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

In this week�s bulletin, I have inserted a flyer concerning the manner in which the scriptures are selected and proclaimed at our Holy Mass. In 1971, the fine folks who assembled our Lectionary created a system that, through a three-year cycle, the faithful might experience in to order survey the great majority of our Gospel texts and a good deal of our other books in the Bible. Here�s how it works:

The Liturgical Year always begins on The First Sunday of Advent, which always falls on the Sunday closest to, or falling on, the Feast of St. Andrew (December 30). It is on this First Sunday of Advent that we begin our new liturgical cycle of readings: Cycle A, B, and C. The three cycles of gospel readings generally correspond to the first three gospels of our New Testament, in their proper order: �A� for Matthew, �B� for Mark, �C� for Luke (this year, we happen to be in Cycle �B,� therefore our gospel readings come primarily from Mark�s Gospel). Concerning John�s Gospel, the readings from this text are used significantly in the Easter Season of all liturgical cycles and at many Sundays and Feasts of all the liturgical years.

Whenever a theme is presented in each Sunday�s gospel, these same fine folks in Rome attempt to connect that theme with a passage from the Old Testament. The idea here is to show us how the gospel passage fulfills the prophesies of the Old Testament.

The second reading at Mass may or may not be connected thematically with the gospel. Usually, the second reading at Mass attempts to give us semi-continuous passages from the New Testament epistles.

And there you have it�the ABCs of the Liturgy of the Word!

May God Bless All of You.
Fr. Pete

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

The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is on Tuesday, August 15^th. This is a Holy Day of Obligation. Four Masses are scheduled:

The Vigil is Monday, August 14th at 7 p.m.

Masses on the 15^th are: 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., & 7 p.m.

The very important feast is in celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul into heaven. Our Blessed Mother was never tainted by sin and so did not endure the penalty of sin which is death. In her life we have much to emulate, and in her assumption we can look forward with hope to the day when our bodies are reunited with our souls on that great and glorious day when we again meet our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Everyone needs to be fed by spiritual experiences. Every Monday at 7 p.m. until 8 p.m. we experience the presence of Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and the Rosary. Come and join us in Church for one hour. All are welcome� Come and be fed!

"The hand of the Lord feeds us," says the Psalmist, "he answers all our needs." Both Elisha's servant in the first reading and the disciples in the Gospel story who witnessed the feeding of the five thousand saw this happen and knew it to be true.

Summer is here, and many will plan vacations and family outings away from the parish. Please also remember to continue your support for St. Patrick�s Church by including your weekly donation in your family plans and mailing your contribution to the rectory while you are away.

Many thanks for your support of our Joliet Diocesan Church! Your sacrificial gift is deeply appreciated. Any amount is gratefully acknowledged and helps us reach our goal.

How does a donation to the Diocesan Appeal help? The many services to the poor and needy in our community benefit greatly from a gift to the Appeal. When we give as a parish, even a single dollar from many people makes a big difference.

As long as anger lives, she continues to be the fruitful mother of many unhappy children.

--St. John Climacus

As I�m sure many of you have heard from Fr. Pete, the office is working toward updating our data and offering management program. This past year, the Diocese of Joliet performed our mandatory 5 year audit and suggested very strongly to upgrade our system. In order to make sure everyone is correct in the new system, we will be updating parish registrations through this fall. More information will be published in future bulletins.

We will also be updating our contribution envelope mailing. If in the past you have not used your envelopes to give to the parish, we will discontinue sending them in order to save on mailing costs. Any parish family that has their contribution envelope mailing discontinued for lack of use, can contact the Rectory at any time to ask for envelopes to be restarted. Thank you for your patience, we appreciate your support during this period of transition.

A National Collection for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi �The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.� (Ps 34:19) Help Rebuild Church, Rebuild Hope, the national collection to support hurricane re- lief efforts in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and Diocese of Biloxi on August 12-13, 2006. The theme of the national collection�Rebuild Church, Rebuild Hope�is inspired by Bishop Thomas Rodi of Biloxi, who proclaimed to the bishops of the United States that to �rebuild the Church is to rebuild hope itself.�

These two dioceses, so devastated by the ravages of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, are still in a state of unimaginable need. Collections in 2005 right after the hurricanes focused on immediate humanitarian relief, and only scratched the surface of the needs involved. This special collection on August 12-13 focuses on rebuilding churches, schools, and other essential parts of the parishes� infrastructure which are needed to rebuild people�s hope. Rebuilding the Church and her structures is critically important now, as many civil jurisdictions declare that they are no longer able to assist those who were displaced by the 2005 hurricanes, and will be unable to do so in the future. Help rebuild the Church and rebuild hope in New Orleans and Biloxi on August 12-13. The collection for The need is great. And your participation can make a difference. National Collections | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 � USCCB. All rights reserved.

In its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ( 1963 ), The Second Vatican Council called for the restoration and revival of the catechumenate, the process by which adults were received into the church through the three sacraments of initiation ( baptism, eucharist, confirmation ). The catechumenate, dating from the earliest days of the Church, was a process by which people learned the faith and practices of Christians through prayer, study of and reflection on the Bible, spiritual discernment and the good works of the already baptized members of the community.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults ( RCIA ), promulgated by the Church in 1972, was mandated by the Catholic bishops of the U.S. in 1988 as the process by which an unbaptized adult would learn the ways of our Church and become a member of the Church through the sacraments of baptism, eucharist and confirmation. The Second Joliet Diocesan Synod ( 1989 ) called for the RCIA�s implementation in the parishes of our diocese. In the weeks to come, we will explain the various steps of this important ministry, and what the RCIA means for our parish.

St. Patrick Religious Education Program is now taking registrations for new students. You can register at the rectory Monday�Thursday 9am until 4:30pm and Friday until 12 noon or by call the rectory at 815-727-4746.

Sacrament Fee for First Communicants and Confirmation Students�$20.

Our classes meet on Sunday mornings from 8:30am to 9:45am.

Our first class is on Sunday, September 24th.

Any new student not baptized at St. Patrick�s needs to submit a copy of his/her baptismal certificate upon registering.

Students transferring into 8th grade (Confirmation program) must provide documentation that he/she has attended 6th & 7th grade religion classes.

� Have an old backpack you are no longer using? The Aspire.Inspire.Foundation collects new and gently used backpacks, fills them with school supplies and ships them to students where they are most needed. On Saturday, August 19th and Sunday August 20th there will be a box inside the main entrance of the church marked "Backpack Collection". Please bring in your used backpacks or if you don't have a used one consider buying a new one to donate. We will then deliver all donations to the Aspire. Inspire. Foundation on behalf of St. Patrick Church. If you have any questions please call Kim Bell at 467-1350 or if you would like more info about the Aspire.Inspire.Foundation you can contact them at 729-2929 or www.aspireinspire.org

� Job Opportunity: Laidlaw Bus Service is offering our parish the opportunity to raise money!! Any newly hired bus driver for their Naperville, Joliet or Yorkville locations that complete the 15 day training program by August 28th and remain an active drive until December 1, 2006 will earn St. Pat�s $500!!! Applications (must be 21) are taken Tuesday�Friday 9am to 1pm at the Western Training Center at 9714 S. Rt 59 in Naperville. Call 630-961-1131 for add�l info.

� The Class of 1951 of SS. Cyril & Methodius School is celebrating an All-Alumni Reunion Dinner with Parishioners and friends on September 9th at the Knights of Columbus West Hall. The event will begin with Mass at 4pm at the Church. Cash Bar�Cocktail Hour at 5:30pm and Dinner at 6:30pm. Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased at Mickey�s One Stop 1415 Plainfield Road in Joliet or through St. Patrick�s parishioner, Bernie Rehak Spieler at 723-2695. Contact Bernie for additional information.

� The Women�s Center of Chicago will hold their annual Walk for Life on Sunday, September 17th. It will be at St. Joseph High School in Westchester with Mass at 10:30am and the event from noon to 4pm. This is a family-friendly event with a host of activities and is open to everyone. Please consider walking, forming a team or sponsoring someone. For more info, see the website at www.womens-center.org or cal l Tim as 773- 794-4770.

� The Women�s Center of Chicago is seeking professional service volunteers in the following areas: Medical, legal, architecture, construction, electrical, plumbing and finance. They are in the process of adding on-site ultrasound services for their clients. Today�s advanced ultrasound technology enables women seeking abortions to see and bond with their unborn children. Please call Kathy Michalak at 815-455-1432.

� 4:30pm Polka Mass here at St. Patrick�s On September 23rd.

� Shepherd�s House 2006 Fall Banquet is Thursday, September 28 at the Orland Chateau in Orland Park. Their mission is to assist expectant mothers in a crisis situation with shelter, food, clothing and an opportunity for a successful future. The funds raised are used to support the operation of this ministry. Please plan on joining us for an evening of good food and fun! We count on your support. Thanks! Contact 815-485- 9515 for reservations.

� FAMILY FEST 2006 September 23 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Here At Our Building and Grounds Sign up for working is arriving home today in the family envelope. Sign up for your preferred time and area to work. The committee will do their best to honor your requests. Remember FamilyFest has a (school) requirement to work a minimum of ONE SHIFT. Sign up now and mark your calendars early. Reminders will come home again in the Fall of 2006.

St. Patrick School Mission Statement

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.

For additional information our your parish school, please visit stpatsjoliet.com/stpatjolietschool.html