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Mass Schedule
Weekend public Masses with limited capacity have resumed for those who wish to attend. Mass on Sunday, July 5, will also be live-streamed on Facebook at 8 AM. -
Today's Readings
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Reading 1 Eph 2:19-22Responsorial Psalm 117:1bc, 2Gospel Jn 20:24-29
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What's A FLOCKNOTE ?
Have you signed up to receive St. Mary Flocknotes yet? We have a new system designed to keep our parishioners informed about the latest happenings, especially during this time when we can't meet in church. If you don't receive our Flocknotes click on the logo above to sign-up! -
Act of Spiritual Communion
It is a beautiful and praiseworthy tradition to recite an act of spiritual communion when one is unable, for whatever reason, to receive Holy Communion. Below is an act of spiritual communion composed by Saint Alphonsus Ligouri.
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. -
From the Desk of Fr. Ariel Valencia (JULY 5, 2020)
Weekend Masses with limited capacity have resumed. We will continue to live-stream Sunday Mass on Facebook from St. Mary's at 8 AM.
Mass on Sunday, July 5, will be live-streamed on Facebook at 8 AM.
Confessions continue during this COVID-19 Pandemic. Download the revised Schedule and Instructions Here.
Lion's Roar
Every year, a missionary group comes to our parish. The group representative shares with us the apostolate and work they do in mission territories. Through these narratives we get a picture of how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is shared in word and action in circumstances very different from our own. This annual visit is also an opportunity for us to assist the mission work prayerfully and financially.
This year the Brothers of St. Charles Lwanga is the mission group assigned to our parish. Brother Anthony Muleme, the group’s representative, has given us a letter that he asked to be read at the Masses this weekend. In this way we will still hear about the religious order and the work they do even if he cannot speak to us in person.
I ask that we support their mission by prayer and by generous financial donation. Next weekend, we will have a separate basket/collection in church to support the mission. In the words of Bro. Anthony, “Mwebale nnyo ba nnyabo ne ba ssebo.” -
Online Giving
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Parish Calendar
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Sunday, July 5Saturday, Mass 4:00 PM; Sunday, Mass 8:00 AM. Limited capacity. The 8:00 AM Sunday Mass will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook.Read More
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Sunday, July 12Saturday, Mass 4:00 PM; Sunday, Mass 8:00 AM. Limited capacity. The 8:00 AM Sunday Mass will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook.Read More
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Sunday, July 19Saturday, Mass 4:00 PM; Sunday, Mass 8:00 AM. Limited capacity. The 8:00 AM Sunday Mass will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook.Read More
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Sunday, July 26Saturday, Mass 4:00 PM; Sunday, Mass 8:00 AM. Limited capacity. The 8:00 AM Sunday Mass will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook.Read More
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From the desk of Msgr. Tom Dzielak (JULY 5, 2020)YOU HAVE MADE US FOR YOURSELF, O GOD, AND OUR HEARTS ARE RESTLESS UNTIL THEY REST IN YOU
[St Augustine, THE CONFESSIONS]
On Saturday of this weekend we celebrate American Independence Day, the Fourth of July. The words of Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel offer food for thought. I am struck with these words: I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones [Matthew 11:25] … learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart [Matthew 11:29].
We find ourselves today in a hotbed of both physical distress from battling the corona virus pandemic and emotional distress of conflicting feelings and opinions about racial justice. We have all kinds of “experts” pouring out ideas and feelings, and part of the difficulty is the speed and availability of instant communication.
There are many blessings resulting from our ability to communicate instantly, but there needs also to be some caution. In various ways through the Internet, many spiritually and morally unhealthy ideas and opinions can be put forth, many times without showing the basis for such claims. Also, the spiritual viciousness of the human race can rear its ugly head as people attack others irresponsibly. Because of the possibility of being anonymous on the Internet, much hatred and prejudice can spew forth.
One problem I see that can flow out of instant communication is that everyone who has an opinion can present himself/herself as an expert, even when presenting opinions on things (e.g., religion) with which the presenter has had little or no experience, nor often has encountered or studied more than superficially.
So what does all this have to do with the words of Jesus I quoted above? For one thing, Jesus says there are crucial things which we need to know about life which God has hidden from the “wise” (= those who think they are experts in some kind of knowledge) and revealed to the “little ones” (= those who recognize their limits in knowledge). I have had the good fortune to have been around a number of people during my years of education and priesthood, and I have seen consistently that the people whose sound intellectual skills are much greater than mine have true humility: they are confident in what they know, but aware that what they don’t know far exceeds what they do know. St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the great thinkers of all time, said about his knowledge of God: that the more he learns about God, the more he realizes how little he knows about Him.
Jesus says of himself that he is “meek and humble of heart.” His meekness is not cowardice or being soft on principles. Jesus never surrendered the truth of what he said because there were people who were offended by it. He never worried about hurting anyone’s feelings when it came to God’s truth. His meekness was being gentle and understanding of those who couldn’t or wouldn’t understand, while at the same time proclaiming the truth boldly.
His humility is what all humility is: living by the truth. A humble person is one who accepts with gratitude the blessings and skills with which he/she has been endowed by God, while recognizing his/her own limitations and the blessings and skills possessed by others. Perhaps the best expression of humility is what the mother of Billy Martin, a famous baseball player in the middle of the last century, taught him: “Billy, you’re no better than anyone, and you’re no worse.”
In these days of uproar about social justice (and, as the Church teaches us, we should always be in uproar in the face of injustice and evil), I suggest we all try to be humble with regard to others, irrespective of our opinions on the issues.
“Heavenly Father, I thank you for creating me as the person I am. Let me always respect your image in others as I respect it in myself. Strengthen in me the graces of humility and meekness.”
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Parish News & Events
COVID-19 Updates
- Mass on Sunday, July 5, will be live-streamed on Facebook at 8 AM.
- Anchor: Episode 13 - Visit with our priests Thursday, July 9, on Facebook at 11:30 AM.
- Church Open Hours
Wednesday 10:30 am to 1:00 pm
Thursday 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Saturday 11:00 am to 1:00 pm- Confession Schedule
Wednesday 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Saturday 11:30 pm to 1:00 pm
IMPORTANT MESSAGES FROM BISHOP DAVID J. MALLOY
** Bishop Malloy Announces Plan to Reopen Churches for Public Mass **Bishop Malloy has issued a new statement on May 13 about plans, procedures and restrictions for opening churches within the Diocese of Rockford.
Letter from Bishop Malloy and Executive Summary for reopening churches
** STATEMENT UPDATED AS OF 8:00 AM, 4/9/2020 **Bishop Malloy has issued a new statement extending dispensation past Easter.
Bishop Malloy's Dispensation Statement
To comply with Vatican and state guidance about group gatherings during this time of pandemic, Bishop David Malloy has cancelled all in-person Masses and other prayer gatherings in the Rockford Diocese until further notice.Diocesan Cancellations AND Postponements
2020 Diocesan Annual Appeal
Thanks to all of you who regularly participate in this annual appeal. Your gifts truly make a difference! Every gift, no matter how small, brings us closer to our diocesan goal of $11,487. We need everyone’s participation to achieve this goal! If you would like to donate you can do so at the diocese online giving system at: www.rockforddiocese.org/donate, or you can mail your donation to the parish office. We are truly grateful and blessed by all who hear His voice and give sacrificially of their treasure to St. Mary’s Parish and to this annual diocesan appeal.
NOTE: The Diocese has granted us permission that donations we receive for “Stained-Glass” will be exempt from the diocesan assessment (used as a basis of setting our diocesan appeal goal) until December 31, 2020. Therefore, we ask that you use the “stained-glass” offering envelope, online giving selection, or write “stained-glass” on your checks for contributions for the window work.
Mass Intentions
Please remember your loved ones with a Mass intention. We can pray for anyone, they do not have to be deceased. It can be for a wedding anniversary or birthday, a Mass of Thanksgiving, or any other special intention. Weekend Masses fill up quickly, but we do have daily Masses each week that are available. You can also use these Masses while you are away and cannot be here to pray for those loved ones. Please call or stop in the parish office for more information.
New Parishioners Welcome!
If you are new to our parish or just visiting - WELCOME!! If you would like to officially claim St. Mary’s as your Parish Home - we would love to have you! Contact the Parish Office (815-827-3205) for information and a registration form. Forms can be mailed or emailed to you or you may stop in and pick them up.
The Catholic faith community of St. Mary, Maple Park is constantly in need of people to be involved in our liturgy. We are very much in need of cantors, accompanists, choir members, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, lectors and altar servers. Make an effort to actively participate at Mass and step up! Contact Deacon Greg if you feel called to serve in a ministry.
Volunteers - We Need You!
Religious Education NewsClasses Sundays, 9:15-10:30 AM
Due to the COVID-19 stay-at-home order, all RE classes have been suspended until further notice.
Remember Your Parish...
Just like for your family, during this time it is important that the parish continue paying its bills. While we are unable to gather in church, if you are able to continue your Sunday contributions to the parish, please mail them to: PO Box 70, Maple Park, IL 60151, or use our Online Giving service. Thanks and may God bless you and your family during this difficult time!
Please also remember St. Mary’s with a gift in your will or estate plan. -
From the Desk of Deacon Greg Urban
Church Stained Glass Window Work
The work installing exterior vented clear-glass on the nine windows (five windows on the North side of the church and the four windows in the upper church sanctuary (altar area)) has been completed. The cost for this phase of work was $80,000. Through your generosity and our fundraising activities (many thanks to our volunteers and guests!), we had the funds to complete this work. There are ten more windows on the South and East (front) sides of the church that will still require this work when we raise the necessary additional funds.
The Diocese has granted us permission that donations we receive for “Stained-Glass” will be exempt from the diocesan assessment (used as a basis of setting our diocesan appeal goal) until December 31, 2020. Therefore, we ask that you use the “stained-glass” offering envelope, online giving selection, or write “stained-glass” on your checks for contributions for the window work. We sincerely thank you for your past donations and ask for your continued generous support in this endeavor to help properly maintain our beautiful church building. -
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Word on Fire
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Catholic Link
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The Virtue of Justice Before we can begin to understand patriotism as a virtue, we have to first look to... The post The Virtue Of Patriotism appeared first on Catholic Link.
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“No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one... The post Your Complete Guide To Paying Priests For Things appeared first on Catholic Link.
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Five years ago today, a group of three seminarians and two lay students in Rome started a podcast… What does... The post Catholic-Link Expands To Video! appeared first on Catholic Link.
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Do you remember the first time you fell asleep while praying? For me, it happened when I was about 16... The post Is It Okay To Fall Asleep While Praying? appeared first on Catholic Link.
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Catholic News Service
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IMAGE: CNS photo/Cassie Magnotta, courtesy John Feister By Chaz Muth WASHINGTON (CNS) -- John Feister, assistant editor of Glenmary Challenge, is the recipient of the 2020 St. Francis de Sales Award...
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IMAGE: CNS photo/KNA By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Documents uncovered from the recently opened archives of the pontificate of Pope Pius XII revealed allegations of sexual abuse and...
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IMAGE: CNS photo/Mohammed Salem, Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, met with the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors to the Vatican to express...
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IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Boys Town By BOYS TOWN, Neb. (CNS) -- Father Val Peter, who was executive director of Boys Town from 1985 to 2005, died June 30 at age 85. No cause of death was given...
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