a blessed Father’s Day. Peace and All Good,  |
