June 4, 2021 | Weekly Update
June 4, 2021 | Weekly Update
Are Catholics Cannibals?
asks Chris Stefanick from Real Life Catholic, he expounds further “Jesus told His disciples to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Was He crazy?! Are Catholics cannibals? The Feast of Corpus Christi is this coming weekend. I hope this video helps you to celebrate it more fully.”
Has it been a while since you’ve been to Mass?
Perhaps this Sunday at the Feast of Corpus Christi is a good turning point to make the decision to come back. Be inspired by the brief 3-minute video below; there are compelling reasons to come back.
We pray you come to in-person Mass to “take and eat” and be united with Jesus at this most awesome and pivotal feast, Corpus Christi Sunday where Father James will be preaching. We also hope you join us at the Corpus Christi Procession after the 12pm Mass.
Sign in ahead of time at this link.
THIS COMING WEEK
- St. John Paul said of Eucharistic processions: “Our faith in the God who took flesh in order to become our companion along the way needs to be everywhere proclaimed, especially in our streets and homes, as an expression of our grateful love and as an inexhaustible source of blessings” (Mane Nobiscum Domine, No. 18).
And, Pope Benedict XVI said, “Corpus Christi processions allow us to “immerse [Christ], so to speak, in the daily routine of our lives, so that He may walk where we walk and live where we live.” - We pray you will walk with Jesus at the procession that will begin after the 12pm Mass.
- Special note to the children who had their First Communion last year and this year; come to the procession in your white dress or suit, paving the way for Jesus by ringing the bells and covering the path with flower petals.
- Connect with Shirley Staples for any questions and/or to help out at 630-815-5799 or shirleystaples@yahoo.com
Launching Weds 6/9 is Vine & Branches. Please see below!
- Please spread the word on the Catholic Charities of Joliet Mobile Food Pantry this month. Share the attached link. If you have a Facebook account, keep an eye for the upcoming Facebook post from our page and share it; this is an easy way to help someone you may be unaware that is in need of food that is in your network of friends or acquaintances.
- Let us be in prayer on June 10th for our Father Don. He will be in the hospital for surgery to remove his thyroid.
- Make it a pizza night on Thursday 6/10th! Or rather, make it a pizza DAY! Proceeds benefit the Teen Mission Trip to the Twin Cities. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus Council #12005 for hosting. What a great excuse to eat pizza “eat pizza for a good cause!” Share this ad with others and support our Mission Trip teens.
- We are looking for an intentional disciple of Jesus who will be the Associate Director of Family and Youth Evangelization and Catechesis for Grades 6-12. Please lift up in prayer who God is going to send to us and please let others know as well so as to cast the net wide for our search.
- Click here for details.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Our Lady of Mercy Eucharist Adoration times are Monday and Thursdays 8:30am to 6pm. Wednesdays 8am to 12pm and at Magnify typically at the last Wednesday of the month from 7pm to 8:30pm. To sign-up for any of these times, click here.
- If these times do not work for you, Saints Peter and Paul have a 24 Hour Adoration Chapel which will re-open on Sunday 6/13th, you can sign up at this link or by calling their parish office 630-355-1081.
- There are several openings for high school teens and an opening for a female adult (age 25 or older) to attend this summer’s Mission Trip to the Twin Cities in Minnesota on July 18-23. Please contact Dave in the youth ministry office by June 15th if you are interested or need more information.
- Save the date for a summer MAGNIFY.
- Schedule to donate blood at this link on Saturday 6/19 from 8am to 12pm. Every donor will save up to 3 lives!
- While appointments are appreciated, walk-ins are welcome!
- You DO NOT NEED the Covid-19 vaccine in order to donate.
- You are also eligible to donate if you received a COVID-19 vaccine on or before 6/16.
- Please make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating. Thank you!
- Help the babies and their mothers and fathers who are facing the unexpected news of their unplanned pregnancy.
- Support the Our Lady of Mercy Respect Life Ministry annual Baby Bottle For Life Fundraising for Waterleaf Women’s Center from Mother’s Day (May 9, 2021) to Father’s Day (June 20, 2021). http://www.fundeasy.com/m/5133322/
- From answering “Why does Fr. James use a different sized host than Fr. Don?” to “What do I do if a close relative/friend invites me to their same-sex ceremony?” made for a fun and an illuminating AMA. Was your question one of the 13 Father James answered? At this link is the recent AMA with a timestamp for each of the questions and topic-related links.
- Keep an eye out for when we will have the next one sometime in June as we continue to answer all the questions that was submitted (10% was answered). Have more questions? Submit them at this link.
- Register at catholicsportscamps.org for the Catholic Baseball Camp for boys and girls ages 8-12. Fee is $150 (scholarships are available).
- Basic to advanced baseball skills and training. Women’s softball/baseball coach for girls. Daily Mass, Rosary, Adoration, Confession.
- We are excited to announce that OLM Vacation Bible School will be welcoming 100 students in person this summer! Children, come on out 8/6 thru 8/6 from 9am to 12pm and embark on an epic quest through hidden ruins, ancient caves, and dense jungles.
- At Treasured VBS, kids dig into action-packed, faith-filled adventures. They’ll discover God’s greatest treasure isn’t diamonds, gems, or gold – it’s them! Details and registration are at this link.
- Did you get an email from (a fake) Father Don this past week? Please remember, Father Don and Father James DO NOT send texts or emails asking for money or gift cards. If you receive a message appearing to be from Father Don or Father James, please discard it and DO NOT SEND ANY ELECTRONIC MONETARY AID.
- Don’t forget to check out Father Don’s insightful weekly Bulletin articlelocated here.
- If you have not done so already, please do consider supporting our efforts here at Our Lady of Mercy by supporting the Diocesan Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal (CMAA).
- The CMAA allows us, together, to do our part in building God’s kingdom here on earth. Father Don and Bishop Hicks are asking us to join them in supporting the CMAA to help the poor and vulnerable, form our future shepherds, and spread the faith through our Catholic schools, faith formation programs in parishes, and programs for young adults.
- Our parish’s goal for the 2021 CMAA is $154,400, with 70 percent of any amount we raise over this goal returned to us for our use.
- If you wish to donate now, please click here https://bit.ly/2MOQHVY Read the following report at this link https://bit.ly/3dd154Xon how your gifts to the CMAA helps. For further details, please click here https://bit.ly/3jQxf7i
- Thank you for prayerfully considering supporting the 30 ministries and shining Jesus’ light brightly in our diocese.
- Our Online Giving is getting an upgrade to a newer, easier-to-use platform! If you currently give online, you will soon be receiving an email with instructions on how to log into the new system. Best of all, your existing payment and donation information will be migrated over so you will not have to set up your gifts again! Keep an eye on your email for more information coming very soon.
- Please proceed herefor the OLM Hispanic Ministry upcoming events and resources.
Continúe aquí para conocer los próximos eventos y recursos del Ministerio Hispano de OLM. - There will be Stations of the Cross in Spanish every 2nd Wednesday of the month after the 12pm Mass.
A partir de la próxima semana, habrá Estaciones de la Cruz en español cada segundo miércoles del mes después de la misa de las 12 pm.
- With the increased Church capacity of 600 people, we will only live stream the 10am Mass. We will live stream additional Mass times if we find there are more than 600 people attending each Mass and will need to seat people in the PLC/gym area.
- For those who are not comfortable attending Mass in the Church, please continue to watch on your mobile device in your vehicle, where Holy Communion will be brought to you.
- We continue to seek creative individuals who are interested in joining our “Stream Team” to help. It is fun, easy, and fulfilling to take part in and you’ll have the love, support, and thankfulness of the Livestream Community.
- If you are interested or know someone who would enjoy volunteering in this role, please connect with zara@olmercy.com
- How can we be praying for you today?
There are times when life is overwhelming when all we have is questions. In those moments, hope can feel far away. The great thing about prayer is that it shifts our perspective toward the One who stands ready to listen. No matter what you’re facing, we’d love to pray with you. Submit your prayer requests at this link
- The overall goal of this team is to bring to life through communications our parish vision: to offer every person a life-changing encounter with Jesus, grow disciples and send them on mission.
- Volunteers that will be part of “The Messengers” team will be tasked with implementing the Communications, Social Media, and Online Engagement Strategy of Our Lady of Mercy.
- They will be trained and empowered to manage engaging communications pieces of our parish such as our emails (like this Weekly Update), and postings on all our Communications platforms (website, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter).
They can also assist in creating social media content that builds relationships and community as well as other projects at the direction of the Communications Director.- Must either be a committed disciple of Jesus or open to being one
- Needed skill sets
- Must enjoy working with others towards common/shared goals and communicate well in a spiritually paced, engaging environment.
- Some knowledge of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and other emerging platforms.
- Strong content writing/editing background.
- Takes initiative and responsibility, a self-starter.
- Desirable skill sets (but not necessary)
- Some skills in graphic design. Photography, audio/video editing are assets.
- Familiarity with best practices and analyzing analytics of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other emerging platforms.
- Interested? Have questions? Know of someone that can be a “Messenger”? Connect with zara@olmercy.com, she would love to chat about the volunteer position over coffee, zoom, or phone call.
- We continue to launch Grow Groups, one group at a time. In February, we launched the Consuming Fire Young Adultwhich has grown to be a community of about 40 young adults that are growing in their relationship with Jesus together living out discipleship through real relationships where there is authenticity, accountability, and accompaniment.
- Let the young adult in your life know about Consuming Fire, they are going to go through a new series “Metanoia” is starting for the summer on Tues 6/5th.
- Connect them to their website at this link or with Matt Kubanda and Mary Rysavy rysavyme@gmail.com
- Launching Weds June 9th is Vine & Branches. Please see below!
What is Vine & Branches? Watch the brief video to find out more.
- Vine & Branches is a group at Our Lady of Mercy that offers support and belonging to individuals of any age or faith who are divorced or separated on the way to divorce.
- The group’s primary purpose is to help divorced or separated individuals looking to restore hope, find healing, and grow authentic friendships with other individuals who are in a similar situation.
- If this group is of interest to you or if you would like to know more, connect at the following. Don’t forget to let others know who may want to be part of this grow group.
- Click here for more Information & Registration
- Connect with the group leaders (they are looking forward to hearing from you)
Kim Harris kimharris73@yahoo.com
Mary LoGalbo logalbo.marycarol@gmail.com
John Frederick jdfredericj@icloud.com
GROW YOUR FAITH
- Visit http://signup.formed.org/
- Enter our parish zip or name
- Enter your name and email
- JUNE 4 – 6 EUCHARISTIC CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION for the virtual EUCHARISTIC CONFERENCE being held next week can be found by clicking here at this link as well as for the list of the amazing presenters. Be a part of a revival of love for the Eucharist in the Catholic Church
- JUNE 5 FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY STEUBENVILLE CONFERENCE
REGISTRATION for the free livestreamed session of POWER and PURPOSE held on June 5th can be found by clicking here at this link.
- JUNE 5 AUGUSTINE INSTITUTE’S 2 HOUR BIBLE CONFERENCE
A Power-Packed two hours! We’re excited to invite you to the next Augustine Institute Bible Conference! To prepare for the Feast of Corpus Christi, Dr. Brant Pitre, Dr. Mary Healy, and Dr. Tim Gray will uncover the sacramental mystery, power, and significance of the Holy Eucharist found in Sacred Scripture. Submit your questions early and join us for this two-hour virtual event on Saturday, June 5!
REGISTRATION for the free 2-hour virtual BIBLE CONFERENCE Saturday, June 5th from the Augustine Institute can be found here at this link.