Pre-Cana Classes Start Soon
Join us for a new series of Pre-Cana classes! Classes start Thursday, February 11, 2021. Classes are being held in-person or online, and the course runs for five weeks. For more information, contact the parish office at [email protected], or click the button below to register.
Volunteer Appreciation Mass
To our SMA volunteers and their families:
Thank you for your continued dedication to and support of St. Mary of the Angels’ Parish. From our Mass volunteers to Family of Faith catechists, ProLife group, webmaster, Baptism Godfriends, and many more… our parish relies on the volunteers who share their particular gifts, talents and time with our parish. We know your involvement at SMA may have looked different in 2020, with many activities not taking place or being “virtual” rather than in-person, but we are so grateful for your continued involvement in sharing your gifts with our parish.
In February 2020, we were able to host a dinner to celebrate the many volunteers of our parish. Since we are unable to do that at this time, we would like to invite you and your family to join us for a special Mass to honor the men, women, and families who continue to share themselves with our parish.
Please find the full invitation attached to this email. You may share it with any other SMA volunteers; we hope all volunteers will be able to join us for this celebration!
Please RSVP through FlockNote or by calling Martha in the parish office by Monday, February 1.
March For Life
MARCH FOR LIFE – A RALLY ON THE ROAD!
The SMA ProLife Group invites you to join the 2021 March for Life! Bring your cars, and raise your signs and your voices in downtown Chicago.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
Before: Decorate your car with pro-life signs, purchase diapers to donate to the massive diaper drive, and decide whether you are going to drive with your household or by Caravan.
ON JANUARY 23
- 12 pm.- Check-in at St. John Cantius Church -receive any signs or swag you ordered, and line up to begin the car procession.
- 1 pm.- Car Rally Procession. You’ll listen to the rally as you drive.
- 2:30 pm.- Procession End and Diaper Drop-off at Southside Pregnancy Center. By donating diapers to local pregnancy resource centers, you’ll have an opportunity to support babies and their parents. Chicago is the leading city in the Midwest for abortions. Babies and their mothers need your support! Contact Dolores for more information: [email protected]
Supporting Single Parents
Join us for a Panel discussion with Dr. Daniel B. Martinez, Board-Certified physician with specialty in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Anne Grosklaus, Director of House of the Good Shepherd/Madonna for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, along with Luis and Martha Jaime, sharing their personal experiences on raising single families in the Catholic faith. Moderated by Dr. Jaime Vasquez, Head of School of the Willows Academy.
The challenges of single parenthood affect all of us, whether we personally experience that situation or not. This workshop is meant to provide help for parents facing those challenges – as well as suggestions for the families and friends of those who love them!
Photo by Zach Callahan on Unsplash
New YouTube Channel Name
St. Mary of the Angels has a new YouTube Channel Name:
https://www.youtube.com/c/StMaryoftheAngelsChurch
Be sure to subscribe and hit the notification button to receive all of the parish’s new videos on YouTube.
Women’s Book Club
Each month a group of women from the parish gather to discuss a book about the Catholic faith. Selections range from conversion stories to the lives of the Saints, deeper theological texts, and modern subjects relevant to women’s lives. Meetings are currently virtual and take place on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00pm. Check the information below for this month’s choice.
February Book
Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It by Jennifer Fulwiler
Jennifer Fulwiler told herself she was happy. Why wouldn’t she be? She made good money as a programmer at a hot tech start-up, had just married a guy with a stack of Ivy League degrees, and lived in a twenty-first-floor condo where she could sip sauvignon blanc while watching the sun set behind the hills of Austin. Raised in a happy, atheist home, Jennifer had the freedom to think for herself and play by her own rules. Yet a creeping darkness followed her all of her life. Finally, one winter night, it drove her to the edge of her balcony, making her ask once and for all why anything mattered. At that moment everything she knew and believed was shattered. – Goodreads
Thursday, February 4, 7:00pm: Discuss the Entire Book
Women’s Lenten Book Study
Join our SMA Women’s Book Club by reading a book this Lent, meeting two times on Zoom to discuss. We will be reading Dr. Scott Hahn’s “The Fourth Cup: Unveiling the Mystery of the Last Supper and the Cross”.
Well-known Catholic theologian Dr. Scott Hahn explains Christ’s Paschal sacrifice on the cross as the fulfillment of the traditional fourth cup used in the celebration of Passover, drawing symbolic parallels to the Last Supper and Christ’s death on Calvary. Through his scholarly insights and important biblical connections, Mass will come alive for you as never before!
–Goodreads
Thursday, March 4 at 7:00pm (Zoom) – Discuss Chapters 1-5
Thursday, April 8 at 7:00pm (Zoom) – Discuss Chapters 6-14
Join Us
If you are interested in joining, please email [email protected] or join the “Women’s Book Club” group on FlockNote.
Admissions News
It’s Admissions Season and we love referrals! We are now scheduling in-person, private school tours after school hours and on select Sundays (11/15, 12/13 & 1/31).
Applications are also being accepted for the 2021-22 academic year. Please spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors. Either refer them directly to Heather Kracik via email ([email protected]), or have them register for a tour through the link below.
Thank you for spreading the word about our very special school!
Family of Faith/FAMILIA DE FÉ
Family of Faith/FAMILIA DE FÉ
The Family of Faith Program is a new religious education initiative. It concentrates on supporting and strengthening families in both faith and their family unity. The program results in strengthening both the family and parish life as a great “Family of Faith.” It builds upon the most powerful element of effective faith transmission, the family.
This program has a term of four years. The complete course is an introduction to all aspects of Catholic faith, life and morals. Through it, the students and their parents, will grow together in their spiritual journey, through attendance at Holy Mass, regular family activities, prayer, and participation in parish life. Instead of being something external, isolated, or merely obligatory at times for various reasons, students will come to understand and value their religion as a way of life—for all their lives!
Mass Intentions
Volunteers Needed At Mass
Keep Masses and Sacraments Open at St. Mary of the Angels!
We need your help to keep the church safe and open for the sacraments, personal prayer, and Holy Mass.
Volunteers make sure people stay safe, events run smoothly, and surfaces are properly cleaned. To volunteer, please send an email to [email protected].
In times past, Catholics would say: “No Priest, no sacraments.” Now we say: “No volunteers, no sacraments.” Please, if you are healthy and in a lower-risk group, consider offering the gift of your time in this new form of service. And, if you are planning to attend a Mass it is convenient to volunteer for that Mass! This allows more people to attend Masses!
We are all grateful for those who have helped us already! We couldn’t do it without you! Thank you very much!
Pioneers Father-Son Club
Baptism Class Sign Up
Are you looking to become a godparent or baptize your child? If you are interested, please email [email protected] to sign up and for potential virtual baptism class dates!
For more information, including online registration, please see our Baptism Page!
MEMORARE CAMPAIGN
Let’s storm heaven with many prayers for growth and for the mission vitality of our parish! As of today there are 2,500 Memorares being prayed daily for this intention!
Pray the Memorare everyday, and let us know you are doing it by entering the number of Memorares you will pray daily in the pledge card we have available in the church. Click the button below to pledge how many memorares you can pray.