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

Whenever a parishioner asks me what New Year's Resolutions I choose to make each year, I realize that whatever I tell them (eat less, exercise more, give the staff even more grief than I normally do) becomes a fleeting thought, a thought that probably will drift away by January 2nd unless I truly commit myself to changing the way I live my life.

In my spiritual life, the resolution I must make each year is to reflect on the way I conduct myself in the eyes of the Lord. As a priest, I am required to leave the parish one week a year in order, literally, to "retreat" from the parish and place myself in the presence of the Lord. It is at that time that I reflect on the ways below that God calls me to follow in order to lead the kind of life he calls me to lead.

These ways, or Precepts of the Church, consist of five basic laws that every Christian should follow in order to lead the life that God has instructed us to lead. More suscintly, The Catechism states that "The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor" (#2041). May we attempt to resolve ourselves to follow the six precepts below as a way of conducting our lives more like that of God.

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

May God Bless All of You.
Fr. Pete

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

Everyone needs to be fed by spiritual experiences. Every Monday at 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 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!

Come and experience the Eucharist every FIRST FRIDAY beginning after morning Mass and ending with Benediction for the Repose of the Blessed Sacrament.

St. Jude Parish in Joliet has Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel of the Little Flower. The Chapel is located directly west of the school and is open from 5am to 10pm to all. After hour adorers (10pm-5am) need to register. Please call 725-2209.

We wish to offer our sympathy and a promise of prayers to Kevin & Mike Hennessy on the death of their mother, Anna Jean Hennessy and to the family of Angela Delaney for on her death . Please keep their families in your prayers.

Do you want to beat the "Wintertime Blues"? Then sign up for our trip to Drury Lane Theatre on Thursday, January 25th, 2007. Our group will travel to Oakbrook to have dinner and see the musical favorite THE KING AND I. The cost for the trip, bus, dinner and play, is $55.00. Dinner selections are Baked Lemon Sole or Chicken Breast Marsala. Reservations may be made with Joyce Hutten at 744-1188. Dinner selections must be made with your reservation, and full payment is due by December 30th, 2006. Please join us!

Choices for Life Benefit Banquet featuring a keynote address by Most Reverend J. Peter Sartain, Bishop of Joliet will be held on Friday, January 26, at the Abbington Banquet Hall in Glen Ellyn, IL.

The proceeds of this event will enable Woman's Choice Services to provide hope for those at risk for abortion, help for those who are pregnant and healing for those who are suffering from an abortion. The banquet will begin with a cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30pm followed by dinner at 7:30pm. Tickets are $75 per person with a discounted rate of $650 for a table of ten. For more information, please call 630-261-9564.

Natural Family Planning Courses The Couple to Couple League teaches the symptothermal method of Natural Family Planning in a series of four once-a-month classes. This method is safe and 99% effective, and can be used to help achieve or postpone pregnancy. All married and engaged couples are invited to attend the new series beginning Sunday, January 28, 2007 at St. Patrick's "Bishop Vonesh Hall", 710 W. Marion St., Joliet, IL from 1:00 to 3:00pm. For more information or to register call John and Barbara Halbur at (815) 727-3018 or Tim and Laura Dominick at (815) 736-6092. For more information on the Couple to Couple League, visit www.ccli.org.

At the beginning of the new year, I wish to extend prayerful good wishes for peace to Governments, leaders of nations and all men and women of good will. In a special way, I invoke peace upon all those experiencing pain and suffering, those living under the threat of violence and armed aggression, and those who await their human and social emancipation, having had their dignity trampled upon. I invoke peace upon children, who by their innocence enrich humanity with goodness and hope, and by their sufferings compel us all to work for justice and peace. Out of concern for children, especially those whose future is compromised by exploitation and the malice of unscrupulous adults, I wish on this World Day of Peace to encourage everyone to reflect on the theme: The Human Person, the Heart of Peace. I am convinced that respect for the person promotes peace and that, in building peace, the foundations are laid for an authentic integral humanism. In this way a serene future is prepared for coming generations. http://www.paxjoliet.org/news/world_day_peace_012007.htm

Do you want to beat the "Wintertime Blues"?

Then sign up for our trip to Drury Lane Theatre on Thursday, January 25th, 2007. Our group will travel to Oakbrook to have dinner and see the musical favorite THE KING AND I. The cost for the trip, bus, dinner and play, is $55.00. Dinner selections are Baked Lemon Sole or Chicken Breast Marsala. Reservations may be made with Joyce Hutten at 744-1188.

Dinner selections must be made with your reservation, and full payment is due by December 30th, 2006. Please join us for a fun-filled day.

• St. Anne Church - Pancake Breakfast: on Sunday,

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.

WHAT is MANNA? Those same gift certificates you can purchase at most of your favorite stores are available to order or are in stock and ready to purchase.

Buy your gas with a Marathon, BP, Speedway or Shell gift card.

Or your groceries with a Jewel gift card.

Get a birthday gift with a Bed, Bath & Beyond gift card.

Keep Wendy's on hand for a quick lunch, dinner or snack.

Go out to dinner at Cracker Barrel, Old Country Buffet, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc.

WHY buy MANNA? St. Patrick's purchases these cards at less than cost so when they are sold at cost, St. Pat's makes the difference.

HOW does this help me? Did you know that if every parish family (approx 900) purchased just $100 in Jewel gift cards it would mean $3,600 per month in raised funds half of which goes to St. Pat's and the other half goes to a chosen school family to decrease tuition?

WOW! WHERE do I sign up? During the school year, MANNA is available in the Rectory until 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the school 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and between the 10am & 11:30am weekend Masses.

For additional information about our parish school, please visit web site: