Dear Friend,
Welcome to the month of August! We begin the last month of summer during the most unusual year in recent history. Hopefully you are finding ways to enjoy the bountiful flora, fresh air, and a friend or two from a safe, social distance. We pray that you get a moment to rest and relax, even if your vacation plans have changed and things are unexpected.
Here are the key notifications for Saint Andrew Parish for the week ahead.
Join Us for Mass
Saint Andrew Parish will celebrate Mass this Sunday, August 9, 2020 and on the subsequent Sundays as scheduled on our website. All attendees must have a reservation. There are no walk-ups permitted. To make a reservation for this Sunday's Mass or a subsequent Sunday and to review the additional changes and expectations, please read more...
Consider Catholic Schools for your Child this Fall
Saint Andrew School is following the comprehensive plan issued by the Office of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago to reopen safely for in-person classes as well as several contingencies for modified closures and online learning opportunities. The full plan can be read by clicking here. If your family is not currently enrolled at Saint Andrew School, there are openings for students in several grade levels. To find out more and set up an appointment to enroll your child, visit www.gosaintandrew.com.
Religious Education for Grades K-8
For those not attending a Catholic School, our Religious Education program is also accepting new students. Saint Andrew uses a family-catechesis model that engages the whole family. All operation of the program will be handled via online meetings on Sundays through at least December. Previous participants do not need to re-register unless their contact information has changed. To learn more and to register your child, read more...
We have reopened our church for worship, but we currently are only able to offer one Mass per Sunday because of the more unusual effort and volunteer support that it takes to open for a single religious service. Even as our reopening team has done a great job, we don't offer multiple Masses because the need for multiple Masses has not yet been demonstrated. In addition, our most urgent concern is to address the needs of parishioners who are still waiting to be baptized from Easter as well as the First Communicants who never made their First Communion. To serve these parishioners, we still need the assistance of more volunteers. If you are not in a vulnerable population and able to help out, please sign up at www.standrew.org/post/volunteer-for-church-reopening/
For your convenience, we've included a copy of yesterday's bulletin below.
Below is a copy of the Sunday homily given by Fr. Sergio this past Sunday.
In his homily for August 2, 2020, Fr. Sergio references the musical composition Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten by Arvo Part. We've included a recording of the song below for you to listen to.
In the final words of this Flocknote, we want to take a moment to honor the life of Vicky Grogan who passed away this past week and had her funeral today. Vicky was a life-long parishioner at Saint Andrew and taught 3rd grade Religious Education for over 20 years. We give thanks for the life that she shared with all of us, ask the angels would welcome her into paradise, and we grieve with the family for the loss of their beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. Rest in peace.