Church News – August 2012

| August 13, 2012

St. Beatrice Parish

4157 Atlantic Ave., Schiller Park
847-678-0138, www.stbeatriceparish.org

ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY

If there is a family you know who needs assistance, please call the Society of St. Vincent de Paul so that together we can help those who are hungry. Contact them at 847-678-0138.

 

FOOTBALL MANIA IS HERE!

St. Beatrice Parish continues to sell tickets for Football Mania after all the masses and available in the rectory.  $20.00 Each ticket. Runs 17 weeks during the regular football season. GUARANTEED WINNER EVERY WEEK!  Great fun-GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

 

HELP WANTED

The Religious Education Program at St. Beatrice is looking for Teachers Aides for the 2012-13 school year. No previous experience is necessary, just a willingness to serve others while making a difference in the lives of students. If interested, please call Zerlina Kerchen, Coordinator at 847-671-6429 or email her at ccd_education@yahoo.com

 

RCIA

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) helps prepare adults to become full members of the Catholic Church. It is for those who were never baptized, were baptized in another Christian faith, or were baptized Catholic but never received Communion and Confirmation. The RCIA begins in September and leads up to the celebration of the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil on March 30th, 2012. For more information, please contact the rectory at 847-678-0138.

 

SAVE THE DATE

On Saturday, August 11th from 8:30am to 6pm, the world Apostolate of Fatima is bringing the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of the USA to St. Beatrice Parish. This beautiful image of Our Lady of Fatima was blessed by Pope Paul VI and given to our country by the Bishop of Fatima to carry the message of Fatima to the United States. It is a message that Pope John Paul II said is more important today than ever.  All are invited and encouraged to come and see this beautiful Statue of our Lady of Fatima. The Statue Custodian, William Sockey, will explain how the message of Fatima applies to our country today and discuss what we can do to earn the blessings on our country that Our Lady promised if her requests were fulfilled. Please make plans to join us in church on August 11th as we begin the day with Mass, followed by the rosary and a Holy Hour.

 

Faith

By Father Rob Schultz

After debating what to write about for this article on religion, I thought: Why not start with the basics?  Faith.  Instead of first talking about any one religion in particular, let’s talk generally about faith in God.

Now, I should tell you that I’m a movie nut.  So when I was considering what to say about the topic of faith, a recent movie came to mind.  This past winter the movie The Grey came to theaters, starring Liam Neeson.  I loved this film, and not only because it was so well-made, but also because it surprised me by the deep topics that it touched upon: life, death, survival, humanity, and yes, the existence of God.

I don’t want to give away too much for those who have not seen it, but basically, the movie centers around a group of oil-rig workers who survive a plane crash in Alaska, only to be hunted by a viscous pack of wolves, forcing them to fight for their survival.  Near the end of the film, after many of the men had been killed by the wolves, Liam Neeson’s character looks up at the sky and yells out to God to save him.  “Do something!” he screams.  “Show yourself!”  After not hearing a response, he mutters, “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”  He has seemingly given up on God.  But just a little bit later, as he is about to make his last stand for survival, and as he remembers the men who have died, he folds his hands in prayer.

This and other scenes in The Grey demonstrate that faith is not about having all our prayers answered exactly how and when we want them answered.  Faith is about trusting that God is with us, even in – and especially in – the difficult times.  Faith is about believing that there is something greater waiting for us beyond this life.  Liam Neeson’s character had a spark of faith in him, whether he wanted to admit it or not.  Faith in God is, I believe, imbedded in our humanity.  Why else does the Bible continue to be the best-selling book of all time?  Why do surveys continually show that a majority of people subscribe to some kind of faith in God?

As St. Augustine famously said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.”  We were made for God.  Faith is the longing of our souls to connect with the God who made us.  If you’ve been struggling with your faith, talk to God.  Tell Him what’s on your mind.  Even if you have to scream at Him, that’s okay – at least you’ll be talking to Him, and that’s a sign of faith.

St. Maria Goretti

3929 N. Wehrman Ave., Schiller Park
847-678-3988

Don’t Miss Out!  St. Maria Goretti School Car Raffle

Purchase your raffle tickets while they last.  $75 each-only 300 will be sold.

Order through the rectory office during the month of July 9am-1pm, Monday –Friday at St. Maria Goretti Parish 3929 Wehrman Avenue, Schiller Park, IL 60176.  For more information call: 847 678-3988 or after the Saturday night and Sunday morning masses.

  • First Prize: New 2011 Mazda2 Sport or $8,000 Cash
  • Second Prize: $500
  • Third Prize: $250

Raffle Prize Drawing Extended to Sunday, August 26, at the SMG Parish Picnic!

 

School Registration

St. Maria Goretti School is now accepting new registration for its Pre-K through 8th grade classes.  St. Maria Goretti School is located at 10050 Ivanhoe Avenue in Schiller Park. St. Maria Goretti School offers an excellent academic program and daily religion classes.  Enrichment programs of computers, physical education, library, music, Spanish, drama and art are built into the curriculum.

Students may participate in our competitive Athletic Program, which offers opportunities in basketball, volleyball, and cheerleading.  Other extracurricular activities include: National Junior Beta Club, Student Council, Band, Chess Club, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.

In a beautiful child-centered environment attached to our school, we offer a 12 month Children’s Center facility.  Students, age 3 and older, will be able to utilize the Children’s Center, 5 days per week, before and after school, school days off, and all summer from 6:30am-6pm.

Please feel free to call for more registration information.  During the month of July please leave a message at the rectory, 847 678-3988, and our principal will return your call.  On August 1st, the school office will be open. You can call the school office, 847 678-2560, or feel free to stop in from 9am -2pm, Monday through Friday.

 

St. Gertrude Parish

9613 Schiller Blvd., Franklin Park
847-455-1100
www.geocities.com/saintgertrudeparish

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

TASTE OF ST. GERTRUDE FEST. August 25, 3-10pm and August 26, 11:30 to 5pm. Don’t miss it!

 

St. Celestine School & Church

3017 N. 77th Ave., Elmwood Park
708-453-8234, www.stcelestineschool.org

Registration Continues All Summer

Preschool through 8th Grade

NEW Full day Preschool for 4 year olds!

Art, Music, Spanish, Sports, Technology for all children. Test scores above the national average in every subject. Celebrating over 75 Years of Excellence in Catholic Education.

Visit our website for a virtual tour and see all the great things we have to offer!

 

St. Cyprian School

2601 Clinton Street, River Grove
708-453-4800, www.stcyprian.org

St. Cyprian School Achievement Test Scores

River Grove, IL – July 3, 2012 – Students at St. Cyprian School, located at 2561 Clinton Street in River Grove, IL, once again achieved academic test scores above the national average in all subject areas according to the annual Terra Nova assessment summary. Each year St. Cyprian students in the third, fifth and seventh grades take the Terra Nova standardized achievement tests which include assessments in Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. TerraNova tests are dually aligned with Archdiocesan curricula and Illinois State Learning Standards.

St. Cyprian students also take the InView assessment of cognitive abilities including verbal and quantitative reasoning, sequences and analogies. When used with a quality achievement test like Terra Nova, InView provides anticipated achievement scores for individual students and groups, allowing comparisons between students of the same age, grade, and ability to determine whether students are achieving to their full potential. St. Cyprian students consistently test above ability level per the comparison data of the Terra Nova and InView, suggesting St. Cyprian students are highly motivated to work hard, study well and succeed thanks to the school’s child-centered focus on high quality academic achievement and its dedicated and experienced principal and teachers.  This focus and dedication along with the safe, supportive, considerate and prayerful traits of the small, charming school greet you when you enter the doors at St. Cyprian and provide the environment necessary for each and every child to fully develop– academically, spiritually, individually and emotionally.

School Goals for the 2012-2013 school term include increasing math and science scores at all grade levels.   In keeping with the National Catholic Education Association, St. Cyprian’s overall theme for the next school year is, CATHOLIC SCHOOLS RAISE THE STANDARDS. We will celebrate the high-quality, faith-based education that Catholic schools provide. The Office of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Chicago will initiate the national common core standards throughout the archdiocesan-based curriculum.

For additional information about St. Cyprian Catholic School in River Grove, which serves families in River Grove, Elmwood Park, Melrose Park, Franklin Park, Schiller Park, Northlake and Chicago, please visit the school website at www.stcyps.org  For tours and registration, please call 708-453-6300. Book Bill Day is August 9, 2012 from 10am to noon and in the evening 6-8pm

 

TERRIFIC TOTS parent/toddler class

This fall, St. Cyprian School will proudly host a new parent/toddler class called, TERRIFIC TOTS!  Terrific Tots classes, which will meet weekly for one hour, are open to 1 to 3 year-old children and their caregivers. Classes are designed to give young children the opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive play environment and to allow children and caregivers to spend focused quality time together without outside distractions. Classes will include a variety of fun and educational activities including art, music, play time, story time, cooking and more!

Terrific Tots will be lead by Mrs. Mary Ellefson who is a state-certified teacher with over ten years of teaching experience in the primary grades. She is also the parent of two young children. All Terrific Tots classes will be held at St. Cyprian School, located at 2561 Clinton St. in River Grove, and will meet one time per week for 10 weeks.

Fall Sessions Include:

  • Tuesday mornings: 9:15-10:15am (Sept. 11 – Nov 13)
  • Thursday mornings: 9:15-10:15am (Sept 13- Nov 15)
  • The cost is $75 per child/ten week session

Parents can register for Terrific Tots at St. Cyprian School. For additional information about Terrific Tots, please visit the school website at www.stcyps.org, call the school office at (708) 453-6300, or email Mrs. Ellefson at mellefson4@gmail.com.

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