St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, June 9, 2024

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From Fr. Mike Gabriel

This sentence from Sunday's Gospel has always bothered me, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirt will never be forgiven.”

What? A sin unforgiveable? Even blasphemy, which is insulting, or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God is forgivable, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not. So, I asked myself what exactly blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, so I don’t commit it.

Looking into the context of this Scripture, the sin is the absolute refusal to accept forgiveness: refusing to be forgiven, acknowledging that I need to be forgiven.

The sin is not God withholding his mercy, but it’s my power to refuse the mercy of God has

offered me.

But, how about in reverse? How about the sins of others that you and I refuse to forgive? How many of us have been offended by others in ways that we deem unforgivable?

Is there someone in your family, neighborhood, parish, work, or a political or religious leader, who you feel has offended you that you can’t find it in your heart to forgive? How

many of us gather today at the Lord’s Table, holding resentments and brooding over grudges that keep us from forgiving those who have hurt us?

Forgiving someone doesn't mean we accept or approve of how we feel we have been wronged, but rather allowing for a new beginning.

If you think I got that wrong, look at the cross.

These are hard words to write, and even more difficult to live. Pray with me that we who are freely forgiven by Jesus will grow freely forgiving one another.

Second Collection This Weekend

The second collection is for the Priests' Health and Retirement. There are 411 active priests and 253 retired archdiocesan priest who have and still serve all of us. They have played significant roles in our personal and spiritual lives and they are in need our of support.

Please be as generous as possible.

Letter from Cardinal Cupich

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Next weekend, as we celebrate Fathers’ Day, we pause to reflect on the gift fathers are to our families. We thank God for how they enrich our lives by their example, their support, their love and their wisdom.

It is also an occasion to honor those who father our parish communities, our priests who minister to us and tend to our needs as pastors. They come to mind as we recall the priest who performed our family marriages, who was at the bedside of a parent, spouse, or child close to death, who baptized our children, who heard our confession and whose homilies gave us hope to carry on.

Today, we are given an opportunity to stand by them, as they have stood by us, by 

giving generously to this weekend’s second collection in support of their health and retirement needs. The Priests’ Health and Retirement collection is for the benefit of our 411 active and 253 retired priests. We all know how health care costs continue to rise. This year the expenses for health care, nursing and priests’ retirement will total $13 million. This is the only collection for our archdiocesan priests’ health and retirement, those ordained to serve in our archdiocesan parishes. It is distinct from the annual collection for religious order priests, sisters and brothers, which was taken up earlier this year.

While our priests begin retirement only at age 70, many choose to stay active. And, many 

of those who do retire at 70 continue to let us know we can count on them by helping out on weekends in our parishes. Please join me in letting the sons of this archdiocese, who have stepped forward to give their lives in service to us, know that they can count on us.

Join me in making a generous contribution to this weekend’s second collection. Also, I ask you to consider naming the Priests’ Health and Retirement as one of the beneficiaries in your will, something I personally have done.

Each day they stand by us, so let’s stand by them now. We can do a lot if we all do our part. As we give thanks to God for our fathers on Fathers’ Day, let’s say a prayer for our priests, those who father our parishes

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Cardinal Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago

Friday, June 7

• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) in the Ministry Center

Saturday, June 8

• Deadline to register for our Youth Mission Experience
• Second collection at Masses for Priests’ Health & Retirement

Sunday, June 9

• Second collection at Masses for Priests’ Health & Retirement

Monday, June 10

• Book club in the Ministry Center

Tuesday, June 11

• CLG Workers Forum: The Dignity of Labor and Connecting with Catholic Social Teaching 

Thursday, June 13

• 11:30 am - Women's Friendship Club in the Ministry Center

Friday, June 14

• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) in the Ministry Center

Sunday, June 16

• Father's Day
• Last Gym Mass until September

Monday, June 17

• Wildcat Summer Camp begins

Wednesday, June 19

• Juneteenth
• Rectory office closed

Saturday, June 22 & Sunday June 23

• Food & Supply Drive for Care for Real

Friday, June 28

• 6:00 pm ~ Deanery procession and devotions at Holy Child Jesus Parish (formerly Saint Margaret Mary Church), 2324 W. Chase
• 7:00 pm - Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) in the Ministry Center

Saturday, June 29

• 5:00-7:30 pm Vicariate celebration at Queen of All Saints Basilica, 6280 N. Sauganash

Monday, July 10

• Youth group Mission Experience starts

Guadalupanos Rosary Group (Grupo del Rosario de Guadalupanos) on Friday Evenings

All are welcome to attend the weekly Rosary group held on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm.

The bilingual gathering is held in the dining room of the Ministry Center, located at 6214 N. Glenwood Avenue.

Deadline for our Summertime Teen Mission Experience is June 8

The deadline for this summer's Mission Experience is fast approaching! Registration is due by Saturday, June 8.

Our youth mission experience is planned for the week of July 22-26. Teens in our parish youth group, in sixth grade through high school, are invited to volunteer with a different Chicagoland organization each day. 

There is a $100 fee for the week. A $50 deposit is required at the time of registration. Please note that there are scholarships available!

All participants will receive a t-shirt, water bottle, and a sports drawstring backpack. To reserve a spot or to get more information, contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.

Book Club is Monday, June 10

Please join the book club in the Ministry Center on Monday, June 10 at 7:00 pm. We will discuss Deacon King Kong by James McBride.

There are many copies of the book available at the Chicago Public Library.

Contact Lea Cloninger at 773.973.2465 or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions.

CLG Workers Forum on Tuesday, June 11: The Dignity of Labor and Connecting with Catholic Social Teaching

The Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago (CLG) has undertaken an initiative to highlight the long-standing Catholic teaching supporting the rights of workers. A committee of CLG members has put together this forum to educate and enlighten attorneys–and the larger community–about the meaning of Catholic social justice teaching and its continuing relevance for workplace justice and labor advocacy.

The Forum will take place on Tuesday, June 11 from 11:45 am until 2:15 pm. It will be held at the Carpenters Council Hall located at 12 East Erie Street in Chicago. Lunch will be provided.

Two-hours of Illinois general CLE credit will be provided for this program. Registration is required to attend, please provide ARDC during registration to attain CLE credit. Sign up at https://clgchicago.wildapricot.org/event-5719483.

We hope you can join us!

Women's Friendship Club Gathering on Thursday, June 13

The St. Gertrude Women's Friendship Club meets monthly on the second Thursday of every month in the Ministry Center.

The gathering begins at 11:30 am; attendees should bring their own (brown bag) lunch. Dessert is provided!

Commonweal Dialogue Returns Next Friday, June 14

Commonweal Dialogue is returning to St. Gertrude’s Parish this June!

Commonweal Dialogue provides opportunities for civil and cordial conversation about topics of contemporary concern at the intersection of faith and politics.

We plan to meet several times a year and to alternate Sunday afternoon tea parties with Friday evening wine and pizza events in the hope that as many people as possible will be able to participate. The readings we have selected we believe will encourage meaningful and enlightening conversation.

Topic: Please read Ursula K. LeGuin’s very short sci fi story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (available online). This story symbolically raises questions about inequality, individual human suffering, and the common good in many areas of our contemporary social and political life. (Even if you don’t have time to read the story, join us anyway, and we’ll get you up to speed so you can join in the discussion.)

The first meeting will be held on the evening of Friday, June 14 at 6:30 pm in the backyard of John Williams, 1305 West Glenlake in Chicago.



Please RSVP so we know how much pizza to buy! Email Denise DeBelle at ddebelle@gmail.com, John Williams at joolikar@gmail.com, or Verna Foster at vfoster@luc.edu.

Wildcat Summer Camp Begins June 17th

Have you made summer plans yet for your kids? Register them for Wildcat Camp! Camp begins June 19 and will provide a safe, engaging experience with a variety of recreational, educational, athletic, and fine arts programs at an affordable price!

For more information on dates and pricing, visit www.northsidecatholic.org or call 773.743.6277. The 2024 Wildcat Summer Camp Flyer is be seen here.

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Rectory Office Closed on Juneteenth, Wednesday, June 19

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans and is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.

The rectory office will be closed. Mass will be held at 7:30 am.

Food & Supply Drive for Care for Real - June 22 & June 23

Our monthly Food & Supply Drive for Care for Real is June 22 and June 23. Please place nonperishable items in the bins at the back of church.

Special needs this month include diapers in sizes 2-6. Visit www.careforreal.org/wishlist to shop our Amazon or Target wishlists to shop-to-donate today.

Donations can also be dropped off between 12:00-3:00 pm every Monday-Saturday at the back entrance of 5339 N. Sheridan. 

On July 6 and 7, we will collect food and supplies for our neighbors seeking asylum. 

Parish Composter Closed Until June 17

Please note that our parish composter is being shut down until June 17 for routine maintenance. Please do not add ANY material until after June 17. Right now the composter is totally empty and needs to remain so until a repair can be made.

Once the composter is fixed, we also request that you please be mindful of small labels and remove them prior to placing them in the composter.

Also, please do NOT add egg shells and avocado skins and pits to the composter. They are not breaking down in our composter, so we prefer they not be added in the future.

Rollator Walkers Needed for the Lending Closet

The Lending Closet is in dire need of rollator walkers (walkers with a seat) and tub transfer benches. 

Please e-mail or call the Lending Closet manager Laurie Hasbrook at lhasbrook@stgertrudechicago.org or 773-973-5464 ext. 115 if you have one to donate.

Growing in Faith

“Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Jesus’ teaching in the gospel today was shocking to his listeners. He didn’t say “Any son or daughter of Abraham” or “any disciple of mine” but “whoever,” and this opens up intimate family membership to the world, to everyone.

Doesn’t this gospel come to us precisely at  the time, when we are so aware of our global identity, our global union with others, and also at a time when our history of division and evidence of ongoing racial, sexual and economic prejudices are shown to us every day in the media and in our life in the city?   

Jesus’ wide-open brotherhood to those who do God’s will stops us up short, doesn’t it? Being family means we have intimate access to Jesus, and he to us, but then also that all members of God’s family across the city and world, have family access to us.  

As Jesus sees us trying to do the Father’s will in our lives, he holds out his arms to embrace us as brothers, sisters, and mothers, and so this Sunday, we join our hearts to him and see, perhaps newly, our call to recognize and lovingly respond as family members to all those who share in this family with us.

~ Sister Wendy Cotter CSJ, Ph.D

New Parishioner

• Margaret Barry

Eucharistic Ministers

• Saturday, June 8 at 5:00 pm - Tim Harrington
• Sunday, June 9 at 8:00 am - Steven Monti
• Sunday, June 9 at 10:30 am - Bob Backis, Annie Hasselbeck, Steven Hasselbeck

Upcoming Mass Intentions



• Monday, June 10: 7:30 am - Larry McCauley+
• Tuesday, June 11: 7:30 am - Glen and Mary Joe Martin+
• Wednesday, June 12: 7:30 am - Cheryl Zub
• Thursday, June 13: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, June 14: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Saturday, June 15: 7:30 am - People of God; 5:00 pm - Alfredo Lukinskas+
• Sunday, June 16: 8:00 am - Pascual Gusmanos; 10:30 am - Mary Elizabeth Buttitta+; 10:30 am Gym - People of God

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.