All Are Welcome
Welcome to St. Gertrude Parish in Chicago
Located in Edgewater, our parish strives to be a community that welcomes all and brings Christ’s love to others.
Here is the Latest News:
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
It's Heart to Heart Month!
Our Parish's Repair, Renew, Refresh Initiative
Mass Schedule, Live-Stream Info/Links
Mass Schedule, Live-Stream Info/Links
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
Mass Schedule, Live-Stream Info/Links
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
The Latest Parish News can be Found in our Weekly E-Bulletins and our New Printed Bulletin
REPAIR–RENEW–REFRESH
Fundraising Initiative for St. Gertrude Parish
Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. ~ Luke 6:38
Dear Parishioners,
We are pleased to announce that St. Gertrude Parish has been blessed with a $100,000 gift from the Polk Bros. Foundation. This generous gift is an honorarium to a former St. Gertrude parishioner, Raymond Simon, who recently retired from the board of directors, having served since the inception of the Foundation. Ray directed this gift to St. Gertrude. We are deeply grateful for this unexpected donation and extend our sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Foundation and to Raymond Simon.
There is no shortage of projects to which we can apply these funds. In fact, the needed repairs and maintenance around our campus could easily double that amount. Therefore, to show our great gratitude for this most generous gift, we are launching an initiative to raise another $100,000 from parishioner donations to repair, renew, and refresh our campus.
These funds will enable us to continue the mission of St. Gertrude by maintaining our buildings and supporting Catholic education. The much-needed repairs include:
- Exterior repairs to the church and rectory roofs, and internal repairs from water damage. [Estimated cost = $76,775]
- Installation of two handrails between the main floor of church to the sanctuary, and a handrail from the lower sanctuary level to the altar level to increase accessibility. [Estimated cost = $3,800]
- Re-carpeting the church. The carpeting is over 30 years old and is badly in need of replacement. [Estimated cost = $45,700]
- Rebuilding the deteriorated entrance stairs to the parish hall/gym/classroom building and the stairs at the south (accessible) entrance to the church. [Estimated cost = $116,500]
Additionally, we will establish the St. Gertrude Catholic Education Support Fund for parish families with children attending NCA in need of financial help to enroll, as well as to have funds available for families in crisis due to health, employment, or other unexpected situations.
A brochure with more information and a giving form is enclosed. You may also make your donation online HERE or via the button below. Please prayerfully consider what you can give toward this challenge initiative. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and continued support.
We look forward to celebrating the attainment of our goal at our parish's Feast of St. Gertrude weekend on November 13-14!
~ Rev. Richard J. Prendergast, Pastor
Christifideles Award
Congratulations to Kevin Chears!
Each year, the Archdiocese recognizes one parishioner in each parish with the Christifideles Award for their outstanding service and ministry to the church at the parish level. I am very happy to announce that this year’s recipient is our Pastoral Associate, Kevin Chears. Kevin has been the Master of All Things That Needed To Be Done for many years, looking out for the Art and Environment in the church, being sure all the moving pieces are all lined up for any of the services in church, coordinating and training the liturgical ministers, keeping in contact with and scheduling our Sunday supply priests, and, in recent years, coordinating the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.)
Last year, as we were preparing for the start of a new academic y ear, when the Coordinator of Religious Education surprised us by resigning just days before the new year was to start, Kevin generously agreed to step in and get the Religious Education program up and running -- and did that during the pandemic! Kevin and her husband, Victor, are long-time parishioners who bring great vitality and positive energy to everything they do. Congratulations to Kevin, this year’s recipient of the Christifideles Award!
Religious Ed NEWS
Sunday, October 24 - Presentation of Confirmation Candidates
The Presentation of the Confirmation Candidates will be on Sunday, October 24 at the 10:30 am Mass in church. Those students to be Confirmed on March 5, 2022 must be present along with their families.
We are still looking for volunteers to be catechists for the Sunday morning Religious Ed classes and to serve as Kids Word teachers during the 10:30 am Mass in church on Sundays.
We've updated both our calendar and Religious Ed handbook. Additionally, parents are asked to review our COVID-19 guidelines and sign and return the Family Pledge.
~ Eloy Escamilla
Click the image to read about Eloy Escamilla, our new Pastoral Associate for Religious Ed
Domestic Violence Resources
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Domestic violence is common, affecting millions of people in the United States each year. Data from CDC’s National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) indicate:
- About 1 in 4 women and nearly 1 in 10 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime and reported some form of IPV-related impact.
- Over 43 million women and 38 million men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Common signs of abusive behavior in a partner include:
- Telling you that you never do anything right.
- Showing extreme jealousy of your friends or time spent away from them.
- Preventing or discouraging you from spending time with friends, family members, or peers.
- Insulting, demeaning, or shaming you, especially in front of other people.
- Preventing you from making your own decisions, including about working or attending school.
- Controlling finances in the household without discussion, including taking your money or refusing to provide money for necessary expenses.
- Pressuring you to have sex or perform sexual acts you’re not comfortable with.
- Pressuring you to use drugs or alcohol.
- Intimidating you through threatening looks or actions.
- Insulting your parenting or threatening to harm or take away your children or pets.
- Intimidating you with weapons like guns, knives, bats, or mace.
- Destroying your belongings or your home.
If this is happening to you, please know help is available. There are places you can safely and/or anonymously speak with to ask questions and create a safety plan.
The Archdiocese of Chicago's Domestic Violence Outreach has a list of resources, including hotlines and service agencies. It can be found here.
Events to Honor Domestic Violence Victims & Survivors
On Thursday, October 21 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, Catholic Charities of Chicago will host a free online discussion on the dynamics of domestic violence, specifically how to recognize, support, and identify resources for domestic violence survivors. Register for this Zoom presentation here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vdOioqDguGdLA2_ZLeaYULGVQYtEdi-6H.
If you have questions, please call 312.655-7106 or email bklieger@catholiccharities.net.
On Wednesday, October 27 at 6:30 pm, a short candlelight walk will be held on the steps of St. Bernadette, 9343 S. Francisco in Evergreen Park. to pray for victims of abuse. The rain date is Thursday, October 28.
St. Gertrude Parish Service Awards
Nominations are Welcome
Every year at our Thanksgiving Day Mass, we present the St. Gertrude Parish Service Awards to parishioners who have been giving generous service through a parish ministry or volunteer activity. Awards are given in the areas of Youth Ministry, Human Concerns, Education, Parish Life, Prayer & Worship, and Lifetime Service.
Please consider any parishioner you feel should be recognized for her or his outstanding service to the parish and the broader community and email your nomination(s) to me at: rprendergast@stgertrudechicago.org. You may also drop off a written recommendation in the Sunday Offertory or drop it off at the rectory. The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 29. A nomination form can be found HERE, in the print version of this bulletin shared in church this weekend, or on the back tables in church.
Scroll down to read the Latest Parish News
Heart to Heart News: A Note About Fr. Mike Bradley
Every October, Father Mike puts on his running shoes and participates in the Chicago Marathon, raising funds for our senior ministry, Heart to Heart. Even with the cancelation of the official Chicago Marathon last year, Father Mike pressed on and ran 26.2 miles through the streets of Edgewater. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners who support his annual run, Father Mike's efforts raise thousands of dollars every year for Heart to Heart.
Unfortunately, Father Mike injured his back last month and is unable to run the marathon this year. We are so grateful for his many years of running for Heart to Heart and ask that you say a prayer for Fr. Mike’s continued healing and good health.
If you would still like to make a contribution to Heart to Heart, donations can be made in church, at the Rectory, or online here: https://www.givecentral.org/location/8/event/606. Donations made with a check should be made payable to St. Gertrude Parish with Heart to Heart written in the memo line. Thank you!
It's Heart to Heart Month!
This October, we celebrate the work of Heart to Heart, a ministry grown at St. Gertrude that serves some of the most vulnerable residents in Edgewater—senior citizens. The outreach program works both to connect those in need with programs they may be eligible for, and to provide practical help.
Volunteers drive them to doctors’ appointments, run errands, pick up prescriptions, check in with a phone call, or even walk the dog of a sick parishioner. With the help of dedicated volunteers, we've been able to help hundreds of seniors live quality, dignified, and independent lives in their own home.
Equally as important as tending to basic needs is the human connection that Heart to Heart provides - especially those isolated during the pandemic. Social services at St. Gertrude is about showing love and care through a listening ear, a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand. It’s about putting faith into action by loving our neighbors and tending to their needs.
Please consider supporting our work by volunteering or making a donation to Heart to Heart in church, at the Rectory, or online here: https://www.givecentral.org/location/8/event/606. Donations made with a check should be made payable to St. Gertrude Parish with Heart to Heart written in the memo line. Thank you for supporting our work!
~ Jane Callahan-Moore
Mass of Remembrance
Our annual Mass of Remembrance will be Sunday, October 31 at 10:30 am. All are welcome to bring framed photos and small mementos to place on our memorial altar/Ofrenda table that will be in church during the month of November.
Mission Sunday is October 24
We join with the Catholic Church across the globe to celebrate World Mission Sunday. This annual second collection provides critical support to communities of faith in some of the most economically disadvantaged regions of our world.
For more information and to donate, please visit WeAreMissionary.org/wms.
First Youth Group Gathering Will Be Thursday, October 21
Teens in middle and high school are invited to consider joining our parish youth group! Our first Youth Group meeting will be on Thursday, October 21 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be at the front parlor second floor of the Ministry Center, 6214 N. Glenwood Ave. All 7th and up graders are invited!
On Saturday, November 13 from 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Confirmation students and teens in the youth group will head to Chicago’s Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. The students will enjoy a wide range of diverse and engaging exhibitions devoted to the visual arts and contemporary culture. They include Art and Race Matters, The Great Chicago Fire in Focus, as well as the Learning Lab, an interactive studio that offers sights, sounds, and experiences for visitors of all ages and a wide range of abilities. The group will travel via the CTA.
For more information, contact Eloy Escamilla, Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Youth Ministry, at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.
Kids Word Resuming Soon: Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for volunteers to help with our Kids Word Ministry, which will resume in a few weeks. During the 10:30 am Mass in church, kids ages 5-9 are invited to attend Kids Word to learn age-appropriate lessons.
To help, contact Eloy Escamilla, Pastoral Associate, Religious Education and Youth Ministry, at 773.764.3621 or
eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.
No Christmas Bazaar This Year
Given the uncertainty of the COVID variants, as well as concerns about social distancing and the safety of our staff and volunteers, the Christmas Bazaar will not be held.
Substance Abuse Recovery Resource
StartYourRecovery.org is a completely free online resource that can help with drug or alcohol addition. It offers a resource locator and education pages.
NCA Open House on Wednesday, October 27
An open house for prospective families will be held at NCA's Primary Campus, 6216 N. Glenwood, on Wednesday, October 27 at 9:00 am. Please RSVP to Leigh Holzman at lholzman@ncaweb.org. Proof of vaccination is required and masks must be worn.
St. Ignatius' Sacramental Records
If you are looking for St. Ignatius parish sacramental certificates, AFTER Thursday, July 15th, please note:
- Go to https://archives.archchicago.org/, certificates CANNOT be requested by phone.
- Click on Request a Record and fill out this form.
- Sign it and mail it to Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Archives & Records Center, 711 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60661
- Include a copy of your I.D. and the $10 processing fee.
covid protocols
Masks Required for Both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Visitors
As of July 30, 2021, both those vaccinated and unvaccinated will need to wear masks at Mass or when visiting the Rectory/any Archdiocese of Chicago property.
Click here to read the letter from the Archodiocese's COVID team.
Thank You for coming our welcome back sunday!
