The Latest News
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
Growing in Faith: Refugee & Immigrant Ministry
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
Refugee & Immigrant Ministry: Kadidja Finds Grace and Refuge
Second Collection for our Refugee and Immigrant Ministry This Weekend
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
Religious Ed Update
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
Blessing of Pets: Sunday, October 4
Blessing of Pets: Sunday, October 4
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
Blessing of Pets: Sunday, October 4
Order a Breaking Bread Hymnal for 2021 for Personal Use
ECRA Community Drive for Care for Real: Saturday, October 3
ECRA Community Drive for Care for Real: Saturday, October 3
ECRA Community Drive for Care for Real: Saturday, October 3
ECRA Community Drive for Care for Real: Saturday, October 3
ECRA Community Drive for Care for Real: Saturday, October 3
Welcome to Our Parish!
Renew My Church
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
Religious Ed News
Father Mike to Run for Heart to Heart on October 11
This Week at St. Gertrude
This Week at St. Gertrude
Reopening Information Page
This Week at St. Gertrude
Good News for the St. Gertrude Heart to Heart Ministry!
Fr. Mike to Run October 11 for Heart to Heart
Please consider supporting Father Mike Bradley as he runs 26.2 miles on October 11! As always, all funds will benefit Heart to Heart, our ministry for seniors.
We're planning on hosting cheering stations, water and snack stops,and selling lawn signs and t-shirts!
Order a Breaking Bread Hymnal for 2021 for Personal Use
Orders/Payment Needed by October 26
Due to COVID-19, we do not know when we will be able to put hymnals back in the pews for communal use. Parishioners are welcome to order their own personal copies of Breaking Bread 2021 for use at home or brought to/from church. The hymnals contain the scripture readings for Sundays and the music we use in church. The start date for using it is the First Sunday in Advent (November 29).
Missals are being sold at a discounted rate of $7.00/hymnal. This includes tax and shipping. Your order, along with payment, must be received by Monday, October 26.
When the missals arrive, you will be contacted and can pick it up at the Rectory or at church when you come to Mass.
Purchases may be done two ways:
1. Online PurchaseVisit GiveCentral to order and pay online here. (Links to order online also are available on our website and Facebook page.) Please note, Rectory staff will receive a notice from GiveCentral when an order/payment is made.
2. Order Form/Purchase by Check or CashOrder forms are available online and printed copies are available in church on the greeter's table and at the Rectory. Completed order forms, along with cash or check payments, can be dropped off in church by the greeter’s table when you come to Mass or at the Rectory. Checks should be made out to St. Gertrude with Breaking Bread hymnal in the memo line.
Please note, while you may bring your personal missal to St. Gertrude, you MUST bring it back home. Any missals left in the church will be discarded.
Contact Mary Clare Barker with any questions at 773.764.3621, ext 22 or mcbarker@stgertrudechicago.org.
We hope that having your own personal hymnal will enhance your worship experience and continue to actively participate in the liturgy during this pandemic!
Rest in Peace
- Rita Simo, wife of Tomás Bisonnette
- Rita Martinez (mother of parishioner Yolanda Fuentes)
- Blas Victoriano Obregon Barrios
- William Hartnett (and father of parishioner Eileen Wicklin)
- Eva Kot
Religious Ed News (September 25, 2020)
Registration for Religious Ed Classes is Open/Classes to be Held Online via Zoom on Tuesdays at 7:00
To say that this will be an unusual year is an understatement! But we are building a comprehensive Religious Education program that will continue to share our Catholic traditions and encourage a loving relationship with God.
Registration is now open for our Religious Ed program! Please use this fillable PDF form, save it, and email it to me at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org.
This school year, our classes will move to Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm. Lessons will be held on Zoom and will be no longer than 45 minutes per session. Our first session will be on Tuesday, October 20.
Each lesson will begin as a group with an opening prayer. Afterward, children will go into different "rooms" for their classes. Next week, we will outline each grades' learning goals.
Fees
We have moved to a flat fee structure for this year. Parishioners pay $185 for their entire household. The cost for non-parishioner families to attend classes is $205. Sacrament fees are $50. All fees can be paid online via GiveCentral.
Rescheduled Sacraments
We are back on track to begin the postponed celebrations of First Communions and Confirmations! Our first group of First Communion candidates will be at the 5:00 pm Mass next Saturday, October 3. The first group of Confirmation candidates will be at the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday, October 4.
If you still need to schedule your child's First Communion or Confirmation, please email me or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621.
2021 Sacraments - Confirmation, First Communion, First Reconciliation
Sacramental preparation for 2021 will begin with a parent meeting for 7th-grade students in their first year of preparation for Confirmation. It will be held in October via Zoom at a date and time to be announced. When you register for Religious Education, please indicate that your child is due to start sacramental preparation on your registration form.
Meetings for the parents of 8th-grade Confirmation candidates in their second year of preparation for Confirmation will also be scheduled. We are waiting to hear about a date for Confirmation from the Archdiocese.
We will continue our tradition of celebrating First Communion on the Saturday before Mother’s Day, May 8. Parent meetings regarding First Reconciliation and First Communion will be held in January.
Of course, all sacramental celebrations are subject to guidance for gatherings from the archdiocese.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org.
~ Kevin Chears, Pastoral Associate
Our Goals This Year
The goal of our Religious Education program for this year is to nurture the development of a life-long faith by providing age-approach lessons that encourage a personal and communal relationship with God.
Rectory Hours
The Rectory office is open from 9:00 am-2:30 pm Monday-Saturday, and 8:30-11:30 am on Sunday. Please call before coming.
In-Person and Live-Streamed Masses
Weekday and Weekend Mass Times
7:30 am - Church Click HERE for reservations.
8:00 am - Church Click HERE for reservations.
10:30 am - Church Click HERE for reservations.
Click HERE for our parishioner guidelines for attending Mass in Church. Each service may have up to 150 people in attendance.
Every Sunday at 10:30 am, we will will continue to live-stream Mass from St. Gertrude Church using Facebook Live. Please click HERE to be connected to our parish Facebook page. After Mass, we upload the video to our YouTube channel.
Mary Clare Barker, our Music Minister, has created a song sheet for use at home with lyrics for music for our live-streamed 10:30 am Mass this Sunday at 10:30 am HERE.
Blessing of Pets: Sunday, October 4
Fr. Mike to Hold Event in St. Gert's Parking Lot
All creatures, great and small, are welcome to the blessing for animals on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 pm. Father Mike Bradley will officiate the 20-30 minute ceremony, held in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures.
The blessing will be held in the St. Gertrude parking lot at the northwest corner of Thome & Glenwood. (This lot is fenced in.) Each family should situate themselves in one parking space.
ERCA Community Drive Supporting Care for Real
Saturday, October 3 from 12:00-3:00 pm
ECRA (Edgewater Community Religious Association) will host a collection drive for household and personal hygiene items on Saturday, October 3 from 12:00-3:00 pm at the Ismaili Jamatkhana, 6259 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60660. St. Gertrude an active participant of the Edgewater Community Religious Association and back in early June, ECRA was able to collect about 3.5 tons of items for Care for Real.
We also welcome the donation of non-perishable food items, although the greater need at present is for household supplies (toilet paper, paper towels, cleansers, disinfectants, face masks, gloves) and personal care products (soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, toothpaste, toothbrushes).
Items can be dropped-off at the parking lot on the northeast corner of Broadway and Rosemont. (Entrance to the parking lot is on Broadway.) To maintain social distancing and limit personal contact, we request that, when possible, items for drop-off be placed in your vehicle’s trunk. Volunteers equipped with face masks and gloves will remove items directly from your trunk. For those who walk to the drive, items may be dropped off on designated tables in the parking lot. In both circumstances, we ask that you follow social distancing protocols to limit personal contact.
With Care for Real serving the Rogers Park and Edgewater communities, we hope that the Edgewater and Rogers Park communities will come together to support Care for Real in its effort to provide these items to those most in need in our communities.
Three More Volunteers Needed for Care for Real Community Drive
To successfully conduct our Care for Real Community Support Drive on Saturday, October 3, we need to fill three more “ECRA Ambassador” positions – one more from 11:30 am-1:30 pm and two people from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.
Here is what we are looking for in a volunteer:
- Be available from 11:30 am-1:30 pm and/or from 1:30-3:30 pm on Saturday, October 3.
- Bring your own face mask and gloves.
- Come with a kind heart and a thankful attitude for those who will be making donations.
- Meet at the Ismaili Jamatkhana parking lot, 6259 N. Broadway (at Rosemont).
- Be able to lift 25-pound bags of groceries/supplies from car trunks.
- Provide your email address for a brief (less than 30 minutes) Zoom training at 8:00 pm on Thursday, October 1.
- Some of our volunteers will be in the parking lot helping to unload bags from trunks of cars while others will be at tables for those who walk up to the site with donations.
The Ismaili Jamatkhana is also exploring whether the volunteers need to sign a waiver while volunteering on their site.
If you are interested in helping, please send an email to Allen Stryczek at astryczek@sbcglobal.net, noting which one of the time slots you prefer.
This event will successfully take place rain or shine. Please also pray for good weather so that we need not employ our contingency plan.
Thank you in advance for your thoughtful and timely reply to this request for help!
Parish News
St. Gertrude's Refugee and Immigrant Ministry to Sponsor El Pueblo Canta (Virtual) Concert - Saturday, October 3
The St. Gertrude Refugee and Immigrant Ministry is once again a sponsor of this annual concert that celebrates and raises funds for the immigrant justice movement. The 12th Anniversary El Pueblo Canta concert is now a virtual concert for October 3 from 7:00-8:00 pm, with a pre-concert slideshow at 6:45 pm. This year, performers include El Wadi Ensemble, VOICES, the Wellington Choir, and the "Dare to Dream" Centro Romero Youth Choir.
There is a suggested donation of $25 for general admission, $15 for students and those on a limited income, and kids 12 and under are free. All proceeds will go to support the immigrant justice work of Centro Romero, CRLN, and Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ. Click here for tickets!
Masks Available for Purchase at the Rectory
We have masks available for purchase at the Rectory. Please keep in mind the new safety protocols in place for visiting the Rectory outlined in the above article. They have been sewn by Kadidja, the single mother of two who we've sponsored since she arrived from the Central African Republic, and a gifted seamstress. This is a win-win - she lost her job when we went on lockdown for the pandemic, and we all need masks.
In addition, you can also order directly order from Kadidja, who has committed to creating 30 masks per week on top of the ones for sale at the Rectory. The cloth masks cost $5 each. If you'd like to place an order, click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0845a5ab2cab9-cloth.
You will be called or texted (state in the comments how you want to be contacted when placing your order) when your masks are ready to be picked up.
If you would like some tech support, please contact Pam Horan-Bussey at 773.315.3290.
Interested in Becoming Catholic?
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process by which adults learn more about the Catholic Church. This free program begins in late September and meets until Pentecost.
Many people who begin RCIA are non-Catholics seeking to become Catholic or at least to explore whether Catholicism might be a good home. Those who complete the process and decide to become Catholic are initiated into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. Others who take RCIA are already Catholic but want a deeper understanding of their faith foundation.
The RCIA process does not ask those who have been baptized in another faith to give up their denominational experiences. Rather, the RCIA process seeks to add new colors and designs to their existing faith life tapestry. In addition to attending Mass, the RCIA process includes weekly gatherings of breaking open the Word of God, sharing our stories, and learning about our faith traditions.
This year, RCIA gatherings will be a mixture of Zoom meetings and in-person gatherings after Mass.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the RCIA process at St. Gertrude, contact me at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621. We can set up a call or a Zoom meeting.
~ Kevin Chears, Pastoral Associate