MEET ST. BERNARD
’
S NEW BUSINESS MANAGER
The parish Pastoral Staff and Finance Council recently discussed and approved Fr. Joe’s proposal for the
role of parish Business Manager to be expanded to a full-time position. With the increase of administrative tasks in parish life in recent years along with the decrease in the number of priests, the role of Business Manager has become a regular position in parish life. The full time Business Manager at St. Bernard will assist the Pastor with the responsibility to manage the parish finances, facilities and grounds, personnel, and communications.
About 18 months ago, St. Bernard’s Pastoral Staff and Finance Council approved Fr. Joe’s proposal at
that time to CREATE the position as a part-time role. Pat Bass moved from Religious Ed Director to this part-time Business Manager role. However, Pat does not wish to return to full time work. So, Pat Bass has decided to retire. The parish owes Pat a huge debt of gratitude for her many years as full-time Religious Ed Director and more re-cently as part-time Business Manager. Pat has done well in laying the foundation for the role of Business Manag-er to be expanded to a full-time position.
On Monday, November 16, Ms. Jenny Meehan began working as St. Bernard’s new full-time Business Manager. The parish is blessed to have such a faith-filled, experienced, and skillful person as Jenny as the newest member of our parish Pastoral Staff. I trust the parishioners will welcome Jenny with open arms.
Fr. Joe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My name is Jenny Meehan, the new full-time business manager of St. Bernard Parish. I am very happy and excited to be a part of this staff. I come from another parish served by the Augustinians, St. Rita of Cascia in Chicago, where I was both Pastoral Associate and Business Manager for 14 years. Prior to that, I held various positions at both St. Clare of Montefalco and St. Rita Parishes in Chicago, as well as at Saint Xavier University and the Archdiocese of Chicago in Mundelein.
Having had the dual role of Pastoral Associate and Business Manager for so long, as well as having an educational background from Catholic Theological Union, one of the strengths I hope to bring to this new position and parish is the love I have not only for administration but for ministry. In fact, one of my
fa-vorite quotes is of the late Cardinal Francis George when he said, “Administration becomes ministry when done out of love for the mission.” I wholeheartedly believe that statement and I always try to never neglect the pasto-ral side when dealing with administrative things such as the budget, employee issues, or capital needs. For me, they are always connected.
My desire for the first several months is to get to know how the staff operates individually as well as collectively and to get to know the other committees and parishioners as much as the challenge of COVID will allow. There is a lot to learn anytime you go to a new place, and I hope to learn as much as I can from all of you.
On the personal side, I was raised in Chicago by my grandparents and never married and do not have chil-dren. I currently live with my uncle in Oak Lawn and have 3 dogs - Jinx, Gracie and Missy. When not working (and I love to work!), I enjoy travelling, spending time with friends, cooking, and listening to music. I also speak Spanish, having come from a Spanish-speaking parish community, so if anyone knows Spanish, feel free to come and have a conversation with me so I do not lose what I know...and let me know where I can find the best carne asada tacos in the area!
Christmas Mass Reservations
With the needed social distancing in church, St. Bernard’s proposes to hold more Masses for Christmas this
year than last year. But still, seating will be limited and advance reservations will be required. Our regular Mass
attendees will have an opportunity to make an “early bird” reservation. These attendees will receive a distinct
password to access the special Christmas seating arrangement on the website, beginning tomorrow, Monday, November 30 at 9:00am until Monday, December 7 at 10:00pm. Or they may call the rectory for a reservation during this same period.
More volunteers for our Christmas Masses are still needed. Volunteers simply need to be at church 30 minutes before the scheduled Mass start time. They can be of any age from older teen on up. A Sign-Up sheet for the Christmas Mass volunteers may be found in the foyer. You can also call the rectory office to volunteer.
Mass Reservations for Christmas Eve/Day Masses will be open to all parishioners and visitors on Thursday, De-cember 17 at 9:00am until Wednesday, DeDe-cember 23 at 10:00pm.
Mass
Intentions For
the Week
November 28 ~
December 6
Saturday, November 28 4:00 PM †John SerevinoSunday, Nov 29 First Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM †Patricia Warczak
10:30 AM †Kathleen Varnagis †Mary Keane
Monday, November 30
9:00 AM †Margaret & Oliver Burns
Tuesday, December 1
9:00 AM †Robert & Anna Osborne
Wednesday, December 2 9:00 AM †Mary Rehmann
Friday, December 4
9:00 AM †Sacred Heart Memorial
Saturday, December 5
4:00 PM †Patricia Warczak
Sunday, Dec 6 Second Sunday of Advent 8:30 AM †Larry & Anna Meehan
10:30 AM †Emil George †Rose Twork
Readings for the Week of Nov 29, 2020
Sunday First Sunday of AdventIs 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37
Monday Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11; Mt 4:18-22 Tuesday Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17;
Lk 10:21-24
Wednesday Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Mt 15:29-37
Thursday Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27
Friday St John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31 Saturday Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6;
Mt 9:35—10:1, 5a, 6-8 Sunday Second Sunday of Advent
Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 85: 9-10, 11-12, 13-14; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8
Pray For Our Sick Relatives and Friends
††††
"Life is precious, handle with prayer."
Deacon Chris McCaffrey, Sharon Payne, Mary Murphy, Rick Baud, Ceil Enright, Jim Paruszkiewicz, Jack Flemming, Susan Corso, Val Lang, Guinevere Boyer,
Dorothy Fallest, Mary Lou Clarizio, Monica Battle, Karl Martin, Rich Sienkiewicz, Jim Weglewski, Sandy Mikrut, Dan Kardar, Susan Strzyz, Diane Allabastro,
Mary Lou McDonald, Richard Panush, Patricia Reilly, Nancy Lucas, Danny & Frank Sapyta, Marlys Ptak,
Ed Glorioso, Michael Reid, Arlene Stengl, Mandy Semenik, Judy Riley, Lois King, Jody Fuchy, Maryann & Hank Owen, Iolene Holland, Larry Smith,
Winifred Kasper, Louise Karkula, Karen Horting, Megan Guinea, Dorothy Johnson, Evelyn Lopezalles, Ray & Barb Nino, Jeremiah & Teresa McMahon, and
Rich Waliczek, Jr.
††††
Pray For Our Deceased Relatives
and Friends
††††
"For those who have died, life has changed, not ended."
For the deceased, that they may rest in the peace of Christ.
Joan Pecor (Sister in law of Ray)
Theresa Milewski (sister of Joe Gawel) Van Virva (father of Kathy Zale, Karen DeFilippis
& Kris McMaster)
An Early Christmas Gift
Thanks to the generosity of a parish family, St.
Ber-nard’s will be giving parish households a copy of the
book “I Heard God Laugh” by the popular Catholic au-thor and speaker Matthew Kelly. This gift book may be picked up by parishioners on the way out of Mass begin-ning on Thanksgiving and until we run out. For those who are unable to attend Mass with us these days, we can mail you a book or drop it off at your home. You just need to contact the rectory and request one.
Gallery of Life Photos
As we prepare for Advent we are dismantling
the Gallery of Life. You may now take home your
Liturgical Ministers for the Weekend of December 5
thand December 6
th(names subject to change)
Date
4:00pm
8:30am
10:30am
Presider
Fr. John Merkelis, OSA
Fr. Joe McCormick, OSA
Fr. Joe McCormick, OSA
Proclaimers Jim Gow Ellen Martin Ruth Kolpacki
Eucharistic
Ministers Gina KazmierczakNeed A Volunteer Linda ConrathLois Durling Connor JenningsGreg Grill
Parish Finances
Fiscal Year July 1, 2020—June 30, 2021
Budgeted Weekly Amount…...……...$8,937.50
We did not have numbers at time of printing. Please check next week for update.
Budgeted Weekly YTD..………...…..…...$187,687.50 Total Actual Year to Date…...…..……...$184,262.58
We Give Thanks to the Lord for your Generosity!
St. Bernard’s has provided donations of household goods & personal hygiene items for St. Coletta’s of
Illi-nois for the past few Thanksgivings.
The members of their community have mild to pro-found intellectual and developmental disabilities. Their residents have been quarantining at home since mid-March due to their vulnerable conditions. Personal hy-giene items (deodorant, shampoo, body wash) are al-ways in high-demand but frequently least-donated. This year, due to COVID-19, St. Coletta’s is requesting
donations in either of the two following ways:
St. Coletta’s Amazon Wish List
1) Select the “St. Bernard’s Christmas Giving Wish List”
and choose from a list of the most-needed items and your donation will be sent directly to St.
Co-letta’s to help members of our community in need. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/
ls/3MIQEFO5C6L5S?ref_=wl_share
2) Monetary Donations to support St. Coletta’s of Illinois
–Donations made to St. Coletta’s of Illinois will be used to purchase the items needed by St. Coletta’s
clients.
If you would prefer to send a check directly to St.
Co-letta’s of Illinois, please make check payable, and mail
to:
St. Coletta’s of Illinois Foundation
18350 Crossing Drive Tinley Park, Illinois 60487
For questions regarding St. Coletta’s of Illinois, contact Katherine Brown, Grants Coordinator, at St. Coletta’s of
Illinois Foundation at [email protected] or 708-342 -5292.
New Polish-Language Mass at
Our Mother of Good Counsel
Beginning, Sunday November 29th, Our Mother of Good Counsel in Homer Glen will begin cele-brating the liturgy in Polish at 1:00pm every Sun-day. Fr. Greg Podwysocki, administrator of Our Mother of Good Counsel, as well as a few other neighboring polish priests will be the celebrants of the Mass.Oplatki - Christmas
Wafers
The Christmas Wafer (Oplatki) commemorates a custom many centuries old. It is a tradition among Polish, Slovak and Lithuanian families, which has been adopted by many other ethnic groups.
We have a limited amount of the Christmas Wafers (Oplatki) available in the foyer. Suggested donation is $4.00 per package.
“May the blessing of almighty God the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit come down upon all who partake of this wafer. May he grant us peace in our lives, length of our days and joy in all we do.
Sharing Tree 2020
St. Bernard’s will again participate in the beautiful tradition of our “Sharing Tree”. While Covid-19 re-strictions will require us to make some necessary changes, the spirit of giving will not be diminished. This year you will have two ways to participate. The first option is to contribute through the parish online
do-nation program. You can simply go to the parish website (stbernardhg.org) and click the “Online Giving” box. This will take you to our Online Giving platform. Scroll to the bottom of the page and under “Other Par-ish Offerings” there is “Sharing Tree 2020”. The second option is to purchase a gift card from the list below or
make a monetary donation and place them in the decorated Christmas box in the church foyer or drop in the DROP BOX at the parish offices on Parker Rd. The collection will take place November 28th/November 29th, December 5th/6th, December 12th/13th.
This year we will be helping:
St. Benedict’s Catholic Parish in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago
Guardian Angel Community Services which assists victims of domestic violence
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet whose Daybreak Center helps homeless individuals and families
Local families who are identified as in-need through our local school districts 33-C and 92.
We are very blessed to have such a caring, generous, and giving parish that has allowed us to continue this tradition for 30 years.
Gift Card List
Grocery Stores (Jewel Aldi) Big Box Stores (Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, Meijer, etc.)
Fast food restaurants (for an occasional treat!)
Amazon Pharmacies Gas Stations Dollar Stores
Christmas Flowers &
Decorations
You are invited to contribute to the
church’s Christmas flowers, greenery,
and decorations through a memorial gift. Please use the specially designated envelope in your church envelope packet for December. Extra envelopes for the Christmas Flowers may be found at the church entrance. For each deceased person (or couple) you would like remembered, we suggest an offering of $5 or more. The names may be printed on the front of the Christmas Flower envelope. Just drop the envelope into the collection basket anytime dur-ing Advent. Our church decoratdur-ing coordinator will
order the plants and flowers according to this year’s
Christmas design plan. The names of all those memo-rialized will be listed in the bulletin the weekend after Christmas.
Due to our early bulletin deadline, if you would like
your loved one’s name printed in the bulletin, the
en-velope will need to be turned in by December 16.
2020 Retirement Fund for Religious
Help our elders.In good times and bad, senior Cath-olic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have dedicated themselves to service and acts of mercy. Today, they pray for an aching world. Yet years of serving for little or no pay have left their religious communities without enough retirement savings. Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious helps provide medications, nursing care, and other neces-sities. Please be generous.Envelopes are in the next envelope mailing and Be sure to check our
website (https:// stbernardh org) every day for a Daily
Advent Reflection from Bishop Robert
Sunday and Holy Day Masses celebrated at
St. Bernard’s Church Campus,13030 W. 143rd St. (Just west of Bell Rd.) Saturday Evening Mass...4:00 PM Sunday Mass... 8:30 and10:30 AM. Holy Day Mass...As announced in bulletin. Weekday Mass...9:00 AM Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
St. Bernard Parish Directory
PARISH OFFICE 14135 Parker Road Homer Glen, IL 60491-9692 Tele: (708) 301-3020 Fax: (708) 301-0738 Email: [email protected] https://stbernardhg.org Office Hours
Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Religious Education Office
14135 Parker Road Homer Glen, IL 60491-9692 Email: [email protected] Pastor... Fr. Joe McCormick, OSA
Pastor Emeritus……….……….Fr. Martin Gabel
Deacon... Deacon Kevin Ryan [email protected]
Coordinator of Religious Ed...Mrs. Margie Wilson [email protected]
Director of Music Ministry... Mrs. Julie Kane [email protected]
Business Manager………...Mrs. Patricia Bass [email protected]
Parish Secretary... Mrs. Mary Ponschke [email protected]
Web Master……….Mr. Connor Jennings
St. Bernard’s appreciates the assistance of the
following priests:
Fr. John Merkelis, OSA; Fr. Martin Hebda
Religious Education Classes Contact Office
Baptisms
Parents are expected to be registered in the parish, and are required to register for and attend a Baptism Preparation Program before scheduling the Baptism.
Confessions
Every Saturday at 3:00pm and at any time upon request.
Marriage
Marriages should be arranged at least 6 months in advance. CHURCH ARRANGEMENTS ARE TO BE MADE FIRST.
Funerals
Arrangements for a funeral are made with the Rectory through the Funeral Director.
Sick Calls
Call the Rectory at any time. If there is anyone at home who cannot get to Mass or the Sacraments because of illness or advanced age, please let Father know.
Hospital Calls
If you or one of your Catholic neighbors is entering the hospital, please let us know. Time and distance permitting we will do our best to visit you.
Parish Boundaries
North: 135th Street; East: Will-Cook Road; South: 151st Street; West: King Road and its extension.
New Parishioners
All new families are welcome and should be registered in the parish. This may be done by visiting or calling the Rectory.
Search “St. Bernard Parish Homer Glen”
and give us a like to keep yourself up to date with parish events, announcements, reminders,
and more!
To Advertise, Contact:
Dennis Dykstra ~ 616.916-9683
ddykstra
@
diocesan.com
View this en� re bulle� n online at
www.DiscoverMass.com
Therese Pearce
Managing Broker Co-Owner
708-539-5661 Cell
7120 W. 127th St., Palos Heights, Il. 60463
Bulletin Advertising
If you or someone you know is interested in
advertising in this bulletin, contact the
parish office or our sales team at
800.783.1623
or visit us online at
www.diocesan.com
Benefitting you & your community with
Value, Exposure and Credibilty.
1563
Illinois
CatholicMatch.com/
goIL
DIOCESAN PUBLICATIONS IS PROUD TO BE PRINTING THE BULLETIN OF:
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T.
B
ERNARD
C
ATHOLIC
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HURCH
If you have any questions regarding your current ad or new advertising possiblities please contact: Dennis Dykstra at (616) 916-9683 or [email protected]
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Sacred Heart First Friday Memorial List:
September 2020 - August 2021This Friday is First Friday. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for
prayer and adoration at the end of morning Mass. The Holy Hour will
conclude with Benediction at 10:00am. All are encouraged to spend
time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Mass will be
offered every First Friday for the following deceased who have been
enrolled this year in the
Sacred Heart First Friday Memorial
.
Protecting our hearts and homes from too much
of a good thing
….
The pandemic has caused all kinds of medical and physical
prob-lems, we all have known that. But with the winter months upon us and another surge in COVID-19 cases, we are all spending a lot of time staying safely tucked away at
home. If you’re like me, you may have found yourself thinking or saying to your partner - ”I love you but
could you breathe somewhere else?” I know that may sound a little harsh, but we all have experi-enced an awful lot of time cooped up with our spouses and families. We’ve been put in a “time out”
from many of our regular activities which can cause some pretty difficult feelings and angst. During my recent recovery from surgery, I was unable to do much of anything for myself for several weeks. My husband was a wonderful trooper and did just what I needed of him and then some. But I also experi-enced the need for some alone time. Time to just be by myself and not be monitored. And I also have
to admit, I didn’t need to monitor him!
If you have had some days or even weeks where you feel others are getting on your nerves, take solace in the fact that this is a very real and natural result of too much time together. I'd like to share a few tips that all of us can do to initiate some healthy space for ourselves.
1. Talk with your spouse about your feelings of too much “togetherness,” but be sure it’s done in a
loving way.
2. Be intentional about finding a place in your home where you can be by yourself, even if it’s to
read the paper, a book, devotions, journal, pray, etc. I find its always helpful to be able to listen
to music too. Be sure to set a boundary with your spouse that this is your “personal time” that
you need to regenerate.
3. Start a new hobby or restart an old one. There are so many things that we can do at home that
don’t require a huge amount of money or a lot of time outside of the house. Many people are
finding ways to stay active such as doing jigsaw puzzles, crafting, baking (for your neighbors who are working), sewing, painting, virtual classes, virtual tours - the list is endless. Perhaps you could even write a card or note to a family member, friend or member at the church you miss! 4. Pick a charity to do something at home for. Many charities have projects that they may need
help with from home!
5. Encourage your spouse to do the same! You’ll be surprised at the opportunity for new conversa -tions and renewed excitement you will both feel!
6. Finally, dialog with each other about your feelings and what you’re learning by doing something
new separately from one another. Share one thing each day that you love about your spouse. If needed, repeat!!
Remember, even Jesus needed time alone! Cultivating a life filled with a hopeful attitude, living gracefully, exploring creativity and practicing gratitude goes a long way to building lasting content-ment.
