Hospitality is such an important part of being Christian. Unfortunately, it has been getting harder to find the time to prepare for guests. We need your help.
We are looking for parishioners who are willing to occasionally prepare the guest room when we have priests, speakers, or just simply guests coming to stay at St Joseph’s rectory. It would entail making sure the bedding is fresh, and the bathroom has clean towels and washcloths, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, floss, decorations and scents. You can be as creative as you want to make things fun! You will also let the office know if something needs fixing (lights, TV, heat, cooling and such). After the guest
has left, you will need to wash the sheets, towels and washcloths. We will take care of having the rooms cleaned.
We will need at least two people or teams to make sure of availability. This might be a fun opportunity to help our guests feel welcome. Are you willing to help out?
— Father Barr
St Justin Martyr
No one who is right-thinking stoops from true worship to false worship
Symbolism in the Church #16
Looking around, we have quite a few more images of Jesus than what we would first think. The other image we can focus on is the big crucifix up front to the left. Paul Fry’s book states that we got the cross from the Benedictine monks in 1870 when they came and presented a parish mission here (p7). That was two years before the construction of this church building in 1872. Inscriptions on the back side of the wood of the cross even state the date and from whom it was received. It was not until much later, in 1914, that the Body of Jesus was put on the cross to make it a crucifix. It was placed back in the sacristy sometime after 1962. In 2011, we brought it back out so everyone could appreciate it. We did not have to touch it up at all. When we took it down in the sacristy, we noticed the inscriptions of the date and abbreviations of who the cross was from (Benedictines). Continue reading “Symbolism in the Church #16”
Project Rachel:
Post-Abortion Healing Ministry
Healing after Abortion – Do you know someone who is carrying the grief, sorrow, and regret of abortion? The Project Rachel Post-Abortion Healing Ministry provides confidential referrals to a priest and/or counselor. Contact (815) 387-3379 or ProjectRachelRockford@gmail.com. All inquiries are confidential.
Visit www.hopeafterabortion.org. Peace starts here.
Pope Francis Will Beatify These Martyred Greek-Catholic Bishops in Romania
ROME — On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.
These martyrs “have given all to defend the Church. And at the cost of their lives, they did not accept the situation; they did not deny their very faith,” a Romanian Greek-Catholic priest told CNA.
Father Vasile Man, the postulator of the bishops’ causes for…
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-will-beatify-these-martyred-greek-catholic-bishops-in-romania
Remember the Fallen and Live a Life Worthy of Such a Great Sacrifice
Memorial Day tribute 2019
ProLifeCorner- A tribute to the countless millions of men and women who have valiantly served and died for our freedoms. The title of this short talk is a lesson in patriotism itself. “Remember the Fallen and Live a Life Worthy of Such a Great Sacrifice”. May we always remember the sacrifices of not only those who have died, but the pain, suffering and sacrifices of the families who were left behind. May God bless all of them, may God bless America.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbfC0eiTfOE]
Pro-Life Corner
“The hairsplitting difference between formed and unformed makes no difference to us. Whoever deliberately commits abortion is subject to the penalty for homicide.” -Saint Basil
In the time of St Basil, the pagan Romans were practicing abortion, but Christians could not conceive of doing such a thing. Christianity has rejected abortion from it’s inception. We do not wish the women today to be put in jail, they suffer enough from their abortion. But any doctor who goes against the Hippocratic Oath goes against their very profession and purpose in life. They will most certainly suffer the detainment of eternity if they do not suffer it here.
A Huge Thank You…
to our St Joseph & St Mary Meals on Wheels delivery teams for bringing smiles and food to our brothers and sisters in 
Freeport. We thank Pat Weigel & Karen Hildebrandt, Ron & Roberta Schradermeier, Jim Full & John Shippert, Jane & Jacob O’Connor, and Gabby & Kimmy Williams for their service this month. May God bless you all for your gift to this wonderful ministry! Our next delivery run will be the week of August 26. If you would like to join our team, please call Joanie Williams at 815-298-9705.
Remember the Fallen and Live a Life Worthy of Such a Great Sacrafice
May 26, 2019
Audio and Video
Symbolism in the Church #14
Yes, Mary is our Mother. While Jesus was on earth, she was His earthly mother. But now she is our heavenly Mother. She looks on us from above, bringing the heart of her Son Jesus to us. That is why we must take care to honor her as Jesus did. The statue of Our Lady of Grace was refurbished most recently in 2011. John Shippert touched up some paint and put her finger back on. It has been repaired a couple of times. It is a natural habit to want to pick her up by the hands when moving her. That is where this statue typically breaks. During the Month of May, we crown her as our mother, but also as our Queen. She is the Queen Mother as is attested to in Jewish tradition and scripture (Kings 2:17-20, Jer 13:18-20 & 2 Kings 24:12-15). We are baptized into a great family. Jesus invites each and every one of us to participate in such a great family. His Mother is part of that family. Like any mother, there is no replacement. Continue reading “Symbolism in the Church #14”