• Mass with the Irish-American Society at 4:30pm
  
  
• 4pm-7pm Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner only.
  (Carry outs available.) Join us for the Keigher Irish Dancers and other musical performances all evening. Adult dinner $10, children $7, Seniors $9.
  
  
• 8pm to 11pm: Late Nite Catechism 2 & Special Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner including Carrots, Potatoes & Wine with the meal, Irish Soda Bread and Dessert. Cost is $45 per person.

Contact Kelly Creed at 815-726-0712 or Kathy Johnson at 815254-6044 for questions or reservations. We are also in need of smiling volunteer faces to serve the dinner. (This event is eligible for school points.)

Attention Bakers!

We are in need of individual baked goods for the dessert table. Please contact Kelly or Kathy to volunteer your yummy cookies, cakes, cupcakes, etc.

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

Some years ago, a tradition was started in our Irish Community to host a yearly Irish dinner around St. Patrick's Day. The dinner took many forms through the years and, towards the end, was replaced by Spaghetti Dinners run by various organizations at the parish.

This year, we have decided to reinstitute this dinner at St. Patrick's as part of a fund- raiser that will take place on Saturday, March 15. Kelly Creed, Kathy Johnson, and Maria Jankowski have been working on this event since last September, lining up all kinds of entertainment for the event. As we are less than one week away from this event, I am encouraging all of you to join us for what looks like a very impressive evening of food and entertainment.

The evening begins with our 4:30 Mass, with a bagpiper concluding our Mass and leading the faithful to our gymnasium for our festivities. In addition to the carry-outs that will be available ($10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $6 for kids), our PTO will be selling desserts for the event and our Men's Club will be selling refreshments.

For $45, you are invited to join us at the 8:30 seating, where St. Patrick's will be hosting the 2008 version of Late Nite Catechism II. If you have never encountered "The Catholic School Experience" from the 1950s, here is your chance to relive (or forget again) our history gone by. Either way, you will certainly encounter a night to remember.

On a side note�
I have asked Kathleen McGowan (the Director of the Catholic Charities Program for the Joliet Diocese), to write a letter discussing the closing of the Elizabeth Home in Joliet. As stated at the Masses last weekend, although our parish rents out the facilities to the diocese for the purpose of supporting this institution, the parish had no input whatsoever concerning any decisions made about the home. The closing of the home was made on the diocesan level, not the parish one.

God Bless.

Fr. Pete

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

I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord: he who believes in me will not die forever. At the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass this weekend, a group of men and women preparing for the sacraments at the Easter Vigil take part in the Mass of the Third and Final Scrutiny, a special rite of prayer and conversion that usually takes place during the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The emphasis of our first scrutiny will focus on the importance of the Our Father and the challenges this prayer offers. Please continue to pray for our elect as they walk through the final stages of their sacramental preparation.

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.

Over the 2007-2008 year, parishioners from St. Patrick's Catholic Church are invited to audit our RCIA Sessions in learning the basics of the Catholic Faith. Sessions generally run on Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge of the School. As an effort to promote Adult Education in the parish, all members of our community over the age of 14 are welcome to join us for any or all of the sessions listed each week. For more information, please contact the parish office at (815) 7274746.

Fr. Pete Jankowski will cover the symbolic rituals that take place in the holiest week of the Church year and will discuss the RCIA Candidates' participation during that week.

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.

To date, we have collected over $14,881 for our 2nd Annual Alumni Appeal. Last year, we collected over $25,000 for this event. Please be as generous as you can in helping us meet our goal this year of $25,000.

2007 Tax Statements may be obtained by contacting the Rectory. Due to the increased amount of paper required to print statements this year because of a mandatory change by the IRS, we are asking those parishioners who desire a tax statement to call the Rectory at 815-727-4746 ext 55. Or by email at [email protected]. Please plan to leave your name, address and telephone number. Your tax statement will then be available for pick up in the parish office or mailed upon request. Thank you!

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

Father Ron Hicks was ordained a priest in 1994 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Prior to his ordination, Father Hicks volunteered for one year at Nuestros Peque�os Hermanos in Mexico in 1989. Since that time, he has continued to support and be involved with NPH. In July, 2005 with permission from Francis Cardinal George, Father Hicks moved from Chicago to begin his three to five year term as Regional Director of NPH Central America. As Regional Director, he supervises the NPH homes in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Although he travels frequently to all the NPH homes in Central America, he resides at the NPH home in El Salvador. There he also ministers to the spiritual needs of the children of NPH.

The philosophy of NPH is what makes us different from other institutions. At the core of our philosophy is unconditional love and acceptance. Once a child is accepted into the NPH family, they are never asked to leave. The children know that they are part of this family for life and that they will have a home until they have completed their education. This enables them to go on and lead responsible and productive lives.

There are over 3,500 children living in our NPH homes in nine different countries. Fr. Hicks is excited to bring 17 of these children from Nicaragua to St. Patrick's to proudly show off their dancing and singing talents. Please plan to attend the Fiesta on April 19th and meet Fr. Hicks and his children.

• Visit American Catholic.org for Lenten reflections, inspirations, activities, sound bites, and a New! Lenten Radio retreat. www.americancatholic.org
  
  
• Visit the USCCB web site for many audio, video, and text-- Lenten Re- sources for What We Believe, What We Cele- brate, How We Live, and How We Pray. www.usccb.org
  
  
• Visit the Vatican web site for words of the Holy Father, Lenten Stations, Calendar of Celebrations, and Live Vatican Television Center. www.vatican.va

Stations of the Cross
Friday Mornings after the 7:30am Mass February 8th through March 14th
Wednesdays at 1:00pm with St Patrick's School February 13th through March 12th

Evening of Reflection
Mondays, March 10th: 7:00pm-8:00pm 10 minute reflection with Fr. Pete followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The opportunity for Confession will be available as well.

Penance Service
for the Joliet Cluster of Churches Wednesday, March 12th at 7:00pm At St. Paul the Apostle, Woodlawn Avenue

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 Catholic Woman's League of Joliet invites all mem- bers of the parish to our Morning of Renewal. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 10am on Thursday, March 13th at the Cathe- dral of St. Raymond's Nonatus. Rev. Brad Baker, Pastor of St. Raymond will be the celebrant.

Holy Thursday, March 20th, 7pm until midnight beginning with Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Cathedral of St. Raymond at 7pm. Join bishop Sartain and other young adults for a pilgrimage tour of seven churches in the Joliet area until midnight; free shuttle service will be available.

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.