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.
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.
This word search features mothers from the Bible. Would you like to know more about them?
In Celebration of Mothers: A Look at Faithful Mothers of the Bible
Lessons from Eve
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 – Genesis 17:15-18:15, 21:1-7; Hebrews 11:11-12
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.
Jochbed or (Jochebed) – Exodus 2:1-10
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 – 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
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.
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.
Lois and Eunice – 2 Timothy 1:3-5
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
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
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.
Naomi and Ruth
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.
God gives us so many opportunities to know and see Him. Through our participation in the sacraments, our time spent in prayer, and even in the help we give to those in need around us, we can come to more closely know the Father who wants us to be in Heaven with Him.
Our theme for the 2023 Diocesan Appeal is, “Know Him. See Him.” This is inspired by John 14: 1-12, when Jesus says to Thomas, “If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
When we build our relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer we simultaneously build our relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit – and in knowing the Trinity better, we can better let God love us. When we let that love and grace move into our souls, we are more well equipped to share God’s love with others.
Your donation to our 2023 Diocesan Appeal supports our diocesan ministries and our parishes in carrying out the mission of the Church and sharing God’s love with others. Would you please prayerfully consider a contribution of Would you please prayerfully consider a contribution to our appeal? Your gift allows our ministries to respond to those in need, build faith among young and old, prepare men well for the priesthood and for the Permanent Diaconate, and do so much more.
This year our appeal emphasizes the Eucharist – the greatest example of charity. Let our hearts be inspired by this gift of salvation God has given to us. Let us all know Him and see Him.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Bishop David J Malloy Bishop of Rockford
St Joseph Church
Scan this QR Code to give online from St. Joseph
St Mary Church
Scan this QR Code to give online from St. Mary
The Mission Appeal Supports:
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY
World Mission Sunday is a unique, global effort for the entire Church to provide for the building up of over one thousand local churches in Asia and Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe. Through the work and witness of these churches to Christ, the poor receive practical help and experience God’s love and mercy, His hope and peace. With your help, last year the Diocese distributed $46,263. missio.org
BLACK AND INDIAN MISSION COLLECTION
The Black and Indian Mission Collection (BIMC) provides helpful grants to dioceses across the country to operate schools, parishes, and other missionary services that build the Body of Christ in Native American, Alaska Native, and Black Catholic communities. With your help, last year the Diocese distributed $29,572. blackandindianmission.org
THE CATHOLIC HOME MISSIONS
The Catholic Home Missions Appeal funds important pastoral projects in our poorer dioceses, where there are not enough resources to provide evangelization, religious education, and ministry training to their faithful. More than 40% of dioceses in the United States are considered home missions. With your help, last year the Diocese distributed $29,572. usccb.org
CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FINANCIAL SUPPORT
This part of the appeal is a special way for you to assist the Diocese of Rockford in supporting schools that have operating deficits and need your help to become financially viable. Thanks to your generous gifts, we gave $95,000 to needy schools in our Diocese last year! rockforddiocese.org/donate
MEMBERSHIP IN THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH (SPF)
Would you consider making an extra special commitment to the missionary work of the Church as a member of the Propagation of the Faith? As a member, you will pray daily for the Church’s missionary work, offer your personal cross in union with the suffering of Christ for the redemption of unknown men and women, and donate financially whenever you can during the year.
By designating this appeal on the Mission Appeal envelope, your name and address will be sent to the National SPF Office. Last year $5,121 was contributed. propfaith.net/onefamilyinmission/default.aspx
THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA
Religious sisters and nuns serving in Latin America are among those supported by this appeal. They are the very heart of the Church. By supporting their material and educational needs, you help them give their gifts of selfless prayer and service to the Church and to the entire world. Your generosity ensures that their mission to children and entire families continues into the future. From this collection, $21,943 was sent to the US Bishops’ Office for Latin America last year. usccb.org/latinamerica
THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
This appeal supports the Church in African countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
The Church in Africa is growing rapidly, but often there are not enough local resources to provide pastoral care for all the communities. The Church in this part of the world needs your help to ensure that all the faithful have access to resources to help them grow in the faith. With your help, last year the Diocese distributed $23,236. www.usccb.org/committees/church-africa
ROCKFORD DIOCESAN PRIESTS’ PENSION
After devoting their lives to bringing people closer to Christ, priests continue to serve as spiritual leaders, n retirement our i more. With gratitude counselors, ministers to the sick and much for their years of faithful ministry, the Diocese has a Priests’ Plan to support our 40 currently retired priests and those Pension that will retire in the future.
Father Timothy Piasecki was ordained 49 years ago and retired in June. He says, “God has never failed to grace me wherever I have been sent, from DeKalb to Aurora, from Rockford and Belvidere to Montero, Peru. At all times and in all places, God has provided ‘marvelous comrades,’ coworkers in service of the Gospel. As I begin retirement I glance back and see quite clearly God’s ‘fingerprints’ everywhere.” We thank you, Father Piasecki, and all our priests for your continued faithful service in retirement. Last year, the faithful of our Diocese contributed $226,672. rockforddiocese.org/donate
May 1st is the feast day of St. Joseph the worker. This day specifically celebrates the dignity of work whether it is a job or volunteer work. St. Joseph teaches us that dignity by the way he worked to serve Jesus and Mary within the Holy Family. He is our patron. So we will celebrate and allow him to lead us in the work we do for St. Joseph Church on May 2nd.
From ancient times we have called it, “Ora et Labora,” which means “Work and Pray.” The community needs help in getting the old School building cleaned up as preliminary work to get it up to snuff for use. We hope many will be able to help us as we pray and work together. We give our work to God as St. Joseph did and ask for God’s blessing.
What we need done:
Cleaning old School Building
Gardening and weeding
Prepare food??
When:
May 2nd all day event, anytime you have to help
Who to contact: Cynthia Saar via (815)232-7400
We hope to have you all join us on this day to honor our patron St. Joseph with work and prayer!
Divine Mercy Sunday is almost here, April 16th, 2023. On this special day, it is important to focus on His Mercy. As Easter comes and goes, many of us forget the entire point of Jesus and his great sacrifice. This feast day serves to remind us and reinforce the most important values to take away from the Lenten season and it’s conclusion.
Our Almsgiving is for the Society of St. Vincent De Paul.
The SVDP society specializes in helping families in financial need. They supply rent, gas, temporary living arrangements, and more to help families much more directly than cash alone can do.
Please consider giving to this wonderful cause. We have marked envelopes available in the back of church.
ALMSGIVING ISN’T MEANT TO BE COMFORTABLE FEATURED, SPIRITUALITY By Ava Lalor
Let me start by saying this: I live a very comfortable life. Despite all the things I could do if I had more money, my needs are taken care of, and I can even afford to be selective about the quality of goods I purchase. I have a roof over my head, maintenance at my beck-and-call at my apartment complex, and a car that doesn’t give me too much trouble. Even more than that, I have people who would come to my aid if my life was flipped upside down and I no longer had this level of security. And for that, I know I am greatly blessed.
But lately I’ve recognized a lack within myself: a lack of generosity, of heart-stretching charity. I’m talking about almsgiving.
Want more Radiant? Sign up for our weekly newsletter! During the Lenten season, the Church asks the faithful to practice three tenets: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Personally, the first two are fairly easy, even if fasting is not quite enjoyable. But almsgiving … that’s where I fall short. It’s easy to put my pennies in the special collection bin or donate to a charity, but I often keep my tithing comfortable. Unlike prayer and fasting, I’ve never treated it as an opportunity to stretch my heart. Instead, I’ve kept it convenient. Even worse, I’ve often treated it as optional. But it shouldn’t (always) be convenient. And it can never be optional. Why? Because Jesus commanded us to do so.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives his sermon about the judgment of the nations in which he introduces six of the seven corporal works of mercy: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35-36). (The seventh corporal work of mercy — burying the dead — comes from the book of Tobit.) While we can’t be all things for all people, we are called to go out of ourselves for others — our families, friends and those in our immediate circles first, but also for those in our community and the larger world. So, what does that look like? Here are some ideas.
Time, talent and treasure The Church often talks about offering our time, talent and treasure. This can be a good way to approach almsgiving during Lent. When we think of almsgiving, most likely the first thing that comes to mind is a monetary contribution. Donating to initiatives that assist those in need is a true act of charity, even if it’s easy (or automatic if you have monthly donations set up to be taken directly from your bank account). Here are some ways to think about almsgiving:
• Donate to charitable programs funded by your parish during the Lenten season (and year round). • Look into programs in your community that are helping those in need. While it is good to donate to programs that help people the world over, the Church also teaches that we should pay attention to the needs of our local communities. Whether it’s donating food to a food pantry, or women’s care or baby products to a women’s shelter, find a need in your local community and see how you can support it.
Financial donations are good, but I’ve also come to realize that often when we think about charity and almsgiving in this way alone, we miss a crucial element: direct encounter with another human being. To use Christ’s words, “For I was hungry and you gave me food.” Not “you donated food” — though, as I noted, that is still a true act of charity. But the direct encounter takes the act a step further by helping another person recognize their own dignity. Maybe Christ is asking you to be his physical hands and feet in your community.
There are many ways to stretch our hearts by going outside of the comfort of our homes to encounter those in need: • Volunteer at the food pantry, women’s shelter or any other local program that is trying to meet the immediate needs of those in the community. • Ask your parish if they need more volunteers to bring the Eucharist to the homebound or assist with the Vincent de Paul Society. • If you are in a location where there are many homeless people walking the streets, stop to ask their name and hear their story. (This can be a good thing to do with another person for safety reasons.) • Also, try to meet some of their needs by keeping food and resources on hand. This can look like buying gift cards for food (such as Subway or grocery stores), keeping food (such as granola bars and water bottles) in your car, or even packing a simple meal if you know you will likely encounter someone on your daily commute. Physical necessities such as socks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant, lip balm and lotion are also good ways to bring a little comfort to their lives. • Even if you can’t meet people in person, pray for those you see on the side of the road. Or download Christ in the City’s Lenten calendar to pray for the homeless people in Denver by name.
You can easily do a quick internet search to find countless other ways to practice almsgiving during Lent and year round. No matter what you do, ask the Lord to help you find a practice that stretches your heart outside of your comfort zone, a practice that helps you live the Gospel radically. We all have something to give. How can you be God’s hands and feet this Lent?
Every year, we contribute part of our contributions towards the Holy Land where our faith began. Our country is blessed with freedom of religion and good fortune, but there are still places in the world where Christians are outnumbered and at risk. Your Good Friday envelopes are reserved for this wonderful opportunity to give back to Holy Land, aiding Christians there, so that they may practice their faith in harmony. Please use your Good Friday envelopes for April 7th, 2023, and help us make a difference for our brothers and sisters in faith.
Bethlehem Arts will be here after weekend Masses April 1st & 2nd, at both St. Joseph and St. Mary churhces, to sell their hand crafted olive wood religious figures and articles. These artifacts support the Holy Land, and gives back to the Catholic and Christian communities there that still require our help to safely practice their faith. Please consider purchasing a gift from them this Palm Sunday weekend!
