St. Mary of the Assumption

Maple Park, Illinois

 

Sunday Masses:
Saturday:  4:00 PM (Anticipatory)
Sunday:  8:00 AM

Weekday Masses:
Monday thru Thursday and First Fridays of each month: 7:15 AM
Other Fridays: Check bulletin (Either Mass or Communion Service @ 7:15 AM)

The revised diocesan Safe Environment Program now requires all parish volunteers complete Protecting God’s Children, undergo a background check, and read a few important documents. Please contact the parish office for more details with any questions you may have.

Gifts to the Church → The Good Shepherd

Throughout the Acts of the Apostles we are treated to St. Peter preaching. Today’s First Reading is another example of that. Five separate times in Acts Peter preaches. His emphasis is always on Christ’s Resurrection. In one way or another in every sermon Peter states, “God raised him from the dead.”
 
In association with Peter’s stress of Jesus’ resurrection is the call for repentance. Peter tends to remind us that if we truly repent, our sins are forgiven. He tells us that not only are we forgiven, but we are saved, But Peter did not merely proclaim Jesus as a way of salvation, but that He was really the only way to salvation. As he states in today’s reading, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Peter explains many times that Jesus provides us all hope, that “our hope is in the Lord.” He is the Good Shepherd on whom we must rely.
 
Just as St. Peter wants us to understand and appreciate what Jesus did for us, St. John (in his First Letter, our Second Reading) wants us to know how much God loves us. John asks us to “see what love the Father has bestowed on us.” John tells us we need to not only be aware of it, but also to ponder and meditate on it intently. Do we really do that? It is important.
 
What might keep us from doing that? Perhaps we feel God must prove His love before we accept it. It may also be doubt, the unwillingness to trust God’s love because our lives may be filled with hurts and the pain of living. Sometimes it may just take us time to gain a complete understanding of God’s love for us.
 
Nevertheless, as we hear the Gospel of John and the reference to the Good Shepherd, that is what brings everything into focus for us. On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, we need to be aware that we remain in the Easter Season. The Easter Season is a continual celebration of the once central mystery of our Church, that Jesus gave His life for us by dying on the Cross. He saved us from our sins.
 
Thus, being a shepherd could be very difficult. The shepherd was on duty every hour of every day. In the midst of that sheep could get lost, they could be attacked by predators, and they could be stolen by others. We as people are not that different from the sheep. Sheep without a shepherd were virtually defenseless. Look at our society. We have children who are orphans even though they have parents; we have people who long to be loved and protected. We are among those people. But we have a Good Shepherd, who loves us and who is with us always, because we are His children.
 

Church Stained Glass Windows (and offering envelopes)

The Buildings and Grounds Committee has proposed that we continue renovation work on the church’s 100+ year-old stained-glass and clear exterior windows. The Committee presented a proposal to the Pastoral and Finance Councils at a recent combined meeting to finish rebuilding all the exterior clear windows that help protect the interior stained glass. This work should delay the need for rebuilding more internal stained-glass windows. This work has been completed on the stained-glass windows that have already been rebuilt. The work would be done in two approximately equal phases. The combined cost for these two phases is estimated at $103,600. Fr. Perfecto has requested and received permission from the Diocese to begin this work as funds become available. The Diocese, however, has instructed us that only monies received for “Stained-Glass” for the next three years would be exempt from diocesan tax (used as a basis of setting our diocesan appeal goal). They also instructed us to discontinue use of the “Building Maintenance” envelopes, so these will no longer be included in future offering envelope mailings. We ask that your normal building maintenance donations be included as part of your regular weekly Sunday offering. Again, please use the tax-free “stained-glass” offering envelope 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 generous support in this new endeavor to properly maintain our church.