The Family of Our Lady of Loretto

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 14, 2016

The Assumption of Mary

Dear Parish Family,

This Monday, we celebrate the Feast of the As-sumption. Our parish is named after and dedicated

to Our Lady. Do we, like Mary, extend ourselves in

care and love and friendship, going out to visit and be true family and friends to one another, as Mary

was to Elizabeth, even when she herself should have

been filled with anxiety and worry? Instead, she

trusted in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do we also trust in the Almighty to lift us up as He

did Mary? And, will we in turn raise up the lowly, the hungry, and the poor that come to our doors, asking

to sit at our tables?

When can we do these things? When, like Mary, we allow the Spirit to work in and through us as images

and reflections of Christ, who, when he gathered

people together by his love, his compassion, his un-derstanding, not only reconciled, but also raised up

those who sat at table with him, not only in dignity

but also to the fullness of life. We can, like Mary, as she went out of her way to visit her cousin Eliza-

beth, take the time to visit with family, friends and

neighbors.

Our Lady of Loretto, pray for us and inspire us to

always be a welcoming people following your life of

prayer, service and hospitality. Our Lady of Loretto, be with us in our travels through life as we journey

in faith, hope and charity, to the kingdom of your

Son, Christ Jesus.

Sincerely,

Fr. Tom

OUR LADY OF LORETTO • HOMETOWN - OAK LAWN Page 2

Do we, like Mary... Proclaim the greatness of the Lord,

Rejoice in God, our Savior, Do great things for others?

Speak of God’s name as holy, show mercy to all generations,

and fill the hungry with good things? Be the Lord’s faithful servants of mercy,

and help fulfill God’s promise, as made to Abraham and Sarah

and their descendants?

FAMILY VALUED? Listening to Jesus describe the divided house-

holds that would result from following him is some-

what startling in our society, where the Catholic Church is seen as one of the last great refuges of the

family. And yet we know that in many ways religion

still divides families, when one spouse is observant and another is not, when children choose or reject the be-

liefs of their parents, when lifestyles of a loved one

do not conform to Church teachings, when a marriage

or remarriage occurs outside of the sanctuary, when a non-believing yet baptized child merely goes through

the religious motions to satisfy a grandparent . . . the

list goes on. Centuries ago, Jesus knew that deeply held and honestly followed religious convictions could

often be a source of division, in spite of the fact that

what he and his Father in heaven wanted most deeply was unity.

TYPICAL TEENAGER

In the days when Luke’s Gospel was written,

Christianity was in its adolescence. In its infancy it

was a branch or sect of Judaism. Ongoing dissension within the Jewish faith about the nature of Jesus and

his messianic role created a rift. Social and political

situations aggravated by the destruction of the Jeru-salem temple deepened it. Luke was preaching and

writing to many people who, day by day, were living

through the kinds of household divisions that Jesus was describing. Anyone who has lived through a child’s

teenage years knows that “son against father, daugh-

ter against mother” is a common situation. It was no different for Christianity as it wrested itself away

from its parent religion. The followers of Christ in

Luke’s day were learning that sometimes a household

divided was the price paid, in the words of the Letter to the Hebrews, for keeping their eyes “fixed on Je-

sus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” Copyright © 2006, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

SUNDAY • AUGUST 14, 2016 Page 3

PARISH ACTIVITIES

DID YOU KNOW?

Congratulations to Sister Juanita who became a Unit-

ed States citizen on August 10th! We are happy that you are with us and hope all your years will be fulfilling

as a citizen in this “One Nation, Under God.”

UNDERSTANDING THE MASS

Participating at Sunday Mass

is the most important act that Catholics do.

The Mass is more than a personal encounter with

Christ, as riveting as that is. Much more than as an occasion for personal adoration, the Mass gathers the

faithful as the Body of Christ - the people gathered in

our setting, the millions of other people around the

world, and all the faithful people who have died, but are alive in Christ in heaven.

At Church, we meet others who share our values. We give and receive support. We keep in touch with

friends. We connect with strangers. We meet Christ

individually, but we also meet his Body, the Church. Together, the faithful raise one common voice in pray-

er and song.

The Mass is repetitious. Many words and gestures do

not change. Yet repetition helps Catholics enter the

Paschal Mystery more deeply. Freed from the chal-lenge to create new prayer every week, the entire

community can focus on the matter at hand. Outside

of the liturgy, many individuals follow a daily routine that includes meals, work, study, rest and play. These

habits help us accomplish tasks and feel at peace.

Participating at Mass is the means by which we ex-

press the fullness of our relationship with God and

receive his grace.

There is really nothing else that

we can do - no prayer or action that is more significant or more

important - than participating at

Sunday Mass.

Next week -

In The Beginning...

Religious Education Program

Today, August 14th, and on Sunday, August 28th,

from 9:30-11am, there will be ‘in per-

son’ registration for NEW families and those not registered in the parish at

this time. You must be registered in the

parish to attend our Religious Ed Pro-gram.

New students will also need a copy of

their Baptismal and other Sacramental certificates.

Current RE families may register for RE classes at any

time during the summer by printing the form from the website: ourladyloretto.com and dropping it off at the

rectory or by mailing it in with their registration form.

And The Winner Is…

This Sunday, after the 11:15 am Mass, our first “Early Bird” drawing for

$250.00 will be held. Good luck to all!! Tickets are

available at the rectory, so please stop by and pick up a few more for family and friends and help your parish

with the BIG fund raiser of the year!! Questions? Call

the rectory 708-424-7471.

We hear a lot about the power of mindfulness medita-

tion and similar strategies for dealing with stress and

self-control. But what about prayer? Does it convey

similar benefits?

“There is quite a bit of research focused on the different

ways that people use prayer to cope with a variety of

psychological and physical health challenges,” notes

Clay Routledge, PhD, who teaches psychology at North

Dakota State University.

Writing on the Psychology Today website, Dr.

Routledge discusses studies that showed how prayer

can boost people’s willpower and feelings of for-

giveness, reduce aggressive responses to anger or prov-

ocation, and aid in coping with stress. He also said that

couples who pray together showed increased feelings

of unity and trust.

Page 4

Mass Intentions

L- S. Postregna A. Ditzler S. Lindsay

EM- B. Pacourek T. Greenan J. Watt

EM- L. Kurysz D. Greenan M. Hasse

EM- J. Ceh A. Zaczek T. Gilmartin

EM- M. Dwyer N. Jeffrey K. Gilmartin

THOSE TO SERVE AT LITURGY ON

AUGUST 20 & 21

5 PM SAT. 8:30 AM SUN. 11:15 AM SUN.

Sunday, August 14th

8:30 - Rev. Patrick Ronayne

~ founding Pastor of OLL

Mary and Donna Forbes

Alice Munno

11:15 - Richard and Tom Welch

Monday, August 15th

Assumption of Mary

8:15 - Jason Washkevich

Carol O’Hare

James Paulsen

Tuesday, August 16th

St. Stephen of Hungary

8:15 - Purgatorial Society

Peter Dixon

Wednesday, August 17th

8:15 - Deceased members of the

O’Hare Family

Thursday, August 18th

8:15 - Rose Ecklund

Friday, August 19th

St. John Eudes, Priest

8:15 - For all the victims of violence

Saturday, August 20th

St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor

8:15 - People of the Parish

5 PM - Ken Slade

Margaret and Shirley O’Hare

Tyler Tsokatos

Sunday, August 21st

8:30 - John Forbes

Phoebe McCarthy-Gunty

Jerry Burch

11:15 - People of the Parish

Sunday Readings for August 21st

First reading: Isaiah 66:18-21

Second reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Ann Contorno

Debbie Heitz

Keith Slansky

Frank Roti

Mark Ryan

Brian Coughlin

Ronald Carvelli

Kayla Smyth

Dean Ojeda

Harry Corless

Loving God, give strength and protection

to all who struggle with illness of any kind.

Rose Kennedy

Mary Bridgeman

Bob Bridgeman, Sr.

Michele Vogel

Karen Javorski

James Stewart

Helen Morong

Mary Kenny

Jim Cooney

David Ryan

Mike Irwin

St. Bernard was a preacher, an abbot and a monastic reformer in the 12th century.

St. Helen was the mother of the emperor Constantine and the finder of the True Cross.

Page 5

- the week ahead -

Sun. 14th RE Registration, 9:30-11 am

‘Early Bird’ drawing after 11:15 am Mass

Wed. 10th Baptism Prep, 7 pm

Thu. 11th Holy Hour, Macklin Chapel, 4—5 pm

AA mtg., rm. 115, 7:30 pm

Fri. 12th Men’s Club General Mtg., 7 pm

August 9, 2015 August 7, 2016

Received: $4,095.00 $4,426.00

+ACH transmissions: 265.00 $4,691.00

Year-to-Date Figures Collected: $30,648.00 $28,689.00

Thank you for your support.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

WEEKEND MASSES: WEEKDAY MASSES:

5 p.m. Saturday - 8:30 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday 8:15 a.m. - Monday thru Saturday

RECONCILIATION: 4 - 4:45 p.m. on Saturday HOLY HOUR: Thursdays - 4 p.m. in the Mackin Chapel

BAPTISMS and WEDDINGS: Please call the rectory office for information at 708-424-7471 (8:30 am to 4 pm)

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Classes for Kindergarten thru 8th grade are Sundays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Reconciliation is received in 2nd grade, First Communion is received in 3rd grade and Confirmation is received in

8th grade. Call the RE office for more information at 708-499-0832.

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS

Parish Transformation Committee Ministers of Care Women’s Guild

Bereavement Committee Men’s Club

PARISH STAFF

Rev. Thomas S. Cabala, Pastor

Jackie Watt, Parish Secretary Marianne Powers, Catechetical Leader

Patti Washkevich, Bulletin Editor Steve Kittler, Music Director, Parish Office

OUR LADY OF LORETTO PARISH

Phone: 708-424-7471 8925 South Kostner Ave. - Hometown, Illinois, 60456 www.ourladyloretto.com

A Roman Catholic community,

embracing the gospel of Christ,

as a welcoming, caring, family of faith.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats,

When your mom is mad at your dad,

don’t let her brush your hair.

If your sister hits you, don’t hit back. They always catch the second person.

You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.

ADVICE FROM KIDS Food Pantry

Just a quick thank you to all of the food pantry volun-

teers! The Pantry is blessed to have you!

We pack our food pantry groceries in brown bags. If you have any to share that aren’t ripped, please con-

sider donating them to us. The Mariano’s

bags with handles are wonderful! As al-ways, we appreciate any and all donations.

We are currently in need of pancake

mux, syrup and canned goods (soup, pas-

tas and veggies). Thanks always!