8307 n. harlem ave., niles, il 60714 * 847-966-8145 * www...

Fourth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2020

St. John Brebeuf Church 8307 N. Harlem Ave., Niles, IL 60714 * 847-966-8145 * www.sjbrebeuf.org


Reflections on the Readings for Sunday, March 22, 2020

First Reading 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a The LORD said to Samuel: “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.” As Jesse and his sons came to the sacrifice, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.” But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appear-ance but the LORD looks into the heart.” In the same way Jes-se presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.” Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sac-rificial banquet until he arrives here.” Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, “There—anoint him, for this is the one!” Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.

The story of King David, one of the most prominent figures in the Bible, begins with the fact that he wasn’t even considered by his father for honors to be a king. His father, Jesse, places his older sons in front of Samuel, thinking that they are more equipped to become a king. God, however, re-veals his “casting” requirements - “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.” By placing the youngest son as the chosen one, God already ful-fills the words that Jesus will say -- “the last would be first, and the first would be last.” On this Sunday and for the rest of our lives we are invited to fol-low the perspective of God. Among your own family and friends, whom did you dismiss by appearance or prejudice? Who is that person around you that needs to be looked at in their heart, to give a second chance, a second look? Maybe by mistake you are dismissing a person who is meant to be an important figure in your life, just like David became so im-portant for the nation of Israel. Let’s try this day to look at others like God sees them. Fr. Przemek

Second Reading Eph 5:8-14 Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of good-ness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but every-thing exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Both the second reading and the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent are concerned with how people who were blind, spiritually speaking, can see. Our second reading is very to the point: St. Paul encourages the Ephesians to live as “children of light.” The way they can do this is to “try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” This is contrasted with those who participate in “fruitless works of darkness,” a group that will pay the penalty for what they are doing because “everything exposed by the light becomes visible.” How can we live as “children of light” and not be those who do “fruitless works of darkness?” One way that we live as those who do “the fruitless works” is when we give into our fears and we live totally out of those fears and ignore everything else. This is particularly relevant for us today in this period of tremendous global uncertainty. Think about a time when you were really afraid of something -- maybe it’s right now or maybe it’s sometime in the past when there was something about your marriage or job or the illness of someone that you were close to. Think also about what that fear did to you. You most likely were not living as a “child of the light” because fear has a way of making us so myopic that our worldview becomes narrow and selective. We only see what we want to see and nothing else. Living this way can offer an illu-sion of stability, but we stop living in the real world and in the world that God wants us to live in. We move to living in a world that we have created. So, in this time of understandable fear, continue to look at Christ as the light that will lead you and everyone else out of this time. Fr. Carlton


Gospel - Jn 9:1-41 As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam” —which means Sent—. So he went and washed, and came back able to see. His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the one who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is, “but others said, “No, he just looks like him.” He said, “I am.” So they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He replied, “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went there and washed and was able to see.” And they said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.” They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see.” So some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a sinful man do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the syna-gogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him.” So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner.” He replied, “If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” They ridiculed him and said, “You are that man’s disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from.” The man answered and said to them, “This is what is so amaz-ing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.” They answered and said to him, “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “I do be-lieve, Lord,” and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

The story of the healing of the blind man serves as a metaphor of faith in Jesus and of our lives as disciples. First of all, Jesus makes perfectly clear that the man’s blindness is not a result of his parents sinfulness. Let me remind you that sickness, natural disasters, and even presently this pandemic is not a punish-ment by God for a sinful world. Jesus clearly and unequivocally says no to this line of reasoning. Jesus came to bring life, he came to bring hope to broken world and not judgement and condemnation. Secondly, the blind man’s journey, like our own faith journey takes many twists and turns. Yes, it may even make a full stop! We often fall short and fail to “see” what life is all about- living in community with hope and mercy as our foundation. The blind man gradually comes to this realization through his dia-logue with Jesus which in the story, is very short and pointed but we all know that it’s really, for most of us, it’s a debate that goes on within us for decades and even, for some, a lifetime. But in time, a breakthrough occurs and like the blind man we can begin to see that we are all children of God, accepted as we are, with all our shortcomings, but nevertheless loved. Now, through this encounter, this gift of grace from Christ we are once again connected to the source of true meaning and hope. My dear sisters and brothers, we can very naturally question what is the cause of the pandemic and why. I’m sure many of you feel at a loss to even grasp its meaning. And yes, you and I can easily be tempted to seek a scapegoat to blame when our fears overwhelm us. To be sure, scientists will study this for years to come. However, I encourage you to see the good and courageous work that is taking place around the world and locally today. I find it very re-markable of how much we have all banded together as one country, one humanity. I want to commend you for all the sacrifices that you are making. May the bonds of faith, family and community continue to strengthen you in the days and weeks ahead. God bless and stay safe! Fr Mike Meany


Rozważania na temat czytań na 4 Niedzielę Wielkiego Postu:

Czytanie Pierwsze ( 1 Sm 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A) s Historia króla Dawida, jednej z najważniejszych postaci Pisma Świętego, zaczyna się of faktu iż nawet jego własny ojciec nie widział w nim potencjału do bycia królem Izraela. Ojciec Dawida, Jesse, przedstawił prorokowi Samuelowi swoich starszych synów, będąc przekonanym że to oni najlepiej się kwalifikują na rolę przywódcy narodowego. Bóg jednakże ukazuje wytyczne swojego wyboru - “Nie tak bowiem, jak człowiek widzi, widzi Bóg, bo człowiek widzi to, co dostępne dla oczu, a Pan widzi serce”. Poprzez wybranie najmłodszego syna Jessego na króla, Bóg już wypełnia słowa Jezusa, które nasz Zbawiciel wypowie - “ostatni będą pierwszymi, a pierwsi - ostatnimi.” W te niedzielę i przez resztę naszego życia jesteśmy wezwani by naśladować tę Bożą perspektywę. Wśród twojej rodziny i przyjaciół kogo odrzuciłeś/odrzuciłaś, kierując się wyglądem albo uprzedzeniami? Kto jest osobą w twoim otoczeniu która wyzywa Cię abyś dał jej drugą szansę, spojrzał wzrokiem Boga patrzą na jej serce? Może przez pomyłkę odrzuciłeś/odrzuciłaś osobę która miała spełnić specjalną rolę w Twoim życiu, tak jak król Dawid miał odegrać kluczową rolę dla królestwa Izraela. Spróbujmy dzisiaj patrzeć na innych wzrokiem Boga. ks. Przemek Tomczyk

Czytanie Drugie (Eph 5:8-14) Zarówno drugie czytanie jak i Ewangelia na 4 Niedzielę Wielkiego Postu poruszają temat tego w jaki sposób osoby które są w duchowym sensie ślepe mogą widzieć. List św. Pawła jest bardzo bezpośredni - Apostoł Narodów zachęca Efezjan do życia jako “dzieci światłości” w taki sposób aby mogli nauczyć się “tego co jest miłe Panu”. Ta postawa jest skontrastowana z tymi którzy uczestniczą w “bezowocnych uczynkach ciemności”, których uczynki będą ukarane ponieważ “wszystko stanie się jawne dzięki światłu”. Jak więc możemy stać się “dziećmi światłości” a nie czyniącymi “bezowocne uczynki ciemności”? Jednym ze sposobów kultywowania bezowocnych uczynków, zwłaszcza w obecnym czasie światowej niepewności, jest uleganie lękowi i zaślepieniu nim ignorowanie innych wokół nas. Pomyśl o chwilach kiedy się czegoś bardzo bałeś - może to jest obecny czas albo czas kiedy sytuacja w twoim małżeństwie, pracy, albo choroba bliskich sprawiała że lęk Tobą owładnął. Najprawdopodobniej trudno było Ci żyć jako “dziecko światłości” ponieważ lęk sprawił że twój światopogląd stał się ciasny i krótkowzroczny, widzący tylko to, co chcesz zobaczyć, a ignorujący pełną perspektywę. Życie w ten sposób daje iluzję stabilizacji, ale tak naprawdę oznacza to że odchodzimy od świata w którym Bóg chce nas prowadzić na rzecz świata który sobie stworzyliśmy. Dlatego też, w tym czasie zrozumiałego lęku, staraj się patrzeć na Chrystusa jako na światłość które powiedzie Cię i nas wszystkich w tym czasie strachu. ks. Robert Carlton


Ewangelia ( Jn 9,1-41) Historia uzdrowienia niewidomego służy jako metafora wiary w Jezusa i naszego życia jako Jego uczniowie. Po pierwsze, Jezus w jasny sposób stawia sprawę że mężczyzny ślepota nie jest rezultatem grzeszności jego rodziców. Choroba, klęski żywiołowe, a nawet obecna pandemia wirusa nie są karą Bożą wymierzoną przeciw grzesznemu światu. Jezus jasno i jednoznacznie sprzeciwia się tego typu tłumaczeniom. On chce przynieść nam życie, stać się nadzieją dla złamanego świata, a nie przynieść sąd i przekleństwo. Po drugie, droga niewidomego, jak również nasza droga wiary, ma wiele zakrętów i niespodziewanych zmian. Może nawet zmusić nas do całkowitego zatrzymania się! Czasami w zagonieniu możemy “przeoczyć” albo stać się ślepi na to co najważniejsze w życiu - życie we wspólnocie z nadzieją i miłosierdziem u jej podstaw. Ślepiec stopniowo uświadamia sobie tę rzeczywistość poprzez dialog z Jezusem, który w tej historii jest krótki i zwięzły. Sami jednak zdajemy sobie sprawę, że w naszej sytuacji dialog z Chrystusem rozciąga się często na długie lata, zanim będziemy w stanie w pełni zrozumieć Jego wolę wypełniającą się w naszym życiu. Z czasem jednak przebicie się Bożej łaski dotyka nas, i wtedy jak ślepiec znów możemy zrozumieć nasze źródło nadziei w Bogu. Moi drodzy bracia i siostry, naturalnie w naszych sercach mogą się pojawiać pytania dotyczące znaczenia obecnej pandemii i powodów dla których ma ona miejsce. Jestem przekonany że wielu z Was czuje się zagubionymi i poszukującymi odpowiedzi na dręczące pytania. To prawda że pokusa jest realna aby szukać kozła ofiarnego obecnej sytuacji kiedy czujemy się obciążeni. Z pewnością naukowcy jeszcze przez lata będą studiować obecną sytuację. Chciałbym wyrazić swoje uznanie za wszystkie ofiary których się obecnie podejmujecie. Niech więzi wiary, rodziny i wspólnoty nadal wzmacniają Was w tych nadchodzących dniach i tygodniach. Niech Bóg Was błogosławi i zostańcie zdrowi! ks. Mike Meany


Dear Parishioners, A little over two years ago, on Wednesday, May 2, 2018, in our Rev. Thomas P. May Ministry Center, we had a gathering of the pastors, associate pastors, deacons, lay staff and other employees, school and parish lay leadership, and interested parishioners of St. John Brebeuf, St. Martha, and St. Isaac Jogues. Our “Get to Know You” Spaghetti Dinner” was attended by 60 individuals made up of 20 people per parish. Since that day, St. Lambert and St. Peter's in Skokie have been added to our grouping. Our “Get to Know You Dinner,” my letters and bulletin articles regarding Renew My Church, the Divine Renovation Book Club, and the Alpha Series have all been a part of the soft preparation before being “Activated.” Perhaps you recall this “Get to Know You Dinner” regarding Renew My Church and our desire to build relationships across parish boundaries. The Renew My Church Initiative will undoubtedly touch all of us and all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago. It's an exciting time when we look imaginatively at what it means to be Catholic, Missionary Disciples. Changing, letting go, grieving the familiar while embracing the future will all be part of our journey with the Lord Jesus Christ. On Monday, March 9, Cardinal Cupich gathered the Pastors and Associate Pastors from Wave 4 of Renew My Church. The event began with an informal dinner to kick off our grouping activation. The Cardinal gave an overview and listened to questions that we had. On March 18, via Microsoft team, I along with other pastors and leadership of Wave 4 gathered for an afternoon to be informed in more detail of the Renew My Church process. In the summer, we will have an all-day meeting with the five parish grouping team members to fully prepare for the process which begins in earnest this fall. Say a prayer for all involved in the process that is taking place in waves across the Archdiocese of Chicago, all Catholics parishes in Cook and Lake Counties. Thank you, Father Mike Meany

Drodzy Parafianie, Nieco ponad dwa lata temu, w środę, 2 maja 2018 r., w naszym Centrum Duszpasterskim ks. Thomasa P. May, odbyło się spotkanie proboszczów, wikariuszy, diakonów, świeckich duszpasterzy i innych pracowników świeckich, liderów szkolnych i parafialnych oraz zainteresowanych parafian św. Jana Brebeufa, św. Marty i św. Izaaka Joguesa. W naszej kolacji „Poznajmy się” wzięło udział 60 osób, w tym 20 osób z każdej parafii. Od tego dnia do naszej grupy dodano św. Lamberta i św. Piotra w Skokie. Nasze „Poznajmy się”, moje listy i artykuły biuletynach dotyczące Inicjatywy Odnów Mój Kościół, Klub Książki Boskiej Renowacji i Seria Alpha były częścią miękkiego przygotowania przed „Aktywacją”. Być może pamiętasz to „Poznajmy się” dotyczące Inicjatywy Odnów Mój Kościół i nasze pragnienie budowania relacji ponad granicami parafii. Inicjatywa Odnów Mój Kościół niewątpliwie dotknie nas tutaj i wszystkich katolików w Archidiecezji Chicago. To ekscytujący czas, kiedy patrzymy z wyobraźnią, co to znaczy być katolikami, uczniami misyjnymi. Zmiana, zapomnienie, smutek ale też patrzenie w przyszłość będzie częścią naszej podróży z naszym Panem, Jezusem Chrystusem. W poniedziałek, 9 marca, kardynał Cupich zebrał proboszczów i wikariuszy z Fali 4 Inicjatywy Odnów Mój Kościół. Wydarzenie rozpoczęło się od nieformalnej kolacji, aby rozpocząć naszą aktywację grupową. Kardynał przedstawił ogólny zarys i wysłuchał naszych pytań. 18 marca za pośrednictwem Skype, wraz z inni proboszczami i kierownictwem Fali 4, spotkaliśmy się po południu, aby uzyskać bardziej szczegółowe informacje na temat procesu Odnów Mój Kościół. Latem będziemy mieli całodniowe spotkanie z pięcioma członkami grupy parafialnej, aby w pełni przygotować się na proces, który rozpocznie się tej jesieni. Proszę, módlcie się za wszystkich zaangażowanych w ten proces, który odbywa się falami w całej Archidiecezji Chicago, za wszystkie parafie katolików w hrabstwach Cook i Lake. Dziękuję Wam, Ks. Mike Meany


Monday, March 23 - Lenten Weekday 6:30 - All Parishioners 8:30 - † Reyneildo Ngujo (40th d/a) Tuesday, March 24- Lenten Weekday 6:30 - All Parishioners 8:30 - All Parishioners Wednesday, March 25 - The Annunciation of The Lord 6:30 - † Robert Boller † Alicia Duarte † Blake & O'Connor Families 8:30 - † Alicia Duarte 7:00pm (Polish ) - Celebrant - Fr. Przemek † Halina & Edward Nowak † Wiercinski Deceased Family Members † Maria Wiercinski † Bronislawa Swiecicka † Anna, Franciszek & Eugeniusz Jesionka † Danuta & Jan Niewola † Maria & Marian Nytko † Rozalia & Franciszek Kulis † Elzbieta Czarnecka Genowefa (Health) Maria Majerska (Bday & Health & Blessings) Thursday, March 26 - Lenten Weekday 6:30 - All Parishioners 8:30 - † Andrew J. Yadro Friday, March 27 - Lenten Weekday 6:30 - All Parishioner 8:30 - † Albert DeLorenzo †Maritess S. Arceo (5th d/a) †Marcela Quicho (40th d/a) † Ryszard Glod † Cecilia I. Pontanos (40days d/a) Saturday, March 28 - Lenten Weekday 7:30 - † Anton Welter Maria Fraser & Family (Blessings) 5:00pm - Celebrant - Fr. Carlton † Alicia Duarte † Walter & Loretta Gabrys † Frank Rosienski 6:30pm - Celebrant - Fr. Przemek † Jan Dziadkowiec Suchecki Family (Health & Blessings)

Sunday March 29 - Fifth Sunday Of Lent 7:30 - Celebrant - Fr. Carlton † Julianna Paluch 9:00 - Celebrant - Fr. Carlton † Eugenia, Apolonia, & Jozef Dopart † Maria Cynar, † Joan Ruggero 10:45 - Celebrant - Fr. Przemek † Stanley Zajac (20th d/a) † Henry Zajac †Harold Brezinski (2nd d/a) † Rosalin Bergamin 12:30 - Celebrant - Fr. Przemek †Edward Sularz (1st d/a) †Teresa Kot (9th d/a) † Stanislaw Sak † Stela Mironowicz †Leokadia Przestrzelska (20th d/a) †Tomasz & Helena Fronczek & Deceased Family Members † Jan Dziadkowiec † Danuta Chowaniec † Cecylia, Mieczyslaw, Maria, & Jozef Ozieblo † Goran Yordanow, Andrzej Mucha † Bronislaw, Stanislawa, Czeslaw Skurski † Irena, Genowefa, Jozef Sadlowski † Majerczyk Family (Health & Blessings) 6:00pm - Celebrant - visiting priest For all parishioners

Liturgy Schedule -- Mass Intentions for the Week of Mar. 23 - 29

All intentions are prayed for during the daily private masses that are being offered.


MEMORIAL OPPORTUNITY Remember a deceased relative or friend in a special way by donating the altar bread and wine that are used at Mass each

week. Suggested donation is $50. Please contact the parish office to select a date.

Altar Bread and Wine For the week of March 22, 2020 offered for

Alicia Duarte

Offered by: Duarte Family

Pray For Our Ill Members Names on our ill list will appear for four weeks; the number after each name is the number of weeks the name has appeared.

Please remember in prayer the following who are currently serving in the Armed Forces

Timothy Casey Christopher Vick Sgt. Joseph Merkel Sgt. Peter Merkel Robert Monaco Chief Ryan Morrow Thomas Neuhengen Scott Rodberg Mark Honsa Sgt. Daniel Cunningham Pvt. James Cunningham CW3 Louis Haberkorn CDR John Tutwiler Marian Niemotko SSGT Michael J. Archam PFC Seth D. Perkins A1C Andrew T. Perkins Sgt. Ramiro Cadena Susanne Connolly Tutwiler Lt. Joseph Disclafani Maj. Jacqueline Lis Yurgil Maj. Mark Yurgil May they return safely to their families.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13b; Jn 4:43-54 Tuesday: Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5:1-16 Wednesday: Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Ps 40:7-11; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38 Thursday: Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-23; Jn 5:31-47 Friday: Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-21, 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Saturday: Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-12; Jn 7:40-53 Sunday: Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 [3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45]

Patricia Severin (3) Charles Pembleton (3)

K. Kozeny (3) Cameron Kozeny (3) Theresa Merrigan (3)

William Boyd (2)

Maria Wojcik (2) Teresa Lach (1)

Martha Gfesser (4) Kathy Walsh (2)

Diana Zumpano (2) Pat Harris (2)

Remember in your prayers those buried from our parish:

Betty Haluch

Mary Tornatore

Mother of Perpetual Help

Devotions Every First Wed. of the Month. After 8:30 AM

Mass Sat. After 7:30 AM Mass Ave Maria Polish Prayer

Group Wednesday, After 7:00

PM Mass (Including Benediction )

First Friday Devotions To the Sacred Heart of

Jesus After 8:30 AM Mass and

After 7:00 PM Polish Mass

First Saturday Devotions

To Immaculate Heart of Mary

After 7:30 AM Mass

Devotions in the Church Rosary

All devotions are cancelled until further notice.

A Few Words About Wills

More than a mere legal document that will be accepted in a court of human law, a well-prepared will is a statement of faith, hope and love. Family, charities, and others in need will benefit from this, your final; act of material kindness. St. John Brebeuf Parish would consider it a privilege to be mentioned in your will.


JOAN CZERLANIS SJB 2020 WOMAN OF THE YEAR Celebrating Joan Czerlanis as our SJB Woman of the year 2020: Joan has been a member of the St. John Brebeuf Catholic Women’s Club close to 50 years and a member of the parish for 53 years. She and her husband, Bob, raised three children, Paul, Craig, and Cheryl, who attended and graduated from our school. She is an active member of the CWC and has served as a club director, second vice-president, first vice-president, and president in 1980-81. She organized and continues as moderator of the

Marian Prayer groups and has been an active participant in the Right-to-Life Movement and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She worked as secretary at St. Thecla Parish for 17 years. Joan is a behind-the-scenes supporter of all that signifies faith and caring in the Catholic religion. We are proud to have her represent St. John Brebeuf Parish as our 2020 Woman of the Year. Joan will be honored at the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (ACCW) Vicariate II Women of the Year Lunch-eon, on Saturday, May 9th at the Chateau Ritz, 9100 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Niles. Reception begins at 11am, with lunch at noon, followed by the program and raffles, ending about 3:00pm. Cost is 35.00 with cash or checks made out to “SJB CWC” and accompanied by a list of attendees names and directed to the SJB CWC mail box at the Parish Ministry Center (to the attention of Judi Stephens) Questions may be directed to Judi at 847-842-9295. Plan to attend and show support for our Joan!

Congratulations Joan!


The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. — Psalm 23:1

Easter Candle Memorial Thanks to Sheila Miehle for her donation toward the small Easter candles in memory of her father Frank Rosienski.

What a beautiful way to remember your loved ones, living or deceased, with a donation toward the pur-chase of the large Easter Candle (approx. $750.00) and other small Easter candles (250.00). If you would like to make a donation, please call or stop in at the parish office 847-966-8145.

CHARITY

If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire. —St. Vincent Ferrer


March 22—Fourth Sunday of Lent: In today’s Gospel, as Jesus gives sight to the blind man. Through grace we are also

transformed from not seeing to seeing and then Je-sus sends us to help others see and to believe. Your gift to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul brings joy, peace, forgiveness, mercy, and kindness to the hurting hearts of the poor. Please remember to be generous next week March 29th when we will have our Fifth Sunday Collection. Have you considered joining the Society of St. Vincent DePaul? Is there a family you know who needs assis-tance? Please call the Society of St. Vincent DePaul so that together we can help the suffering and poor.

All information will be strictly confidential. St. John Brebeuf Parish Office: (847) 966-8145

22 marca - Czwarta Niedziela Wielkiego Postu: W dzisiejszej Ewangelii, Jezus przywraca

niewidomemu wzrok. Dzięki łasce przemieniamy się także z niewidzenia w widzenie, a wtedy Jezus posyła nas, aby pomóc innym zobaczyć i uwierzyć. Twój dar dla Towarzystwa Świętego Wincentego a Paulo przynosi radość, pokój, przebaczenie, miłosierdzie i dobroć dla cierpiących i potrzebujących. Pamiętaj, aby być hojnym w przyszłym tygodniu 29 marca, dru-ga składka z Piątej Niedzieli jest przeznaczona na pomoc ubo-gim. Czy zastanawiałeś się nad tym aby przyłączyć się do Towarzystwa św. Wincentego a Paulo? Jeśli znasz rodzinę która potrzebuje po-mocy prosze zadzwoń do naszego Stowarzyszenia St. Vincent de Paul. Razem możemy pomóc cierpiacym i potrzebującym. Wszystkie informacje bedą ściśle poufne. St. John Brebeuf: 847-966-8145

Easter Season Flower Memorials What a beautiful way to remember your loved ones, living or deceased, with a donation in the amount of $10 toward the purchase of flowers which will grace the church environment from Easter until Pentecost. Only one name or one family name may be listed per donation., i.e. Mr. John Smith or John Smith Family. You may then place it in the offering basket or return it to the parish. All memorials must be received by Easter Sunday, April 12th. so that they can be published in the Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19th bulletin. Please note that the names of those memorialized will be printed, not the donor’s name.

Easter Flower Memorials

Memorial Name ______________________________________ Donor’s Name _______________________________________ Amount Enclosed ____________

LIGHT “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). We are at the midpoint of our Lenten journey of conversion. As always, God never gives up on us, especially those who have “fallen asleep” along the road to conversion. The most powerful stories of conversion are proclaimed during these final weeks of Lent. They have the power to shake us out of our sleep. Today’s Gospel story of the healing of the man born blind exposes the real blindness in the time of Christ—the blindness of the self-righteous religious leaders. In a few weeks, at the Easter Vigil, the Church will proclaim “Christ our Light” as the paschal candle is carried into darkened churches throughout the world. May the darkness of sin that still pervades our lives, communities, and world, be dispelled by the Christ who comes to bring sight to the blind and light to the world. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Fourth Sunday of Lent


SJB SCHOOL GALA 2020 February 22, 2020


Knights of Columbus News Biji Philip, Knights of Columbus, North American Martyrs Council 4338, received the Exemplification of the Fourth Degree (Patriotism) at the Sheraton Hotel in Lisle, IL on Saturday, February 22, 2020. “Congratulations Sir Knight Biji!”

Boy Scouts News

On March 1, 2020 SJB Cub Scout Pack 175 celebrated the Cub Scout Program's 90th Birthday and said goodbye to our Arrow of Light Scouts that transitioned to SJB Boy Scout Troop 175.

CANCELLATION NOTICE:

Due to the current worldwide health situation, the following scheduled parish events have been cancelled:

March 22: Polish Lenten Mission March 24: Catholic Women’s Club Meeting March 24: Golden Agers Bingo March 27: Fish Fry March 28: Pilgrimage to Shrine of the Lord March 29: Live Concert Series April 9th: Holy Thursday Bus Pilgrimage Our parish campus is closed until further notice, the only excep-tion is that the church is open from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm for private prayer.

During the time that our church is opened, we continue to follow the Archdiocesan guidelines in prevention of the Corona-virus/COVID 19: Daily sanitizing church after it closes. Asking people to keep distance be-

tween them Providing hand sanitizer in several

location throughout the church.


Resolve to make a difference in 2020! It is truly up to you, no one else. It’s all in your hands! A few suggestions are: Spend one hour a week helping to save precious lives. Volunteer to help at a Pregnancy Care Center. Become better informed on the critical issues of our time and speak-up to defend Life, Family and Faith! Let us continue to pray daily: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

YOUR LENTEN GIFTS CHANGE LIVES.

Fill your CRS Rice Bowl with dollar and coins or

give online at: crsricebowl.org

Don’t forget to turn in your Rice Bowl after Lent

Attention Volunteers! All volunteers at St. John Brebeuf parish must be com-pliant with the Virtus Program. It is the responsibility of each volunteer to make sure that they complete all the steps and turn in any needed forms to the parish office site administrator. During the month of March, all volunteers are asked to log in to www.virtusonline.org to check their com-pliance status. When you log in:

If a Criminal Background Check is needed you will automatically be prompted to complete it. There are two steps: the first you will complete on the screen, the second will come to you in an email. You must complete both steps.

Make sure your contact information including email

and phone number are correct. If you are volunteering and are not familiar with the Virtus program, or if you have problems logging in, please contact Liz McGowen in the parish office (847-966-8145 or [email protected]). She can also help you if you do not have access to a computer. Please take a moment to do this before April 1. Thank you -- we appreciate all that our volunteers do!

The Queen of Hearts 50/50 Raffle has been temporarily suspended until further notice.


St. John Brebeuf Church

“We are a people of faith who respond to our Baptismal call to holiness by caring for one another and journeying together with Christ through pray-

er, sacraments, lifelong formation and service in light of the Gospel and Catholic Tradition.”

Mass Schedule

Saturday 5:00 pm, 6:30 pm (Polish)

Sunday 7:30, 9:00, 10:45 am, 12:30 pm (Polish), 6:00 pm

Monday-Friday 6:30 & 8:30 am

Wednesday 7:00 pm (Polish)

Saturday 7:30 am

First Friday 7:00 pm Mass (Polish)

See Bulletin for Holy Days

Reconciliation Saturday 11:00 am-Noon (English & Polish)

First Friday 6:00 pm (English & Polish)

See Bulletin for Advent & Lenten Reconciliation Dates

March 22, 2020

Staff

Pastor: Rev. Michael Meany Associates: Rev. Przemyslaw Tomczyk Rev. Robert Carlton Pastoral Associate: Mac Karaban Pastor Emeritus: Rev. Robert Banzin Deacons: Larry Skaja (retired) Andy Beierwaltes School Principal: Dr. Mary Maloney Music /Liturgical Dir.: Marek Rachelski Children’s Choir Dir.: Ewa Fair Fr. Meany's Assistant: Liz McGowen Business Manager: Joseph Wojtowicz Maintenance Director: John Mazur Staff Secretary: Charlotte Lindquist Bulletin Editor: Maria Garcia

Parish Office

Rev. Thomas May Ministry Center 8305 N. Harlem Ave., Niles, IL 60714 (847) 966-8145 Fax: (847) 966-0014

Website: www.sjbrebeuf.org E-mail: [email protected]

Parish Office Hours

Monday & Tuesday 9am - 8pm Wednesday 9am - 7pm

Thursday & Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 1pm

Sunday 9:30am - 12:30pm

School

School Principal: Dr. Mary Maloney 8301 N. Harlem Ave., Niles, IL 60714

Website: www.sjbschool.org (847) 966-3266

Religious Education

Fr. Przemek Tomczyk (847) 966-3269

Youth Ministry Contact Fr. Robert Carlton or Emilia Walasik

(847) 966-8145

Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals,

Anointing of the Sick

Please call the Parish Office (847) 966-8145

Eucharistic Adoration

Parish Ministry Center Chapel, 8305 N. Harlem Ave.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays 7am - 8pm Wednesdays 7am - 7pm

Fridays 7am - 5pm Saturdays 7am - 6pm Sundays 7:00 am - 12:30 pm


CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS St. John Brebeuf Church #512142 8305 N. Harlem Avenue Niles, IL 60714 TELEPHONE 847 966-8145 CONTACT PERSON Maria R. Garcia EMAIL: [email protected] SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2016 Adobe Acrobat DC Windows 7 TRANSMISSION TIME Thurs. 9:30 am SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION March 22, 2020 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 14 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

8307 n. harlem ave., niles, il 60714 * 847-966-8145 * www...

Documents