Ecumenical and Interreligious Activities (ECRA)

St. Gertrude Parish is a proud member of the Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA), an interfaith association of religious organizations who work toward fostering friendships and understanding of other faiths, and to nurture a thriving and just neighborhood. For decades, ECRA has linked religiously diverse neighbors to create solutions to local problems, including the Edgewater Community Council and creating Edgewater’s food pantry, Care for Real.

ECRA hosts several events annually that bring together Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, as well as our friends from the Jewish, Muslim, and Hindi faith. In November, an interfaith Thanksgiving service and celebration is held, benefiting Care for Real. Additionally, Sacred Seed talks are given twice a year, where Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic viewpoints are shared on a chosen topic and discussed in order to learn from each other. All gatherings are guided by a spirit of mutual respect and a desire for harmonious co-existence and community progress, with special attention paid to the most vulnerable neighbors.      

St. Gertrude parish also occasionally takes parts in ecumenical (members of Christian denominations) activities, typically during Advent or Lent.   

Thank you to all parishioners who joined in the virtual ECRA Interfaith Thanksgiving Service this past Sunday! Special thanks go to the Resounding Wayves, a men's group made up of several parishioners, and Mary Clare Barker, our music minister, for their hard work. 

All of the food collected at St. Gertrude over the course of the past two weekends and Thanksgiving Day will be donated to Care for Real. 

Thank you for your generosity to our neighbors in need! 

This year, our annual ECRA Thanksgiving Service will be held virtually via Zoom on Sunday, November 22 at 3:00 pm. The theme is Hope and Thanks in a Pandemic. Each participating congregation is planning to offer a pre-recorded reading, a piece of liturgy, or a hymn. Our music minister, Mary Clare Barker, is arranging St. Gertrude's participation in the event, which will be music by Resounding Wayves, a men's group made up of several parishioners. The service will include breakout activities led by ECRA leaders. Click HERE to reserve your spot for the live Zoom broadcast and HERE for an event flyer. 

Canned/Dry Food Drive Info - Drop Off Food This Weekend & Next Weekend at Mass
In support of this, St. Gertrude hosting a Thanksgiving Canned/Dry Food Drive for Care for Real in church over two weekends, November 14-15 and November 21-22, as well as Thanksgiving Day (November 26).

There will be large tables set up in the vestibule of church. After you have checked in at the side door, please bring your food donation to the table in the vestibule, then proceed back to the greeter in front of church to be seated.

Thank you in advance for your generosity to our neighbors in need!

If you have questions about the ECRA event, contact Rabbi Craig Marantz at 773.561.5173 or rabbimarantz@emanuelcong.org or Pastor Fred Kinsey at 773.697.4612 or pastorfred86@gmail.com.

What is ECRA?
The Edgewater Community Religious Association (ECRA) is an interfaith association of religious organizations that work toward fostering friendships and understanding of other faiths and to nurture a thriving and just neighborhood. For decades, ECRA has linked religiously diverse neighbors to create solutions to local problems, including the Edgewater Community Council and creating Edgewater’s food pantry, Care for Real.

This ECRA Thanksgiving Day event is presented by Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Edgewater Presbyterian Church, Emanuel Congregation, Epworth United Methodist Church, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ismaili Jamatkhana of Chicago, Living Well Ministries, North Shore Baptist Church, St. Gertrude Catholic Parish, St. Ita Catholic Church, and Unity Lutheran Church.  

On Saturday, October 3, volunteers from ECRA (Edgewater Community Religious Association) hosted a collection drive for household and personal hygiene items at the Ismaili Jamatkhana. So many people came out to help and even more to share what they had to give to those in need. More than two tons of food and personal-use products were collected!

We are so pleased that the Edgewater and Rogers Park communities came together to support Care for Real in its effort to provide much-needed assistance to our neighbors.

Thank you to all who volunteered and brought items!