Faithful can subscribe to the notes by contacting the parish office and providing their email address. Feel Free Passing on this e-mail to anyone wishes to learn more about the Novena from the first shrine of the United States!!!

Please remember - Fr. Pete does not send out text messages, emails or social media posts to solicit funds for himself or any organizations outside of the parishes he serves. Fr. Pete's emergency phone number is (815) 685-1359 and his e-mail addresses are either pjankowski@yahoo.com or pjankowski@stfrancis.edu. Please do not trust any correspondences that utilize any other phone number or e-mail address.

Dear Friends of the Novena

As we collect all the evaluations and comments from this year’s Novena and Feast Day Celebrations, we are very humbled at the response of our faithful. Our crowd this year at the Masses were about one hundred souls LARGER than the previous year’s and the collection for our Masses was about $2,000 greater as well (which comes in handy, considering the costs for what we purchased and rented TRIPLED since 2021). For those who traveled great distances and sought out really spiritual experiences, we now have to address the issues concerning a more substantial procession of the relic after all three Masses, more opportunities to venerate the relic and the need to provide confessions for those in attendance. We heard GREAT comments about our homilists, our music (and yes, the music at the Traditional Latin Mass led us an almost TWO HOUR SERVICE!). We are so thankful for everyone who helped us at the Novena, from the Food Sales to the Children’s Activities to Parking etc. Lots of good souls made the Novena the great success that it was!

One of my priest friends in Chicago encouraged me to visit some more of the French-speaking communities within the Chicagoland Area so that they are made aware of this annual pilgrimage. On Catholic Spirit Radio, we mentioned how one of our local clergy from over a hundred years ago, Fr. Achilles Bergeron, lived in Bourbonnais during his formative years in the 19th Century. When he was ordained a priest, Fr. Bergeron encouraged the local French communities (among others) he served in Chicago to make that pilgrimage to St. Anne’s around 1884. Because of his devotion to the Novena and Feast Day, Fr. Bergeron was able to bring trainloads of faithful to our community, a tradition we need to rekindle to bring our faithful even closer to God through this wonderful devotion.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been able to make PDF transcripts of the homilies I preached on all the Novena Days as well as the Online and In-Church Feast Day Masses. We are in the process of doing the same for the homilies of Bishop Christopher Glancy and Fr. Moses Mesh. By the time we communicate with you next month, hopefully these transcripts will be online as well. In addition, we found a transcript of my interview with Paul Garcia from Catholic Spirit Radio that we will clean up and put online as well. There are over THIRTY Novena Masses that you can watch on the Parish and Novena website (a result of one-hundred-twenty hours of work… that is the equivalent of three work weeks or five continuous twenty-four hour days!). We do the best we can to take care of your spiritual needs.

This is the most important part of this experience – the enhance the spiritual life of our faithful. If we look towards the love of God through prayer, devotion, liturgy and veneration, we put away the small things of the world that try to divide us and we focus on the spiritual that will get us to heaven. In a society that has conditioned our communities to tear each other apart, God wishes to cleanse and fill with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we have a disposition of LOVE. Please know we will do what we can to pray for you and to love you in God’s name. Please do the same for us – we need your prayers as well to persevere!

As a side note… we received a note this weekend that one of our younger priests in the diocese (Fr. Jerome Kish) underwent bypass surgery last week and needs your prayers. We need you to continue praying for the clerics who serve us today and encourage the next generation to consider a vocation to the priesthood or religious life (perhaps the Viatorian Religious Life? The more Viatorians we embrace, the bigger presence they can offer to our Novena celebrations!). This weekend, Fr. John Eustice and Deacon Jhobany Orduz, CSV will help us at Masses in Momence, IL. We need to keep supporting our Viatorian Clerics – there are not that many left!!! (The same goes for diocesan priests, so support the ones we have so that St. Anne’s may continue to offer these Novenas in the future). – Fr. Pete

PDF of Homily - First Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Second Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Third Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Fourth Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Fifth Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Sixth Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Seventh Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Eighth Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Ninth Day of Novena

PDF of Homily - Online Homily for St. Anne's Day (Fr. Pete Jankowski)

PDF of Homily - In-Church Homily for St. Anne's Day (Fr. Pete Jankowski)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE 2024 ST. ANNE NOVENA AND FEAST DAY!!!

How blessed we were on a beautiful summer’s day to celebrate the 144th St. Anne Novena at the first shrine of the United States! Around six-hundred souls were in attendance throughout the day, receiving God’s blessings and sharing God’s love with families and friends on a day honoring family and those parents and grandparents who make such a difference in our lives.

For the first time in a while, we had to put out extra chairs for those in attendance at the 10:00 a.m. Mass with Bishop Christopher Glancy, CSV. A bunch of Viatorian Clerics were at the event, sharing a religious experience that has been passed down by those clerics before them who brought the relic of St. Anne to the United States through Quebec, Canada and the Basilica of Our Lady of Beaupre.

Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs

and wonders, you will not believe.” – Jn 4: 48

I want to thank each person who helped us with the St. Anne Novena Feast Day and Novena devotions from July 17-26. Obviously, what was offered may not be appreciated by so many people, but for those who attended the devotion, what you did means the world. For God who knows what is in your heart, your place will be inscribed in heaven. This is not my opinion – this comes from the bible (in rather harsh words, I might add) … “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” – James 2: 14, 26

The problem in our society is that many often lack faith, which our scriptures tell us is the precondition for miracles to happen. Over the last hundred or so years, we have seen how the faith life of our secular community has decreased; we have seen how violence and anger and division has resulted because of this lack of faith. Scriptures tell us that “many are called, few are chosen” (Mt 22: 14). For those who invest in the faith, for those who reveal that faith by doing God’s work at our local parish, you show God that you are serious about your faith… and God knows what you and I have done (good or bad). This is all that matters. For that, I thank all of you who helped us with the Novena. We have seen the good that this devotion has provided for the people of faith, whether it be five or five hundred (in our case this year, almost SIX HUNDRED!)..

The Most Rev. Christopher Glancy, CSV is the highest ranking Cleric of St. Viator living in the United States. We were blessed that Bishop Glancy was able to join us for this celebration and provide the Lord’s grace for our people of faith for the almost four hundred souls that attended our 10:00 a.m. Mass in English.

Rev. Moises Mesh has been serving the Hispanic Community at the Border Town Parishes since 2019 and has become a tremendous resource of faith for those who attend the Masses at which he presides. Much thanks to Deacon Arnulfo Cisneros for assisting us at Mass and processing with the relic for our faithful.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

HIGH MASS IN LATIN VIDEO

With the assistance of the Traditional Mass Choir from Joliet, IL, Fr. Pete Jankowski sings the almost two hour Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anne’s Church on her feast day! Thanks to the Sisters of the Annunciation Monastery (and Russell Parent, their maintenance resident) for helping Fr. Pete learn how to celebrate the Latin Mass.

Included in this homily are the highlights from the entire day's activities and events.

Fr. Pete scrapped the homily he was going to preach (which you can watch at his Online Mass which was recorded in advance for the Feast Day) in favor of an e-mail he received the day before from Olivia Connell, whose mother Monica had to suffer over a decision about her soon-to-be born infant and Monica's deep respect for life. The homily reflects on the sacredness of children and Monica's "choice" in this world.

Included in this homily are highlights from the St. Anne's Day Festivities held on-site at the National Shrine.

Dear Friends of the St. Anne Novena:

The Podcast of My Conversation with Paul Garcia (pictured above) is now available to hear on Catholic Spirit Radio. Here is the description that the station included on their site...

https://catholicspiritradio.podbean.com/.../st-anne.../

Welcome to Catholic Conversations on Catholic Spirit Radio! I'm your host, Paul Garcia. Today, we're honored to have Father Pete Jankowski from St. Anne's Catholic Church in St. Anne, Illinois, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Momence, Illinois. Father Pete is also a theology teacher at St. Francis University in Illinois. Join us as Father Pete shares exciting updates about the upcoming 138th annual St. Anne Novena and its rich history.

The St. Anne Novena is a nine-day period of prayer leading up to the Feast of St. Anne on July 26th. This tradition, which began in the 1850s, includes venerating a relic of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Father Pete recounts the history of the relic and its journey from France to St. Anne, Illinois, and shares miraculous stories of healing associated with it.

Father Pete emphasizes the significance of faith, prayer, and community in experiencing God's grace. He invites everyone to participate in the Novena Masses from July 17th to 25th and the special events on July 26th, including Masses in English, Latin, and Spanish, processions, and activities for all ages.

Tune in to hear inspiring stories and learn more about the spiritual and historical importance of the St. Anne Novena. Discover how this event brings people together in faith and devotion, offering a unique opportunity to encounter God's love and grace.

In addition, our friends from Bethlehem Gifts will be present to sell their olive wood products from the Holy Land on July 26 as well. As you know, things are mot going well in Israel right now. Those Christians who still live in the Holy Land (who represent about 1% of the country's total population) are not supported well because of the ongoing war. Tony Lama from Bethlehem was nice enough to send about two-hundred rosaries for us to distribute on July 26 so we can pray for peace together. All proceeds from these sales will benefit the Christians living in Israel.

We continue to receive phone calls from parishes that have not attended our Novenas previously. One of the effects of parishes being closed throughout the area is that good souls who attached to this devotion have sought us out and have inquired about bringing their busloads of faithful to our little slice of heaven!

Ann Weber from the radio station has offered great advice to upgrade our website and our Online Masses as well. I also wish to thank Deacon Pat Skelly (with keyboardist Kavin Sampson), Joliet resident Melissa Sigler (accompanied by Ray Kaufman, who is now at a care center from a horrible fall earlier this month) and the St. Anne Choir (and Cheryl King) for providing renditions of the Hymn to St. Anne that we have included in these videos.

Nine ladies from the area were kind enough to proclaim the readings for the Online Masses, including Cheryl Mancuso, Linda "Cookie" Schroeder, Chris Sutherland, Eileen Pionke (whose reading provided the inspiration for these Masses), June Downey, Susan Surprenant, Bailey Boicken, Leslie Meyer and Madison "Maddie" Meyer.

I also wish to thank the donors who provided the funding to upgrade our air conditioning in the church (during one of the Masses I recorded, I found out the AC system had died; plumber John Cousin found out that two of the three units have been dead for a while and the third unit shut down - I guess the wiring was really bad!!!). After I mentioned the cost of those repairs (as well as the sewer problem on campus), Good Samaritans came forward to cover the cost for the new ACs and the sewer system. THANK YOU!!!

Below are the ten Masses that you can view Online. In addition to these Masses, we will hold on-site Masses each night of the Novena at 7:00 p.m. (July 17-25, excluding Sunday). More on all of that with next month's update...

On this feast day of the Patroness of this community whose name is attached to the city, Fr. Pete offers a homily on the tradition that presents us with the St. Anne story and the thesis that without the mother, there can be no son (or daughter). So many mothers serve as the "moral compasses" in our society. During this Mass, we honor Good Ste. Anne, the Blessed Mother and all the mothers of our Catholic tradition who have made the necessary sacrifices for the betterment of their families.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF

THE ONLINE HOMILY FOR ST. ANNE'S DAY

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF

IN-CHURCH HOMILY FOR ST. ANNE'S DAY

Today's Mass focuses on the saints Priscilla & Aquila, a married, tent-making couple that welcomed St. Paul into their home and helped St. Paul in his ministry. St. Priscilla may very well have been the first woman evangelist after the Lord's death and resurrection; according to tradition, both Priscilla and Aquila died a martyr's death.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Today's Mass focuses on Ss. Zechariah and Elizabeth, who briefly are mentioned in the first chapter of Luke's gospel and "recede" (as does their son, St. John the Baptist) as a precursor to the coming of the incarnate Son of God.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Although we focus on the story of the Jesus' parents and the Lord's Nativity every Advent and Christmas Season, our focus on the Lord's father on earth has not received the kind of attention that his wife has received. That said, within the last two hundred years, the life of St. Joseph has inspired bishops and popes alike to amend that error and give honor to the unheralded parents that often reflect the love we need to show our parents and grandparents today. Fr. Pete's homily on this third novena day highlights the importance of what BOTH of Jesus' parents have given to us in the world of faith.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Considering this Novena takes place in a rural area that Pope Francis may very well call the "peripheries" of the Joliet Diocese, Fr. Pete talks about the role that St. Isidore the Farmer and his wife Maria played in serving the needs of the farming community in Madrid, Spain during the 11th Century and the importance of carrying that same type of blessing to our farmers one thousand years later.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Focusing on the life of St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), Fr. Pete’s homily today focuses on the child-like innocence that must serve as a person’s disposition to encounter the Lord. Fr. Pete reflects on the children of the world who live in this innocence and the adults in the world that sometimes forget to see this gift which is the main way to open the doors to heaven. Fr. Pete concludes his homily with reading St. Bernadette’s “testament of faith,” one that exposes both Bernadette’s suffering and her endearing holiness.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Today's Mass focuses on the only couple in the Catholic Church who were canonized together as husband in wife, Ss. Louis & Zeile Martin. Fr. Pete talks about the importance in this Mass about God and family, an institution called "the domestic Church," one that should be embraced, not vilified, especially in regard to the stay-at-home parent.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

Prior to every Mass, many faithful from our Border Town Parishes pray the Holy Rosary on behalf of the sick, the dead and those who have asked for special prayers. In his homily, Fr. Pete speaks about the special prayer recited at the end of each decade of the rosary, the "Fatima Prayer" for those most in need of God's mercy... which is us!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

God appears to communicate most directly with the children of the world, as the childlike possess a type of innocence often lost when a person grows older. Fr. Pete references all the children who have experienced the apparitions (including St. Bernadette, the three children of Fatima as well as the six children who are the subject of the homily at this Mass. Fr. Pete also references Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be patron saint of the internet who died at the age of fifteen in 2007, the first millennial saint of the Church.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

This last day of the Novena focuses on an apostle and his mother, two individuals with their shortcomings, as we all have. Finding that strength given to them by the Holy Spriit as the Lord's resurrection, what St. James offered the people of Spain, Medjugorje and the faithful of today's age is a sign of strength that all of us need to persevere and recognize our true purpose in life - it is all about God, loving our God and loving our neighbor in God's name.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PDF COPY OF HOMILY

As we work in earnest in preparing for celebrate our Novena Masses (July 17-25) and the our 144th Anniversary of our Feast Day Masses on July 26, we are honored this year that the Most Rev. Chrisopher Glancy, CSV will be celebrating and preaching at our Outdoor English Mass on St. Anne’s Day at 10:00 a.m. A Viatorian bishop now living in the United States, the last time Bishop Glancy joined us for this Novena was to honor Fr. James Fanale during his 50th Anniversary as a priest in 2019; five years later, Bishop Glancy once again joins us to celebrate and preach at our yearly celebration. The Clerics of St. Viator were responsible for bringing this relic to St. Anne’s way back in 1850; this year, the bishop will join us as their highest-ranking Viatorian cleric in the US, celebrati

With the permission of the office of the bishop from the Joliet Diocese (Most Rev. Ronald Hicks), I, Fr. Pete Jankowski will be celebrating the 12:00 Noon Indoor St. Anne’s Day Mass in Latin, in the Extraordinary Form. Over the last few years, a hundred or so of our faithful have joined us at this Mass, where I will anoint the faithful after the Mass, followed by the procession and veneration of the relic as well. To encounter the faithful dressed in formal wear on a hot, summer’s day is reminiscent of one of the oldest pictures we have of the event from a hundred years ago.

Finally, we are also pleased to announce that another Viatorian Cleric name Fr. Moises Mesh, CSV will be the main celebrant for the 2:00 p.m. Indoor Mass in Spanish on St. Anne’s Day as well. Raised in Belieze (the same country where Bishop Glancy served as bishop), Fr. Moises has volunteered his time the last few years in celebrating this Mass, with the assistance of Deacon Arnulfo Cisneros from Immaculate Conception Church in Morris, IL.

10:00 A.M. OUTDOOR MASS IN ENGLISH (WEATHER PERMITTING)

12:00 NOON INDOOR MASS IN SPANISH (Extraordinary Form)

2:00 P.M. Indoor MASS IN SPANISH

In addition to our three Masses in English, Latin and Spanish, we once again offer The Anointing of the Sick for those in attendance and the Yearly Procession of the Relic as well with our restored reliquary (more on that below). We also continue to offer food trucks, religious articles and flowers for sale, activities for the kids and all kinds of other blessings.

During their College Mission Trip this Spring, Marilyn Charba and the students from Christendom College came to St. Anne’s Church to celebrate Mass, venerate the relic and paint the hall gymnasium. Marilyn also made a watercolor image of St. Anne’s Church, from which we created Gift Cards for Sale ($25 for twenty cards). Call the parish office at (815) 427-8265 or stop by the gift table on St. Anne's Day for more information.

Periodically, I would enter St. Anne’s Church and see this priest kneeling at the St. Anne Chapel. Often, I would encounter him praying to God, and every so often I would say hello to him and make sure he was doing okay. I would ask him, “Is there anything you need?”, finding out that he just wanted to be alone, to be with God and to ask for the intervention of Good St. Anne. This priest came to venerate that relic and ask God for guidance and healing.

A short while back, this same priest had written to me, sharing that some years ago, he suffered a concussion, which made his life very difficult. The bishop in his diocese allowed him to move to a smaller church, and he had a strong and very difficult recovery process to overcome this concussion.

As he wrote to me, this priest came here to St. Anne’s, travelling all the way up north from the southern end of the state because he had a devotion to this particular saint. He knew about the annual St. Anne’s Day and Novena that our community celebrated. He knew about the procession of the relic and everything else the community offered on behalf of this good saint.

As a result, this priest decided that he would travel to the Border Town periodically and pray in the chapel, just to be alone with God. That is the beauty of having our little churches out in the country. Here at St. Pat’s and St. Anne’s, we can offer a wonderful opportunity for the faithful to pray in silence, in peace, and in that silence, God responds.

Sometime later, this priest sent me the attached letter that I wanted to share with you because it was really beautiful what he had written…

Dear Fr. Jankowski,

Enclosed find a check for $3,750 for St. Anne’s Church for the restoration of the reliquary in thanksgiving for answered prayers. I added a little extra beyond the invoice in case there is a diocesan “tax” to be paid (ha ha). It is a little bit, if not, it is a little bit extra money for the parish. If I never told you, St. Anne lifted me a lot. about three to four years ago, during a difficult recovery from a concussion. I made several novenas to her and each time I received some notable advance in my recovery. May God bless you and your people.

I love that letter because when people say that prayers do not work, I turn to letters like these. For this reason, we adorn the back of the church with the wheelchair and the crutches, most notably from the recovery of Matilda Cunnea (d. 1955) and those others who have been healed by that relic. For people who have faith, the impossible becomes possible.

The relic means everything to the people who understand. Even though the numbers have declined from our yearly St. Anne’s Day celebrations, for those who truly believe and have faith in God, all things are possible. If it is God’s will that healings take place to enlighten our community, then so be it (even though we are very aware that the healing is temporary but life on the other side of death is everlasting for those who follow God).



Currently, I am recording the Online Masses which you will be able to view at www.stannestanne.org. (we have included all the previously recorded Masses on this Novena Site as well) We have started to upload as many pictures of the Novena that we have on the website SmugMug.com, which you can access on the Novena website. If you have any stories or pictures of the Novena that you would like to share, we would be honored if you send them to us via e-mail or other means so that we can post them on the website (please note that since we built this website from scratch in January, it still is in its early stages – thanks for your patience in helping this website blossom!

As we have done in previous years, we will offer evening in-person Masses during the Novena at 7:00 p.m. (excluding Sundays). On Friday – July 26, we will offer the following liturgies on-site, followed by the traditional procession of the St. Anne Relic after the Masses…

Finally, we still offer $2,500 pew donations on behalf of your loved ones as well as freewill offerings. Any donations you can offer for the parish’s health and growth would be appreciated. Over the last year alone, we have upgraded our lighting, our sidewalks, our church interior and this year we work on the side ramp and rails for those with special needs. Please pray for us - we very much pray for you – St. Anne, pray for all of us!!!

“Que Dieu vous bénisse”

Rev. Peter G. Jankowski

Please Note: We are updating our Novena mailing list – please contact us with any changes to your mailing address. We also would like your email address as well.

To View All the Novena Pics... CLICK HERE!!!

From July 2022...

Dear Father Jankowski:

I want to thank you for putting the Novena Masses online. I did make the Novena. The final mass and your reading the prayer in Italian was just beautiful.. Your Grandmother, mother, and father are looking down from heaven and are very proud of you

I just wanted to let you know that i will definitely cover the entire cost of the new roof. I will be sending you a check in the amount of $30,000 made out to St, Patrick Church.

May Almighty God Bless you and yours always.

The response we have received from the Online and On-Site Masses for the St. Anne Novena and Feast Day have been so overwhelmingly AWESOME that I do not know what to say to all of you! The Poor Clare Sisters made over one hundred rosaries for this special day – all of them were gone by the end of the Latin Mass at noon. We were anointing so many folks that I think some of them went TWICE – and you know who you are that did!!! From the children’s activities to the Olivewood Gifts and Flowers and Religious Items for sale, for the two food trucks that fed a few hundred souls on July 26 – so many good folks did so many good things that I would find it difficult to have any one person stand out – this was a community effort by a good number of members of this “Body of Christ” who let the Spirit guide us in such a beautiful way!

Yes, many individuals told me of how the Novena positively affected them, as far away as Wichita, KS and beyond. One good soul (not even from St. Patrick’s!) donated $30,000 to pay off our roof project in thanksgiving for the grace of God in our community. The Viatorians that were present, our Hispanic Choir from Camino y Esperanza and four members of the Latin Mass choir from St. Joseph’s Church in Rockdale joined musician Kavin Sampson in providing a wonderful setting for all three Masses we celebrated.

We are looking to enhance our St. Anne Novena Page with any pictures, articles or anything else concerning our parish's activities! If you would be so kind as to direct these digital files to pjankowski@yahoo.com, we will include them on our Novena Page for others in the area to enjoy and on which to reflect. You can also mail your pictures and articles to address provided below.

So much good has taken place in the 150+ year history of this Novena in St. Anne, IL. Help us promote this cause with the faithful of our area!!!

CLICK HERE to Enter

the St. Anne Novena Page

1960s St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1970s St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1989 St. Anne’s Church Photo Directory

1998-2004 St. Anne’s

Church Photo Directory

2023 St. Anne's Church Photo Directory

For weddings and such, Fr. Pete offers a special blessing on the first Sunday weekend of each month and is willing to purchase an Apostolic Blessing for anyone who asks (and if he can afford it... since he pays out of pocket!!!).

If you are interested in receiving an Apostolic Blessing, you can do so by clicking the link below or by calling the parish offices.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR

OWN APOSTOLIC BLESSING!!!

Help support our parishes buy purchasing copies of Fr. Pete’s Homiletic Books! You can purchase them at the parishes or online at Amazon.com!

Cycle A Homilies - Cycle B Homilies

Cycle C Homilies