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St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Joliet

 

News and Important Info from St. Paul's:

- Wishing one and all a Happy Independence Day - May God continue to Bless our great nation...Dear Lord, There is no greater feeling of liberation than to experience this freedom from sin and death that you have provided for me through Jesus Christ. Today my heart and my soul are free to praise you. For this I am very thankful. On this Independence Day I am reminded of all those who have sacrificed for my freedom, following the example of your Son, Jesus Christ. Let me not take my freedom, both physical and spiritual, for granted. May I always remember that my freedom was purchases with a very high price. My freedom cost others their very lives. Lord, today, bless those who have served and continue to give their lives for my freedom. With favor and bounty meet their needs and watch over their families. Help me to live my life in a way that glorifies you, Lord. Give me the strength to be a blessing in someone else's life today, and grant me the opportunity to lead others into the freedom that can be found in knowing Christ. Amen.

- The Diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal is ongoing and if you haven't responded yet, please consider doing so. Every family should have received a letter from Bishop J. Peter Sartain asking for a pledge to help continue the ministry, services and charity of our diocese. Please return your pledge card to the parish or mail it in.

- All are invited to St. Paul's Annual Summer Picnic at St. Joe's Park on Theodore Street in Joliet on Sunday, August 30 from noon to 9:00pm. Volunteers are needed...please contact Troy Kohler for more info at troy.kohler@yahoo.com

- Friday morning Masses return to 7:30am during the summer!

- Saturday Morning Mass Discontinued...in the past two years our parish has gradually adjusted to the reality of having only one full time priest which has been a new and sometimes difficult experience for St. Paul's.  During the course of his illness, Fr. George has been helping out with great generosity and eagerness in covering a number of liturgies, but health concerns have gradually forced him to lessen some of his commitments in this regard.  I particularly thank Fr. George for all of his work and contributions to St. Paul's over the course of his illness and I am grateful for the ways that he continues to offer his priestly ministry to our parish as he deals with his health concerns. A number of changes required by this transition have already taken place, such as the consolidation of two weekday Masses into one, the policy of having only one wedding or funeral per day, etc.  Nonetheless, there is one final component of the transition which still must come into effect.  Church Law requires that a priest offer no more than two Masses on a weekday and no more than three on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation.  This means, practically speaking, that churches with only one full time priest typically do not have the luxury of having a Saturday morning Mass since Saturdays usually "pile up" with funerals and weddings in addition to the evening vigil Mass.  Thus, beginning this week, our weekday Masses will be celebrated only Monday through Friday at 7:30 AM; there will no longer be a Saturday morning Mass. I am sorry for the inconvenience that this may pose and encourage you to take advantage of the Saturday morning Mass at 8:00 AM at the Cathedral.  This difficult transition is also a forceful reminder about the importance of praying for an increase in priestly vocations.

- In your prayers, please remember Bishop Roger L. Kaffer who entered Eternal Life on Thursday, May 28, 2009. Roger Louis Kaffer was born in Joliet on August 14, 1927, to Earl Louis Kaffer and Helen Ruth (McManus) Kaffer. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Raymond Parish and received his elementary education at the parish grade school.  In 1945 he graduated from Joliet Township High School , then attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary.  He studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein from which he received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology. Roger Kaffer was ordained to the priesthood on May 1, 1954 at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet by Bishop Martin D. McNamara. His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Joliet. He served as a Notary at the Chancery until 1956. From 1956 to 1958, Father Kaffer studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome where he earned a Licentiate in Canon Law. When he returned to the States in 1958, Father Kaffer was named Assistant Chancellor. After earning an M.Ed. from DePaul University in 1965, he was named founding rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Romeoville. From 1968 to 1974, he also served as a member of the Seminary Board. Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox benefited from Father Kaffer’s educational leadership when he became its principal in 1970. It was his practice to visit every family who had a child enrolled in the school. His dedication to improving the school’s buildings and grounds was evidenced when he was seen driving a back hoe, laying bricks and doing general construction work. To this day, former students speak of  his impact on their lives, and his pastoral care for them and their families. Father Kaffer served as weekend assistant at St. Bernard Parish in Joliet beginning in 1970 and at St. Joseph Parish in Joliet beginning in 1974.  He obtained a Doctorate in Pastoral Ministry in 1984 from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. In January of 1985, Father Kaffer was appointed temporary administrator of the Cathedral and in February was named rector of the Cathedral. On April 20, 1985, Father Kaffer was named Auxiliary Bishop to Bishop Joseph L. Imesch and Titular Bishop of Dusa in Northern Africa. Bishop Kaffer was ordained to the episcopacy by Bishop Imesch on June 26, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. Raymond in Joliet. He was appointed Vicar General and Vicar for Priests, positions he held until 2002. From 1986 to 1989, he served as Chair of the Second Synod of Joliet. In March of 2002, Bishop Kaffer was appointed Secretary for Education. In addition to his diocesan responsibilities, he was honored to be State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus from 1993 to 2009. Bishop Kaffer’s life was marked by dedication to prayer, an upbeat spirit, vibrancy, boundless energy, sincerity and an extraordinary willingness to serve. He gave life to what he said: None of us is as smart as all of us, and If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you are probably right. Although retired in 2002, Bishop Kaffer lived out his Episcopal motto, Serve and Give, with great vigor.  He often said that he wanted to devote his years in retirement to the sanctification of priests.  Bishop Kaffer continued to give retreats to priests and bishops, to offer spiritual direction and to assist with Confirmations. He took great delight in the fact that with retirement he was no longer required to attend meetings. Because of his belief that youth were not the future of the Church but the now of the Church, Bishop Kaffer participated in every celebration of World Youth Day, the last being in August of 2008, when with great difficulty he journeyed to Australia to be with the youth he so dearly loved. On September 23, 2008, Bishop Kaffer moved to Our Lady of the Angels Retirement Home in Joliet where in October he suffered a mild heart attack and was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Bishop Kaffer remained at OLA until his death.

- The Season of Ordinary Time...Ordinary Time gets its name from the word ordinal, meaning "numbered," since the Sundays of Ordinary Time are expressed numerically. Ordinary Time occurs outside of other liturgical time periods, periods in which specific aspects of the mystery of Christ are celebrated. According to The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, the days of Ordinary Time, especially the Sundays, "are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects." Ordinary Time, depending on the year, runs either 33 or 34 weeks. Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. The Catholic Church celebrates two periods of the year as Ordinary Time. The first period begins after the Feast Baptism of the Lord (the Sunday after The Epiphany) has ended. Some interpret this to mean that Ordinary Time begins on Sunday night, while others, including The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, specifically mention the first period of Ordinary Time beginning on the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord. Either way, the point is the same. The next Sunday is still reckoned "The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time," because it is the Sunday of the second week in Ordinary Time. The reckoning can be confusing, and has many asking "what happened to the first Sunday in Ordinary Time?" This first period of Ordinary Time runs until the Tuesday evening before Ash Wednesday. The Second period of Ordinary Time runs from the Monday after Pentecost until Evening Prayer is said the night before Advent begins. This includes Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of Ordinary Time. In some denominations, the Sundays of the second period of Ordinary Time are numbered "Sundays After Pentecost." Ordinary time does not need to be "ordinary," and is not meant to mean that somehow we get a break from the Liturgical Year. The opposite is true: Ordinary Time celebrates "the mystery of Christ in all its aspects." Many important liturgical celebrations fall during Ordinary Time, including, Trinity, Corpus Christi, All Saints, the Assumption of Mary, and Christ the King. In addition, the Church continues to celebrate Saints days and other events such as The Octave of Christian Unity. The major feasts, when occurring on a Sunday, trump the regular Ordinary Time Sunday lessons and liturgy. In the American Catholic Church, Corpus Christi is usually transferred to a Sunday, so often there are fewer than the 33 or 34 Sundays labeled "Sundays of Ordinary Time," although these Sundays still fall within Ordinary Time. We also may remember and celebrate the parts of Jesus' life that were ordinary, much like our own lives. The color of green is appropriate because it is the most ordinary color in our natural environment.

- Prayer for Protection of Conscience Rights in Health Care... Father, in Jesus our Lord, we praise and thank you for your most precious gift of human life and for forming us in your divine image. Keep us, the dwelling place of your most Holy Spirit, ever healthy in body and soul. Jesus, Divine Healer, pour your grace upon all those afflicted with illness or disease.  Protect from all harm those who are vulnerable due to sickness, suffering, frailty, poverty or age, whether elderly or unborn. Holy Spirit, touch the hearts of all who serve human life in medicine and science, so they will  protect the dignity of each person, from conception to natural death, and remain faithful advocates of all entrusted to their care. Grant those who are called to serve as health care providers renewed conviction in their ministry, and increased wisdom to treat the whole person, and not merely the illness. Protect the right of health care providers to serve their patients without being forced to violate their moral and religious convictions. Guard them against discrimination, that they might be free to follow you faithfully while fulfilling their professional duties. Grant our lawmakers the wisdom and courage to uphold conscience rights for those called to the ministry of healing, and help them resist the pressure to become collaborators in the culture of death. Give us strength to be bold and joyful witnesses to the truth that every human life is sacred. In your goodness, guard our freedom to live out our faith and to follow you in all that we do. Father, we ask this in Jesus’ name, through the Holy Spirit. Amen. For more information concerning this major issue, please go to http://www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection/resources.shtml#prayer

- Spend some time with Our Lord at Eucharistic Adoration...8:00 to 10:00am weekdays in the Church! Help is needed to stay and watch over during this period. Can you spend a few minutes with Jesus? Please sign-up by on the podium by the south Church door for a time slot you can do.

- Planned Parenthood has opened the largest abortion clinic in the Western Hemisphere in Aurora. People are needed to
join the peaceful prayer vigil at the clinic. This clinic is located at 3051 East NewYorkStreet in Aurora. The People praying at the clinic generally gather on the Oakhurst street side. The vigil is presently being kept during daylight hours. At times the rosary and the divine mercy chaplets are recited. But you can pray as you wish. More information can be found at the website www.familiesagainstplannedparenthood.org Also join us on the third Saturday of every month from 9:00-10:30am for a Pro-Life Rally outside the clinic. Prayer to End Abortion: Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I knowthere is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, And never to stop defending life Until all my brothers and sisters are protected, And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice Not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!