MAY 3, 2015 ● 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER

God’s Blessing Upon Our First Communicants Giancarlo Amidei

Keelin Bartin Olivia Baude

Brandon Bautista Ava Birmingham

Derek Bishop Eleanor Bonds Megan Brunk

Katelyn Burchill Gavin Casper

Ryan Casteleyn Alexandria Castenda

Claire Connelly Michael Cory

Paul Cory Joseph Crudele

Cassidy Cunningham Rachel Dado

Frank Deleon Riley Demko

Alexander Denicola Daniel Desrosiers

Jason Dorn Caden Earing

Katie Eck Kate Eddy

Conor Fayard Charles Fisher

Mackenzie Flackus Erick Fletcher

Lauryn Forester Emma Foy

Ronan Gardner Joseph Gargano

Matthew Gaughan Anthony Giambrone

Cameron Gibson Taylor Glover

Aryanna Gonzalez Monika Gonzalez

James Krusinski Graham Kuhlemeier

Lloyd Lazaro David Le

Joshua Lichter Elijah Lucht

Rose Madison Neil Martin

Emilia Mazurek Sarah McHugh Emily McHugh

Margaret McConville Cole McWard Luke Melnick Sofia Mendez

Cristian Mendez Cody Merkelz

Matylda Michajilyszyn

Johnny Gorsica Tyler Greenwald

Alexander Gressick Ron Grove Zalei Gryb

Mason Gutsmiedl Harper Sullivan

Damian Harrison Olivia Haut

Madison Hoffmann Silas Hopkins Abbie Johnson

Jake Jurasz Sarah Kaczmarek Finnegan Keegan Emma Kisselburg

Sawyer Klein Lukas Kott

Tyler Mock Colin Morris Michaela Nelsen Graham Ney Sydney Olorvida Shannon Ouimet Lucia Palacios Jenica Perez Joyce Perez Noah Papek Charlie Potempa Ethan Rogers Evan Salvador Sean Sanderson Audrey Scanlan Claire Schiro Riley Schmidt Karina Schwalbach Breanna Sears Brandon Serrano Audrey Smith Hector Soto Coleton Soudan Clara Strain Carson Swigert Gabrielle Taracatac River Thompson Regan Thompson Jeffrey Tieman Kassandra Tooke Adrian Torres Nicole Torres Grace Turpin John Warner Olivia Williams Olivia Willis Meredith Wojcik Ann Wolff Miranda Zoglman Maddie Zubert

Liturgical Ministers May 9 & 10, 2015

Mass Time 5:00PM 7:30AM 9:30AM 11:30AM

Presider Fr. Payne Fr. Presta Fr. Jacob Fr. Payne

Deacon Deacon Bob Deacon Gary Deacon Gary Deacon Mike

Lectors B. Ouimet J. Luhr

P. Tekampe J. Friello

M. Meskel D. Kennebeck

J. Koch P. Koch

Eucharistic Ministers

Deacon T. Hanley L. Kandefer D. Washburn & S. Washburn J. Cooper E. Bujan & A. Bujan L. Green

Deacon M. Manning & M. Manning L. Ippolito C. Cline R. Peterson E. Tauscher A. Rafferty III D. Fuller

Deacon D. Slater K. Franz E. Leuthner & D. Leuthner H. Grady & A. Grady K. Pieniazkiewicz J. Fosselman H. Stumpf & M. Stumpf

Deacon B. Kupsak S. Matousek S. Ropke J. Olorvida K. Crotty S. Scesniak D. Wittgen S. Poletto

Mass Intentions Monday, May 4 8:00AM †MaryJacqueline Slusser req. Joyce & Vernon Ladewig Tuesday, May 5 8:00AM †Danny Hansen req. Brad & Carol Hansen Family Wednesday, May 6 8:00AM The Hancock Family †Eugene Quamme req. Bernie & Mercedes Lenzen †Sophie Kolassa req. Lee & Pat Morelli Thursday, May 7 8:00AM Mike & Sherry Schmidt req. Gene Schmidt Family †Wally Zdanowicz req. Raymond & Elizabeth Beyer †Edelle Baranoski req. Tom & Janice Powell 9:00AM For the Parishioners of St. Mary of the Annunciation Friday, May 8 8:00AM †Norma Adolfo Labra req. Renacia Family Saturday, May 9 5:00PM For All the Mothers, Grandmothers & Godmothers Living and Deceased Sunday, May 10—Mother’s Day 7:30AM For All the Mothers, Grandmothers & Godmothers Living and Deceased 9:30AM For All the Mothers, Grandmothers & Godmothers Living and Deceased 11:30AMFor All the Mothers, Grandmothers & Godmothers Living and Deceased

The Week Ahead Monday, May 4 8:00AM Mass 8:30AM Pray the Rosary 9:00AM May Crowning 7:00PM Divorce and Beyond 7:00PM District I Meeting St. Vincent de Paul Tuesday, May 5 8:00AM Mass 8:30AM Pray the Rosary 9:00AM Mary’s Circle 9:15AM Lectio Divina Study 7:00PM St. Vincent de Paul Meeting 7:00PM Leadership Formation 7:30PM Lectio Divina Bible Study Wednesday, May 6 8:00AM Mass 8:30AM Pray the Rosary 8:45AM Lectio Divina Prayer Group 6:30PM PADS Volunteer Dinner Thursday, May 7 8:00AM Mass 8:30AM Pray the Rosary 9:00AM Great Adventure Bible 9:00AM Mass 7:00PM Great Adventure Bible 8:00PM Family Mass Rehearsals Friday, May 8 8:00AM Mass 8:30AM Pray Divine Mercy Saturday, May 9—Mother’s Day Rose Sale Hospitality 9:00AM Great Adventure Bible 5:00PM Family Mass 5:00PM Liturgy of the Word for Children Sunday, May 10—Mother’s Day Rose Sale Hospitality 9:30AM Childcare 9:30AM Liturgy of the Word for Children

Mother's Day Rose Sale This will be Lake County Right to Life’s 41stth year for our annual Mother’s Day Rose Bene-fit. Proceeds will benefit Lake County Right to Life, a non-profit, volunteer organization de-fending Life since 1974. These funds will help LCRTL to continue its programs and efforts to defend and protect the innocent unborn, and all human lives threatened by assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Roses will be available following all masses on May 9th and 10th for a suggested donation of $2 per rose, $5 for 3 roses, and $20 for 12 roses.

Childcare During Mass St. Mary’s Childcare Ministry offers childcare during 9:30 Mass. Childcare takes place in meeting room 3 and is open to children ages 6 months to 4 years. There is no sign-up; it is based on first-come, first-served.

If you have questions please contact Kitty White, Childcare Coordina-tor at kitty.white.kw@gmail.com.

Pray for all who suffer illness, pain and grief Ila Jennings & William (Bill) Berg

and for the repose of all who have recently died, especially Fr. Farrell Kane, O. Carm.

Register for Vacation Bible School! We are excited to share a fantastic week of VBS with your children June 15th-19th! Please check the website for registration and volunteer forms and information. Contact Tara Wojcik

at tarawojcik@gmail.com or 847-837-1528 with any questions.

VBS Needs Your Talent! Do you enjoy sharing your love of God with others? That is all you need to be a part of the VBS planning team! We will provide the support you need and would love to see some new faces on this ministry team. Cur-rently we are in need of some music leaders (the music and actions are easy and fun!), and some people who would love to turn St. Mary school into a campground with our decorations group! Teens and adults are welcome to join this planning effort! Please ask for more details: Tara Wojcik tarwojcik@gmail.com or 847-837-1528

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Dear Parishioners, In the Gospel this week we hear the words of Jesus telling his disciples, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” Be-coming implies that we are still growing and that our lives of faith are not finished. For example, our young people who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last week did not graduate from their religious instruction or from participation in the life of the Church. On the con-trary, they have stated their intention to become personal-ly committed to living their faith. In the same way, our First Communicants need to receive Jesus frequently, not just on the day of their First Communion. Becoming true disciples of Jesus is something that is lived one day at a time. While the root of our faith, Jesus Christ, does not change, the way we live out our faith does. All of our experiences—the lessons we learn, our successes and failures—affect the way we live our faith. The image of the vine and branches is a chal-lenging metaphor for Jesus and the type of relationship we strive to have with him. This is especially relevant at this time of year when we clean our yards of dead branch-es and return to the work of planting and caring for lawns and vegetation. I experience great personal satisfaction from working in the yard. To see the fruit of one’s labor can be very edifying. But specific to today’s teaching it is important to remember that in order to produce fruit, as in grapes, a vine is grafted onto a strong rootstock—two plants, in effect, become one. The rootstock goes deep into the ground and draws up the nutrients the plant needs. In their turn the branches grow from the main plant and break into leaf and tendril.

The challenge is that, left to themselves, the branches will grow indiscriminately. This may appear to be good thing, but it is at the expense of any grapes try-ing to grow on the vine. The plant is so busy sending energy to the farthest reaches of the branches that the poor grapes get bypassed! So it is necessary for the vine-dresser to curb the branches’ enthusiasm: the branches are pruned back almost to the grapes so that the energy is channeled into the fruit and not into foliage. At the same time, branches not bearing fruit are removed so that the plant’s energy is directed into fruitfulness. What about you and me? Even though we may intend to be connected to the True Vine, striving to keep our faith firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, from year to year our faith life needs pruning by God. Perhaps some old habits, thoughts, attitudes, or behaviors need to be pruned away so that, through the power of Jesus, we might produce more fruit. I think many of us are way too busy, and sometimes we need to prune away some of our own activities, and perhaps those of our children, in or-der to stay connected to what is most important: bearing fruit for God. Congratulations to all our First Communicants and a word of thanks to the many parents and families who have taken seriously their commitment to helping these children to become true disciples of Jesus. I am grateful to be at Saint Mary’s. Every week I feel more and more at home. As I begin my 10th month your pas-tor, I want you to know that I am most grateful for your prayers and support. Let us pray for one another, Fr. Jerry

Feast Days of Mary Wednesday, May 13th - Our Lady of Fatima Thursday, May 28th—The Visitation

Please join us for the recitation of the Rosary after the 8:00 AM Mass.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Tuesday, May 12, 8:30am to 8:30pm in the Eucharistic Chapel Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is on Tuesday, May 12th. from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. The Chapel is located on the left side of the stain glass window behind the main altar in the Church. If you are new to adoration and would like to receive adoration e-

mails or have question on adoration, please contact Gretchen O'Connor 847-548-1148. The sign-up book is in the Narthex.

PADS Volunteer Dinner The PADS ministry will have it's volunteer dinner on Wed., May 6 @ 6:30 pm in the small church basement. Anyone who helped our site this season is invited for fun, fellowship and thanksgiving for another successful season. Please call the parish office or sent a RSVP to poletto@comcast.net. We are blessed with so many wonderful volun-teers and we want to show our appreciation. Keep our guests in your prayers.

Young Adult Activities Come join us for a Friday evening BBQ, with Bishop George Rassas. Free food and drink for educators who are ages 21 – 39. Come be our honored guest as we thank for all that you do! Bring your friends, non-educators $5 a person. Hosted by YAM Lake County. Who: Young Adults When: Friday May 8th, 2015 Where: Old School Forest Preserve, Shelter A 28285 St Mary’s Road, Mettawa, IL 60048 Free pizza and volleyball for young adults ages 21–39. Come join us at 6:30pm on Friday, April 24th at St. Joseph parish in Libertyville to play a little volleyball while enjoying food & drinks. Bring a friend and meet many more! Free-will offerings appreciated. Contact YAM-StJoes@gmail.com

New Automatic Doors You may have noticed last weekend that we have installed automatic handicap doors at the entrance of the church. This im-provement addresses a long-standing desire to help those with mobili-ty difficulties to more easily enter and exit the building. Openers have been installed on both the outer and inner doors. As shown in the picture below, the right-most door (as you face the entrance from the sidewalk) is the automatic door and it is marked with a yellow decal. The push-pad switches are on the columns next to each door. The doors are timed separately to minimize the weather blowing through into the narthex. The automatic doors may still be manually opened as always, but they might require a tad more oomph to pull open.

We are extremely grateful to the parishioners who so generously re-sponded to our appeal last Fall and made donations that enabled us to purchase and install these mechanisms. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Next Seniors Meeting Monday, May 11, 2015 We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 11:30 AM in the church meeting rooms. If you are 55+ years old, love visiting with new

friends, love laughing at jokes, love catching up on lively chatter while you sip some coffee or wine and eat a catered lunch, then our club is what you are looking for. Catered hot lunch for $6.00, dues are $10.00 a year, entertainment every month, and yearly summer picnic at the Saddlebrook Lake Lodge. Come and join us. For more information, call Joyce Ladewig at 847-543-0715.

Televised Our Lady of Fatima Events International Rosary and Candlelight Procession in Honor of Our Lady of Fatima May 12, 3:30 PM CT Holy Mass with Blessing of the Sick Live from Fatima, Portugal May 13, 11:00 AM CT

Both events televised on EWTN.

Check your local listings for the correct channel.

Another Successful Daddy/Daughter Dance! We thank everyone who attended our Daddy/Daughter Dance, "Glow In The Disco,” last Friday, April 24th, for making it such a success. Your generous donations will allow us to continue our mission. The Challenge Girls (ages 4th thru 8th grades) meet with their club leaders (ages 9th thru 12th grades) Fridays from 4-5:30pm at the Gabriel House and new members are welcome! Please drop in and consider joining us. ~ Lee Hermann, Megan Nugent, Maggie Devlin, Jena Sorby and Dan-ielle Cushing (2014-2015 Challenge Leaders) Questions, please call Maria Cushing 847-989-6822 or Jodi Devlin 847-502-2172

All Invited to May Crowning The students of St. Mary School invite the parish community to attend May Crowing on Monday, May 4th at 9:00am in the Big Church. It is a beautiful ceremony honoring Mary, our Holy Queen. All parishioners, parents, grandparents, and friends are welcome to join attend.

St. Mary Moms Bake Sale May 16-17 in the narthex Volunteers are needed for baking and table sales. Baked goods can be dropped off Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17. For more information, please email stmarysmoms1@gmail.com

St. Mary Moms All moms and children welcome Please join us!

Next meeting: Wednesday, May 13 9:30 am - 11 am Meeting Rooms 1 & 2 (off narthex in main church) End of Year Social Breakfast. Please bring a dish or treat to share. Questions? Please email stmarysmoms1@gmail.com or visit us at www.stmaryfc.org (under REP/Youth/Family)

Altar Flowers You can donate flowers in memory of a loved one, in thanksgiving for favors granted, of to mark a special occasion. Call the parish of-fice for details.

Catholic Charities Collection on Mother’s Day Daria had no income, and lived with her chil-dren in a condemned building. Catholic Chari-ties brought the family to one of our shelters. We helped her find work and permanent housing. She and her chil-dren were among the 991 individuals we sheltered last year. Please give to Catholic Charities on Mother’s Day to help homeless families get back on their feet. Learn more at www.catholiccharities.net. “How marvelous it would be if, at the end of the day, each of us could say: today I have performed an act of charity towards others!”

- Pope Francis

Pray the Daily Rosary Please join other parishioners in the Eucharistic Chapel following the 8:00 AM Mass Monday through Thursday.

Pray the Divine Mercy Novena & Chaplet The Divine Mercy Novena & Chaplet is prayed in the Eucharistic Chapel on Fridays immediately following the 8:00 AM Mass .

The Family Rosary Join us for Family Rosary Saturday Devotion, requested by Our Lady of Fatima, every First Saturday of the month at 4:30 PM.

Altar Server Training Students in 4th grade and older are invited to partici-pate in training to become an Altar Server. Two ses-sions will be offered; you only need to attend one COMPLETE session to receive all the training. You must sign up for the training.

Wednesday, May 20 6:00-8:00pm Wednesday, May 27 6:00-8:00pm All sessions will be held in the new church. Please sign up by emailing the Altar Server Ministry Coordinator, Tom Forster, at teforster@yahoo.com. Altar serving promotes responsibility, accountability, leadership and above all, teamwork. It is also a chance for young people to get to know other Catholic children which helps reinforce moral and ethical values our children need to face the difficult issues in today’s society. Altar servers are expected to sign up to serve at least one weekend Mass each month.

Stewardship Report

Sunday Collection April 26, 2015 $ 20,462.63

Budgeted Weekly Collection $ 21,208.00

Difference $ (745.37)

Current Fiscal Year-to-Date* $ 960,049.48

Budgeted Sunday Collections To-Date $ 911,944.00

Difference $ 48,105.48

*Note: YTD amount reflects updates by bank to postings and adjustments.

www.stmaryfc.org

Living God’s Word Jesus tells us: “If you remain in me and my words re-main in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Which words of his are call-ing you to life? Ask him to help you to trust in the Fa-ther and surrender to what the Father wills for you.

Copyright © 2014, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 14:5-18; Ps 115:1-4, 15-16; Jn 14:21-26

Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28; Ps 145:10-13ab, 21; Jn 14:27-31a

Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6; Ps 122:1-5; Jn 15:1-8

Thursday: Acts 15:7-21; Ps 96:1-3, 10; Jn 15:9-11

Friday: Acts 15:22-31; Ps 57:8-10, 12; Jn 15:12-17

Saturday: Acts 16:1-10; Ps 100:1b-3, 5; Jn 15:18-21

Sunday: Acts 10:25-36, 34-35, 44-48; Ps 98:1-4;

1 Jn 4:7-10 or 1 Jn 4:11-16; Jn 15:9-17

or Jn 17:11b-19

Annual Catholic Appeal Update We have received our first report on the 2015 Annual Appeal and we are very grateful for the response of our generous parishioners. The current total of pledges for this year’s Appeal is $185,610.00, of which $104,595.00 has already been paid!! The Appeal is a major source of funding for the Archdiocese and St. Mary. All money received that exceeds our parish goal of $74,037.18 will be returned to St. Mary. As in previous years, this “rebate” is an important source of funding for the functioning of our parish and its ministries. We will continue update you on our progress with the Appeal over the coming months as pledges continue to arrive. If you have not pledged to the Appeal, you may make a gift via the special link on the Stewardship page of our web site. (Be sure to se-lect “St. Mary of the Annunciation” as your parish so credit for your gift is directed appropriately.) We thank everyone for your generous pledges and payments to the Annual Catholic Appeal. We are very grateful for all those who have sacrificed to support the Archdiocese and St. Mary!

Catholic Charities Collection on Mother’s Day After spending years in a Nepali refugee camp, the Jha family arrived here with nothing. Catholic Charities met them at the airport and took them in hand, helping them learn English, find work, enroll in school, and get medical care. They were among the 469 refugees we resettled last year. Please give to Catholic Charities on Mother’s Day to help refugees build a new and hopeful life. Learn more at www.catholiccharities.net.

“All of us together are a family in the Church, who is our Mother.” - Pope Francis

With Thanks and Gratitude! Our Lenten journey ended with sup-

port for our brothers and sisters around the world who are hungry and

in need. As we continue to celebrate the season of Easter, we express thanks to

everyone who supported Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl. Your generous gifts allowed St. Mary to send a check in the amount of $2,288.92!

REP NEWS! St. Mary’s Religious Education Program finished its sessions this past week. Children in grades K-8 have grown closer to their faith and to the Lord, thanks in large part to the dedicated team of volunteer catechists who spend time sharing their faith, love and time with the children of the

parish. Many, many thanks to these wonderful teens and adults! May you spend the summer months resting well knowing that you truly are good and faithful stewards. Those who still need to register children for the fall 2015-16 sessions may find registration forms on the parish web site or in the kiosk in the narthex. Avoid a late fee by submitting your forms before June 1. Con-tact Sue Matousek at the parish office with any questions.

Becoming an Authentic Catholic Woman: An Information Afternoon Theresians in your community invite you to come to a “Information Afternoon” at Santa Maria del Popolo Parish Center, 151 N. Lincoln (first building north of school), Mundelein, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. on Sunday, May 3rd. Learn more about this wonderful group of women in your neighborhood: Are you looking for a way to deepen your spiritual life and grow in your understanding of what is true and essential to being a Christian woman—a woman who is alive, aware, and caring? If you are looking for a supportive faith community that can challenge you to live an authentic Christian life as a woman, Theresians may be for you! We welcome all women who desire to grow spiritually within a community. Theresians pledge support by prayerfully nurturing, af-firming and empowering one another to be come the women God intends them to be. By living according to five dimensions: Spirituality, Education, Vocation, Community and Ministry, we grow in gospel val-ues. We invite you to explore our website (www.theresians.org) . For more information about local communities, call Rosemary at 847-223-2754, or email jean at newtonj35@yahoo.com, subj. heading Theresi-ans.

Diaper Drive

Hey there, anybody got a diaper?

The St. Vincent de Paul Ministry is holding a diaper drive to support the Catholic Charities of Lake County

Diaper Depot on May 16th and 17th. Diaper Depot provides diapers to families in need with infants and children within Lake County. A collection bin will be set up in the narthex on those dates. All sizes of children’s diapers are needed, but families are in particular need of sizes 1 and 6. Financial contributions are also most welcome. Catholic Charities has more buying power and can purchase diapers at greatly reduced prices. Checks should be made out to Catholic Charities with Diaper Depot indicated on the check. Checks and cash dona-tions should be put in an envelope indicating “Diaper Depot” and placed in the Alms for the Needy SVdP box (at the south entrance of the sanctuary) or you may hand them to a SVdP committee member or parish staff. Please consider donating so that Our St. Vincent de Paul clients and other less fortunate mothers throughout the region may be able to benefit from these diaper donations and thus afford other basic necessities for their children. Please contact Kathleen DeCaire-Aden with any questions- Phone # 224-522-8863. Email address: Svdpkda@gmail.com God bless you for your generosity.

F isch–ing Lines by Deacon Howard Fischer

When she heard that peasants could not afford to buy bread, Queen Marie Antoinette is said to have replied, “Then let

them eat cake.” While historians have debunked this legend, the statement has come to symbolize the all-too-real arrogance, self-absorption and cluelessness of the rich regarding the plight of the poor. Sadly, in many ways you and I are not immune from this same form of blindness which infiltrates our attitudes and actions

concerning all sorts of economic, cultural and religious issues. Last week I read an article by world-renowned Vatican re-porter John Allen of the U.S. in which he observed that we Americans can be seen as a bunch of Marie Antoinettes (my term, not his) in the eyes of other nations. Our often heavy-handed throwing around of our economic, military and cultural weight and our speaking as the self-anointed beacon for the rest of the world is not always endearing to others. Such self-absorption can also appear in our practice of the faith. In recent years Catholic news in the U.S. has been dominat-ed by what have been labelled as “culture wars” – debates over when and how to promote our Gospel values in such matters as same-sex marriage, contraception and health care, abortion funding, and a whole host of other issues that often revolve around matters of sexual morality. Then there are internal matters of church governance and liturgical practice. Lots of attention and energy have been devoted to these debates. However, John Allen observes, “Whatever the merits of the fuss, here’s an observation you won’t find in most American debates: For Catholics in many other parts of the world, the whole thing seems a great example of a ‘luxury issue,’ meaning the kind of argument that only affluent cultures and churches can afford to have. In Kenya, for instance, Bishop Anthony Muheria of Kitui reported this week that Christian pastors are wrestling with whether to teach their people to recite a line from the Qur’an in Arabic, so the next time an Islamic terrorist shoves an AK-47 in their face they may be able to pass as a Muslim and stay alive.” Allen writes that such situations are not exceptions: “[L]et’s recall that two-thirds of the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world today live outside the West, many in some fairly rough neighborhoods. Even when those Catholics aren’t facing religious persecution or war, many of them are still stuck with the realities of grinding poverty, bad govern-ance, and unstable social and political situations.” “Not long ago, two-thirds of the world watched with astonish-ment as American Catholics spent more than a decade debating the translation of terms in the Mass – for instance, whether people should say ‘And also with you’ or ‘And with your spirit’ when the priest says, ‘The Lord be with you.’ Many were stunned to learn that we apparently have so much time on our hands, and so little of life-and-death urgen-cy to occupy it.” Allen concludes by noting that bishops from other parts of the world often express “irritation that more dramatic situations around the world, in which America is undeniably involved, don’t seem to arouse a similar passion.” This is not to say that the so-called “culture wars” issues don’t deserve our attention and involvement. But I do think that we need to adjust our attitudes and priorities. We need to devote as much energy (and probably more) to the life-and-death matters facing the vast majority of our sisters and brothers around the globe. We cannot allow “luxury issues” to dominate these more fundamental concerns lest we be a bunch of Marie Antoinettes. As Pope Francis has been trying to teach us, we must first be concerned for the poor and those

on the margins. I am reminded of a comment by Cardinal George: “Poor people are rich people’s ticket out of hell.” And make no mistake about it, you and I are numbered among the rich. Let us also be num-bered as true friends of the poor and suffering. If you wish to contact me, please leave a note in the parish office or send an email to dea-conhwf99@yahoo.com.

Reflecting on God’s Word Hearing Jesus’ words, “I am the vine, you are the branches,” sounds comforting at first. But then comes “and my Father is the vine grow-er” (John 15:1). The task of the vine grower is to prune and pruning can be tricky. The danger is cutting the main vine and not the branch-es, or cutting the branches that carry this year’s fruit and not the old ones from last year. But Jesus tells us that it is the Father who is out there with the pruning shears, not some careless hired hand. He is cutting away the dead wood, and cutting back the good branches so they bear even more fruit. Nevertheless, you might think, who wants to be pruned, even metaphorically? Who wants God snipping away? It’s hard to be pruned. There is a dying in that. But that is the ongoing story of East-er: dying and rising, pruning and bearing more fruit. God is there prun-ing us to bring out life, to make us life bearers and life givers. The Father continues snipping away, separating us from our selfishness, our self-centeredness, and all those things we hold on to that do not give us life: resentments, old grievances, desires for getting even. God is about life, committed to an abundance of life—not just life today but eternal life. That’s the divine plan. Are we part of it?

—James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R. Copyright © 2014, World Library Publications.

All rights reserved.

We Bow Before You How do we show reverence and love for Christ when we enter and leave the church? First, we greet each other as we would greet Christ. (“Where two or three of you gather, there I am.”) Then, we bow to the altar.

Why? On this altar we place our bread and wine that becomes Christ’s body and blood: This is the place of sacrifice. At this altar we sit with God to dine in eternity:

This is Easter’s banquet table.

The altar of the Most High is this table in our midst—the table of every grace and blessing! And more. The Rite of Dedication of an Altar (#4) says, “Because it is at the altar that the

memorial of the Lord is celebrated and his body and blood given to the people, the church’s writers see in the altar a sign of Christ himself—hence they affirm: ‘The altar is Christ.’”

Christ is the Anointed One, baptized, anointed with the Holy Spirit and robed in light. We are Christians, anointed ones, baptized, anointed with chrism and robed in white. Just like Christ, just like us, our altar was washed, anointed and robed. On its dedication day, it was sprin-kled with holy water. The bishop rubbed holy chrism into its top, and ministers robed it in a white cloth.

So let’s bow to Christ at the altar before taking our places. And let’s bow again when we depart. Christ the offering. Christ the meal. Christ the altar of sacrifice. Christ the paschal banquet table. Holy Christ, we bow before you! Copyright © 1997 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL 60622-1101; 1-800-933-1800. Text by David Philippart. Art by Annika Nelson

Choosing to be Catholic Retreat For Young Adults S a t u r d a y , M a y 1 6 – S u n d a y , M a y 1 7 Bel larmine Jesuit Retreat House, Barr ington, IL This retreat is for young adults at various places in their faith life: whether you were raised Catholic, decided to become Catholic later in life, if you've come back after drifting away, or have been here all along. Join us for Charis Ministries'overnight retreat to reflect on the commitment to being Catholic and how that looks in your day-to-day life. Visit www.charisministries.org for info and registration!

Join the CRS Response to the Nepal Earthquake On Saturday, April 25th, Nepal experienced a massive earthquake of 7.8 magnitude centered about 50 miles northwest of the capital city, Kathmandu. The following Sunday morning, Nepal experienced an-other 6.7 magnitude aftershock of the initial earthquake. The offi-cial death toll is above 3,600 people and is still rising, with officials yet to reach many outlying villages. The earthquake has also caused deadly avalanches around Mount Everest and its deadly ripple effect has killed doz-ens in neighboring China and India. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has made an initial com-mitment of $725,000 toward relief efforts in Nepal and surround-ing countries where a powerful earthquake has caused wide-spread damage. As CRS personnel arrive in Kathmandu, they will work closely with Caritas Nepal and Caritas India as well as Caritas Australia which has staff on the ground. “We are immediately sending materials for emergency shelter and for safe water, sani-tation and hygiene as these are expected to be the urgent needs,” said CRS India Country Representative Tony Castleman. Be-cause of the cold conditions, CRS is also sending blankets to the area. Supplies prepositioned in India will be moved by road into Nepal as additional relief items are procured locally. “Rescue is the first priority,” said Fr. Pius Perumana S.J., Director of Caritas Nepal, based in Kathmandu. “Lots of people have lost their homes and are out on the street or in open spaces so we will be looking to provide them with food and tempo-rary shelter.”

A Call for Collective Action Please consider helping and praying for our Nepalese brothers and sisters in peril by donating to CRS: By Mail ATTN: Nepal Emergency Appeal Catholic Relief Services 3525 S. Lake Park Ave Chicago, IL 60653 Online www.ChicagoPeaceAndJustice.org/NepalEmergencyAppeal At St. Mary Place your donation in the Nepal Earthquake Appeal bos in the narthex

Sacrament of Penance Saturdays 4:00—4:40 PM, and by appointment

Baptisms Ordinarily during the Mass on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month and after the Mass on the other Sundays, outside of Lent. Parents are required to participate in a Baptismal Preparation class before scheduling a Baptism.

Adult Initiation Adults who wish to become Roman Catholics are enrolled in a formation process that includes prayer, dialogue, instruction, and introduction to the Church’s life and values, rituals and tradition. Call the parish office for more information.

Marriage St. Mary Parish rejoices with parishioners who are preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Church requires at least four months’ time before the marriage for adequate preparation. A parish wedding information packet is available at the parish office.

Ministry of Care Ministers of Care visit the homes of the sick, homebound, or hospitalized and bring Holy Communion to them. Call the parish office when a pastoral visit is desired. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered by the parish priest upon request.

New parishioners We welcome new members who wish to worship with us and support the parish’s work and mission. Please call the parish office to schedule a time to register. A complete listing of parish services and organizations is available at the parish office.

Mass

Saturday 5:00 PM

Sunday 7:30 AM 9:30 AM 11:30 AM

Weekday Monday—Friday

8:00 AM

PARISH NUMBER 847-223-0010

Parish Emergency

After Hours 847-813-7324

22333 W. Erhart Road •Mundelein, Illinois 60060 •WWW.STMARYFC.ORG Email: parish@stmota.org Parish Fax number 847-223-5960 Pre K-5 School: 847-223-4021 Frassati Catholic Academy (Grades 6–8) 847-487-5600

Religious Education Program (REP) Emergency Number 847-239-2725 Parish Office Hours Monday—Friday 8:30AM—4:00PM

Rev. Jerome J. Jacob Ext. 213 Pastor

Rev. Nathaniel Payne Ext. 212 Associate Pastor

Deacons Mike O’Malley, Gary Kupsak Robert Poletto, Mike Alandy

Mr. Fred Vipond Ext. 216 Director of Music & Liturgy

Ms. Patricia Strang Ext. 310 Principal, St. Mary School

Dr. Diane Vida 847-487-5600 Principal, Frassati Academy

Ms. Sue Matousek Ext. 218 Director of Religious Education

Mr. Benjamin Valle Ext. 230 Coordinator of Youth Ministry

Dcn. Howard Fischer Ext. 215 Director of Parish Operations

Ms. Penny Elwood Ext. 217 Bookkeeper/Accountant

Ms. Victoria Hansen Ext. 200 Administrative Assistant

Mr. Richard Plage Ext. 304 Mr. William Zerwer Maintenance

Rev. James Presta Weekend Associate

Parish Staff