Dear Our Lady of Ransom Family:

Sorry for the back-to-back emails - we promise this will be the only time it happens. Some news and updates about the parish:

- Recently, Bishop Bartosic was in the area for the installation of the new pastor of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, my former classmate Fr. Derek Ho. The Bishop and I were able to connect and had a fantastic conversation. The bishop expressed his support for our parish and for me as pastor, and spoke positively about the vision of renewal that is gaining momentum in our area. We also spoke about a very unique collaboration that our parish is entering into with the Archdiocese. I look forward to sharing more about that in the coming weeks as it is an affirmation from the Archdiocese that we are heading in the right direction. I am grateful to Bishop Bartosic for his support, and I encourage you to join me in keeping him in prayer.

- We have had an amazing response to the custom 60th anniversary Our Lady of Ransom rosaries. Please remember that pre-orders will end next Thursday. At that time, the limited edition rosaries will no longer be available, and the price of the others will increase. If you're interested, please click here.

- For the past 28 years, OLR has supported the annual Crop Walk. Almost $160,000 dollars has been donated to the Maine Township Emergency Food Pantry through walkers and donors from our community. As OLR’s captain, Lynda Santrella says, ‘we are one of the most respected walks in the nation…small but mighty’. There are several important ways you can support it: 1) Between now and October 18^th, sign up with the OLR team and start collecting pledges; 2) See the official site for information about the restaurant fund-raisers scheduled for this event. For more info on how to sign up and participate, please click: Our Lady of Ransom - Niles/Park Ridge CROP Hunger Walk

- I appreciate those of you who continue to express interest in our current financial state. In recent months, our cash flow is averaging -15.5k per month. This loss is due to a pandemic related dip in collections. In the coming week John McNally, our Director of Operations, will update the finance council on the current situation. Most parishes in the Archidiocese have seen a 40-50% decrease in collections, so what we are experiencing is no different from others. For the current fiscal year (July 2020-June 2021) we have budgeted for that decrease and have still been able to submit a more balanced budget then we have in recent years. This is due to the more efficient use of resources that our staff has engaged in, and a decrease in non-mission related spending. Thanks again to the generosity of all our parishioners whose donations allow our community to grow.

- This weekend is a second collection for the seminary system in Chicago. Since we are not doing a typical collection, we ask you to place your envelopes in our collection bins in the back of the Church, or drop them off at the Ministry Center.

- A special thank you to those who responded so quickly and generously to last month’s appeal for Ransom Responds - Food Pantry. Special thanks as well to all of our dedicated volunteers who faithfully sort, pack, and deliver your gifts to households in need. Ransom Responds continues to grow and is presently serving 96 households for a total of over 240 individuals. Providing this assistance involves the monthly distribution of: $1400 in groceries, $1000 in grocery gift cards, $200 in diapers, formula and other infant supplies - and those numbers are growing! If you would like to donate to Ransom Responds, please click here.