September 9th is the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.
Special memorial services will be held throughout the diocese.
In the Rockford area, Bishop Malloy will be leading us in prayer for the victims of abortion at 10:00am at Calvary Cemetery on this day.
September Yellow – Suicide Awareness Month
As Catholics one of our fundamental beliefs is respecting all life from conception to natural death. There is much misunderstanding, confusion and heartache when we talk about suicide. It’s not an easy topic to address but a necessary one. In 2021, in the US alone, we lost 48,126 of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who died by suicide. Statistics tell us that over 90% of those who die by suicide exhibited signs of mental illness. Many go without diagnosis and treatment due to the stigma associated with mental illness. It’s up to each of us to get educated and understand mental illness for what it is … an illness! It does not define the person or make them any less loved by God.
Nationally September is recognized as suicide prevention awareness month. You are all invited to partake in a simple act of love that can save lives. Gather as a parish and pray a Living Rosary. When you pray include anyone experiencing suicidal ideation, anyone who has died by suicide and the suicide bereaved.
We will pray our Living Rosary on Wednesday, September 6th, at 6:00pm after regular Mass.
St. Joseph church 229 West Washington Place,
Freeport IL, 61032
– Please wear YELLOW as a sign of your support –
The Run is upcoming!
Join us for our 16th year!
Join us for a 4-mile, course-certified Rockford Road Runners circuit race. This unique course begins at St. Thomas Church and ends on the Aquin High School football field. Transportation is available at the finish line.
Every year, we honor the memory of Colby J. Smith with the Colby Smith Memorial 4-Mile Classic and Colby Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Trophies are awarded to the top overall male and female winners and medals are given to the top three male and female runners in all age groups. All participants will receive a long sleeve tech t-shirt.
Proceeds from the race benefit the Colby Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund which provides scholarships for students to attend Aquin Catholic Schools. To make a contribution to the scholarship fund, which has awarded over $144,000 to students since 2010, please use the “Donate” button above.
It has been a wonderful tribute to Colby’s memory and the support from all of you has been incredible. In addition to continuing the run, the Smith’s will continue to have an annual appeal for the Colby Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Map of the Race Layout
For tickets, merch, more details, race times, free will donations and t-shirts; follow the link below;
Save the Date!
Lifeline Coalition invites you to celebrate LIFE at the Grand River Hall in Freeport – 2407 West Galena Avenue in Freeport, Illinois. This indoor event will be held this summer on August 18th and 19th @ 5:30 p.m. as we offer the same experience on two separate nights, so everyone gets to attend!
See what it means to Be The Lifeline to the unborn as you walk through the journey of life from conception to birth and get an inside look at what happens when a woman visits our clinics when you hear directly from our patient care team. This will be an event you won’t want to miss. Tickets are free but are required to attend this event – Seating is limited!
– Semi-formal Attire –
Thank you for choosing to participate in making our baskets beautiful for the LifeLine Coalition. We are proud to support their mission to save and nourish unborn life, and to protect struggling new mothers in need of support. Their services save lives and go above and beyond to help them thrive.
Thank you for helping us fill our gift basket for St. Joseph Church this year!
Thank you for helping us fill our gift basket for St. Mary Church this year!
Learn more about their upcoming events, mission statmenets, and offer free will donations to their site below.
For additional information please contact:
FOR ALASKA, CONTACT: Bob McMorrow / (907) 273-1552 / rmcmorrow@stbenedictsak.com
FOR ILLINOIS, CONTACT: Fr. Matthew McMorrow / (630) 844-3780 (parish office) / mmcmorrow@rockforddiocese.org
PLEASE CHECK YOUR PASSPORT CAREFULLY. MUST BE VALID UNTIL AT LEAST MAY 31, 2024.
I know I am just getting started here, but I do have exciting news to share. I am leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in November, and I would love to have parishioners from Freeport join the trip. The pilgrimage is from Nov 7-18th, 2023.
This will be a great pilgrimage that will be a blessing for us all. As we read about the Sermon on the Mount, the Sea of Galilee and the hill of Calvary, it adds a whole new level of devotion and understanding to see and touch those places. How amazing it is to offer Mass in the Shepherd’s Cave in Bethlehem and to walk the stations of the cross through the streets of Jerusalem. Jesus can move powerfully in our lives when we give Him our time and effort and ask Him to move our hearts.
I hope you will consider coming with me, and I so look forward to seeing how God will use this pilgrimage of faith! Even if you can’t come, I will be sharing information back with you through the bulletin and social media.
Details about the pilgrimage can be found at: https://www.catholicpilgrimoffice.com/mcmorrow2023
Unfortunately, because of the short notice, we have to get the
registrations in by mid-July.
In Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Matthew McMorrow
REGISTRATION FORM
Due to the late notice, please fill out and send in your registration forms as soon as possible
(By Mid-July).
Join us again this year for our annual BLUE NUN FUN RUN!
August 12, 2023 @ 9:00AM — 2:30PM Central Time
St. Rita Catholic Church : 6254 Valley Knoll Dr Rockford, Illinois 61109
Dear Friends and Madonna Champions,
I am Sister Mary Nesta Ezeanya the new director of Madonna Renewal Center, a licensed clinical social worker and spiritual director. I obtained my master’s degree in social work from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul MN, master’s degree in theology and graduate certificate in spiritual direction from St. Catherine’s University St. Paul, MN. I have worked in the areas of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, providing a holistic approach to individuals in need of hope and healing.
Inspired by St. Irenaeus who states that “The glory of God is (hu)man fully alive,” I am very eager to build the mission of Madonna Renewal Center of upholding human dignity and respect for life. I will achieve this through implementing the Madonna curriculum that aids a person acquire self-worth and have the motivation to work towards living a fulfilling life. It’s been five years since the official opening of the center. Her services to the community are made possible because of your generous heart, committed board members, volunteers that go extra miles, and community support.
Currently we have two expectant mothers in MRC. One is in her third month while the other is in her fifth month. Both have been so industrious that a volunteer took them out for ice cream. It is our goal to continue to make a difference in the lives of these courageous women that chose life. The community continues to donate items that women or persons in need know that they can come to collect at any time.
The Blue Nun Fun Run is scheduled for Saturday August 12, 2023, at St. Rita’s Church Rockford. The cost of a ticket is $40.00. Come join us to run for life. We would appreciate any assistance you can provide. With your help, we will continue to save lives by providing support and conducive environment for women in need of hope and healing. May God bless and reward you a hundredfold.
Click HERE to register
More Info Below
Madonna Renewal Center – Blue Nun Fun Run
Registered Runners get a free T-Shirt and after-race snacks!
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Raising money for Moms in need, and having fun doing it! You are very welcome to join us in our mission!
Visit the Madonna Renewal Center and show your support today
Most of you have probably heard by now that Father Barr is being moved to Iowa to serve another community as he has done for us for over 12 years.
We will be having a farewell party next week to wish Father Barr goodbye and good luck. There will be a collection basket for cards and small last minute farewell gifts. We will have cake and punch (though it is not a meal, so do eat lunch first before attending!) Please note that the bulletin page for this event is out-dated, so refer to the insert attatched for the correct times. This will be corrected for the next edition, so help us spread the right info to anyone who may be confused!
PARTY TIME:
Sunday, June 11, 2023
2:00 to 4:00pm
Holy Family Center
The Blue Nuns will have a special musical performance at 3:00PM
Father Barr has been our pastor for a long time, and he has affected all of us. Not only is he our priest, but also a treasured friend and confidant to many. It is not every day that a church can keep a pastor for so long- so it will also be hard to say goodbye.
Let’s all remember the good he has done for this community.
In Celebration of Mothers: A Look at Faithful Mothers of the Bible
Eve is most known for disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She and Adam were both guilty of sinning against God, ultimately ushering sin and death into the world through their actions (Genesis 3:3,6,16-17). Although not much is mentioned about her role as a mother, we can learn a powerful lesson from Eve’s life as a mother: our actions have consequences.
Her choice to disobey God impacted the lives of her future children. If sin had not entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, their children would have experienced a very different world. We often do not know how the impact of our decisions will greatly affect those around us–especially our children. Through the example of Eve, we can make the conscious decision to love God and obey his commands, which will positively impact our children.
Sarah was elderly when the Lord told her and Abraham that she would conceive and bear a son – so old, in fact, that she laughed at the prospect. She had struggled with infertility for many years and given up on having a child. However, the Lord fulfilled His promise and blessed them with their son, Isaac, whose name means “laughter”. We are told that Abraham was 100 years old at the time of his son’s birth.
Sarah is depicted in multiple places throughout the Shrine, including one of relief panels flanking the doors of the South Façade, and in the Incarnation Dome.
As Pharaoh demanded that all the sons of the Jews be killed, Jochebed hid her son, Moses, for three months. When she was no longer able to hide him, she constructed a basket and set him afloat in the Nile River, trusting God to save him. Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter and grew up to be a great leader of the Israelites, leading them out of their captivity in Egypt.
Hannah prayed for a child and struggled for a long time as the Lord remained silent and her husband’s other wife taunted her in her pain. When the Lord gave her a son, Samuel, she dedicated his life to the Lord, and he served in the temple. The Lord blessed Hannah with five more children, and Samuel became a great prophet.
At the Basilica, Hannah is depicted in one of the Chapels of the Joyful Mysteries, the Presentation Chapel, where her presentation of Samuel at the temple is paired alongside Mary and Joseph’s presentation of Jesus at the temple.
In the beginning of Hannah’s story, she prayed to the Lord in supplication by boldly asking for a son. At the end of her story, she offered a prayer of surrender to God. Hannah willingly surrendered her son back to God out of her love, reverence, and gratitude to him. Later on as Samuel grew in the temple, he became one of the most influential prophets in Israel.
The grandmother and mother of Timothy respectively, Lois and Eunice trained him in the word of God. Thanks to their spiritual guidance, Timothy grew strong in the faith and became a prominent leader in the early church. Paul states in his second letter to Timothy:
“I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you.”
– 2 Timothy 1:3-5
Elizabeth and Mary are mothers in the Bible with powerful stories that demonstrate how God’s plan and purpose for our lives will come to pass in his timing. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were devout followers of God, and Zechariah served as a priest in the temple of God. Even though they were both righteous in the sight of God, Elizabeth was barren and unable to have children (Luke 1:7).
One day while Zechariah was performing his priestly duties in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that his wife Elizabeth would have a son named John. This child would be no ordinary boy, but would help prepare the hearts of Israel for the coming Messiah (Luke 1:11-17).
Zechariah expressed doubt at the words of the angel, and wondered how this could happen since he and his wife were very old. Because of his unbelief, he was unable to speak until the child was born (Luke 1:19-20).
When Elizabeth became pregnant, she was humbled and honored at the wonderful privilege of becoming a mother to a future prophet, and declared,
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Luke 1:25
Elizabeth was also the cousin of Mary, who would eventually become the mother of Jesus. When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, Mary came to visit her. Mary had recently received news from the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 1:28-35). How great the excitement of these two women must have been to know that they were both carrying children who would powerfully impact the world!
Elizabeth and Mary both embraced their purposes as mothers with great humility, awe, and wonder. The Holy Spirit had already entered John the Baptist while he was in Elizabeth’s womb, just as the angel foretold to Zechariah (Luke 1:15, 41). Mary confidently told Gabriel that she was the Lord’s servant, and was open to God’s leading and direction in her life.
Rebekah’s story starts in Genesis 24. As Abraham was approaching the end of his life, he asked his servant to go to his home country to find a wife for his son Isaac. This led him to find Rebekah, who was willing to travel back to Canaan to marry Isaac (Genesis 24:57-58). Many years after Isaac and Rebekah were married, she gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. While she was pregnant, she felt the twins jostling inside her womb, and she inquired of the Lord about it (Genesis 25:21-22). God spoke to her saying,
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
Genesis 25:23
When the twins grew up, Jacob (who was the youngest) swindled his older brother Esau out of his birthright and Rebekah helped Jacob deceive his father Isaac to receive the blessing that traditionally goes to the first born son (Genesis 25:29-34, Genesis 27).
What lessons can we learn from Rebekah’s life as a mother? Her family went through many challenges and difficulties, and in some ways, it seems that she positioned herself right in the middle of the family drama. She showed favoritism toward Jacob (not a good idea as a parent), and took matters into her own hands by deceiving her husband so that Jacob could receive the blessing.
These are clear examples of what not to do as a mother, but we can give Rebekah credit for seeking the Lord when she felt her sons jostling in her womb in Genesis 25:22. There are times when we observe the troubling actions and behaviors of our children, and our first response should always be to inquire of the Lord for wisdom and direction.
The story of Ruth and Naomi is a heartwarming narrative filled with sorrow, joy, and displays the beautiful bond between a mother-in-law and her tenacious daughter-in-law. The book of Ruth opens with a famine that ravaged the land of Bethlehem. Naomi, her husband Elimelek, and their two sons Mahlon and Kilion moved to the country of Moab in hopes to escape the harsh drought.
Sometime later, Elimelek died and Naomi was left with her two sons in a foreign country. Her sons married Moabite women (Orpah and Ruth), and after about ten years, both of Naomi’s sons also died (Ruth 1:1-5).
After hearing that there was food in Bethlehem, Naomi set out to return to her hometown–this time, without her husband or sons. Naomi urged her two daughters-in-law to return to their families and find new husbands, but Ruth was determined to not leave Naomi’s side. Ruth spoke these words to Naomi that have since then, been spoken during countless weddings and sermons across the globe:
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
Ruth 1:16-17
This passage displays the great amount of love and dedication Ruth had towards her mother-in-law Naomi. The two women traveled together to Bethlehem, and Ruth began gleaning in the fields of a close relative of Naomi’s named Boaz. With Naomi’s help, Boaz and Ruth were married and had a son named Obed (Ruth 4:13-17).
Although Naomi tragically lost her sons, she still served as a loving mother-in-law to Ruth. If it were not for Naomi’s wisdom and advice to Ruth on how to glean the fields of Boaz and ask for him to be her kinsman-redeemer, Ruth may not have had the opportunity to marry Boaz.
We can learn from Naomi that even in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances, God can still use us to impact the lives of our family and community. Ruth’s obedience and adherence to Naomi’s instructions opened the door for her to marry Boaz, and ultimately produce a son in their family that would be part of the lineage of King David, and generations later, Jesus.
