St. Mary of the Assumption

Maple Park, Illinois

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Two events have me thinking these days about the Church and the priesthood. One of those events is a happy one: on June 4 Bishop Malloy will ordain Nathan Pacer to the priesthood for the Diocese of Rockford (the only priest ordained for our diocese this year). The second event is not a happy one: the Franciscan Friars, who have served St. Anthony of Padua parish in Rockford since 1933 (89 years), announced they will be concluding their service to the parish on July 1 this summer.

We congratulate Nathan and his family on their gift to the Church. The Catholic priesthood is essential to the Church because the heart of our Faith is the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist can only be brought about by those who have received the priesthood in the Sacrament of Holy Orders. This has been the practice of the Church since apostolic times and there is no indication it will or can be changed.

We thank the Franciscan Friars of St. Bonaventure Province for their long service to the mainly Italian parish of St Anthony. Although I grew up in another parish in Rockford, I have fond memories of the Franciscan priests at St Anthony from those years and then as a priest of the diocese. The reason for their termination of service is lack of personnel to be able the staff the parishes they serve throughout the country.

These two events remind us of the crisis of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life in our country. Underlying all reasons we could propose for this crisis appears to be a significant lack of desire to give oneself to Christ in a special way through the priesthood or consecrated religious life for the work of His kingdom on earth. 

Of course we have the wonderful labor for the kingdom on the part of our Permanent Deacons and Catholic laity. The majority of Catholics are not called by God to serve in the priesthood or consecrated religious life, but rather through the faithful living-out of the vocation to marriage and family life, and in some cases, a life of sacrificial love in non-marriage. 

Nevertheless, vocations to the priesthood are crucial for the sacramental life of the Church. As a Church family we need to pray for all vocations, but especially for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life. Teach our children to pray to God to show them what He wants them to be and do with their lives, not just what they want. Encourage young people to seriously consider whether God wants them to be priests or members of consecrated religious communities of men or women. Let those boys and girls whom we believe would be God’s good servants in these vocations know that we see something special in them. It may help them think and pray about it.

God has not stopped calling people to serve Him in special ways. It’s our task to recognize and respond to those calls.

Diocesan Appeal 2022

We encourage all parishioners to contribute to the 2022 Diocesan Stewardship Appeal.  See the video above from Bishop Malloy on the many ways this helps the Diocese and our parish. There are several ways to participate:

1. Complete the pledge envelope you received in the mail or pick one up at church and drop in the collection basket at Mass or drop it in the mail
2. Give Online: www.rockforddiocese.org/donate
3. Text: “Donate” to 815-885-5806

Please accept our sincere thanks for all of your support to our parish and the Diocese through gifts of your time, talent, and treasure.
 

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Important Messages

• Updated COVID-19 Guidance - Effective immediately masks are OPTIONAL for all church functions. Click here to view Bishop Malloy's memo to priests dated February 23, 2022.
• Church Cleaners Needed - Please follow the link to our Signup Genius page, Church Cleaning Schedule, if you are willing and able to help. 
• Daily Mass Schedule - Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM (unless otherwise announced)
• Confession Schedule - Wednesdays: 11:00 AM to 12:00 (Noon); Thursdays: 7:00 to 8:00 PM; Saturdays: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

 

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Religious Education

Classes are held on Sundays, 9:15-10:30 AM, in the Novak Center. Download the RE Calendar and Combined Registration Form here. If you have questions, please call our RE Coordinator Leila Rivers at 815-827-3205 x3.
  

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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.
 

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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.
 

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Volunteers - We Need You!

The Catholic faith community of St. Mary, Maple Park is in need of people to be involved in our liturgy. During this time of COVID, we are in need of cantors, lectors, ushers, and greeters. Make an effort to actively participate at Mass and step up! Contact the parish office if you feel called to serve in a ministry.
 
 
  

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Remember Your Parish...

Just like for your family, it is important that the parish continue paying its bills. Please continue your Sunday contributions to the parish, by mail to: St. Mary Church, PO Box 70, Maple Park, IL 60151, or use our Online Giving service. Thanks and may God bless you!

Please also remember St. Mary’s with a gift in your will or estate plan.

Church Stained Glass Window Work (Update)

The latest phase of work installing vented clear protective glass over our beautiful sacred stained-glass windows is now complete. That being said, we will continue to raise funds for rebuilding the actual interior of our 100+ year-old stained-glass windows as this becomes necessary.

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 Annual Diocesan Appeal goal) until December 31, 2024.  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.