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News and Important Info from St. Paul's: - Beginning on Thursday, May 1 (Solemnity
of the Ascension), to Saturday, May 10 (day before Pentecost),
believers from all over the world are invited to participate
in a worldwide novena for a renewed descent of the Holy
Spirit, a "New Pentecost," for
our day. As par - Happy Mother's Day! Prayer of Mothers: Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a priviledge - to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. And a prayer to the patroness of Mothes: Prayer to St. Monica Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine, you perseveringly pursued your wayward son not with wild threats but with prayerful cries to heaven. Intercede for all mothers in our day so that they may learn to draw their children to God. Teach them how to remain close to their children, even the prodigal sons and daughters who have sadly gone astray. And a prayer for all of us this Mother's day: Prayer on Mother's Day Heavenly Father, you have been pleased to give all human beings the joy of having a mother, one who works with you to give them life and bring them to human adulthood. You have given followers of your Son the added joy of a Christian mother, who works with you to give supernatural life to a child and to bring up that child to Christian adulthood. Over the centuries there have been countless such mothers - heroic, courageous, loving, dedicated, and unconquerable. They have given us the Christian Ages and Christian Saints and in the final analysis the Christian Faith. Without them, there would be no Church, no religious vocation, and no Christian influence in the world. Most of these mothers are unsung in the eyes of the world; they must be content with little things: a smile, a thank you, and a token remembrance. In your eyes, however, they are of inestimable worth. Your Word in the Bible uses a mother's love to describe your overwhelming love for your people, and Jesus uses the image of a mother bird to indicate his love for his people. Most of all, when he wants to convey an idea of the joy of those in heaven he does so by using the image of a mother's pure joy in bringing a child into the world. Dear Lord, let me honor my mother if she is living and remember her in prayer if she is dead. Pour down your grace on her and on all mothers on this day dedicated to them. Have a happy Mother's Day - be sure to tell your Mom you love her! - If you have not recieved a pledge envelope for the Annual Catholic Ministries Appeal at home, you can find one at the end of the pews in Church. Thank you for your generosity to this source of funding for our diocesen ministries. - May is the month of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary will be prayed 20 minutes prior to all weekend Masses and at 7:30am Monday through Friday. - The Greatest Christian Feast: - Spend some time with Our Lord at Eucharistic Adoration...9:00 to 11:00am 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. - Parish Council elections will be held the third weekend in May. If you are interested in working with Parish Council for a three year term, please pick up an application at the rectory. Currently the Parish Counsil meets the third Thursday of each month. If you would like more information, please call Ellen at 815-725-1527 or Jennifer at 815-370-8522. Applications must be received by May 1. - REP registration for 2008-2009
has begun. St. Paul's offers classes for kindergarten through
8th grade. For more -
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t
of the Pentecost Novena, participants are
called to pray the Rosary, along with their choice of prayers
calling for a new descent of the Holy Spirit into the hearts
of all peoples through the intercession of Mary, Co-redemptrix,
Mediatrix, and Advocate. Pray every day the Holy Rosary.
Add to it from among these prayers: "Come Holy Spirit,
come through Mary." Pray the following powerful prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now your
Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts
of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration,
disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, be our Advocate. Amen." The beautiful
Pentecost prayer of the Church: "Veni Sancte Spiritus…"
Pray as your heart leads you …
dead. For Catholics, Easter Sunday comes at the end of 40
days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving known as Lent. Through
spiritual struggle and self-denial, we have prepared ourselves
to die spiritually with Christ on Good Friday, the day of
his Crucifixion, so that we can rise again with him in new
life on Easter. Easter is a day
of celebration because it represents the fulfillment of
our faith as Christians. St. Paul wrote that, unless Christ
rose from the dead, our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians
15:17). Through his death, Christ saved mankind from bondage
to sin, and he destroyed the hold that death has on all
of us; but it is his resurrection that gives us the promise
of new life, both in this world and the next.
That new life began on Easter Sunday. In the
Our Father, we pray that "Thy Kingdom come, on earth
as it is in Heaven." And Christ told his disciples
that some of them would not die until they saw the Kingdom
of God "coming in power" (Mark 9:1). The early
Christian Fathers saw Easter as the fulfillment of that
promise. With the resurrection of Christ, God's Kingdom
is established on earth, in the form of the Church. That
is why people who are converting to Catholicism traditionally
are baptized at the Easter Vigil service, which takes place
on 
Holy Saturday (the day before Easter), starting sometime
after sunset. They have usually undergone a long process
of study and preparation known as the Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Their baptism parallels Christ's
own death and resurrection, as they die to sin and rise
to new life in the Kingdom of God. Because of the central
importance of Easter to the Christian faith, the Catholic
Church requires that all Catholics who have made their First
Communion receive the Holy Eucharist sometime during the
Easter season, which lasts through Pentecost, 50 days after
Easter. (They should also take part in the Sacrament of
Confession before receiving this Easter communion.) This
reception of the Eucharist is a visible sign of our faith
and our participation in the Kingdom of God. Of course,
we should receive Communion as frequently as possible; this
"Easter Duty" is simply the minimum requirement
set by the Church.
Planned
Parenthood has opened the largest abortion clinic in the
Western Hemisphere in Aurora. People are needed to
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