News and Views from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
By Your Pastor, Fr. Pete Jankowski

In my experience as a Catholic priest, I have found it beneficial for both me and the community I serve to reintroduce traditions of the faith that sometimes go by the wayside and are often forgotten. One of these traditions has to do with the ringing of bells on Holy Thursday and at the Easter Vigil, a tradition I have reinstituted here for the last couple years. To offer a thorough explanation of this tradition, I turn to the explanation from the website NewAdvent.org. This is what the website offers...

Maundy Thursday, which derives its English name from Mandatum, the first word of the Office of the washing of the feet, is known in the Western liturgies by the heading "In Coena Domini" (upon the Lord's supper). This marks the central rite of the day and the oldest of which we have explicit record. St. Augustine informs us that on that day Mass and Communion followed the evening meal or supper… The Liturgy, as commemorating the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, is celebrated in white vestments with some measure of joyous solemnity.

The "Gloria in excelsis" is sung, and during it there is a general ringing of bells, after which the bells are silent until the Gloria is heard upon Easter Eve (Holy Saturday). It is probable that both the silence of the bells and the withdrawing of lights... are to be referred to the same source -- a desire of expressing outwardly the sense of the Church's bereavement during the time of Christ's Passion and Burial. The observance of silence during these three days dates at least from the eighth century, and in Anglo-Saxon times they were known as "the still days"; but the connection between the beginning of this silence and the ringing of the bells at the Gloria only meets us in the later Middle Ages.

As with all divine traditions, this solemn silence that we observe from Holy Thursday until the Easter Vigil reminds us of what we had lost by our choosing to crucify our Lord on Good Friday. By recognizing the difference between the silence and the joyous ringing of the bells, our own faith lives become elevated through the senses, thus allowing us to appreciate even more the Sacred Triduum we are about to celebrate.

Please feel free to join us this week at all our solemn celebrations.

God Bless.

Fr. Pete

Gloria Dei Vivens Homo (The Glory of God is Living in Man)
- St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Bring Your Bells to Mass!!! Mother Church holds a special tradition at Mass of ringing the bells one last time at our Holy Thursday Liturgy (7:00 p.m. here at St. Patrick's) prior to the Church going "silent" until the Easter Vigil (Church rules dictate that no bells are to be rung during this period to commemorate our Lord's sacrifice on the cross). Parishioners are invited to bring their bells to Church on Holy Thursday at 7:00 p.m., as well as at all the Easter weekend liturgies to commemorate our Lord's sacrifice and his resurrection from the dead!

-Bring Your Bells to Mass Again!!!

Subjects to be covered: "Who is God, who am I?", "How to Pray", "Humility", "Healing of memories", "Healing of addictions", "Virtues of Faith , Hope & Love", "Self Deliverance", "Why be a Catholic", and much more. Please check out
Lenten Retreat.

Each week, St. Patrick's Vocation Cross travels from home to home throughout the parish as we pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This week,

will care for the cross. If you would like to participate, please contact the office (815) 727-4746.

1. Everyone 14 years of age or over is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays of Lent.
   
   
2. Everyone 18 years of age and under 59 years of age is bound to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
   
   
3. On these two days of fast and abstinence, only one full meatless meal is allowed. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one's needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted on these two days, but liquids, including milk and fruit juices are allowed. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige.
   
   
4. To disregard completely the law of fast and ab- stinence is seriously sinful.
   
   
5. Lent is the principal season of penance in the Christian year. All of the faithful are strongly urged to develop and follow a program of vol- untary self-denial (in addition to following the Lenten regulations), serious prayer, and a per- formance of works of charity and mercy.

The collection for the Holy Land on Good Friday is used to maintain the holy places in Jerusalem and to assist Christian communities in the Holy Land. This war-torn area of the world is in desperate need of the assistance-please be generous!

We gather as a community of believers to remember and honor a core piece of our Catholic faith - the cross on Good Friday.

Walk with us and see the many reflections for this year's theme: "The Gifts of the Holy Spirit" through the different Church stops.

• Living Stations: 1:00pm & 7:00pm in Church.

• Morning Prayer at 7:30 a.m. (no Mass this day)
• Mass & Exposition at 7:00 p.m. (In English)
• Confessions will be heard from 8:00 pm to 10:30 p.m.
• Night Prayer at 10:30 p.m. (In English)
  Bishop Sartain will be here!

• Morning Prayer at 7:30 a.m. (no Mass this day)
• Spanish Stations of the Cross at 12:00 noon
• English Good Friday Service at 3:00pm
• Spanish Good Friday Service at 5:30pm
• English Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm

• Morning Prayer at 7:30 a.m. (No Mass this day)
• Blessing of Food Baskets at 11:00 a.m. in church
• Easter Vigil Mass at 8:00 p.m. (In English)
• No 3:30 Confessions or 4:30 Mass

• Regular Masses at 8:00, 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., all in English
• Regular 1:00 p.m. Spanish Mass

Friends of the Orphans sponsorship program offers you an opportunity to help the children of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in two ways. First, by developing a relationship that will strengthen the child's self esteem, while assuring the child that someone considers him or her very special and unique; and second, by providing ongoing financial support for the care of all of the children.

As a Godparent, you will receive a photo of your child, a welcome letter, and progress reports during year and personal letters from your child. We encourage Godparents to visit our homes and the children they sponsor.

For as little as $30 a month, you can make a real difference in the life of a child. Please contact Julie Dillenberg for more information on sponsorship or visit the Sponsorship booth at the Fiesta on April 19th.

"You may only be one person in the world, but you may be all the world to one person, one child".

- Father William B.
Wasson, Founder, Nuestros
Pequeños Hermanos

Bishop Sartain has released a two-year progress report on the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The report includes information on any new allegations, financial settlements and pending litigation regarding sexual abuse by members of the clergy. Copies of the report are available in the vestibule of Church and in both the Parish and the School office. It will also be printed in the Catholic Explorer and available on the Diocese of Joliet website at: www.dioceseofjoliet.org

For over 20 years, St. Pat's volunteers have been providing dinner once a month at Daybreak Center. This easy but rewarding community service is much needed in today's economy. Can you add your name to the list of volunteers that occasionally help by grocery shopping or cooking food at home or serving dinner? Call Mary Mattson at (815) 726-2150 to get more details. Daybreak Center is sponsored by Catholic Charities, but recently experienced budget cuts, so they really appreciate St. Pat's help!

Feast of Divine Mercy

Please join us for a celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy on Sunday, March 30th at St. Paul the Apostle Church at 18N. Woodlawn in Joliet. Fr. Mike Lane will celebrate the Mass at 3:45pm preceded by 2:00pm Confessions and 3:00pm Chaplet Prayers. To prepare for this Feast, pray the novena of Divine Mercy beginning on Good Friday and ending on Saturday, March 29th. Contact Karen for more in formation at 815-744-6339.

Natural Family Planning Classes are available throughout the year at St. Patrick's. Please contact John and Barbara Halbur at 815-727-3018.

Our club will be traveling to the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire on April 9th. We will se the musical play "Les Miserables". The cost will be $70 which will include the bus, lunch and play. Reservations must be made and paid for by March 26th. Please contact Joyce Hutton at 815-744-1188.

The Youth Group at St. Ray's has invited us over for some Chicago Cubs Games on April 19th (Leave at 9:30am -$25/ticket), June 12th (Leave at 11am-$30/ticket) and August 6th (Leave at 11am -$30/ticket). Make it a family event! Contact Denis & Michelle Brunner for details at 815-5776185 or 630-768-1697.

Michelle & Denis Brunner of St. Raymond's youth group would like to invite any 8th Grade through High School students to take part in the annual Diocesan Youth Leadership Conference. The Conference will be held at Lewis University in Romeoville, June 27th through June 29th, 2008. "Come as you are! Leave Changed!" For more information regarding this event, please contact Miss Julie Dillenburg through St. Pat's School or Michele & Denis at 815-577-6185.

St. Patrick School embraces a mission to provide the finest academic environment for all of our children. We emphasize achievable goals and high moral ethical standards. We instill in our students a lifelong commitment to excellence and dedication to their Catholic Christian faith. Saint Patrick School is marked by a spirit of hospitality, a parent-school and parish partnership with a nurturing atmosphere in which our children develop in mind, body and spirit.