Join Us in Celebrating Sr. Mary Theo

Farewell Drive-Through

Sr. Mary Theonilla Chukwu, IHM, former Religious Education Director at St Joseph/St Mary’s Catholic Parish, and the Founder, Pioneer Board President, and Pioneer Executive Director of Madonna Renewal Center, Freeport, is leaving Freeport soon. She has been a valuable member of the Freeport Community.

Come and bid her farewell in a drive-through COVID protocol compliant farewell.

Sunday, November 29, 2020
1:00 – 3:00pm

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Freeport, IL

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

Paul communicates how much he really cares for the people in Corinth in showing his sincerity. He explains himself, not that he feels the need for approval of the people; God is the just judge of all things. But rather, he wants to make sure the hearts of the people remain open to him, in order for him to lead the people to the love of God. Paul is trying to be an example of what it is to be Christ-like. Many people may try or some may really not care, but Paul’s care shows by how he acts.

Paul comes with the perspective of being a servant of God first. He is willing to blindly serve Jesus because he has come to know His love for Paul. Paul, in serving Jesus, is now serving us. “…we have always acted in God given holiness and candor; this has been prompted… by God’s goodness” (v12). So Paul is not saying or doing anything for self-glorification. God has put an affection in Paul for God’s people. “…that we shall be your boast, and you ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus.” (14).

Paul discusses directly about some hurt feelings because Paul was not able to come to Corinth. He shares in the frustration. But he wants to assure them that he is not abandoning them. Sometimes we may feel that Jesus has abandoned us. Nothing could be further than the truth. Jesus loves us always, but at times we abandon Him. Paul deeply regrets not being able to come out to Corinth, but circumstances have kept him from doing so.

As emergencies arise, we ourselves may be required to be attentive to things we did not foresee. These situations may take us away from other responsibilities. It is important not to get so upset and require others to be so attentive to our needs or wants that it would require them to not take care of other responsibilities. We cannot require another to sin in being irresponsible for others. In this situation with Paul, it seemed there were others who were using the situation to pull people away from Jesus.

Paul talks about something that we do to God, as it so happens to be. Some people were thinking that Paul is not sincere. He was perceived as being emotional and therefore not consistent. They thought he would be one of those people who say yes, and mean it, but then change his mind and go back on his word. Sometimes we think God is an emotional god that may be warm and forgiving one minute, but then throw a fit the next. This is not who God is. God is the eternal rock. He always loves us. He loves all people He created. Paul, like God, does not say yes and no (v18-20). God sees all things and wants all His children to be in heaven with Him. Sometimes we need to be patient for His answer or for some things to be fulfilled. If we get impatient, then it is our yes or no that may be changing, not God’s. Do not look for a reason to be abandoned, look for a reason for faith. Sometimes we have to learn to trust.

Paul encourages them to have faith more in God than Paul. Many people will follow a charismatic leader, only to end up deflated and depressed. Jesus is our savior. There is nowhere else to go but to Him. We thank God He gives us leaders here on earth to attend to our needs. This is why He gave us bishops, priests and religious. But these are servants of Christ, not Christ Himself.

In the end, Paul realizes it was God’s providence that he was not able to come. He wants the people to stand and live their new faith with Jesus. In this way, they would come to true joy and freedom. He does not want them to remain dependent on him, but on God whom he serves.

St Joseph & St Mary Responsibilities for All Masses

Offer Online Registration:
Those who wish to attend Mass should register online to help facilitate check-in procedures for each Mass. Please try to register at least 2 days in advance. If you do not receive an email confirmation after you register, please try registering again. You should always get a confirmation. If you are unable to register online, please contact the office at 815-232-8271, ext. 3, for help signing up.

Maintain Social Distancing:
Volunteers will assist attendees through check-in, usher them to a pew, release them for communion and at close of Mass.

Check-In Attendees:
Upon entering St Joseph and St Mary through open doors, Mass attendees register with their name and bring their confirmation, or bring in a completed registration form.

Distribute Communion:
Communion is distributed only by presiding priest and deacon who are wearing a mask and have sanitized hands. Single file communion line is maintained with social distancing.

Post-Mass Sanitization:
After all attendees have exited, volunteers sanitize all pews, kneelers and bathrooms used by attendees.

2 Corinthians 1:1-7

I offer a little introduction to this letter to put this letter in its context. It seems that Paul’s first letter was basically well received. This brought great comfort to Paul. In Chapter 16:5 he announced that he was planning to come to Corinth after going through Macedonia. Titus was supposed to meet with Paul in Troas with a report on how well the first letter was received. But he Titus did not arrive. He went to Macedonia and they finally met up. However, he could not come to Corinth for the visit. This upset some people and those who opposed him used this. This is the context of when he wrote this second letter to the Corinthians. It is believed he wrote this letter in Macedonia at around the year 57ad according to my New American Bible.

Paul starts by praising God in response on hearing that the people have responded positively to his rebukes. He realizes that the corrections he offered would be hard to take. They would suffer from the words of his first letter. But this suffering would bring about a cleansing in the hearts of the people. Paul knows that there is a time to correct and a time to console. Now is the time to give them joy and peace in knowing he truly wills the good for them. He wants them to make it to heaven.

He is bringing the consolation of the Heavenly Father as he is being a father to them: “Praise be the God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble, with the same consolation we have received from Him.” (v3-4). God consoled Him, Paul, with the good news that his spiritual children are turning to God fully. He knows that his spiritual children’s hearts were afflicted and so he comes to console them. But he does so not to make them hold on to his words of consolation. He is not glorifying his spiritual fatherhood. Rather, he points to the heavenly Father. His fatherhood is only an image of the real Father in heaven. The Father in heaven has appointed him to this role so that the Father in heaven’s children may be served well. So the consolation Paul presents truly gives glory to the Heavenly Father.

Paul not only reminds the people of Corinth that they are not to focus on him, but on God; he is also invoking a blessing upon them. Paul has this authority to bring God’s blessings because the Father in Heaven has “enable[d]” him to do so. To Paul, the suffering of his reprimands of the people in Corinth bore the fruit of repentance, and thus the blessings of consolation from heaven are released. But without repentance, that consolation cannot be received.

This idea may come as a shock for many people. Many people would be offended to think that another person has the authority to correct our behavior. Parents have not only a right to do this for their children, they have an obligation to do so. This is good to the child, family and even society. It is fitting that parents would have a right because by the nature of being their parents, they would be the ones most likely to correct with love and patience, as Paul did. It is stamped into the very nature of being a parent and families. Marriage is founded on love, who God is. Marriage is the foundation of the family unit, in which that love from God is experienced. Parents correct and console as God has designed them to govern, because He made them with a good heart and strength to do so well. Most parents are good and designed by God to be that way. So many generations have experienced this reality and have relied on it successfully. Though we may live in a broken world, trusting in God’s plan for us, even in suffering, is so important to receiving His blessing.

St Timothy Youth Award Presented

Linda Gonzalez, a student in St Mary’s Parish, was presented the St Timothy Youth Award on Sunday, October 18, 2020. Students throughout the Diocese are nominated for this award, which is given to youth by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry in collaboration with the Life & Family Evangelization Office of the Diocese of Rockford. It is the highest recognition from the NFCYM for a Diocese to confer upon a Catholic Junior High or High School youth between the ages of 13-18.

The student must display the following qualities to be selected for this award:

¨ Lives as a disciple of Christ, setting a positive example for other youth

¨ Witnesses to their faith by exhibiting Catholic moral and integrity

¨ Demonstrates Gospel values through service to others

¨ Exhibits Christian leadership in parish, school, and/or community setting

Linda is an outstanding student in the classroom. In Religious Education she is the top student for active participation. It shows in her knowledge of the Catholic faith when doing different activities, questioning the students in parts of faith of Catholic teaching, and during prayer times.

Linda knows the prayers and the orders of the decades of the rosary, which mysteries are together, and what order they are said in. When introducing the nontraditional prayers said at the beginning of class and end of class, she participates to the best of her abilities. She is very engaged in the class by her participation and questions that are posed to the students.

Linda has also been very active in fund raising events, including the Fish Fry on Friday nights and past May Fest activities. Her service at the fish fundraisers is waiting tables and following up with patrons to make sure they have everything they need. In this service, she presents a very humble and inviting graceful persona that reminds us of how Christ’s mother Mary must have been in her service to God. Her presence is an invitation to call us to service with joy and happiness.

Linda actively participates in the Hispanic Masses with the liturgy in prayer and song, acting as an altar server, and singing in the choir. Her persona is very reverent during Mass. All of these are a true model of how to engage in Mass.

The energy Linda projects is contagious in an uplifting way to the call of holiness. She is the bench mark for our religious education class and our young people, and is a strong force that drives people to grow in faith.

— Ann Peters, CRE

Pray for the Dead

The month of November is the month where we as Catholics pray for those who have died. Jesus listens to our prayers, especially when we pray for others. Traditionally we pray for those in our families. We also think about those who have no family or friends to pray for them. All those in purgatory need our prayers and we can help them.

The Book of the Dead is normally out in our churches for the month of November. This year, due to Covid-19, we will be unable to do this. However, we will have a dedicated page  ̶  “Our Dearly Beloved”  ̶  on our website, where we will list the names of our loved ones who have died. They will all be remembered fondly in our prayers! If you have names to submit for this page, please let us know by contacting us through our website, calling the office and leaving a message at ext 3, or sending them in to the office.

You will be able to find “Our Dearly Beloved” through the month of November on the home page of our website at stjosephstmary.com.

Election Day Adoration

Tuesday, November 3

Saint Mary Catholic Church
9:00am to 8:00pm 

Our Lord, Jesus waits for you in the Eucharist.
Come before Him to pray during these challenging times in worldwide history and especially our nations government,
that God’s holy will be done at this crucial time
in our election history.

Contact Angela via text or voice mail at
815-563-4770 to sign up for a time, or send an email to stjosephstmary@gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.

1 Corinthians 16

Paul talks about the “collection for the saints” (v1). He asks everyone to save what they can for this gift they make. This is actually a collection for the hierarchy in Jerusalem (3). It sounds like what people gave was made known to the hierarchy. It is so important to give to the church community in the collection basket, the church local so the Bishop can do what is needed as well as to the worldwide church, so that she can grow the faithful and fruitfulness of God in the world today.

We Catholics have a hard row to hoe. We have an obligation to financially give money to our community church so that we may function in paying our bills and go out into the community to help those around us. Then we also have an obligation to give at the level of the diocese we live in locally. They also need to pay their bills as they serve us in supplying priests, deacons, education and many other professional resources that our government demands. That is not to mention how they help coordinate the ministries in serving the poor. Then we also have an obligation to support the Church at large to help those in less fortunate areas in the world and spread the good news that God has revealed Himself to us as He really is in Jesus. God has been so good to us. His death on the cross for us is not just to save us from eternal suffering. He suffered to bring us to heaven with Him. He desires us to experience His love and goodness for all eternity! His generosity can never be outdone.

Paul then turns to those who are hearing this message. He wants to spend time with them. He wants to show them how much he cares because Jesus has shown him how much He cares. The gospel message is not just words. This spending time is not a chance to exercise power, but to be a loving father to them and comfort them. He wants to love them and form them to love each other, to “do everything with love” (14). It is interesting how Paul talks directly to men in particular about this. Men are called to be full of faith and love. How far men have fallen from this calling.

If you are a man, are you a man of faith and love? If you have children, do they recognize you as being a man of faith? Are sports more important than your faith? Is work more important than your faith? Where do you lead your family? Men are called to a life of service (16). If you are married, you are called to serve your wife. If you have children, you serve your children as well. But even a single man is called to serve the church and community. We learn by doing. Grace happens by doing as well. “They have refreshed my spirit as they did yours” (18). When we cooperate with God’s will in our lives and form a habit as such, God moves people. When we serve, it is a generosity of the body. We give God our time and He gives His grace. It is a grace you can win for your wife for those who are married. There is no greater gift than a woman full of grace.

Men, you must have faith. It is not the job of the woman to pray you into heaven. It is your job to be Christ to them, that they may have faith along with your children. Heaven forbid if we become an obstacle, hindering them to know the goodness of the father in heaven, of the love of the eternal bridegroom. Though we may fall short of this lofty goal, God is still good and continues to call you to such greatness.

As brothers and sisters, we are all called to such great heights. Hopefully, one day, we shall greet each other as brothers and sisters in the home of our Father. “The favor of the Lord be with you”! (v23).