 On Thursday, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will consecrate our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Devotion to the Sacred Heart was popularized by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, who received apparitions of the Lord Jesus from 1673 to 1675. The image symbolizes God's endless mercy for each one of us; U.S. bishops said they chose the Sacred Heart in part because of its message of Christ’s love and suffering in a time of division.
You can livestream the consecration Mass this Thursday at 3 PM on the USCCB YouTube page: youtube.com/@UsccbOrg/streams ------------------------- Este jueves, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos consagrará nuestro país al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en honor al 250 aniversario de la firma de la Declaración de Independencia. La devoción al Sagrado Corazón fue popularizada por Santa Margarita María Alacoque, quien recibió apariciones del Señor Jesús entre 1673 y 1675. La imagen simboliza la misericordia infinita de Dios para cada uno de nosotros. Los obispos estadounidenses indicaron que eligieron el Sagrado Corazón, en parte, por su mensaje del amor y el sufrimiento de Cristo en un tiempo de división. Puedes ver la Misa de consagración en vivo este jueves a las 3 PM en la página de YouTube de la USCCB: youtube.com/@UsccbOrg/streams  Every year, Mary, Mother of God Parish offers novenas for parishioners to participate in. Our three biggest are the Mother's Day novena, Father's Day novena, and All Souls' Day novena.
This ancient Catholic devotion is prayed over nine consecutive days, often on behalf of a loved one or other special cause. According to tradition, after Jesus ascended to Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary & Apostles prayed in anticipation for nine days before finally receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This is often considered the first novena. During these novenas, our Conventual Franciscan friars remember your intentions in their prayers and Masses, offering them to Our Lord. Our next novena, the Father’s Day novena, will run from June 13-21. Parishioners will receive envelopes in the mail; envelopes will also be available in the back of church. Community members will soon be able to research Mary, Mother of God Parish history with our new Heritage Room & Library. The archive includes more than 100 years of primary sources and artifacts from our three churches: Saint Ita, St. Thomas of Canterbury, and St. Gregory the Great. The Heritage Room & Library are the result of years of collaboration among parish staff, parishioners and student volunteers from nearby Loyola University. On Sunday, May 31, volunteers and staff hosted an Open House to introduce the new space at St. Gregory the Great. Neighbors and parishioners stopped by to visit an exhibit of selected archive items and discuss the project. ABC7 covered the event for its 5 o'clock newscast that evening. You can watch the report here. Stay tuned for our next update, detailing how to sign up & use the space! This year, we join with all the parishes in Cook and Lake counties to kick off the Archdiocesan capital campaign, Generation to Generation: Answer the Call. Our goal at Mary, Mother of God is to raise $1,025,000 in pledges that are payable over five (5) years. Fifty percent of the funds from these pledges will go toward spiritually renewing our church, supporting our priests, and assisting vulnerable communities. The remaining fifty percent goes to restoring and enhancing the worship space at each of our churches. When you receive your invitation to participate in this historic effort, please pray for the success of the Generation to Generation campaign and please discern a multi-year pledge that is right for your family. If you would like to contribute, click here to contact our parish Director of Stewardship, Dorothy Julian.  |