St. Louis de Montfort Oak Lawn, Illinois

September 4, 2016 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time

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Jesus is making two things clear to us today. First, he wants us to have no illusions about following Him. His path is a hard path. Our nature is fallen, and to get back up again, even with his grace helping us, is going to be hard. It will involve self-sacrifice and suffering: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot by my disciple.” This is the obvious lesson in this Gospel passage. We can never let ourselves forget it, but there is another lesson too, equally worth our attention. Jesus is teaching us that following him involves more than feelings and vague inspirations. We are supposed to use our minds, to put our creativity and intelli-gence to work in the adventure of following Christ. Love, even the lasting love that comes from friendship with Christ, is often born amidst intense emotions, but it matures through sweat and suffering, and those can

only be endured with the aid of reason and conviction; both of which go deeper than mere passing emotions. Following Christ is more than following a whim; it is a long-term project that deserves and engages the whole person. That is why Jesus plainly says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” What does Jesus really mean?

St. Cyril of Alexandria states that Jesus permits us to love our family, but not more than God. “By adding ‘more than me,’ it is plain that He permits us to love, but not more than we love Him. He demands our highest affection for Himself and that very correctly.” We see this tremendous love of God to the end in the life of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. Back on Mon-day, August 29, 2016, the Church celebrated the martyrdom and birth into eternal glory of John the Baptist. His whole life was about picking up his cross daily and preaching and living the truth until his beheading.

To live this Gospel today, it is good to put our lives in the perspective of the Baptist’s life and say to ourselves, “Are we willing to uphold and live by all the teachings of Jesus if it means losing friends, family members, etc. for the love of Jesus to do what is right for God and not what people want to hear even though decisions and lifestyles may be immoral and not ethical moral behavior? St. Bede the Venerable mentions that all of us are called to be like John the Baptist in our everyday lives as he states in his homily,

“As forerunner of our Lord’s birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven. In the words of Scripture: Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality. We justly commemorate the day of his birth with a joyful celebration, a day which he himself made fes-tive for us through his suffering and which he adorned with the crimson splendor of his own blood. We do rightly revere his memory with joyful hearts, for he stamped with the seal of martyrdom the testimony which he delivered on behalf of our Lord.

There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.

Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer.

Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men; he was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ. John was baptized in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptize the Redeemer of the world, to hear the voice of the Father above him, and to see the grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon him. But to endure tem-poral agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward.

Since death was ever near at hand through the inescapable necessity of nature, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake. He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”

In conclusion, Tertullian (who lived in the middle 2nd century and beginning 3rd century) puts it the best by saying in his homily, “If you want to be the Lord’s disciple, you must take up your cross and follow the Lord. Take up your stress and your tortures or at least your body, which is like a cross. Parents, wives, children are all to be left for God’s sake. Are you hesitating about crafts, businesses and professions for the sake of children or parents? The proof that family as well as crafts and business are to be left for the Lord’s sake was given us when James and John were called by the Lord and left both father and ship.” Is this our living goal today? If not, than what are the obstacles and barricades that hold us back from completely following God today?

I continue to thank all of you for your continued hospitality and warmth you are showing me and each other. Please spread the good word of our wonderful parish and it is very nice to see more and more people coming back to worship God. Many of us are still saying how great it is to see our parishioner families returning back.

St Louis de Montfort, pray for us! Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, pray for us!

Have a great week and enjoy life with a great smile! Pray always!

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK!!

Hello All! The school years has gotten off to a wonderful start! I wish to thank all

of the parishioners and the school families for their warm welcome and their support. There is an old proverb that states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” For me, as a Catholic School teacher and principal, I believe that it takes a parish and school to raise a young person in faith. Thank you all for being examples of people of faith to our stu-dents! Looking ahead for school: The students will continue to attend Thursday morning mass with the parish. Family and friends are always welcome to attend this weekly mass with our school children. Mass is a wonderful way to bring the community of St. Louis de Montfort together. The celebration of the Eucharist has united our faith for centuries ~ what a wonderful tradition we belong to! Our annual Meet the Teacher Night will be Thursday, September 15th. This is an adult only night. We will begin in Church at 7:00 pm. After a short presentation, parents will have a chance to visit their child’s classroom(s) and meet their teachers. September 23rd is a Teacher Inservice Day for our school There will be no school for students that day. Thank you, Mrs. Wilson

ARE YOU A CRAFTER? St. Louis de Montfort Family School Association (FSA)

is seeking Crafters / Vendors for the annual

HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR! Saturday, November 5th, 9:00 AM—2:00 PM in Quinn Hall

If you would like to reserve a table or get more information send an email:

stlouisfsa@yahoo.com or contact one of our Craft Fair Coordinators:

Kris—630.697.4073 or Donna—815.307.2062

CRAFTS...VENDORS...RAFFLES...BAKE SALE

Registration forms with complete details will also be available in the Church vestibule.

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If you like football, you’ll LOVE Football Mania. There is a new chance to win every week of the season!

The 8 highest-scoring and 3 lowest-scoring cards all win prizes each week. 2 grand prizes will also be awarded at the end of the season.

The cost is just $20 per ticket. Tickets must be purchased & activated by

September 7th in time for the start of the professional football season which begins on September 8th! Sell them to your friends and co-workers too!

Call 708-599-5781 for tickets.

Last year the payout from all cards sold at St Louis de Montfort was $1,700.00. Don’t miss out on your chance to join the winners.

LAST WEEKEND TO PURCHASE FOOTBALL MANIA TICKETS

Get your tickets now!!!

St. Louis de Montfort Religious Education There is still time to Register for the 2016-2017 Religious Education Program. You will find registration forms at the Parish Home and in the back of the Church.

Tuition Sacramental Fee 1 Child $250.00 Grade 2 (First Communion) $ 40.00 2 Children $325.00 Grade 8 (Confirmation) $ 65.00 3 Children $375.00 Sunday, September 11, 2016 Class – Mass – Open House The school year will begin with the children going to their classroom at 9:00 am in the school. The teachers and students will proceed to church together for the 9:30 Mass. The Open House will be in the Religious Education Office for parents and students following the Mass. Saturday, September 17, 2016 Class: 9:00 am The first full day of class. The calendar for the 2016-2017 R.E. program is being finalized and will be available on the Parish website. If your child is making a sacrament during the 2016-2017 school year you need to provide a copy of the child’s baptismal certificate along with their Registration form.

THERE WILL BE NO REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED AT THE OPEN HOUSE.

If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Plesha @ 708-599-5781 ext. 18.

TEACHERS NEEDED FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM

St. Louis de Montfort Religious Education is looking for a few new teachers to assist us with our Saturday program. Our R.E. program is held twice a month. Class is 9:00 am – 11:00 am. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cheryl Plesha 708-599-5781 ext. 18 or email c.plesha@sldmparish.org.

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Jackie Adomovicz Jesse Anderer Barbara Augle George Badke

Jim Ball Erik Baranowski Irene Baranowski

Lillian Berenis Sr. Bernardine Mikey Bevan Joyce Bitinas

Jesselyn Brucki Donna Chlebek

Diane Chrapkiewicz Pat Chudy

Betty Connolly Donna Dong

Mary Dragozetic Rita Duchowicz

John Furmaniak Sr. Dave Gallagher Sandra Gilbert Lorraine Grams Dolores Grisko

Dorothy Hayden Janis Hayden Mary Hinchey

Mary Jane Kirchner Daniel Kosiek Theresa Iser

Kurt Kutschke Marilyn Jones

Thelma LaSalvia Josie Maracic Agnes Mark Rita Mazur

Mary Ann & Bill Meskowski

Rosemary Mihelic Barbara Minster

Judy Mitchell Vencia Munis

Christopher Murphy Teresa Myczek

Sr. Therese O’Donnell Debbie Ornat Kari Raspanti

Kelly Robertson John Rosinski

Bridget Schroeder Ruth Ann Smith

Jim Staros Mercedita Suclan

Terry Swierk Jay Tarczon

Dorothy Tinman Diane Uryasz Irene Valuckis Mary Wantuck

Cathy Jo Werner Robert & Carol Zucas

We pray for those among us who are suffering from illnesses

REST IN PEACE We pray for our family and friends

that have recently died.

Please keep them and their families in your prayers.

KNIGHTS of COLUMBUS WOMEN’S AUXILIARY

Council #14553

With the start of a new school year the Women’s Auxil-iary is collecting new socks & underwear for needy chil-dren in our area. If you would like to donate, please purchase items for the age group of pre-school through 8th Grade.

Your donations can be placed in boxes designated in the church and school vestibule until Sunday, Sept. 11th

Thank you for your support and generosity!

Sept 10 5:00PM Sept 11 7:30 AM Sept 11 9:30 AM Sept 11 11:30 AM L. Trail H. Niemiec A. Weiss N. Rodl

J. Werner I. Ramirez D. Widmer C. Gotto J. Kocher J. Sibick J. LaSalvia M. Farrell

Extraordinary T. Lechert L. Gilbert J. Mitchell M. Gal Ministers of Communion D. Sichelski M. Uryasz M. Murphy C. Karnoski

M. Leffers M. Gilbert S. Kozak D. Ott T. Wasik K. Delmagori G. Pierzynski D. Sichelski

Commentator A. Lieske M. Gilbert R. Trusk C. Karnoski Lector D. Sichelski G. Senese P. Weiss L. Noble

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED

Volunteers are needed for the Annual Tootsie Roll Drive

for the benefit of those with intellectual disabilities

Date: Friday & Saturday, September 9th & 10th Hours: 8:00 AM—5:00 PM

The drive is sponsored by the Knights of Colum-bus, Council #14553. Volunteers (must be 18 years old) are needed to solicit in front of busi-nesses in the area and at intersections. If you can volunteer for 2 hours (or longer) con-tact Raymond Vanderwarren, Chairman at 708.599.3468. There is a signup sheet on a clipboard in the church vestibule where you can also sign up. Check out photos from past events in the Knights of Columbus display case as you enter of leave church.

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Weekly Activities at St. Louis

Saturday, September 3 9:00 AM—Rosary—(CH) 9:00—10:00 AM Adoration Sunday, September 4 Monday, September 5 9:00 AM— Rosary (CH) Labor Day—No school Tuesday, September 6 7:00 PM — Needleworkers (QH) Wednesday, September 7 9:00 AM — Rosary (CH) 9:00 AM—10:00 AM—Parish Pantry Thursday, September 8 9:00 AM— Rosary (CH) 7:00—9:00 PM—Women’s Auxiliary Friday, September 9 9:00 AM— Rosary (CH) 9:00 AM—10:00 AM—Parish Pantry Saturday, September 10 9:00 AM — Rosary—(CH) 9:00—10:00 AM— Adoration Sunday, September 11 10:30 AM—Religious Ed Open House following 9:30 Mass

Weekly Mass Intentions

Saturday, September 3 5:00 PM - +Jan Tchorzewski +Joseph Zalapi +Frank Bilo Sunday, September 4, 23rd Sun Ordinary Time 7:30 AM — Edward Grunaur Greg Renfree +Michael Bodey 9:30 AM — +Clem Hojnacki +Leopold & Anna Ciezczak +John Zimirowski 11:30 AM —+Edward Gut Gloria & James Pierzynski—40th Wedding Anniversary Monday, September 5 8:30 AM— People of the Parish Tuesday, September 6 8:30 AM — +Clem Hojnacki +Megan Hurckes Wednesday, September 7 8:30 AM — Communion Service Thursday, September 8 8:30 AM — Special Intention Friday, September 9 8:30 AM — + Anton Vidinich Saturday, September 10 8:30 AM — Communion Service 5:00 PM — Sunday, September 11, 24th Sun Ordinary Time 7:30 AM — Lorraine Szydolwski David Fenton & Sons Alice Puriski +Ed Niemiec 9:30 AM — +Jan Babicz + Maria Gonzales Religious Ed—Class Mass 11:30 AM —People of the Parish

Sunday Readings for September 4

First reading: Wisdom 9:13-18b Second reading: Philemon 9-10, 12-17 Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Sunday Readings for September 11

First reading: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 Second reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Gospel: Luke 15:1-32 or 15:1-10

WEEKLY OFFERING

Week of August 27/28 $5,505.00 Give Central $ 190.00 Goal $9,200.00

PLEASE

Be sure to mark the amount of your offer-ing on your envelope in order to get credit for your contributions. Visit www.givecentral.org to sign up for electronic giving.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

THE MUSIC MINISTRY NEEDS YOU !! We are asking members of the community, high school age and older, to consider a short term choir commitment for the purpose of singing for Fr. Stan’s Installation Mass which will take place at 11:30 on Sunday, October 9th. All former choir members and any new people are welcome. Your only requirement is to want to sing with a group to make this Lit-urgy as uplifting and special as possible for Fr. Stan and our Parish family. Rehearsals are tentatively scheduled to begin at the end of August. We are also still looking for volunteers for cantors and choir members for our weekly masses. Please contact Karen Deegan at 708-715-8024 or karendeegan824@yahoo.com with any questions and to accept our invitation to be part of this important ministry.

Fr. Stanley Stuglik, Pastor Mr. Bill Sullivan: Deacon Fr. Mark Canavan: Pastor Emeritus Mr. Steve McEllin: Director Parish Operations Ms. Jan Podolak: Parish Secretary Mrs. Karen Deegan: Director of Music Parish Home: 8808 Ridgeland Ave, Oak Lawn IL Phone: 708-599-5300 Fax: 708-599-2678 Email: parish.office@sldm.org Parish Website: www.sldmparish.org Parish Home Office Hours: 9:00 AM— 2:30 PM Monday—Friday 5:00 PM — 8:00 PM Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 AM— 4:00 PM Saturday Mrs. Melissa Wilson: School Principal Mrs. Cheryl Plesha: Director of Religious Education School Address: 8840 Ridgeland Ave, Oak Lawn IL School Phone: 708-599-5781

MASS SCHEDULE: Saturday 5:00 PM Sunday 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 AM Weekdays 8:30 AM (Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri) 8:30 AM Communion Service (Wed) Saturday 8:30 AM Communion Service Confessions: Saturday 4:00 to 4:30 PM Baptisms: 2nd & 4th Sunday of every month Pre-Baptismal Program: The 1st Tuesday every other month. Arrangements can be made by calling the Rectory. Weddings: Couples should contact the parish priest at least six months in advance of wedding date.

Welcome to St. Louis de Montfort Parish

CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS St. Louis De Montfort Church #000448 8808 S. Ridgeland Avenue Oak Lawn, IL 60453 TELEPHONE 708 599-5300 CONTACT PERSON Jan Podolak EMAIL: parish.office@sldmparish.org SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2013 Adobe Acrobat XI Windows 8 TRANSMISSION TIME Wednesday 11:00 SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION September 4, 2016 NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 8 SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS