Just as a reminder, tomorrow Saturday, September 24th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom. Even if you aren’t usually a 5 pm Saturday Mass attendee, we encourage you to join us this Saturday. In honor of this special day, all of our clergy will be concelebrating Mass, and we will have an elevated music program. This is a great opportunity for us to unite as a community in gratitude for the many ways Our Lady of Ransom has blessed us.

Donations are being collected this weekend, September 24^th and 25^th.   Plastic bins will be in the Gathering Space of our church. Food items especially needed are: 

Thank you in advance for your generosity in helping others.  

We need a few volunteers to assist in regularly cleaning the linens we use for the celebration of Mass. This important responsibility is a concrete way that our parishioners can contribute to the most important thing we do as a parish - the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist. We aim to have several additional volunteers, allowing for a rotating schedule. Individual training on how to handle these sacred linens will be provided. If you want more information or are interested in helping, please email Fr. John at frjohn@olransom.org or call him at 847.823.2550.

The sacrament of matrimony is one of the greatest gifts Jesus has given to humanity and allows us to participate in the love of the Trinity in a unique way. But like any vocation, there can be times of challenge and struggle that seem insurmountable. The Retrouvaille experience is dedicated to serving couples who are experiencing difficulties in their marriage. On its website, Retrouvaille describes its target audience as follows:

The next Chicago area Retrouvaille is coming in mid-October. For more information or to register, please click here or go to www.retrouvailee.org.

The Knights of Columbus will host a one day retreat that will take place from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, 10/22/2022, at Our Lady of Hope (9711 W. Devon Avenue, Rosemont), and invite all men of area parishes to participate.    

The Source and Summit of Christian Life: Inspired by the USCCB’s Eucharistic Revival, the goal for this year's retreat is to help the men of our northwest-side parishes revive their faith in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist and develop a deeper understanding of what the Eucharist can be in their own life.      

Anticipated retreat speakers include: Fr. James Wallace (Pastor, St. Paul of the Cross), Fr. Matt Bozovsky (Pastor, Our Lady of Ransom), and Fr. Britto Birchmans. 

In addition to thought provoking presentations by our speakers, the program will include Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. Coffee and pastries will be available in the morning, and lunch will be provided. A donation of $30 is requested from those attendees who can afford to do so.

To reserve your spot, register for the retreat by emailing your name and contact information to kofcmaria4836@gmail.com.

All families in the parish are invited to join us for Family Dinner this Sunday evening, September 25 (the weekend we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom!) from 5:30-7:30pm in Paluch Hall. Join us for dinner, games, formation, and a cool family project: this month is #CarpentryKickoff! Our Men's Ministry will be accompanying us through building and painting a family cross for our homes. We'll show you a way to pray with your new cross as a family, and they'll be blessed on the way out!

This event is free and open to everyone -- just RSVP at the link below so we know how many are coming. And remember -- even if you don't have children or young people living in your home -- that doesn't mean you aren't a family -- come with your spouse or group of adult friends in the faith -- everyone belongs to a School of Sainthood!

RSVP here by 11pm Friday/tonight
Check out more about School of Sainthood here!

With Tootsie Rolls in hand, the Knights of Columbus – Maria Council #4836 will be soliciting donations for their annual ID Drive before and after Masses this weekend. The ID Drive is one of the most recognizable activities that the Knights of Columbus do each year. All proceeds collected are distributed to local programs directly supporting children and/or adults with intellectual disabilities.  

If you are interested in helping those in need, serving our parish, or growing in your Catholic faith with a band of brothers, consider joining the Knights of Columbus. Maria Council #4836 is the local Knights of Columbus council supporting Our Lady of Ransom, St. Paul of the Cross, Mary Seat of Wisdom, and Our Lady of Hope. Maria Council’s members will happily answer your membership questions during the I.D. Drive. You may also email Maria Council’s Grand Knight, Robbie Gawronski, at kofcmaria4836@gmail.com for additional information.  

Crop Walk 2022--Sunday, October 16th. This will be our 31st anniversary! Almost $177k dollars has been donated to the Maine Township Emergency Food Pantry through walkers and donors from our community. That represents 25% of funds raised, with the other 75% helping people in the U.S. and abroad.

There are multiple ways for you to support the Crop Walk.

Please click here for more info on how to sign up and participate. Representatives from the Crop Walk will be in the Gathering Space before/after masses on the weekend of 10/8 &9, to answer your questions.

Do you like to bake? Looking for a way to make a difference for the parish but from the comfort of your very own kitchen? Alpha would like to have desserts on hand for each week's dinner. The idea would be to have parishioners donate cookies, brownies, cakes, etc that we can keep in the freezer and then pull out when needed. Presently we serve about 45 people each week but any quantity is appreciated. We can easily mix and match. This is also a great family activity. Please contact Kevin with any questions or if you can supply desserts: kevin@olransom.org or 847-823-2550. Thank you, sweet friends.