April 19, 2020 Sunday of Divine Mercy Serving Hyde Park’s Catholic Community since 1869 Come visit us at www.stapostleparish.org Mass Schedule Sunday 8:30am & 11am Monday-Friday 9am Saturday 8:30am & 4pm Holy Days 8:30am Confession Saturdays, 3-3:30pm. Baptism Please contact the Parish Office. Marriage Please make arrangements eight months in advance. Membership Please register at the Parish Office St. Thomas the Apostle Parish All In-person Masses & Parish activities have been suspended until further notice. Parish Offices: Hours: Weekdays: 7am-3pm Sunday: 9am-11am Located at 55th & Woodlawn 5472 S. Kimbark Avenue Chicago, IL 60615-5297 Phone: (773) 324-2626 Fax: (773) 891-0602 [email protected]Fr. Christopher Kituli Extension 107 Deacon: Deacon Kurt Davis Parish Office: Lisa J. Couch, secretary (773) 324-2626 Parish Voicemail box, ext. 0 Director of Parish Operations Paula Jones, ext. 109 Music Ministry Ed Martin Liturgist Jennifer Davis, ext. 102 Bulletin Editor Lissa Romell Parish School Timothy Gallo, Principal 5467 S. Woodlawn Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60615-5299 telephone: (773) 667-1142 Fax: (773) 891-0602 www.stapostleschool.com Please don’t forget the poor boxes.
Transcript
April 19, 2020
Sunday of Divine Mercy
Serving Hyde Park’s Catholic Community since 1869
Come visi t us at www.stapost leparish.org
Mass Schedule
Sunday 8:30am & 11am
Monday-Friday 9am
Saturday 8:30am & 4pm
Holy Days 8:30am
Confession Saturdays, 3-3:30pm.
Baptism Please contact the Parish Office.
Marriage Please make arrangements eight months in advance.
Membership Please register at the Parish Office
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish All In-person Masses & Parish activities have been suspended until further notice.
Parish Offices: Hours: Weekdays: 7am-3pm Sunday: 9am-11am Located at 55th & Woodlawn 5472 S. Kimbark Avenue Chicago, IL 60615-5297 Phone: (773) 324-2626 Fax: (773) 891-0602 [email protected]
Fr. Christopher Kituli Extension 107
Deacon: Deacon Kurt Davis
Parish Office: Lisa J. Couch, secretary (773) 324-2626Parish Voicemail box, ext. 0
Director of Parish Operations Paula Jones, ext. 109
Music Ministry Ed Martin
Liturgist Jennifer Davis, ext. 102
Bulletin Editor Lissa Romell
Parish School Timothy Gallo, Principal 5467 S. Woodlawn Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60615-5299 telephone: (773) 667-1142 Fax: (773) 891-0602 www.stapostleschool.com
MONDAY, April 20 Acts 4:23-31 Ps 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9 Jn 3:1-8 What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Jn 3:6 Regina Thompson
TUESDAY, April 21 Readings: Acts 4:32-37 Ps 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5 Jn 3:7b-15 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of their possessions were their own. Acts 4:32 George & Dolores Harvilla
WEDNESDAY, April 22 Readings: Acts 5:17-26 Ps 34:3, 4-
5, 6-7, 8-9 Jn 3:16-21 Whoever lives in truth comes to the light, so that their works may be clearly seen as done in God. Jn 3:21 Maude Brooks (Happy 98th Birthday!!) Lucille Hallisy, Andy Malden
THURSDAY, April 23 Readings: Acts 5:27-33 Ps 34:2 & 9, 17-18, 19-20 Jn 6:1-15 We must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 Igor Vovkovinsky (special intention)
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? Ps 27:1 Lewis Family All Souls in Purgatory
SATURDAY, April 25 St. Mark Readings: 1 Pt 5:5b-14 Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17 Mk 16:15-20 “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” Mk 16:15 Nancy Welsh
deceased
Weekly morning masses are now being live-streamed at 9am, Monday-Thursday, via our Facebook page. Please join us! Please remember those listed below in your prayers this week.
Weekday Mass Intentions
Stay Connected to our Parish
this Easter Season!
Sunday Mass: Sunday Masses are being live-streamed via the St. Thomas the Apostle Facebook page. Please check your email, our website & Facebook page to stay updated.
Daily Mass online: Daily Mass is live-streamed Monday through Thursday at 9am via the STA Facebook page.
Parish Office: The Parish Office is currently closed to in-person visits but we are checking daily for email and phone messages and will respond and return calls.
Bulletin: The Bulletin will be delivered via email and published on-l ine . P l ease v i s i t h t tp s : / /s tapos t lepar i sh .org /par i sh- l i fe /bulletins/.
Updates: Please check our website, Facebook page and Parish Office voicemail message for updates.
The St. Vincent de Paul members wish you all the blessings of this Easter season! We miss seeing all of you in church but are praying for you wherever you may be. Please keep us and our work in your prayers.
St Vincent de Paul Society News
The Hyde Park Kenwood Food Pantry is open to give out groceries from 10 until 1 on Saturdays at the Hyde Park Union Church at 56th and Woodlawn. We are also distributing grab-and-go meals donated by the University of Chicago's
Community Support Program: https://coronavirusupdates.uchicago.edu/community-support/. This link will take you to the list of locations on the south side with their distribution days and hours. [Sites include Rainbow Push, Inner City Mission Network, St. Columbanus, Hyde Park SDA Soup Kitchen, Second Faith Temple COGIC, Matthew House Soup Kitchen, FCHN Soup Kitchen, St. James Food Pantry and Operation Pull Grant Memorial.] Anyone can access these meals and can deliver them to people who can't get out. For more information, contact [email protected].
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If you or a loved one wish to receive a telephone visit from a minister of care—to pray or simply talk—please call Lisa at 773-324-2626, & she will arrange for a Minister of Care to call.
We’re so glad you’re here and invite you to journey in faith with us. We believe the church is the sacrament of God’s saving presence in the world. Our goal is to provide a spiritual home where all are welcome, where the healing, reconciling, liberating love of God flows through us to all people.
Mass online at Holy Name Cathedral: Sunday Mass from Holy Name Cathedral and daily Mass from St. James Chapel will be broadcast at https://radiotv.archchicago.org/television/broadcast-masses.
A Word from Fr. Chris...
Happy Easter my brothers and sisters in faith. We truly find ourselves in unique times. For the first time in recent history, Christians around the world find themselves unable to attend mass on Easter and the Easter octave days. Over the past few weeks, many families are spending more time in communal prayer and attending virtual mass. While a great blessing, we are acutely aware this is not the faith we were made for. We desire the tangible aspect of community and the sacraments in their physical form. Yet, we are unable to take part in that which we desire most. Dear friends, I think John Paul II words of encouragement fit in very well “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” This Easter season, we find that even through we are dealing with the most difficult of situations, Christ still rose! Hallelujah!! During the Jubilee of the Year 2000, John Paul II established that throughout the Church the Sunday after Easter should be called Domenica in Albis or Divine Mercy Sunday. This occurred contemporaneously with the
canonization of Sr Faustina Kowalska, a humble Polish sister who was born in 1905 and died in 1938, a zealous
messenger of the Merciful Jesus. Indeed, mercy is the central nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the face with which he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the incarnation of creative and redemptive love. May this merciful love also shine on the face of the Church and show itself through our sacraments and in the works of Charity especially for those directly affected by COVID-19 virus. May all that we as Church say and do manifest the mercy God feels for those struggling with the effects of this deadly virus either directly or indirectly. May all that we do and say, during these tough moments in our nation, bring peace to all hearts. From His divine love and mercy, the
good Lord graced the world with salvation. From our hearts as a Church, may genuine peace flow into the world, to all people of every race and tongue. Happy Easter to you. I miss you very much. Please stay safe. ~Fr Chris
Giving Together Even though we are not gathering as a family for Mass, the life of our St. Thomas the Apostle parish continues! Please give online at www.givecentral.org/location/136 where you can make an offertory contribution to our St. Thomas the Apostle family and keep the vital
ministries and services we provide going. Ministry work and planning, coordination and future rescheduling of important liturgies, maintenance and cleaning of our entire campus, our social outreach support -- all are only possible with your continued generosity. Our parish depends upon your regular, weekly offertory contributions, and during this current challenge it is needed more so than ever. Thank you for your support.
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The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer. We beg you God our Father in the name of your precious Son to heal us. Amen.
1. Make the Sign of the CrossIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. Optional Opening PrayersYou expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy openedup for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole worldand empty Yourself out upon us.
(Repeat three times) O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!
3. Our FatherOur Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead usnot into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
4. Hail MaryHail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.
5. The Apostles’ CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who wasconceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried;He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the righthand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and lifeeverlasting. Amen.
6. The Eternal FatherEternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ,in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
7. On the 10 Small Beads of Each DecadeFor the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
8. Repeat for the remaining decadesSaying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on thefollowing "Hail Mary" beads.
9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
10. Optional Closing PrayerEternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us andincrease Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with greatconfidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.
How to Recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet
“I am love and mercy itself. ... Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. ... My mercy is greater than your sins, and those of the entire world. ...
I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain. ...
The graces of My mercy are drawn by the means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.” ~From the diary of St. Faustina
[For more on the message of mercy in Sr. Faustina’s diary, visit https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/message-mercy-diary-st-faustina]
Esther Dionisio, Clifford Doyle, Sr., Marilyn Epps, Sebastian
Farmer, Fr. Jack Farry, Joseph Foley, Joan Gallagher, Lina
Garcia, Fr. Karl Gersbach, David Giles, Pamela Graniczy,
Kathleen Holden, Julius Horvath, Wm. G. Howard, Maria Jimenez,
Olga Jimenez, Carolyn Jones, Connie Jose, Charlie King, Mary
Lerps, Mark Lewis, Corrine Lipinski, Linda Loggins, Ruth Magana, Mankowski Family,
Maridel Moffett, Norma McCall, Anastacia I. Mebane, Clara
Morgan, Chris Mureiko, Maribeth Murphy, Caridad Neal,
Carmen Orendain, Edmond Peirre, Agnes Pelt, Sr. Jamie
Phelps, David Nathaniel Robinson, Dick Russel, Nelson
R. Sample, Elizabeth Scott, Zahari Simmons, Bobby Sims, Olustee Smith, Coletta Tinley,
Charles Walker, Sr., Jo Washington, Julia Washington,
Richard West, Mavis Willis, Marie Bijou Wong, Joan Yedinak
For those who have died.
May God grant them eternal joy and peace.
Offerings for
4/5/2020
Sunday Offertory Give Central Easter Building Fund
Total
$1,517.00 $4,413.00 $1,120.00
$260.00
$7,310.00
Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Easter! Today the Church’s proclamation echoes throughout the world: “Jesus Christ is risen!” – “He is truly risen!”. Like a new flame this Good News springs up in the night: the night of a world already faced with epochal challenges and now oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family. In this night, the Church’s voice rings out: “Christ, my hope, has arisen!” (Easter Sequence). This is a different “contagion”, a message transmitted from heart to heart – for every human heart awaits this Good News. It is the contagion of hope: “Christ, my hope, is risen!” This is no magic formula that makes problems vanish. No, the resurrection of Christ is not that. Instead, it is the victory of love over the root of evil, a victory that does not “by-pass” suffering and death, but passes through them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good: this is the unique hallmark of the power of God. The Risen Lord is also the Crucified One, not someone else. In his glorious body he bears indelible wounds: wounds that have become windows of hope. Let us turn our gaze to him that he may heal the wounds of an afflicted humanity. Today my thoughts turn in the first place to the many who have been directly affected by the coronavirus: the sick, those who have died and family members who mourn the loss of their loved ones, to whom, in some cases, they were unable even to bid a final farewell. May the Lord of life welcome the departed into his kingdom and grant comfort and hope to those still suffering, especially the elderly and those who are alone. May he never withdraw his consolation and help from those who are especially vulnerable, such as persons who work in nursing homes, or live in barracks and prisons. For many, this is an Easter of solitude lived amid the sorrow and hardship that the pandemic is causing, from physical suffering to economic difficulties. This disease has not only deprived us of human closeness, but also of the possibility of receiving in person the consolation that flows from the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation. In many countries, it has not been possible to approach them, but the Lord has not left us alone! United in our prayer, we are convinced that he has laid his hand upon us (cf. Ps 138:5), firmly reassuring us: Do not be afraid, “I have risen and I am with you still!” (cf. Roman Missal, Entrance Antiphon, Mass of Easter Sunday). May Jesus, our Passover, grant strength and hope to doctors and nurses, who everywhere offer a witness of care and love for our neighbours, to the point of exhaustion and not infrequently at the expense of their own health. Our gratitude and affection go to them, to all who work diligently to guarantee the essential services necessary for civil society, and to the law enforcement and military personnel who in many countries have helped ease people’s difficulties and sufferings. In these weeks, the lives of millions of people have suddenly changed. For many, remaining at home has been an opportunity to reflect, to withdraw from the frenetic pace of life, stay with loved ones and enjoy their company. For many, though, this is also a time of worry about an uncertain future, about jobs that are at risk and about other consequences of the current crisis. I encourage political leaders to work actively for the common good, to provide the means and resources needed to enable everyone to lead a dignified life and, when circumstances allow, to assist them in resuming their normal daily activities. This is not a time for indifference, because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic. May the risen Jesus grant hope to all the poor, to those living on the peripheries, to refugees and the homeless. May these, the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters living in the cities and
Pope Francis’ Ubi et Orbi Message for Easter
Cover art: Divine Mercy by James B. Janknegt, www.bcArtFarm.com
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Pope’s Message (Continued from page 6)
peripheries of every part of the world, not be abandoned. Let us ensure that they do not lack basic necessities (all the more difficult to find now that many businesses are closed) such as medicine and especially the possibility of adequate health care. In light of t h e p r e s e n t circumstances, may international sanctions be relaxed, since these make it difficult for countries on which they have been imposed to p r o v i d e ad eq u a t e support to their citizens, and may all nations be put in a position to meet the greatest needs of the moment through the reduction, if not the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest nations. This is not a time for self-centredness, because the challenge we are facing is shared by all, without distinguishing between persons. Among the many areas of the world affected by the coronavirus, I think in a special way of Europe. After the Second World War, this continent was able to rise again, thanks to a concrete spirit of solidarity that enabled it to overcome the rivalries of the past. It is more urgent than ever, especially in the present circumstances, that these rivalries do not regain force, but that all recognize themselves as part of a single family and support one another. The European Union is presently facing an epochal challenge, on which will depend not only its future but that of the whole world. Let us not lose the opportunity to give further proof of solidarity, also by turning to innovative solutions. The only alternative is the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations. This is not a time for division. May Christ our peace enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. This is not a time for continuing to manufacture and deal in arms, spending vast amounts of money that ought to be used to care for others and save lives. Rather, may this be
a time for finally ending the long war that has caused such great bloodshed in beloved Syria, the conflict in Yemen and the hostilities in Iraq and in Lebanon. May this be the time when Israelis and Palestinians resume dialogue in
order to find a stable and lasting solution that will allow both to live in peace. May the sufferings of the people who live in the eastern regions of Ukraine come to an end. May the terrorist attacks carried out against so many innocent people in d i f f e r e n t A f r i c a n countries come to an end. This is not a time for forgetfulness. The crisis we are facing should not
make us forget the many other crises that bring suffering to so many people. May the Lord of life be close to all those in Asia and Africa who are experiencing grave humanitarian crises, as in the Province of Cabo Delgado in the north of Mozambique. May he warm the hearts of the many refugees displaced because of wars, drought and famine. May he grant protection to migrants and refugees, many of them children, who are living in unbearable conditions, especially in Libya and on the border between Greece and Turkey. And I do not want to forget the island of Lesvos. In Venezuela, may he enable concrete and immediate solutions to be reached that can permit international assistance to a population suffering from the grave political, socio-economic and health situation. Dear brothers and sisters, Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time. We want to ban these words for ever! They seem to prevail when fear and death overwhelm us, that is, when we do not let the Lord Jesus triumph in our hearts and lives. May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end. With these thoughts, I would like to wish all of you a happy Easter.
Resources for Families and Parishes during the COVID-19 Crisis Thanks to the generosity of Catholic publishers and others, sample a variety of free resources here:
