SUNDAY . May 10HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!WEEKEND MASSES• Online, available by 4:30pm on SaturdayMONDAY . May 11 DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlier TUESDAY . May 12DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierWEDNESDAY . May 13DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierPRAYERS FOR PEACE• LIVE-STREAM . 7pmTHURSDAY . May 14DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierFRIDAY . May 15DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierSATURDAY . May 16 WEEKEND MASS• Online . 4:30pm or earlierSUNDAY . May 17WEEKEND MASSES• Online, available by 4:30pm on SaturdayMONDAY . May 18 DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlier TUESDAY . May 19DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierWEDNESDAY . May 20DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierPRAYERS FOR PEACE• LIVE-STREAM . 7pmTHURSDAY . May 21DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierFRIDAY . May 22DAILY MASS• Online . 10am or earlierSATURDAY . May 23WEEKEND MASS• Online . 4:30pm or earlier

PHONE 815-232-3225

WEB www.stthomasfreeport.org

FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/Stthomasaquinasfreeport

EMAIL sta@stthomasfreeport.org

THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.In more “normal” times we would be busy with graduations, weddings, and ordinations. Moving from one part of our life’s journey to another. We have some significant ordination anniversaries, and several of our

parishioners celebrate some very important wedding anniversaries. In all that we do we must be aware that by our baptism we are called to be Priest, Prophet, and King.

In his work as the Christos, Jesus the Christ sanctifies the lives of the faithful, shares the good news of salvation, and through the paschal sacrifice, reveals the love and mercy of the Father. And, if we want to come to know the Father, we must do so through the Son. That is for us to imitate the way of Jesus as we seek to be faithful disciples.

The primary source of vocations to the priesthood, or a holy marriage, or conversions to the Catholic faith, is the example of family members, friends, and co-workers. It is a matter of people living the faith they profess, not some program or institutional strategy. We can all call to mind that couple who seemed so intensely in love with each other well into their later years. The priest, religious, or deacon, that inspired or comforted us. Not by a Power-Point presentation, but by their words and passion.

Each of us are heralds of the Gospel. Especially at this time we must be faithful stewards, praising and thanking God for what we have, and coming close to Jesus through faithful-ness and self-giving.

Jesus says today, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” “You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”

Father Ken

2 WEEKSP L A N N I N G from the pen of father ken

DAILY AND WEEKEND MASSES: Watch every day at www.stthomasfreeport.org or www.facebook.com/Stthomasaquinasfreeport.

WEBSITEwww.stthomasfreeport.org STEWARDSHIP

FRIDAY FAITH AND FUN WITH THE FATHERS!

(find it on Facebook!)Celebrating MAy Day with Crafts and a Delivery to our Neighbors!

Every Friday, Father Ken and Father Joel are appearing on Facebook with a wide variety of topics that are timely and faith-filled. From the Paschal Candle, Cheese Ball Contests, May Day Baskets and more . . . you just never know what they’ll come up with . . . and teach you along the way. The segments begin around 10am on Friday, and stay up for viewing after they’re done!

www.facebook.com/stthomasaquinasfreeport

OPEN FOR PRAYERThe church sanctuary will be unlocked during business hours for you to stop by and spend some quiet time in prayer. Please follow social distance guidelines and use the sanitizing wipes in the nar-thex to clean your area before and after your prayers. Individual prayer time will not be available when there is a funeral.

COFFEE CHAT WITH FATHER!

Tuesday Morningson Facebook!)

Father Ken invites you to join him LIVE on Facebook as he has his morning coffee. He’s available to answer your questions, give you updates on the latest COVID guidelines for the church and more. Post your ques-tion on Facebook, call the office 815-232-3225, or email media@stthomasfreeport.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!

www.facebook.com/stthomasaquinasfreeport

May’s Prayer Intention:

Say one Hail Mary a day for new life

and all the joy it brings.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS1400 Kiwanis Drive Freeport, IL 61032STEWARDSHIP

A very special thank you to Lin-da Thayer and Jim and Yvonne Fitzsimmons who after many years are giving up taking care of berms in our parking lot. Thank you to Rose Klipp for

taking over one of the berms. If anyone is interested in taking over the other berm, please contact Sandy in the office, 815-232-3225. God bless you. This ministry is so helpful in making our grounds look beautiful and is truly appreciated by all.

As our parking lot berms come back to life, we thank our “berm-keepers” who give their time to maintain them. Many blessings to Diane Vaske, Georgi Johnson, Tom Kornfeind, Connie Kaderly, Rick & Lynn Wilson, Mary Blair, LeRoy Cook, Lee Eilers, Becky Martinez, Cheerie Cregan, David (Barb) Marck and the children of Chuck Schmelzle. Your help makes our grounds so beautiful.

God bless you!

THANK

YOU!

‘St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is a faith community under the guidance

of the Holy Spirit dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus through Word, Sacrament, and Service both to its

parishioners and the broader community through worship, prayer and evangelization.

ARYLE DAILEY FREE LUNCHDue to the Coronavirus we had to cancel the meals for March and April. We provided 661 meals from October through February. We wish to thank the members of the Servants of Mary for providing the delicious home-made cookies for this past year. Every item donated means we have additional funds available to assist those in need. Also, we are so grateful to the mem-bers of St Thomas for the generous donations of warm clothing and toiletries. We plan to resume the Dailey Free Lunches in October. Thank you for your contin-ued concern for our neighbors who are suffering. -The Society of St Vincent de Paul.

FAITH FORMATIONWEBSITEwww.stthomasfreeport.org

YOU’VE GOT MAIL!from media@

stthomasfreeport.org

EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT THOUSANDS OF CATHOLIC TEENS

GATHER ONLINE FOR

LLIIVVEE HOW TO LOG ON

Students do NOT need to preregister. Simply head to the URL below a few minutes before 7pm Central Time. You will need a PARENT

EMAIL ADDRESS to log on.

PROJECTYM.COM/WATCH

SSuunnddaayyss 77ppmm

YOUTH GROUP IS BACK ON

Thursdays at 7:00 PM, login for our ONLINE Youth Group....chance to reconnect with friends and keep your faith alive!

Guidelines: Who: Anyone going into 6th-12th grade (parents can be nearby to listen in) Where in my home: Computer or phone in a public area (no bedrooms/bathrooms please) When: 7PM Thursdays until we can start meeting in per-son again! Link and password will be texted out on Thursdays or reach Jason 815 275 0895 with questions!

W E E K L Y FAITH IN ACTION

SCHOLARSHIPSDue June 19 at 3pm

The St. Thomas Aquinas Scholarship Committee will award up to 5 schol-arships per grade to stu-dents in grades 7-12 this year. Eligible students must be parishioners of St. Thomas Church. Criteria for selection in-clude parish participation, charitable works, volun-teer activities, academic promise, and school and community involvement.

Awards amounts are: • $1,000 for graduating seniors • $400 for juniors • $300 for sophomores • $200 for freshmen • $175 for 8th graders • $175 for 7th graders

Completed applications are due to the Parish Office no later than 3pm on Friday, June 19, 2020. Applications can be found in the St. Thomas lobby and website, and the Aquin website.

EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT THOUSANDS OF CATHOLIC TEENS

GATHER ONLINE FOR

LLIIVVEE HOW TO LOG ON

Students do NOT need to preregister. Simply head to the URL below a few minutes before 7pm Central Time. You will need a PARENT

EMAIL ADDRESS to log on.

PROJECTYM.COM/WATCH

SSuunnddaayyss 77ppmm

YOUTH GROUP IS BACK ON

Thursdays at 7:00 PM, login for our ONLINE Youth Group....chance to reconnect with friends and keep your faith alive!

Guidelines: Who: Anyone going into 6th-12th grade (parents can be nearby to listen in) Where in my home: Computer or phone in a public area (no bedrooms/bathrooms please) When: 7PM Thursdays until we can start meeting in per-son again! Link and password will be texted out on Thursdays or reach Jason 815 275 0895 with questions!

W E E K L Y

COMING TO YOU FROM THE CLOUD!As we continue under the ‘stay at home’ restric-tions, we are looking into more ways to stay con-nected with you and of-fer you meaningful mo-ments of faith. Among the ideas we’re discuss-ing are ‘LIVE Praise and Worship’ sessions, virtu-al bible studies, ‘Thomas on Tap’ and parish com-mittee meetings. These endeavors would be fa-cilitated through Zoom (an online portal that members would log-in to join), Facebook groups through our Facebook page and on our website.

We are also looking ahead to the time when we can gather together again as a community. We are looking into ways to continue to stream our Masses while we gather as a congregation (both daily and weekend), im-prove our sound and video capabilities and ex-pand our reach to home-bound and our ‘tech-nologically-challenged’ members. Thank you for all of your input as we journey into these new waters of catechesis.

All Are WelcomeAll of our events, meetings and celebra-

tions are open to everyone so please

mark them on your calendar and join us! (available in Google Play & The App Store) www.stthomasfreeport.orgConnect with Us!

815-232-3225

sta@stthomasfreeport.org

REPOSE OF THE SOUL

Please pray for the repose of the soul of

Donald Shere, grandfather of

Erica Kornfeind of our parish.

PASTOR Very Reverend Kenneth J. Anderson, V.F. 815-232-3225

PAROCHIAL VICAR Reverend Joel Lopez, OFS 815-232-3225DEACONS Kim Hemesath 815-541-6760 Steve Pospischil 815-233-2422 Vince Drees 815-233-1097

OFFICE MANAGEMENT BUSINESS MANAGER/WEBSITE COORDINATOR Karen Sopcic 815-232-3225 SECRETARY Sandy Roser 815-232-3225 PARISH HALL COORDINATOR Norma Langarica 815-232-3225

PARISH COMMISSIONS PASTORAL COUNCIL Dick Drogosz 815-233-0798 Cathy Finch 815-975-7621 Barb Hemesath 815-541-6761 Deacon Kim Hemesath 815-541-6760 Dan Moeller 815-235-9428 Deacon Steve Pospischil 815-233-2422 STEWARDSHIP & EVANGELIZATION COMMITTEE Tom Willison 815-232-5539 FINANCE COUNCIL Jim Brannick 815-232-6675 SPIRITUAL LIFE COMMISSION OPEN FAITH FORMATION COMMISSION OPEN PASTORAL CARE MINISTRIES Jan Moss 815-232-2259

FAITH FORMATION AQUIN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Aquin Administration: Rosemarie Brubaker 815-235-3154 School Board Rep: Greg Guilliams 815-291-5839 FAITH FORMATION COORDINATOR Lou Ann Hayes 847-373-5745 YOUTH MINISTRY Jason Eilers 815-275-0895

LITURGICAL MINISTRIES EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF COMMUNION Deacon Steve Pospischil 815-233-2422 LECTORS Deacon Steve Pospischil 815-233-2422 USHERS 4:30 pm Carolyn Weaver 815-563-4469 8:00 am Tom Kornfeind 815-233-4519 10:30 am Roland Caruso 815-291-4253 MASS SERVERS Diane Fiedler 815-369-4158 MUSIC COORDINATOR Laura Diemer 815-541-2596

GROUPS ST. THOMAS KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS Meetings 2nd Wednesday of each month Jeremy Grayewski 815-563-4222 EUCHARISTIC ADORATION OPEN Please contact the Office 815-232-3225 SERVANTS OF MARY Barb Hemesath 815-541-6761 PARISH PRAYER TREE Beth Bowen 815-233-0281 Barb Hemesath 815-541-6761

MASS TIMES &INFORMATIONMAY 11-17, 2020Watch daily after 10am on our

Facebook page, website or through the ‘My Parish’ app!

DAILY CHAPEL SERVICES MON 8am MASS • for George Ritter TUE 8am MASS • for Helen Franz WED 8am MASS • for those suffering and dying from the coronavirus and their families THU 8am MASS • for Patrick Love FRI 8am MASS • for Lorayne Edwards SAT 8am MASS • for Ellen McCormackWEEKEND MASSES SAT 4:30pm MASS • for Eleanor Prendergast SUN 8am MASS • for People of the Parish SUN 10:30am MASS • for Charlotte McGinnis

OFFICE HOURS MON-FRI 8am-4pm SUN 9am-noonPARISH REGISTRATION Registration forms are available in the office or www.stthomasfreeport.org.

BAPTISM Second Sunday of the month at noon or during a weekend Mass; preparation classes required RECONCILIATION SAT 3:30-4:15pm WED 5:30-6:30pm or by appointment CONFIRMATION Held every 2 years for 8th & 9th grade students. MARRIAGE Please contact church office to make an appointment with Father ANOINTING OF THE SICK Please contact church office to arrange for anointing for some- one who is seriously ill or pre- paring for surgery. If ill, home bound or hospitalized, we can visit upon request. Anointing of the Sick is also available on the first Friday of the Month following the 8am Mass in the chapel.

SACRAMENTS

HOLY FAMILY LIGHTSare burning

in loving memory of Jim Mangan.

MAY 2-3C O L L E C T I O N S

Sunday Envelopes

• Please drop your envelopes at

the church office or in the mail.

Sunday Envelopes $6,589.00

Loose Offering 158.00

Total $6,747.00

Online Giving $2,378.00

• Please let us know if you’d like

to start giving online today!

Our May 6.5% tithe will once

again support Amity Society

of Freeport which was found-

ed in 1880 by Isabel Fry and

Dr. H.D. Jenkins. Is is the old-

est charitable organization in

Freeport and one of the old-

est children’s charities in the

United States.

OUR PARISH TITHE

630 S. Terra West • Freeport

815-235-7858

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For more information, call 815/233-9253 or visit www.LSSI.org (TTY:847/390-1460)Prairie Ridge • 1730 S. Hance Drive, Freeport

Meadow Ridge • 1731 S. Hance Drive, FreeportHousing is now available for seniors who qualify under the federal government’s

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines.

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offer is valid for homeowners over 18 years of age. If married or involved with a life partner,both cohabitating persons must attend and complete presentation together. Participants must

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(CS

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921250 St Thomas Aquinas Church (B)

50 E. MONTEREY ST. • FREEPORT, IL 61032

(815) 235-8070

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