SUNDAY MASS: 10:00 AM (Live-Streamed) WEEKDAY MASSES: Monday through Friday at 9:30 AM (Live-Streamed)

REV. ROGER KUTZNER, PASTOR DEACON: Mark Otten (815-469-7165) DEACON Joe Bishop (708-747-4798) PARISH SECRETARY: Kathy Short

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COORDINATOR: Deacon Mark and Anita Otten MINISTRY OF CARE: Erwin Bogs

Church: 5304 W. Main St., Monee, IL 60449 Rectory: 25942 So. Middlepoint Avenue

P.O. Box 217, Monee, IL 60449 (534-9682) Website: stbonifacemonee.org

eMail: office@stboniface.comcastbiz.net Church Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

8:30am—2:00pm

Saint Boniface Catholic Church Mission Statement

Saint Boniface is a welcoming, caring Church community united under one baptism. We encourage participation by all members in promoting

and sharing Christian and social values.

AN ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love

You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot

at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my

heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to

You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.

Page Two April 19, 2020

Saturday, April 18 (will be honored on Sunday) Melanie Valencia † by Leobardo and Ana Valencia Martinez Sunday, April 19 10:00 AM—Joseph Przybyla † by Przybyla Family Pete Malito † by Bob and Sue Janecek Monday, April 20 9:30 AM— Wednesday, April 22 9:30 AM—Ruth Jones † by Therese and Wayne Haser Friday, April 24 9:30 AM—Abbey Short 18th Birthday Intentions Req. by Family Saturday, April 25 (will be honored on Sunday) Louise Janecek † Req. by Janecek Family Elaine Malito † Req. by Janecek Family Sunday, April 26 10:00 AM—Barb and Richard Schultz † by Przybyla’s Carl Hauth † and Phyllis Siebert † by Carlene Kwasigroch

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)

April 19, 2020 “Blessed are those who have not seen and

have believed.”

— John 20:29b

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy); Julian Calendar Easter Tuesday: St. Anselm; Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Wednesday: Administrative Professionals Day; Earth Day Thursday: St. George; St. Adalbert Friday: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen; National Arbor Day Saturday: St. Mark

Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.

—St. Catherine of Siena

Communications from St. Boniface Catholic Church

HOW TO REACH PARISH STAFF: To reach parish staff please call 708-534-9682 between the hours of 10:00am-3:00pm or email: office@stboniface.comcastbiz.net. IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY: Father Roger is available for emergencies. He can be reached at 708-989-0565. STAYING CONNECTED WITH OUR PARISH: Weekly bulletins with the following:

Fr. Roger’s weekly letter Inspirational quotes and prayers Light messages/information and humor Access our bulletins: Website: stbonifacemonee.org

Click the “Liturgy” tab and then “Bulletin”

To have our bulletin arrive automatically each week to your email:

Go to: ebulletin.jspaluch.com Type in your 60449 in the white zip

code box on the right side Click “Find Church Bulletins”

Our church is now going through a great loss in weekly contributions. If you would like to continue sending your donations please mail your contributions, but please, for your own safety - DO NOT MAIL CASH!

St. Boniface Church P.O. Box 217

Monee, IL 60449

Our heartfelt thanks for your continued generous support to our parish during these difficult times. May God bless all of you and keep you safe!

Masses are being live-streamed on St. Paul’s

Facebook page and we are still taking mass

intentions. We still have many openings—

weekends and weekdays. If you would like to

reserve a date please call the office during the

Mass Intentions for the Week

Page Three April 19, 2020

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — All who believed were devoted to the

teachings of the apostles, the communal life, the breaking

of the bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42-47).

Psalm — Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love

is everlasting (Psalm 118).

Second Reading — God has given us an undiminished

inheritance, safeguarded for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-9).

Gospel — The risen Christ comes to his disciples with

peace and the Spirit. The absent Thomas doubts

(John 20:19-31). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Stewardship Thought

Jesus meets the need of each disciple.

To the fearful in the upper room, He

speaks words of peace. To doubting Thomas, He

provides the tangible proof of His resurrection.

What do I have to share that might meet

someone else’s need?

This Sunday we observe the Feast of Divine Mercy. Deep mystery, lot of theology, so I stick with just a story. It took place a long time ago, in France,

during the years following the French Revolution. The story is about an old man who walked with a limp. He had been a respected soldier in Napoleon's

army, but battle wounds had ended his promising career. He traveled from

village to village, begging, which he hated to do.

One evening he arrived in a village in Western France and made his way to the steps of the Church. He was willing to take coins from church-goers, but he despised them all the same for

believing in a God who could have permitted the terrible crimes he had witnessed. The next morning the priest found the beggar huddled on the steps in a worn blanket and, after Mass, invited him to come to his house for breakfast. The beggar felt repulsed, as he always did when

taking charity, but hunger and the kindness on the priest's face made him accept.

The stranger stayed there for several days. The priest's kindness never waned. The beggar had never been loved so much, so selflessly. And he had never felt so miserable. Finally, the beggar asked for confession. One of his sins stood out from all the rest. The stranger had been the most

trusted servant of an aristocratic family. The head of that family had unsuccessfully rebelled against the revolution. His wife and six children entrusted their lives and fortunes to the servant.

But for a pouch of gold coins he betrayed his master's wife and children and watched them go one-by-one to the guillotine. Only the youngest child somehow escaped, and no one had seen him since. With tears of shame, the stranger finished his confession. The priest gave him absolu-

tion, raised him up and embraced him. As the beggar's eyes lifted, he saw a portrait on the wall behind - the portrait of the family he had betrayed to their deaths. Shocked, he pulled back from

the priest. "Who are you", he asked. "Where did you get that painting?" The priest smiled. "I am

their youngest son, my friend. And I forgive you."

Our greatest treasure as Catholics is the revelation of Christ, a revelation of God's boundless mercy, the only force strong enough to penetrate the walls of pain, anger, fear, and resentment

that we have built around our hearts. May God’s mercy be upon us so, as we trust in Jesus. It may give us peace of heart and mind. “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us

and on the whole world.”

+ Father Roger

God laughs all the time, but you wouldn’t know it from

his pictures. Anna, Age 10 Kids Say the Cutest Things About God

GET REAL! Those of us who flatter ourselves that we have a “realistic” view of the world may listen to the first reading today and say, “Get real!” when we hear Luke’s account of the early, Elysian days of the Christian movement. All seems to be rosy, lots of wonders are performed, everyone shares selflessly, they eat together in “exultation,” and the Lord added to their numbers? Well, who wouldn’t be attracted to a group like this? From the wind that swept through the upper room at Pentecost as the Spirit of God blew over the face of the waters in Genesis, and the fire that appeared over each disciple as the light appeared at the dawn of creation, Luke’s intent in Acts is to show a new creation, a restoration of creation’s original goodness through the working of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who continues to make us into the Body of Christ. We may occasionally, like Thomas in the Gospel, say, “Get real!” but our ultimate reality in the Spirit is to work continually to make our Christian community a new creation, one in which others will find God’s joy and beauty. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Page Four April 19, 2020

SAINT ANSELM (1033-1109) April 21

For anyone disheartened at how easily contemporary discussions of disputed church-state issues escalate from civil discourse to shrill polemic, Anselm provides perspective. Grounded in the Benedictine Rule’s balanced “prayer and work,” this monk-scholar, called from his abbey to become Archbishop of Canterbury, was thrust into firestorms of political intrigue, himself the target of warring bishops and nobles, kings and popes. Yet from depths of inner peace, Anselm wrote this moving exhortation by which today’s Liturgy of the Hours celebrates him: “Rise up, insignificant man! From your preoccupations, flee a while. From your turbulent thoughts, hide for a time. Your crushing responsibilities cast aside. Your burdensome business lay down. Free a little space for God. Rest a little while in him!” “Faith seeking understanding” was his strikingly contemporary motto; and though renowned as an erudite philosopher-theologian, Anselm also left personal letters, profound for their insights on Christian friendship. Along with those, he composed “A Prayer for My Friends” and “A Prayer for My Enemies,” reminding us that those who love God most passionately are also those who love others most humanly. —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

All those battling the Coronavirus, the safety

of all healthcare workers, Karen Males,

Dolly Richmond, Laura Maggio, Charna Gurriell,

Douglas Newbanks, Bishop Conlon, Helen Barrett,

and those that go unnamed.

Names will remain on the list for one month

unless otherwise requested. To have someone added to this list please call the parish office.

The Divine Mercy image is a depiction of Jesus based on a vision that St. Faustina had in 1931. Jesus is shown raising his right hand in blessing, and pointing with his left hand on his chest from which flow forth two rays: one red and one white. The depictions often contains the message "Jesus, I trust in You!" (Polish: Jezu ufam Tobie). The rays streaming out have symbolic meaning: red for the blood of Jesus (which is the Life of Souls), and white for the water (which justify souls). The whole image is symbolic of charity, forgive-ness and love of God, referred to as the "Fountain of Mercy".

It is the hour to rend thy chains, the blossom

time of souls. —Katharine Lee Bates

Page Five April 19, 2020

YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN THERE! Most of us have had the misfortune of missing something important simply by being absent, and then hearing about what happened. In today’s reading, unique to John’s Gospel, Thomas is the only apostle who was not around when Jesus appeared to his friends for the first time after his death and resurrection. They were frightened and grieving, not knowing what would happen to them. Remember, they found themselves to be fugitives, seemingly guilty by association with a criminal executed by government officials. Suddenly, Jesus was with them, beaming peace and mercy to his fragile followers. What joy! What a shock, too! We will never know why Thomas had left their hiding place. All we know is that he returned to wild stories about Jesus being alive after dying a brutal death. He must have thought that the other apostles in their grief had a shared delusion of what they wished were true. When Thomas finally saw Jesus, he gave what is considered the most profound profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” In his tender mercy, Jesus ministered to Thomas by helping him to see for himself.

Alleluia! The Strife Is O’er

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

The strife is o’er, the battle done;

Now is the victor’s triumph won.

O let the song of praise be sung: Alleluia!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

On the third morn he rose again,

Glorious in majesty to reign;

O let us swell the joyful strain: Alleluia!

2020 Word & Song Book, Hymn #488

Can I identify with Doubting Thomas, at times

unsure of my faith? In what ways has Jesus given me peace to overcome the anxieties in my life?