Natural Family Planning Awareness Week – July 25-31

Posted on July 25, 2021July 23, 2021 by Emily Morris

“To have … To hold … To honor, Natural Family Planning, Supporting God’s gifts of love and life in marriage” is the theme of this year’s National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, an educational campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to celebrate God’s vision for marriage and promote the methods of Natural Family Planning.

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a general title for ethical, natural, safe and effective methods for both achieving and avoiding pregnancy in marriage. NFP methods teach couples how to observe and interpret the wife’s signs of fertility and infertility. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, NFP methods “respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them and favor the education of an authentic freedom.” (CCC, no. 2370)

The Catholic Church invites all the faithful to embrace God’s plan for married love. Learn more about these beautiful teachings which support the use of NFP in marriage at usccb.org/topics/natural-family-planning/church-teaching.

World Day for Grandparents!

Posted on July 25, 2021July 23, 2021 by Emily Morris

Today, June 25th, is the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly!

“It is important for grandparents to meet their grandchildren and for grandchildren to meet their grandparents, because – as the prophet Joel says –grandparents, before their grandchildren, will dream, and have illusions [great desires], and young people, taking strength from their grandparents, will go forward and prophesy.” – Pope Francis, January 31, 2021

~Blessing of Grandparents~

This blessing may be used at special family visits (such as holidays), at the beginning or end of a visit, or at another appropriate time. If possible, the oldest grandchild might serve as the leader.

When the grandparents, parents, and children have gathered, all make the sign of the cross.

Leader: Blessed be God, who is faithful through all generations.

R/. Blessed be God forever.

The leader introduces the blessing in these or similar words:

“Grandparents are cherished members of our family. They bring gifts of wisdom, experience, and love and share with us their life of faith. We thank God for their example and ask that he bless them with happiness and good health.”

Then the Scripture is read:

“Listen to the words of Psalm 128 : Happy are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork; happy shall you be, and favored.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home;

Your children like olive plants

around your table.

Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

The Lord bless you from Zion:

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

May you see your children’s children . Peace be upon Israel!”

(The family Bible may be used for an alternate reading, such as Ezekiel 37:24b-27.)

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

R/. Thanks be to God.

After a time of silence, all join in prayers of intercession and in the Lord’s Prayer. Then the leader prays:

Lord God almighty,

bless our grandparents with long life, happiness, and health.

May they remain constant in your love and be living signs of your presence

to their children and grandchildren. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen

All make the sign of the cross as the leader concludes:

May God bless us and keep us all the days of our lives.

R/. Amen

Prayer from: Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers ■

Catholic Current

PRAYER RESOURCE

Ephesians 1

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Emily Morris

Paul begins his letter introducing himself with a blessing, “…grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul gives a blessing as Jesus always does for us. This blessing is an act of love
for all those who would read these very words and those who would hear them. This love did not come
from Paul, though. It comes from Jesus Himself. Paul brings the love of God to everyone as Jesus would
have him do: to “love one another as [Christ] has loved [us]” (Jn 13:34). Paul knows God’s love for he has
been forgiven much (Lk 7:47). God’s mercy is the greatest reason for recognizing the gift of God as he
continues.

Paul can’t hold back his gratitude for all that God has done for him. He starts blessing God and, in
particular, Jesus. He knows how God did not need him. It was a pure blessing that Jesus chose him. Jesus
first chose him out of darkness of sin and death and into a life of grace, virtue and to do His holy will.
God adopted us into His own family to love one another and rejoice in each other as true gifts from God.
Our hope is to be a blessing to each other by serving each other and leading each other in faith. How
good it is to be that living blessing for all who may need that blessing. How good it is to be known by the
good done rather than the evil perpetrated. It is great when we can utter the blessings of God. How
much greater it is when our very lives become a blessing to others as the life of Christ has been to ours.
Paul carries on, “Therefore, I too hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for the holy ones
do not cease giving thanks for you….” (v15). Can you imagine somebody saying such things about you?
Have you ever felt that way about somebody else? I can’t imagine thinking such thoughts about anybody
without the reality of God’s love for us. Jesus has shown us such goodness first. As we see the world
around us slip away from faith in God, we see even families and parents not loving as they once did. We
see the cruelty of people that seemed unimaginable ten years ago, yet it has become a cold reality as
our culture forsakes God and His ways. How Jesus truly does hold this world from its blazing wrath of its
own design.

A world without God would be cruel indeed. But the love and mercy of God brings life, love and peace.
We thank God He cares so much to do so for us each and every moment of our lives. We thank God that
we have people in our lives that we can thank God for. How many people in our lives have helped us in
our darkest moments of despair? How these people in our own lives have been a source of blessing.
These may be people who have been a blessing time and time again. They may be people who have
been a constant trial, but have come through when needed. The blessing may even come from someone
we don’t even like. Who is the one you are most grateful for?

Have you become a blessing to others? How often do you think of helping others and being a blessing to
them? Have you helped your parents with chores or even told them that you love them, or thanked
them for the sacrifices they have made for you? Are there other people in the pew that have been a
blessing to you? How have they blessed you? How can you be a blessing to them? Maybe a phone call or
letter? How has the parish community been a blessing to you? Not sure if some of you can count the
times. You may have to go back quite a few years. Community means so much with so many individuals
as personal blessings. How good it is when we can praise God for such good friends in faith. How good it
is when others can rejoice in our efforts to serve one another and love one another.

-Father Barr

JOIN US FOR THE FINALE!

Posted on July 21, 2021July 16, 2021 by Emily Morris

Virtual Run Week – August 21-28, 2021
In-Person Run Day – August 28, 2021

This year will be the celebratory last lap of the Colby Smith Memorial 4-Mile Classic. Proceeds from the race benefit the Colby Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships for students to attend Aquin Catholic Schools. The race has awarded over $100,000 to students since 2010.

Part-Time Bookkeeper Needed

Posted on July 20, 2021July 16, 2021 by Emily Morris

St Joseph and St Mary Parishes are looking for a part-time bookkeeper. Duties include the management of all monetary filings, check writing and payroll processing. Computer skills, including use of QuickBooks required. Budget planning for the fiscal year in coordination with the finance councils are also required. The bookkeeper will assist parishioners entering the office and answer phone calls in coordination with the secretary. If you are interested, please contact Father Timothy Barr at 815-232-8271, ext. 7.

We appreciate your support!

An Enchanting Evening~!

Posted on July 17, 2021July 16, 2021 by Emily Morris

30 Year Celebration Fundraiser

Historic Rawleigh Property

Home of Dr. Keith and Diane Martin

August 21 – 6:30 pm

Join us!

This outdoor fundraising event at the Historic Rawleigh Property will be an event you won’t want to miss!
Enjoy a heavy dose of hors d’ouevres, desserts, speakers, and more.

Tickets: $30 – Seating is limited

Mike Williams will be our keynote speaker for the evening. Mike is a nationally known speaker and writer who has a passion for life.

He has performed for
Focus on the Family, Creation Festival, Disney, cruise lines, Gaither Praise Gathering, pregnancy centers, colleges, universities, major league sports chapels, and more.

To make a reservation visit

www.freeportpregnancycenter.org

OR scan the QR Code

OR call us at 815-232-5433.

Smart Casual attire requested

Ephesians Introduction

Posted on July 16, 2021 by Emily Morris

This letter from Paul delves into the Church and a very deep understanding of how God established His
church here on earth. The Gospels deal with how Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter. Paul looks
at a deeper theology as to why Christ does this and God’s plan in the inter-dynamics of how the Church
is linked to all its members and how it is spiritually structured.

The Church is what Jesus came to found, not a book. This is very evident in this letter from Paul. You will
see, in this letter, very distinct teachings of the Catholic Church. The Catholic understanding fills in the
gaps of all the missing pieces of the puzzle in early Christianity and answers many questions that may
arise while reading the Bible. Taking a step back and getting the big picture of this letter, you can get an
understanding of the unity and even more specific, “oneness” of the Church, much like her founder:
namely God. This “oneness” is more than a group here and a group there that may agree or disagree on
important issues, but can still work together for a greater good.

Jesus did not plan even for a partial divide among His followers. He desires us to be one of mind and
heart. The unity He desires for us is actual. The history of the word “actual” means that is becomes an
act, which requires a body to act it out. So our unity is not merely spiritual and some how God makes it
happen even though we are not physically united under one church or under one church entity being
the universal, worldwide or otherwise known as, Catholic Church. The unity God gave the Church is in
mind, heart and body. In the mind we learn the one truth in Jesus Christ. In our hearts, we love the Lord
our God in return for the blessings we have already received from the cross through the sacraments,
sacramentals and devotions. These traditions help us to keep the faith and encourage each other. Then
in our bodies we help each other and those who are in need. It is how the body of the Church
cooperates with each other and can truly be free.

So the freedom of the Church depends on its members being actually united. If a soccer player has two
legs that always want to go in different directions, that hinders the soccer player’s freedom to play, let
alone play well. But when all the members are united in purpose, the full potential can be realized. How
good it is to see good athletes perform well. How much better it would be to see the Church perform
well. But when divisions happen…the old adage comes to mind: divide and conquer. The devil wins.
When an athlete has a member of their body not performing well, even if it is not a drastic loss of
performance, it can cost the entire team its very purpose – to win the game. So what seem to be minor
divisions in the Church can cost the lives of souls from heaven. Yet we have more than a game to win
and something much greater than a crown of leaves (1 Cor 9:25). We are to embrace the faith as to get
to heaven, but we are also to help others get there too.

Jesus came to earth to come and die on the cross for us. But He also came so that the grace of the cross
would not be lost through division. He came to establish one Church so that she could be free and all her
members may be free to their full potential.

As an added note for this letter, many notice this letter does not have the personal greetings or
conclusions, indicating that it was not written for a specific group. This letter was meant to be read to
many people in the general area of Ephesus. This is what is known to be an “encyclical” letter and is
commonly accepted by biblical scholars as such. These types of letters are still going on today. In fact,
Pope Francis wrote his last encyclical letter last year, Fratelli tutti. What Paul did in Biblical time, the
Church is still doing today. We are truly the Biblical Church; the Church Jesus founded.

Father Barr

Religious Education Opportunity!

Posted on July 16, 2021July 16, 2021 by Emily Morris

St Mary – St Joseph

2021 2022

Registration for Religious Education is underway!

Forms can be picked up during office hours from the St Joseph – St Mary Parish office Monday thru Thursday 8:30am – 3:30pm and Friday 8:00 am – Noon, or at the Religious Education office Tuesday mornings from 9:00am – Noon. Forms can also be picked up in the back of the church at St Mary Church. Please return the completed forms along with payment as soon as possible.

We will also be having an evening sign-up on Tuesday, July 27, from 4:30pm until 6:30pm. This will take place at the Holy Family Community Center. There will be someone there that speaks Spanish to help with registration.

Remember First Holy Communion and Confirmation are two-year programs that must be completed before receiving the Sacrament. The Religious Education Office must have a copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate in the office no later than February 6, 2022.

The first day of class is Sunday, September 12, 2021. There will be a light breakfast to welcome you to the new year and to meet the teachers. At that time, we will be going over a few new policies. All classes are held at the Holy Family Community Center from 9:00am until 10:15am. For more information, please contact the Religious Education Office at 815-233-0005.

Thank you for supporting the spiritual growth of our Parish Community.

– Ann Peters, Coordinator of Religious Education

Congress is trying to force Americans to pay for abortion.

Posted on July 14, 2021July 9, 2021 by Emily Morris

For decades, Congress has protected your money from paying for abortion. Now, some powerful government officials are trying to change that.

HOW: The Hyde Amendment and similar laws have protected taxpayers from funding elective abortion for 45 years. Now, powerful members of Congress want to take away these laws that both Democrats and Republicans have supported for nearly half a century.

WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT THESE PROTECTIONS? Billions of taxpayer dollars could be used to pay for abortion.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the petition to Congress at NoTaxpayerAbortion.com!

Wedding Anniversary Mass

Posted on July 12, 2021July 9, 2021 by Emily Morris

Is 2021 the year in which you and your spouse celebrate your 25th, 50th, 55th, 60th, 65th, or 70th or more wedding anniversary? Bishop Malloy and the Life & Family Evangelization Office would like to celebrate this milestone with you.

Couples celebrating the milestone wedding anniversaries of 25, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70 or more years of marriage in 2021 are invited to a special Mass in their honor at St. Mary Parish in Huntley, IL on Sunday, August 22, at 2:30pm, celebrated by Bishop David J. Malloy. A cake and punch reception will immediately follow.

The Life & Family Evangelization Office welcomes your registration by phone (815) 399-4300 or online at www.rockforddiocese.org/anniversary by August 10. Commemorative certificates to mark this special occasion will be available for those who preregister for this event.