St. Mary of the Assumption

Maple Park, Illinois

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    February is the month when we think of Valentine’s Day (actually, the merchants have had us thinking of it even before the Christmas season was finished!). It’s also seen as  the winter month through which we hope to get through and move toward warmer weather.  

Over the centuries Valentine’s Day, originally a commemoration of a Christian martyr, became a time to celebrate and express romantic love, which is usually what we mean when we say we “fell in love,” or “I don’t love him/her anymore.” There is certainly nothing wrong with romantic love, which, can be the doorway to a deeper kind of love. But it’s fragile because it’s centered on feelings.

In English we are impoverished when we talk about love because we use the one word “love” to indicate all kinds of experiences: we “love” our boy friend or girl friend, we “love” our parents and relatives, we “love” cute babies, we “love” ice cream, we “love” our favorite sports team, etc. etc. These, however, are not all the same kind of experiences, and if we’re not attentive to reality, we can have problems.

The Greek language has quite a number of words to express what kind of “love” is happening. apparently more than we previously thought. There are four Greek words for “love” that seem to be more well-known than others. They are eros, or the love of passion and romance, storge (“store-gay”), or the love that a mother has for her baby, or brothers and sisters have for each other, philia, or love between friends and comrades, like players on a sports team, and agape, or the love that God has for the world, especially expressed in Jesus drying for our sins.

Sometimes, when someone says “I love you” to us, we mistake what he or she means and people can end up with hurt feelings. I’ve said a few times when I was teaching a class on marriage that when someone says “I love you,” it would be good to ask “what do you mean?” (Not very romantic, maybe, but probably a good idea to avoid misunderstandings!)

May God bless us with all kinds of healthy love during the Valentine celebration!

   

• Mass Schedule - Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:00 AM (unless otherwise announced), Sunday Obligation: Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM
• Confession Schedule - Thursdays: 7:00 to 8:00 PM; and Saturdays: 3:00 to 3:45 PM.
• Eucharistic Adoration - Our weekly Holy Hour (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament) is held on Saturdays beginning at 2:45 PM. Benediction follows at 3:35 PM.

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Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) (formerly RCIA)

Are you or do you know someone who is interested in becoming Catholic? Call the parish office. 
 

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Religious Education

Please keep our youth and catechists in your prayers. Classes are held on Sundays, 9:15-10:30 AM, in the Novak Center. Download the 2022/23 RE Calendar and Registration Form here. If you have questions, please call our RE Coordinator Leila Rivers at 815-827-3205 x3.
  

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Mass Intentions

Please remember your loved ones with a Mass intention. We can pray for anyone, they do not have to be deceased. It can be for a wedding anniversary or birthday, a Mass of hanksgiving, or any other special intention. Weekend Masses fill up quickly, but we do have daily Masses each week that are available. Please call or stop in the parish office for more information.
 

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New Parishioners Welcome!

If you are new to our parish or just visiting - WELCOME!!  If you would like to officially claim St. Mary’s as your parish home - we would love to have you!  Contact the Parish Office (815-827-3205) for information and a registration form.  Forms can be mailed or emailed to you or you may stop in and pick one up.
 

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Volunteers - We Need You!

We have a continuing need for parishioners to serve as altar servers, cantors, lectors, and ushers/greeters. Training will be provided. Make an effort to actively participate at Mass in this special way and step up! Contact Deacon Greg or the parish office if you feel called to serve in a ministry. 
 
Church Cleaners - We have a need for volunteers to help clean the church every other week. Many hands make light work!
See the Church Cleaning Schedule here. There are a few spots where folks are needed. Please send a message through Signup Genius if you need to make changes or have any questions. Thank you all for your help.
   

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Remember Your Parish...

Just like for your family, it is important that the parish continue paying its bills. Please continue your Sunday contributions to the parish, by mail to: St. Mary Church, PO Box 70, Maple Park, IL 60151, or use our Online Giving service. Thanks and may God bless you!

Please also remember St. Mary’s with a gift in your will or estate plan.

Church Stained Glass Window Work

The latest phase of work installing vented clear protective glass over our beautiful sacred stained-glass windows is now complete. That being said, we will continue to raise funds for rebuilding the actual interior of our 100+ year-old stained-glass windows as this becomes necessary.

The Diocese has granted us permission that donations we receive for “Stained-Glass” will be exempt from the diocesan assessment (used as a basis of setting our Annual Diocesan Appeal goal) until December 31, 2024.  Therefore, we ask that you use the “stained-glass” offering envelope, online giving selection, or write “stained-glass” on your checks for contributions for the window work. We sincerely thank you for your past donations and ask for your continued generous support in this endeavor to help properly maintain our beautiful church building.