The
people of St. Edmund Parish are a diverse community of Christians
whose beliefs are rooted in sacred scripture and the traditions of
the Catholic faith. We strive to fulfill the commandments of Jesus
to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our
mind, and with all our strength (Mk 12:30), and to love one another
as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). We gather as community to be
nourished in Word and Sacrament, and are sent forth to be, to see
and to experience Christ in the world with friend and stranger
alike.
In
gratitude for all our blessings, we commit ourselves to love,
forgive and support each other joyfully. We seek to serve others and
to be active participants in living our Catholic faith.
__________________
Prayer Opportunities at St. Edmund
Mass Schedule: Saturday, 5:30pm, Sunday 11:00 am.
Attend
Daily Mass.
Join
us every Monday and every Friday at 8:30am,
Daily mass will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Catherine-St.
Lucy Church at 8:30am.
Sacrament of Reconciliation, Saturdays: 4:30-5:00
pm (church
Reconciliation Room located
in west end of north transept.)
"A
church without women
would
be like the apostolic college without Mary. The Madonna is
more important than the apostles, and the church herself is
feminine, the spouse of Christ and a mother.”
--Pope Francis
_ _
Parish Service Opportunities and Groups
Most parish-related activities
and meetings have been suspended or are taking place virtually.
Please call the office if you have questions.
Rehearsals
for the St. Edmund Parish choirs are held Wednesdays
at 7:30 p.m. in the church choir loft, and you have your
choice of serving in this ministry
at
either the 5:30pm Saturday evening mass or the 11:00am
Sunday morning mass each week.
The parish Welcome Committee
ensures those who are new to our parish are warmly
welcomed and have the information they need to feel a part
of our community as quickly as possible. The committee seeks
parishioners who are willing to greet and register new
parishioners on the second weekend of each month. Please
contact parishioner Mary Ellen Gruszka at:
mgruszka8453@aol.com.
The
St. Edmund Peace Garden Committee plants flowers and vegetables
behind
Murphy Hall and along the handicap ramp. In May, vegetables will
be planted and then harvested throughout the summer. All the
produce is donated to Beyond Hunger, the former OPRF food
pantry. The committee needs and welcomes new volunteers to help
maintain the garden. The need is great; the laborers are few. We
would love to grow the garden ministry membership and the
produce servings total this year. Please consider joining
the team. For more information, please contact Nora Abboreno atnabboreno@gmail.com.
.
The
Respect Life Committee has a virtual home at
www.facebook.com/StEdmundRespectLife.
“Like” our page to receive inspiration and information on
current and upcoming events. The Respect Life Committee
holds monthly meetings the third Tuesday of the month at 7
pm in Murphy Hall. Contact Mary Ellen Gruszka at
mgruszka8453@aol.com
.
The parish’s
Prayer Shawl Ministry
ministry helps provide comfort to those who are ill,
support those who are experiencing difficulty in their lives
and those who are coping with the loss of a loved one.
The St. Edmund Parish Life Commission offers
knitting and crochet classes
for adults in Murphy Hall. The group generally meets on the
second Saturday of the month.
- - - -
Did You Know...
... Catholic New
World is a newspaper of the Archdiocese
of Chicago and is available to you at no cost at
the entrances of the church doors. Feel free to
take a copy home and catch up with all of the
news in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
...The Children’s School, now in the St.
Edmund’s school
building, is an independent, K-8 school with
approximately 100 students. The curriculum
emphasizes project based learning, social
emotional competence, and social justice
teaching and learning. The school is pleased to
be our neighbor and welcomes us to visit the
school. Their website is:
thechildrensschool.info;
call 708-484-8033 to learn more or set up a
tour.
This web site was the inspiration of parishioner Suzanne
C. Guerin,
who passed away in October 2003. The site is
lovingly dedicated to her.
Please click on
Renew My Church for the latest information on
the unification of Ascension and St Edmund parishes.
Upcoming Events
Monday, May 30th,
in observance of the Memorial Day holiday, the
parish office will be closed. Please note that the only
mass on Memorial Day will begin at 9am and not the usual
8:30am. God Bless Our Troops!
Saturday-Sunday, June 4 – 5 is our Spring Bundle Weekend
Housewares & Clothing Drive. Support the St. Vincent de
Paul Society by donating clean, gently-used items, such as:
Small Appliances - Coffee makers,
toasters and blenders;
Housewares - Dishes, glasses, utensils,
pots and pans;
Books and Decorations - Vases and
picture frames.
Please
pack delicate items safely and mark, FRAGILE. Drop off items
at the St. Vincent de Paul Society trailer in the parking
lot before/after weekend masses. Thank you for your generous
support!
Saturday-Sunday, June 4-5: Save the Date for St. Edmund
Bundle Weekend.
Sunday,
June 12, work on the St. Edmund Third Day Garden
continues withplacing ladybugs and worms into the
garden after the 11am mass. The garden is located in back of
the Murphy Hall entrance from the parking lot. All children,
parents and everyone else are welcome to come to the garden
to join the fun!
Tuesday,
June 21, the St. Edmund Book Club will meet at Belmont
Village from 1pm—3pm. All participants must be fully
vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination.
We will be discussing the book The Midnight Library
by Matt Haig. Somewhere… there is a library that
contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of
another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is,
along with another book for the other life you could have
lived if you had made a different choice at any point in
your life.”Read the
book and join us! Contact parishioner Mari Hans at:
marithans@comcast.net
for more information.
Sunday, June 26,join us for a special Appreciation
Liturgy to honor our beloved pastor Fr. John McGivernas we celebrate his
18 years of faithfulness, service and unwavering
commitment to St. Edmund Parish. The event will begin at
11:00 am, with a
Mass Reception on the parish lawn to follow. Please R.S.V.P. by June 19 for
the reception only. Sign up by clicking this Signup Genius
link,
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044BA8AC22A2F85-frjohn
, or call the Parish Office at 708-848-4417,
Extension 2011. See also the
Special Events page for
more details. We are also looking
for volunteers to prepare for Fr. John’s Celebration.
Volunteers are needed to help transport tables and chairs
from St. Catherine-St. Lucy to St. Edmund on set-up on the
parish lawn, return tables and chairs back to St.
Catherine-St. Lucy and clean up. A van will be rented for
transport. Please call the Parish office at 708-848-4417,
and let us know if you are able to assist. Thank you!
Church News
The regular
schedule for liturgies is 5:30
p.m. on Saturdays and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays. Daily Mass is held
on Mondays and Fridays at 8:30 am. We are asking that you enter through the Murphy Hall
corridor. A box of masks will be placed on an entry table and people
are welcome/encouraged to take one. Masks are not optional
and in the interest of prudent caution they must be worn. At Communion time, we will have 2 lines coming
forward. We will continue to keep socially distanced seating
to every other pew. There may be other changes coming
and, if so, we will let you know. Finally, please know that all
who gather for our weekend liturgies are now allowed to sing. Your
parish musicians very much look forward to your voices joining
theirs in joyful praise of God!
__________________
Please click on the ECHOES
link above for Fr. McGivern's frequent letter to
parishioners and other parish information.
_____________________
Announcements
Our
parish is conducting our campaign for the 2022 Annual
Catholic Appeal. Please remember that the Annual Catholic
Appeal is much different than a one-time special collection. It
is a pledge campaign where you can make a gift payable in
installments. To make your gift, you can complete the mail-in
giving envelope available at church or make a gift on-line at:
https://give.archchicago.org/site/SPageNavigator/aca_donation_form_2022.html.
In
addition to providing for ministries and services throughout the
Archdiocese, the Appeal also funds services that are of great help
to ministries here in our parish. As we contemplate God’s many gifts
to us, we should also reflect on our gratitude for these gifts. Your
financial support for the work of our parish, our Archdiocese, and
the Church throughout the world is, in fact, one way to express this
gratitude. Please give generously to the 2022 Annual Catholic
Appeal.
HELP
WANTED: St. Edmund Parish has an opening for a Part-Time
Facilities Manager. Click on the
Contact Information page and go
to the bottom of the page for full details.
_____________________
Please Remember Your Parish
We realize there are many demands on your time
and your income during this time of year, but we ask that you give
consideration to the gift you are able to offer your parish of St.
Edmund’s this year.
As you know, we are struggling to meet our
weekly expenses, our twice-monthly payroll and our monthly school
and parish Archdiocesan assessments, and we count on the generosity
of our parishioners—throughout the year, but in a special way at
Easter, to help us stay on top of our financial demands. There
are a variety of ways to help.
The easiest and quickest way to help is to
remember to turn in your Easter envelope. We are also willing to
help you to set up a one-time (or more regular) automatic bank
withdrawal, or a credit card withdrawal.
At
year-end, some people like to donate some stock to the parish. This
is a way for people not to accrue capital gains tax. If you itemize
your tax return and are interested in making a charitable donation
to St. Edmund Parish, the best way to do this is to donate your
shares directly to the church. The parish will receive the full
charitable gift income tax deduction and no capital gains tax needs
to be paid. We are happy to expedite this process for you.
Perhaps there are other ways that you would
like to make a donation to the parish. However you wish to do so, we
would be most grateful. You may call the parish office at
708-848-4417 during office hours and we will be most happy to help.
Let us Pray
St.
Edmund Parish is in need of a few good people to
serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
and Lectors for the weekend masses. The
Ministers of the Eucharist assist in the
distribution of Holy Communion at mass. Lectors
proclaim the First and Second readings at mass,
lead the people in the Prayer of the
Faithful,
and read the weekly announcements. For questions, contact
the parish office.
Minister of Care Home Visit
Arrangements. St. Edmund Parish has trained
Ministers of Care, who bring Communion to homebound
parishioners. Arrangements can be scheduled on
either a short-term or long-term basis. To schedule
visitation, contact Peggy Leddy, Pastoral Associate,
at 708-848-4417, x2021, or
pleddy@stedmund.org
.
Donate your discarded cell phones and help abused
women. The Domestic Violence Outreach Ministry
collects phones and chargers in collaboration with
Verizon Network. The phones are programmed with
emergency numbers, loaded with 3000 minutes, and
distributed to abused women through various
shelters.
Drop off phones and accessories in the basket on the
table in the Murphy Hall Corridor. We are grateful
for your support!
The last Saturday of each month, please join us on
the rectory lawn from 6:30 to 7pm
for our monthly
Prayer Vigil to End Gun Violence.
It is our way of standing against the culture of violence in
our country.
We also urge legislators to understand the urgency
of this issue.
..... and, F Y I
Religious Study
Afternoon Faith Sharing
is held once a month from 1:30pm-3:00pm and is open to all
parishioners. Please contact Kathy Halfpenny at: tktuppence@comcast.net or call her at 708-386-1832 for
upcoming dates and locations.
Religious Instruction
(Contact
Peggy Leddy, Pastoral Associate, at
708-848-4417, extension 2021 or email
pleddy@stedmund.org.
The
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
registration is open and sessions begin
soon. (RCIA) is a spiritual and educational
formation process
designed for those considering becoming
Catholic and those baptized Catholic, who
have not received First Holy Communion and
Confirmation. To register or for more
information, please email Peggy Leddy,
Pastoral Associate, at pleddy@stedmund.org.
Adult Confirmation ZOOM Sessions.
The Chicago Archdiocese’s Adult
Confirmation Program is for those who are:
19-years-old or older, and are baptized
Catholic and received First Communion. Prep
sessions, offered via Zoom, begin soon. The
fee is $60. Advance registration is
required. Contact: familyministries@archchicago.org.
New or expectant parents are invited to
register for
Baptismal Preparation Class. For
more information or to register, please
contact Peggy Leddy.
Archived Echoes
Miscellany.....
We Need the Generosity of Every
Parishioner!The easiest and most convenient way to remember your
weekly collection is to sign up for automatic
electronic withdrawal. It is a very safe method of
support and helps the
parish know exactly what it can count on from week to
week. Additionally, there are many people who do not
financially support their parish at all, and we need the
help of everyone! Please consider what you are able to
give and sign up for automatic electronic withdrawal
today!
Click here
to sign up
through the Give Central website.
MANNA Gift Cards
Available for Purchase. A wide-variety of vendor
cards, such as Jewel, Best Buy, CVS, Pete's Market, gas,
restaurant offerings, and many more are available. You
will receive the full value (100 percent) of your
purchase card. St. Edmund will receive a
rebate back from your
purchase. MANNA ordering forms are available on the
tables in the Murphy Hall corridor. Feel free to take
one home with you to browse through for your shopping
needs. Contact Deacon Tom at
tdwyer@stedmund.org
for ordering and more information about the bank
account option.
Saint Edmund parishioners are strongly urged to
subscribe to the Parish Listserv. Send an email
using the address you wish to use to receive posts
addressed to the following address:
imailsrv@stedmund.org.
Leave the subject line empty and write the following in
the body of the e-mail: Subscribe stedmund <your name as
you wish to see it displayed>. Except for your name, the
command is case sensitive.
Monthly Wedding AnniversarySunday
is held at all masses on the first Sunday of the month.
A special blessing is bestowed on all couples who will
celebrate their anniversary in that month.
During this continuing Coronavirus pandemic, many are
tempted to fear, anxiety and perhaps even despair. Every
crisis in life is also an opportunity to turn to our beloved
Savior in trust and complete abandonment so as to rest in
His merciful hands. To rest in the hands of God means we are
secure, despite the uncertainty of life. Prayers and resources
for healing and hope may be found at:www.mycatholic.life
...we’re on
Twitter! Follow us: St. Edmunds-Oak Park
or click on
@edmunds_oakpark .
St. Edmund Parish, 188 South Oak
Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302
Phone 708-848-4417 // Fax Line:
708-848-0049
Parish contact: Christine
Rousakis (carousakis@stedmund.org"
// Web site editor: Michael
Guerin (mpguerin@gmail.com)
New Parish
Office hours during COVID-19: Monday-Saturday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm;
Sunday,closed
Website established September 1,
2001