Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am very excited for the pilgrimage this Saturday that will serve as the first of two Confirmation retreats for your child's Confirmation cohort. I have more information about the retreat below my signature.

Thank you for those who have volunteered to assist by coming on the bus as a chaperone. There is still room for additional parents on the bus. I'm also in need of one of the parents who is picking up their child at our final stop (Our Lady of Africa parish) to help bring the box lunches to us at the final stop(Subway sandwiches, chips, cookie, and drink).

Participants do not need to bring anything but themselves. I will have a printed retreat guide which I hope they will keep, so perhaps their folders or backpacks are a useful item to bring. Also a water bottle is good idea to stay hydrated. Mostly, they just need to bring themselves and be open to the experience.

CHANGE OF SCHEDULE -- We will leave from in front of Saint Andrew School at 8:00am. Our return will be a little bit sooner. We now anticipate returning by 2:00pm. If that becomes a problem for pick up, there will be supervision for your child till the previously announced time (2:30pm).

Please let me know if you have any further questions!

Blessings,

David Heimann

Confirmation Retreat Updated Information

Each year of Confirmation Preparation (both year 1 and year 2) participants are required to make a retreat. For the first year retreat for this cohort, we are making a pilgrimage to the holy sites of Venerable Augustus Tolton on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 8:00am to 2:00pm. Lunch is included.

We now know more about the details of the retreat. We will leave by bus the which will depart from in front of Saint Andrew School at 8:00am. The full itinerary of places the bus will take us is found at the bottom of this email. There is also a guidebook in pdf format below which you can download that describing the journey we will make and information about each stop.

While a retreat is required for Confirmation, attendees will still need to have a signed permission slip indicating that they have permission to attend, have released liability, and parents/guardians know about the drop off and pick up times. In a short while, expect an email from me from my Adobe account that will allow you to sign the permission slip electronically or print it and have it returned to me by April 25.

Chaperones are still needed. Email david@standrew.org if you are interested in participating in this unique and exciting spiritual experience.

Tolton Pilgrimage Guidebook

A list of the sites that will be viewed during the Pilgrimage

Site 1 Cardinal Meyer Center – Welcome and short film on Fr. Augustus Tolton - 3525 South Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653
Site 2 Historical Site of Old St. Mary’s Church - 9th Street and Wabash Avenue, Chicago
Site 3 Fr. Tolton’s one-room apartment during his first few months in Chicago 2251 - South Indiana Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616
Site 4 Rectory site of Fr. Tolton - 448 West 36th Street, Chicago, IL 60609
Site 5 Storefront site of St. Monica Catholic Church first Black Catholic parish - 3554 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60609, Permanent site of St. Monica Catholic Church 36th Street and Dearborn Street, Chicago
Site 6 St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - 50 East 41st Street, Chicago, IL 60653
Site 7 Where Fr. Tolton disembarked from train and walked home on July 9th, 1897 - 35th Street and Lake Park, Chicago
Site 8 Location where Fr. Tolton collapsed and from where he was rushed to the hospital by police - 36th Street and Ellis Avenue, Chicago
Site 9 Mercy Hospital – Where Fr. Tolton died - 2525 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago
Site 10 Mt. Olivet Cemetery – Grave sites of Martha Anne Tolton (mother of Fr. Tolton) and Anne Pettis (Fr. Tolton’s sister) - 2755 West 111th Street, Chicago
Site 11 Our Lady of Africa Church - 607 E. Oakwood Blvd. Chicago, IL 60653 for Mass and lunch with Fr. Father Carl Gales

Return home by 2:30pm