A word from Pope Francis ~ “There is a danger that threatens everyone in the church, all of us. The danger of worldliness. It leads us to vanity, arrogance and pride .”
On this first Sunday in July, we celebrate the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We have been making our way through the Gospel of St. Luke in our Sunday Gospel readings. Week by week, we are seeing Luke’s portrayal of Jesus’ ministry unfold before us. It certainly is an interesting journey.
We were blessed to have our 4th of July holiday fall mid-week last week. It gave us a welcome break in the middle of the week. And it seems we have had two 4th of July weekends – last weekend and now this weekend. Having both weekends to celebrate seems to have set a good tone for July. And the warmer weather gave us some good moments to enjoy the outdoors.
Thank you to our Father John Guiney Knights of Columbus Council for supplying and placing the American flags around the church for our Fourth of July Mass last Thursday. They set the tone for our prayer together at our Fourth of July Mass.
Last weekend we had the opportunity to say thank you and express our best wishes to Karen Stefanic and her husband, Mike. She has faithfully served our parish community as our Director of Music for the past 30 years. We wish her and Mike God’s blessings as they begin their retirement.
I am also very happy to welcome Dr. Anne M. Sinclair to our parish community as our new Director of Music. Her service to our community officially began last Monday, July 1, 2019, and practically begins this weekend, her first weekend with us. She comes to us with considerable experience as a Director of Music and Liturgy in parishes within our own diocese and with the Dioceses of Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Las Vegas. She also brings with her a passion for being a mentor for those singing in the church. Please see the article describing her background elsewhere in this weekend’s bulletin. We are very blessed to have her join our parish staff as our Director of Music. Please join me in giving her at “St. Isidore Welcome” to our parish community.
One of the blessings of our Catholic faith tradition is our practice of interceding and supporting each other through our prayer. We do that every time we gather for the Eucharist, especially during the Prayer of the Faithful. Since we are connected to each other in faith, it is important that we support those in need with our prayers. While we regularly remember those who are sick and those who have died, we have additional opportunities to request the prayers of our community. Our Parish Book of Prayer is located in the Narthex near the south doors entering the Church. All are welcome to indicate their prayer requests and intentions in our Parish Book of Prayer. We also have our prayer list for those who are engaged and preparing for Marriage. This list is printed elsewhere in our bulletin. And since we are a people who value life, our Respect Life Expecting Parents’ Prayer List is also in the bulletin. Should you wish to have anyone added to a particular prayer list, please call the Parish Office. This also includes a son or daughter marrying at another parish, or an out-of-town family member expecting a child. It is good for us to remember all of these intentions in our prayer.
Next Sunday, July 14th, we celebrate the eighth anniversary of the Installation of Bishop Daniel Conlon as the 5th Bishop of the Joliet Diocese. Now that the Bishop has been with us for eight full years, he has had the occasion to visit our parish numerous times. We hope to have him join us during our parish centennial year for our closing Mass. We are grateful for his service to our larger diocesan church and pray God’s continued blessings upon him.
Now that the summer months have arrived, our parish staff normally shifts into our summer hours. We are continuing our practice of closing the parish offices on Fridays during July. One of our staff will be on duty for telephone calls and deliveries. This practice gives our staff some additional time for family activities.
The extra space around us at Sunday Mass reminds us that many are away on vacation. We remember in our prayer all those who are traveling. And we thank God for the opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.
Have a safe and blessed conclusion of our holiday weekend. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Father Jim Murphy