All Are Welcome
St. Gertrude Parish in Chicago
Our parish strives to be a community, growing in faith, that welcomes all and brings Christ’s love to others.
Here is the Latest News:
Mass Times/Rectory Hours
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Mass Times/Rectory Hours
All are Welcome!
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Mass Times/Rectory Hours
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Upcoming Events & Activities
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
Lent Information, Events, & Activities
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
This Weekend's Bulletin
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
Support St. Gertrude Parish & our Ministries
All are Welcome - and All Means All!
A Word of Welcome from Fr. Mike Gabriel
St. Gertrude extends a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, LBGQT, rich, poor, y no habla ingles. We offer special welcome to those who are young and old, or who have a crying baby. We welcome you if you can sing like Andrea Bocelli, or more like me, who just tries.
We don’t care if you're more Catholic than the pope or haven’t been in church since little Timmy’s baptism. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60, but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome starving artist, tree huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, and junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery and those who are still addicted.
We welcome you if your having problems or down in the dumps. We’ve been there too. We welcome those who don’t like “organized religion”. We offer a special welcome to those who think the earth is flat, those who work too hard, those who don’t work, can’t spell, or came because grandma is in town.
We welcome those who could use a prayer right now, or thought you were on Clark Street, not Granville, and are here by mistake. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, or both. We welcome those who laugh at this, as well as those who gasped.
We welcome tourists, seekers, doubters, and bleeding hearts with all our hearts.
We welcome YOU!
On January 1, 2023, Fr. Mike became the Administrator of St. Gertrude Parish. He will become pastor on July 1, 2023.
Holy Week & Easter Schedule
Please consider attending services at St. Gertrude during Holy Week!
Palm Sunday, April 2
- 5:00 pm (Saturday, April 1 - Sunday Vigil)
- 8:00 am
- 10:30 am Procession (Combined Mass in Church - no Gym Mass) (live-streamed)
Holy Thursday, April 6
- No morning Mass
- 7:00 pm - Mass of the Lord's Supper (live-streamed)
- After the fasting of Lent, Holy Thursday recalls the Last Supper and the Washing of the Feet, and that all are welcomed at the table.
- Church will remain open until 10:00 pm for private adoration.
Good Friday, April 7
- No morning Mass
- The Rectory office is closed.
- 3:00 pm - Living Stations of the Cross performed by the parish youth group
- 7:00 pm - Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Veneration of the Cross (live-streamed)
- The sacrifice of Good Friday is filled with prayer, from Jesus in the Garden to his final words on the Cross. Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence for people age 18—59.
- Second collection for the Pontifical Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land
Holy Saturday, April 8
- No morning Mass
- 11:00 am - Blessing of Easter baskets
- 7:00 pm - Easter Vigil Mass (live-streamed)
- Holy Saturday is the day of the hidden mystery of divine action. The disciples were convinced that all their hopes had ended in disaster. Holy Saturday reminds us that our best guess about the future is only that; God has plans and powers beyond anything we can imagine.
Easter Sunday, April 9
- 8:00 am
- 10:30 am in church (live-streamed)
- 10:30 am Gym Mass
Easter Monday, April 10
- The Rectory office is closed.
Watch our Live-Streams
- Live-streamed services can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/stgertrudechicago.
- No Facebook account is needed to view live-streams.
- Live-streams typically begin a few minutes prior to the service and can be found by scrolling down our Facebook page
St. gertrude's RCIA Class of 2023
Scroll down for Parish Events (Listed in Chronological Order
Lenten Activities
Below are some Lenten activities and events at St. Gertrude. Visit our Lent 2023 page for more details.
- Almoners Lenten Ministry: The last distribution of McDonald's gift cards to share with those in need with be on Sunday, April 2.
- Lenten Study: The Crucible of Racism by Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ - Thursday, March 30
- Stations of the Cross - Friday, March 31 at 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm, and Good Friday at 3:00 pm
Prayer Walk Around Cook County Jail on Palm Sunday, April 2
The Kolbe House Jail Ministry, part of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is inviting Chicago-area Catholics and any other interested participants to gather outside the Cook County Jail on Palm Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 pm for a 2-mile prayer walk around the Cook County Jail complex. There will be 5 stations along this route.
This event offers us an opportunity to show solidarity with people affected by incarceration. The event will begin and end at Kolbe House, located at 2434 S. California Ave. in Chicago.
The prayers at each of the 5 stations include intentions for the victims of violence, for mercy toward those who have caused grave harm, and for the families of those who are incarcerated. We will pray intentions for healing from trauma, for breaking the bonds of addiction and mental illness, eradicating racism, shining a light on and recognizing the harm caused by the legal system and for “a reimagining of our church and our community, to be one where no one is excluded or deemed unworthy.”
If you have any questions, please contact Pat Sullivan by email at psullivan@stgertrudechicago.org.
Parish Book Club to Meet on Monday, April 10: New Members Welcome!
Please join us in the Ministry Center on Monday, April 10 at 7:00 pm. We will discuss The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Michele Harp. We would love new voices and opinions!
Contact Lea Cloninger at 773.973.2465 or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions.
An Update from the Parish Council: Recent Activities, Town Hall Planned for May, New Members Needed
The Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) met in March with United Power to discuss their three initiatives—affordable housing, gun control and mental health—and how St. Gertrude parish can continue to support their efforts.
The group also planned another town hall. It will take place on Sunday, May 7 immediately the 10:30 am Mass in the Gym.
The PPC is also looking for new members in the near future. The PPC’s goal is to be a collaborative group who works with the pastor in determining the matters that affect the life of the faith community. If you are interested in this type of service, please email us at stgertrudeparishcouncil@gmail.com.
The PPC’s next meeting is Wednesday, April 19. All meetings are held in the Ministry Center from 7:00 pm-8:30 pm and are open to parishioners. If you would like to discuss anything with the PPC, contact them at the above email address.
Care for Real Food Drive in Church on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23
Next month on Saturday, April 22 (before and after the 5:00 pm Mass) and Sunday, April 23 is our monthly collection drive for Care for Real.
Please consider bringing non-perishable goods and personal hygiene items to donate! Show more love and care, for real.
You can also make a donation online to Care for Real, help with their Amazon Wish list or Chewy Wish List (for pet food), or drop-off your donation at their facility. Information about all of these options can be found here: https://careforreal.org/wishlist/.
This Summer: St. Gertrude’s Youth Group Mission Experience
Attention teens in sixth grade through high school! This summer, from July 10-14, the parish youth group will volunteer with a different Chicagoland organization each day.
This is an excellent opportunity to have fun and earn volunteer hours!
There is a $100 fee for the week. A $50 deposit is required at the time of registration. Please note that there are scholarships available!
All participants will receive a t-shirt, water bottle, and a sports drawstring backpack.
To reserve a spot or to get more information, contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org. Please register before Saturday, May 28.
Rest in peace notices & funeral information
Carmeline DeFranco
- Aunt of Sam Guardino
Scroll down for Parish news
Easter Flower Offering Envelopes
We are offering an opportunity to celebrate someone in your life, living or deceased, during the Easter season. Please consider making an Easter Flower offering in their name.
Envelopes are available in the back of the Church and may be placed in the collection basket or sent to Rectory. The names of those honored will be published in the bulletin during the Easter season.
Church Construction: Thank You for Your Patience!
Thank you for your patience when the church building was closed for repairs. And a special thanks to the Gym Mass organizers who hosted our Combined Mass last weekend!
Mass Book Open - Intentions for 2024 Available
The Mass Book for 2024 is open. If you would like a Mass Intention said for a person that needs prayers or in memory of someone who has died, please call the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or stop by the Rectory office at 1420 West Granville Avenue during office hours.
We’ll help you find an available Mass and prepare a card for you to give to the person or family of the intention. A $20 donation is suggested.
Volunteers Needed to Lead the Summer Garden and Composting Project
As you should all know by now, I am retiring at the end of June. A search committee has been formed to find a replacement for my musical duties, but the parish is currently looking for someone to step up and take over the garden/compost project after I retire.
Since I will still be here through at least mid-June, I can get the person started and help organize/train someone on what has to be done in the spring as far as preparing the soil, buying plants, and organizing teams to do this work.
Once everything is planted, most of the work involves arranging and assigning teams to do the daily watering if Mother Nature is not helping us out. During really hot spells, we often have to water twice a day. Then when veggies start to ripen, the harvest needs to go to Care for Real or St. Thomas of Canterbury soup kitchen.
Because I think it is so important to get our young people involved, I worked with NCA 7th graders and they were a BIG help in weeding our garden after the winter months. They were happy to help because their work counted toward needed service hours for Confirmation. I also solicited the 5th graders last year and they made nametags of each plant on paint sticks. To work with kids, though, you must be VIRTUS trained and up-to-date with your training. It is not that big a deal.
If you are interested in leading this important program or have further questions about what is involved, please contact me at mcbarker@stgertrudechicago.org and I will pass along your interest to Fr. Mike.
I sincerely hope someone (or perhaps two people) will come forward to lead this project. Our local food pantries are so appreciative of receiving fresh produce and we are making a real difference in our community.
~ Mary Clare Barker
Recruiting Volunteer Drivers for Heart to Heart
Volunteers are the backbone of Heart to Heart. There are opportunities for volunteering to service the homebound seniors and disabled individuals in our Edgewater/Rogers Park areas.
We need drivers to take members to the grocery store and other errands like Walgreens. In addition, drivers are needed to take members to doctor appointments and mass. Let us know your availability and we will accommodate your schedule.
Contact Pat Sullivan at psullivan@stgertrudechicago.org or call 773-973-5464.
Student Essay Winners
Congratulations to the three winners of our student essay contest - Gus Berlinghof, Evan Dumstorff, and Dominic Millar!
The essay prompt challenged students to write about the most important contribution that Christians can make to society. The contest was open to all seventh and eight-grade students.
Gus, Evan, and Dominic will receive gift cards as a prize. All three impressive and insightful essays can be read on our parish website.
Thank you to all who participated and to our judges!
A Note About Children in Church From (Former Pastor) Fr. Rich
Recently some parents reported that someone had complained to them because their young child was walking around in the back of church. They were told, “Fr. Rich wouldn’t like it.”
In fact, I DO like it!
I have oftentimes told parents who are worried about their kids making noise in church that, unless their child has a penetrating scream, mostly their noises blend into the ambient sound of church. I also always encourage parents to try to sit closer to the front because youngsters like to watch what is going on.
As for walking about in the back of church, I’m fine with that as well. These are, after all, children.
Generally speaking, it is counter-productive to make our future parishioners feel they are not welcome in church!
I do realize I have a bias -- I have nine siblings. Although my memory is fuzzy, I kind of doubt we were perfect angels every Sunday at Mass!