5th Sunday of Easter May 6, 2012
Saint Robert BellarmineSaint Robert Bellarmine Parish Mission Statement We are a diverse Catholic community of genera ons, experiencing the living God and reflec ng our faith in ac on with one another.
Mass Intentions
MON. May 7, Easter Weekday 8:30 a.m. Robert LaPlume, Joseph Luka TUES. May 8, Easter Weekday 8:30 a.m. Olive Frye, Special Intention WED. May 9, Easter Weekday 8:30 a.m. Martha B. Grieashamer, Alois Schweitzer THURS. May 10, St. Damien de Veuster 8:30 a.m. Edward Mitchell, Mary Kehoe, Marie Stecker FRI. May 11, Easter Weekday 8:30 a.m. George Cradick, Olive Frye (Birth) SAT. May 12, Sts. Nereus & Achilleus, St. Pancras 8:30 a.m. Roman Karwat, John Taraska, Lillian Stetz 5:00 p.m. People of St. Robert Bellarmine SUN. May 13, Sixth Sunday of Easter, Mother’s Day 8:00 a.m. People of St. Robert Bellarmine 10:00 a.m. People of St. Robert Bellarmine 12:00 p.m. People of St. Robert Bellarmine
Weekly Col lect ion
April 22, 2012
Sunday Offertory $ 8,228 Sharing $ 27 Easter $ 265
Thank you for your generosity!
Please remember St. Robert’s in you will. Thank you.
Our Sympathy and Prayers for all who have passed away.
We pray for our recently deceased
Marilyn Krawczyk
FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes St. Paul’s difficulties when he first arrives in Jerusalem after his conversion. The disciples initially act with disbelief and are afraid of Paul. Paul, the last they had heard, was a violent persecutor of Christians. Barnabas, a Church leader, speaks on behalf of Paul, easing every ones fears. Paul then moved about freely in Jerusalem and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. Soon a plot is hatched to kill Paul. The Church, which St. Luke describes as “at peace” and growing in numbers, sends Paul away to safety. In the first Letter of St. John, we hear his response to the mistaken belief of some Christians, that all that is necessary for salvation is profess-ing faith in Jesus. Throughout John’s Letter we hear him speak of the “commandment” to love others. St. John tells us: “Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.” To remain in Christ one must keep his command-ments. In the Gospel of John today Jesus tells us he is the true vine, and his Father is the vine grower. Jesus says we are the branches that glorify God when we bear much fruit and become his disciples. This happens, says Jesus, when we remain in him through lives of love. God then prunes the branches in order that we may bear much fruit. Acts 9: 26-31 1 John 3: 18-24 John 15: 1-8
MAY: THE MONTH OF MARY
May is the month when we traditionally honor Mary with a special emphasis on her role in the devotional life of the Church. We celebrate May Crowning, pray the rosary daily (at least one decade of the mysteries) and bring out the old favorite Marian hymns. For many people these devotions seem to be a nostalgic clinging to the past, but in fact are real-ly tried and true ways to help bring us into the presence of God. The devotional life of the Church endures because it has deep spiritual meaning for those who practice it.
Part of the reason for this is because Mary reminds us of ourselves. When we pray with Mary we see our story in her story. The meditation on the mysteries of the rosary draw us into the life of Christ. The mysteries allow us to see him through the eyes of Mary. These salvific events of Jesus life then become real to us, helping us to relate God’s plan of salvation to the events and circumstances of our own lives. In Mary’s response to the Christ events in her life we are given a model for our own response. Of course, the role of Mary is much greater than this, but looking at Mary through this lens makes a good starting point for our own reflections on the love of God. May Mary’s Magnificat lead us to our own exaltation in the joy of Easter!
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Welcome to our Family
Maersandi and Lindley Mahinay
Lorraine Burton
From the Pastor’s Desk
Today we celebrate the Firth Sunday of Easter, halfway through the Easter season. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear that St. Paul has begun his public ministry, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Church was at peace and grew in numbers. In spite of troubles with the Hellenists and the Jewish leaders, the communi-ty of faith had the peace and consolation of the Holy Spirit. This is a good reminder that we, too, can have inner peace if we trust in the Lord. St. John tells us in his First Letter that if we keep his commandment s we will remain in God’s love and our hearts will be reassured and we will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. In the gospel Jesus reminds us that God is the vine grower. It is God himself who nurtures and protects us.
Our Sunday readings during the Easter season from John’s gospel show us that Jesus acts out of the power of God’s love. Salvation comes from participating in that love by allowing ourselves to be drawn into the experience of that love. The Scriptures give us the story: God is telling us about his redemptive activities in human history, culminating in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. In today’s gospel Jesus reminds us that we have to stay connected to the source, which is Christ himself. To stay connected to the source is why we come to mass, pray, read the Bible, and celebrate the sacraments. Failure to do so cuts us off from the source of the love that is the power that conquers sin and death. Last week Jesus told us to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd and to follow that voice. Today we hear that we are the branches connected to the vine of Christ. Both these gospel stories are metaphors for staying connected to the source of life. When we bear the good fruit of the Spirit we know we are connected to the vine. We are grafted onto the true vine at baptism when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to nurture that gift, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and bear good fruit by obeying Christ’s commands to love God and our neighbor.
On Tuesday we welcomed two new members to our Finance Committee, Tina Puralewski and Erin Bastien. I thank them for their willingness to share their time and talent with our parish. I also wish to express my deep gratitude to Marlene Heinlein and Jean Gross who are rotating off the Committee after many years of faithful service. In addition to her regular duties on the committee, Marlene has coordinated the Capital Campaign cash management and reporting. Jean’s expertise in the accounting field has provided much guidance and wisdom. I will miss their presence on the com-mittee and am very grateful for all they have done. I look forward to working closely with Tina and Erin as well.
On a sad note, our recent Director of Religious Education, Marilyn Krawczyk, passed away unexpectedly last week-end. She was diagnosed with breast cancer last December and had to retire in March to take care of her health. She evi-dently had a heart attack and passed away in her sleep. I was privileged to concelebrate her funeral this past Thursday at her home parish, Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg. Please keep Marilyn and her family in your prayers.
On Saturday we celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion with forty-four of our children and their families. This is always a beautiful celebration of our faith. Many thanks to all who made it such a lovely celebration, particular-ly Jane Hearrin and Vanesssa Parelli, our second grade catechist and school teacher, respectively, who did such a won-derful job preparing the children. Also to Sister Doreen Whitney and Maureen Blake, who worked very hard ‘behind the scenes’. And thank you to our former DRE, Alan Schmitt, who joined us for this happy occasion. I hope to have some pictures to share in next week’s bulletin.
On Monday we will have our New Parishioner Dinner, hosted by Ed Stecker and the Welcome Wagon committee. I always look forward to meeting our new families for a time of sharing and community.
On Tuesday there will be an evening of Evening of Formation for our liturgical ministers. Details are on page five.
This Friday at 7 p.m. we will celebrate May Crowning, one of the most popular liturgies of the year. The school chil-dren have worked hard to prepare a very reverent celebration to honor our Blessed Mother. Please join us for this beau-tiful celebration.
Next weekend we celebrate Mothers Day with a special blessing during the mass. Our Respect Life parishioners will hold the annual Flower Sale to help families in crisis pregnancies. Beautiful bouquets of flowers will be available after all the masses. Also this weekend we will have a second collection for Catholic Charities to assist needy Chicagoland families.
Have a great week. Sincerely, Fr. Neil
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PARISH MISSION STATEMENT We are a diverse Catholic community of genera ons, experiencing the living God and reflec ng our faith in ac on with one another.
The Members of the Parish Pastoral Council would like to invite you to further reflect on our new Parish mission Statement. We hope to invite you deeper into understanding why different words were chosen, and how the image of the tabernacle ties the threads of our faith expressed in this statement together so well. Please spend a little time each week reflecting on the questions and the words. If you would like to let us know your thoughts or reflections, please send us a note through the rectory.
The second line of our new Parish Mission Statement reads: “…experiencing the living God…”
What does that phrase mean to you? Look around you at the community gathered. In our faith we are taught that each of us is made in the image and likeness of God. The foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching is grounded in the human dignity that we are afforded because we are made in God’s image. When have you felt as if you could experience the living God in your life – when you are nurturing your child, caring for your parent, loving your spouse, embracing a friend, comforting a stranger? How are we able to experience God in the friendships and love we have for one another in this community?
Look at the space, the artwork, the flowers that bring the outside in… how does nature and beauty help you to Expe-rience the Living God.
As you look at the tabernacle, what do you see there that reflects for you these words – the tabernacle is where we reverently store the Eucharist, the candle is constantly burning to remind us of Christ’s presence? Take a closer look and see what meaning it brings out for you.
Read the Parish Mission Statement. How does it feel after reflecting on this second line?
God Bless, The Parish Pastoral Council
Discovery Program Draw closer to one another with Discovery.
The Discovery Program is unique to marriage preparation programs because it asks the engaged couples to devote a concentrated amount of time and energy to their relationship. The focus of the program is communication. The objec-tive is to expose the engaged couples to a method of communication that concentrates on the sharing and understand-ing of feelings.
Dates and Locations for Upcoming Discover Programs: May 19-20, 2012 - Marytown Retreat Center, Libertyville, IL July 21, 2012 - Cardinal Stritch Retreat House, Mundelein, IL Sept. 29-30, 2012 - Marytown Retreat Center, Libertyville, IL
Here is what previous attendees say: “This has been a great weekend! It is a wonderful program that I will recommend to other couples. The questions, reflect - . . tions, couple discussions and especially presentations by leadership couples have been more than excellent. We learned more about each other and about ourselves.” “This weekend was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. We learned a lot.” “We truly discovered a lot about each other, marriage, and ourselves.”
For additional dates, please call the Family Ministries Office at 312.534.8201 or go to www.familyministries.org.
AN INVITATION TO JOIN IN AN IMPORTANT MINISTRY IN THE PARISH
Eucharistic Ministers are members of the parish community who assist the priest in the distribution of the Eucharistic during all liturgies at St. Robert Bellarmine. It is a ministry that is important to the parish, and one that is spiritually fulfilling as well. If you are interested in becoming a Eucharistic Minister, please join us for the training and formation evening on Tuesday, May 8th at 6:30pm in the Church.
AN EVENING OF REFLECTION FOR LECTORS AND EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS
TUESDAY, MAY 8TH AT 7PM IN THE CHURCH All Current Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors are invited to an evening of formation and reflection. This is an evening dedicated to thanking you for your ministry to our parish, and an evening de-signed to build community and nourish your faith. Please call the rectory to let us know if you are able to attend.
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The Women’s Center
Flowers are a Mother’s favorite! On Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13, SRB Respect Life Committee will sell beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers after all Masses. You’ll find the perfect gift from an array of flowers. Roses --$13 each or 2 for $25; Carnations--$8 each or 2 for $15; Mixed Floral Arrangements--$10; Gerbera Daisies--$20. Proceeds will be used to help young women facing a crisis pregnancy situation and in need assistance. Please sup-port this life-saving work of The Women’s Centers of Greater Chicagoland. Last year, The Women’s Centers of Greater Chicagoland provided compassionate counseling, social services refer-rals and material goods assistance to over 5,000 women who are facing crisis pregnancies. Since its founding in 1984, The Women’s Centers have helped saved more than 35,000 babies-and their mothers--from the tragedy of abortion. For more information, please visit their website at www.womens-center.org. Thank you for your generous support.
I AM THE VINE, YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.
When Julia’s parish sent her to Catholic Charities, her first question was, “Can you help my child?” He was three years old and still wore a diaper. He didn’t speak, but threw things. Catholic Charities set up testing that diagnosed his Au-tism, and accepted him into Head Start. He now uses words, and takes his teacher’s hand to go to the washroom. He shares with other children, and sits down to eat. “You helped my son so much. I can’t thank you enough.”
Rooted and grounded in love, your gift to Catholic Charities on
Mother’s Day, May 13, will bear much fruit.
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WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
St. John reminds us that we are God’s children, his beloved! Do our words and actions reflect our status? Allow the
Lord to shine in your life and your marriage. Make time to attend a Marriage Encounter Weekend to deepen your com-
munication, strengthen your relationship and renew your sacrament. The next weekends for the Chicago/Northwest
Indiana area are June 8-10, 2012, September 7-9, 2012 or November 2-4, 2012. Early registration is highly recom-
mended. For reservations/information, call Jim & Kris at 1-800-442-3554 or contact us through www.wwmechicago-
gary.org. .
REDISCOVERING CATHOLICISM
All parishioners are encouraged to take home a copy of Rediscovering Catholicism as a gift
from Fr. Neil. If you didn’t get your copy at Christmas, there are still copies available in the
vestibule. Some parishioners have expressed interest in a summer discussion group of this
book. If you would like to participate or to find out more information about this possibility,
please contact Chrissy at 773.777.2666, Tuesday or Thursday mornings.
ARE YOU AUTOMATED YET?
Did you know that less than 4% of those under 30 write
checks. Less than 12% of those under 50 write checks.
40% of our population over 65 prefers to pay electronical-
ly. GiveCentral is a tool we have made available to make
it easier for you to give. You can go online through our
parish website (srb-chicago.org) and click on the Donate
button for GiveCentral.
The tool is safe and secure, but most importantly it is a
response to parishioner’s requests to make it easier to give.
We still welcome any gift in any form but we know that
for many of you this is the easiest way to give. The tool
can also help our parish leadership as well. It makes it
easier to budget knowing what funds will be available. It
makes our accounting easier and eases any security con-
cerns regarding the transport of cash and checks. But most
importantly it makes it easier for you and by enrolling in
GiveCentral, you ensure that your generosity and kindness
are recognized and appreciated on a continual basis.
DUFF’S DOGS
SRB School Fundraiser!
Monday, May 7th Monday, May 14th Monday, May 21st
4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Mention St. Robert Bellarmine School on one of the above dates and Duff’s will
generously donate 20% of your food tab to SRBPA!
4835 N Austin Ave. (773) 628-7454
5th Sunday of Easter Page 7
Find something good in each person you meet and help it to grow.
This year, several girls from the 6th, 7th, and 8th, grade participated in the 2012 Girls Science Olympics. There were four separate events, where other girls from several neighboring Catholic schools, also participated. The events varied and required the girls to do everything from reading maps of the Grand Canyon, to creating stable containers strong enough for fragile objects, to building the strongest possible tower.
We are very proud to announce that after all the results from all the four events were tallied, St. Robert Bellarmine has been awarded first place! This means that our girls scored the most points out of the several other schools, who participated, in all four events! We are so very proud of them!
Go Girls!!!!!
St Robert Bellarmine’s 5th grade Girl Scouts are participating in a 5k Move for the Kids to benefit the new Children’s Hospital. On May 12, 2012 we will walk the 3.1 miles from Children's Memorial Hospi-tal to its new downtown facility, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. While Lurie Children's may look finished from the outside, much work remains to make it the best it can be for kids and families. You can help save and improve more children's lives through your support of Move for the Kids. If you would like to sponsor our team (Girl Scout Troop 20191), please go to the Ch i ld ren ’ s Memo r i a l webs i t e h t t p : / /www.childrensmemorial.org/ and follow the links for the "Move for the Kids 5k Run/Walk".
Thank you for your continued support.
SRB 5th Grade Girl Scouts
TICKETS FOR SRB COMEDY NITE ARE FOR SALE AFTER ALL MASSES IN THE
VESTIBULE THIS WEEKEND!
PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY Edward Bell (Army) Gy. Sgt. Timothy R. Hogan (Marines) Raymond Weernink (Navy) Brig. Gen. Tau’aika ‘Uta ‘atu (Tongan Defense) Captain Dan Allen (Army) Ln. Corporal Kurt Williams (Marines) Mike Janson (Navy) First Lieutenant Brian G. Lutz (Army) Bernard Brennan, (Marines) Pvt. 2 Michael Rosenthal (Army) Martin Durcan (Navy) Pvt. Colleen McDonald (Army) Ewa Dabrowski (Navy) Capt. Kevin P. O’Grady (Air Force) Capt. Daniel C. Ouper (Air Force) Airman Daniel Roger Cimon (Air Force) EM3 Abraham Ubi (Navy) Pvt. 1 Michael Barry (Army) Capt. Patrick J. Collins (Army) Corp. Armando Bolivar (Marines) Sgt. Scott Pekar (Marines) Capt. Albert Eiffes (Air Force) Sgt. Joseph Konieczny (Army Specialist Samuel Stanciel (Army) Specialist Sean Cheker (Army)
Daily Scripture Readings
Monday
Acts 14:5-18 / Jn 14:21-26
Tuesday Acts 14: 19-28 / Jn 14:27-31a
Wednesday
Acts 15:1-6 / Jn 15:1-8
Thursday Acts 15:7-21 / Jn 15:9-11
Friday Acts 15:22-31 / Jn 15:12-17
Saturday Acts 16:1-10 / Jn 15:18-21
Sunday Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 / 1 Jn 4:7-10 / Jn 15:9-17
Weekly Schedule
Monday, May 7 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Choir (C)
7 p.m. New Parishioners Dinner (R)
Tuesday, May 8 6:30 p.m. Eucharistic Minister Training
7 p.m. Minister Formation (C) No Novena
Wednesday, May 9 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. SPRED Prep (KH)
7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Contemporary Ensemble (C)
Thursday, May 10 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Choir
Friday, May 11 7 p.m. May Crowning (C)
Saturday, May 12 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Market Day (S)
Comedy Nite Ticket Sale after 5 p.m. Mass (V) Respect Life Flower Sale after 5 p.m. Mass (V)
Sunday, May 13 Comedy Nite Ticket Sale after All Masses (V) Respect Life Flower Sale after All Masses (V)
May 12 / 13 , 2012 Mass Presider Servers Lector Auxiliary Ministers
5:00 PM Fr. Fackler S. Cave, M. Silva
S. Simmons M. Brennan P. Eifert, T. Eifert, K. Ernst
8:00 AM Fr. Fackler J. Annunzio, J. Meade
A. Bonifazi P. Zyburt Sr. Ann, Sr. Mary Lou, M. Callaghan
10:00 AM Fr. Donahue E. Kadus, N. Lindahl
M. Persangi T. Kerin
D. Mancuso, J. Markfull, C. Bell, S. Calcagno, T. Calcagno, W. Calcagno, M. Calcagno
12:00 PM Fr. Donahue K. Brosnan, J.Brosnan,
C. Keane B. Meyering
A. Benages, I. Benages, D. Czech, M. Glowacz, P. Gross, J. Gross, C. McManus,
Page 8 May 6, 2012
Saint Robert Bellarmine Church
Mass Schedule Weekdays - Monday - Friday at 8:30 a.m. Weekends - Saturday Morning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday Evening at 5:00 p.m., Sundays at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 12:00 noon Holy Days - 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Parish Office & Rectory
Rev. Neil E. Fackler, Pastor Rev. Scott Donahue, Resident
Rev. Michael A. Goergen, Pastor Emeritus Tony Delgado, Deacon James Schiltz, Deacon
Virginia Underwood, Secretary Christina Zaker, Adult Education Kathy Goetz, Business Manager
4646 North Austin Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60630
Tel. 773/777-2666 Fax 773/777-2770
Website: www.srb-chicago.org
Religious Education Office Debi DeMario, Director
Joyce Schoenecker, Admin. Asst. 6036 West Eastwood Avenue
Tel. 773/286-0956
St. Robert Bellarmine School Carrie Mijal, Principal Chris Wilson, Secretary
6036 West Eastwood Avenue Tel. 773/725-5133
Office of Music Director Jean Tuohy
6036 West Eastwood Avenue Tel. 773/286-0956
Bulletin Deadline: Thursday 12 Noon 10 days in advance
Submit articles in person at the rectory, fax 773 777-2770
or email at [email protected]
Pulpit Announcement Deadline Friday by 7:30 p.m. in the rectory.
Rectory Office Hours Monday - Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Closed from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. for lunch) Saturday - 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday - 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Weddings Arrangements to be made with a priest or deacon
at least six months in advance. Please contact the rectory for date and time
availability before making other arrangements.
Baptisms Celebrated the second and fourth Sunday
at 1:15 p.m. Parents need to register at the rectory office. Please note: there are no baptisms scheduled
during the season of Lent. Preparation Class is on the last Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m. in the rectory.
Confessions/Reconciliations Saturdays 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
or by appointment.
Anointing of the Sick 1st Saturday of the month after the 8:30 a.m. mass.
Eucharistic Adoration & Benediction Third Wednesday of every month.
Adoration begins after 8:30 a.m. mass. Benediction at 5 p.m.
Please sign up at the rectory office.
New Parishioners Welcome to Saint Robert’s!
Please register at the rectory office.
Novena Mother of Perpetual Help Novena is offered on
Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the church.
Recitation of the Rosary Monday through Saturday at 8:00 a.m.
