From Father Michael . . .

• All are invited to attend the St. Peregrine Prayer Service on Tuesday, October 18th in the church after the 6:30pm Mass with Deacon Tony Leazzo and Jolene LeRoy RN, Parish Nurse and Director of Pastoral Care.
• St. Peregrine is the patron saint of the sick, especially those experiencing cancer, serious illness, or chronic illness. Anyone experiencing physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual health concerns would benefit from attending the prayer service. There will be time after the service to venerate the relic of St. Peregrine and pray for your personal needs or intentions.

• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿, “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻,” 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝟳𝗽𝗺 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟬/𝟭𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗟𝗖 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝟮𝟬𝟴.
  After examining the relationship between the Passion of Christ and Divine Mercy, our 90-minute seminar will delve into the direct words of Jesus as revealed by Saint Maria Faustina in her Diary entitled, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” Most prominent will be the following words of Jesus, which today are revered as His Extraordinary Promise: “On that (Divine Mercy) Feast Day, the depths of My mercy will be open to all…The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.”
  In addition to OLM’s annual celebration of the Divine Mercy Sunday Feast Day, which next take place April 16, 2023, this seminar will deeply examine the following vessels of Divine Mercy that Jesus, through St. Faustina, made available for us each day of the year:
  Praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
  Reciting a Novena of Chaplets
  Contemplating the Divine Mercy Image
  Daily Observance of the 3 p.m. Hour of Mercy.
  Practicing Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy
  A closing highlight will be a group recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  Pamphlets featuring the Chaplet and Novena, as well as lovely Divine Mercy Images, will be available.  No registration needed, but participants should be sure to bring their Rosary!
  Call Bill Troller at (630) 585-1865 or e-mail trollerw@live.com for more information

• All young adults are invited to join the Consuming Fire Young Adult Community. This group meets every Tuesday from 7pm to 8:30pm in the basement of the rectory (the priest's home). We gather to eat, pray, and ‘do life together’! 
• From the weekly Tuesday gatherings to additional social gatherings (hiking, dinner at someone's home or at a restaurant, movie nights, adoration, rosary walks) there are so many good reasons to join this fun awesome group! Want more information? Sign up HERE

• It's not too late to join over 100 participants at  "The Chosen" Catholic Bible Study on Tuesdays @ 7pm.  
  Whether you've never been to a Bible Study, are intimidated by the Bible, or are a regular participant in our Bible Studies, this experience is for you!
  Through both watching the series episode and breaking open the Scripture readings related to each episode, the experience will enable you to imagine yourself in the story. This will change the way you read the Bible forever.
• Contact Joe Wiacek or Joe Glasgoww with any questions and to register: joewiacek@gmail.com or Joe.Glasgow@packagingprice.com

• This month’s Mobile Food Pantry is on Weds 10/19th from 4:30pm to 6pm in the parking lot at OLM.  Don’t forget to share the Our Lady of Mercy social media posting on your network; you never know who among your network is in need of food.
• The Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet Mobile Food Pantry delivers healthy food (meat, produce, and non-perishable items) to people in need. No identification or information will be required or collected. This event is open to anyone in need of food! Mobile Food Pantries use a “drive-thru” method to distribute food during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please clear space in your trunk or backseat so volunteers can load boxes of food directly into your vehicle. Catholic Charities helps people of all faiths and beliefs. Mobile Food Pantries take place rain or shine!

• Every Sunday, we get to witness a miracle. Sometimes it can be difficult to wrap our minds and hearts around this fact.  Dive deeper into this six-week study from the Augustine Institute, and see why this mystery is Jesus’ greatest gift to us. Come to the "𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁"
• With 𝗗𝗿. 𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗿𝗶, 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗱, 𝗧𝗶𝗺 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘆, 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗵𝗻, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲; watch them with beautiful film-making and powerful teaching, the PRESENCE series will move your heart; 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝘀 @ 𝟳:𝟯𝟬𝗽𝗺.𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞! Register now

• We take another step in our journey of faith at Alpha as we head into our 6th gathering centering on "Why & How Should I Read the Bible?"
• Please keep our 100+ participants in your prayers as they grow in their relationship with Jesus especially those new to the faith, pray that they would experience God’s love in a real and relevant way.

• Did you know there is an Adult Men's Basketball League at OLM? It’s more than a game. Join in on the fun, competition, and camaraderie of the adult men's basketball league. Connect with other players or find others to play, reach out to Brandon Acuff at brandon.acuff@gmail.com
• Or install the following for participation and sign-ups: TeamReach (http://teamreach.com/).  Join OLMC MENS Basketball 🏀. Enter code: olmchoops

• Join the Salt and Light Grow Group @ FMSC Feed My Starving Children on Friday 10/21st from 4:30pm to 6:15pm!  Connect with Geri Capulong, one of our Salt and Light Grow Group Leaders, to let her know you are registering for one of the packing spots, at gericapulong@gmail.com.

• Our annual Holiday Pie Sale is now taking place! Please order delicious pies for the holidays or for Hesed House and support our teens attending the mission trip. Come and place your orders after mass on October 22nd or 23rd.

• Dear Friends,
  On October 23, we celebrate World Mission Sunday, when we join Catholics worldwide in supporting the work of the Church.
  Pope Francis draws inspiration from the Acts of the apostles for the theme of this year's World Mission Sunday "You shall be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). In his message, he notes the work of the Blessed Pauline Jaricot, a young French woman who founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 200 years ago: "She accepted God's inspiration to establish a network of prayer and collection for missionaries, so that the faithful could actively participate in the mission 'to the ends of the earth.'" Her vision would to World Mission Sunday.
  Your donations and prayers support priests, religious and lay pastoral leaders in more than 1,000 mission dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Latin America and Europe as they proclaim the Gospel, build the Church, and serve the poor.
  When you contribute to the World Mission Sunday collection, you make it possible for the Holy Father and our Diocese of Joliet missions to provide for the formation of our seminarians and religious men and women. You help build churches, schools and orphanages in remote areas that few visit. And you provide food and essentials for our missionary priests and religious brothers and sisters so they may spread the Gospel and celebrate the sacraments.
  Let us follow in the footsteps of Blessed Pauline Jaricot by donating to the second collection on October 23.
  Paz y bien,
  Most Reverend Ronald A. Hicks
  Bishop of Joliet

• Youth Alpha gives high school teens the opportunity to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed, friendly setting. The Youth Alpha course at Our Lady of Mercy will meet on Sunday evenings for 9 weeks in the Parish Life Center.  Sessions begin with a dessert bar, fun activities to get to know others, followed by a short video talk, and time to discuss the topic. During the discussion, everyone is welcome to contribute their opinions and no question is considered hostile or too simple.  Questions might include–Is there a God? Why am I here? Where did I come from? Where am I going?  Alpha is for everyone –no question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you wish.  We don’t assume any background knowledge or belief in Christianity and everyone is welcome.
• Teen Alpha Nights is held on Sundays from 6:30pm-8:15pm; invite the teen in your life.  Details and registration are found here.

• If you are experiencing grief and would like to join others for a time of sharing stories, tears and laughter, prayer, and moving forward in hope – please come on Monday, October 24 from 11am to 1pm in the Ministry Room located in the church. There is no registration. If you have lost your spouse and would like to join a weekly support group, please contact Jolene LeRoy RN Parish Nurse and Director of Pastoral Care at 331-707-5380.

•  All of us have experienced joys and sorrows, ups and downs, accomplishments and disappointments in our lives. Healing Hearts is a ministry for anyone 18 years of age or older who would like to practice self-care for their own health and wellness and would also like to reach out to others to offer healing and hope. 
• The next Healing Hearts Ministry gathering is on Monday, September 26th from 7pm to 8:30pm in Room 218 of the Parish Life Center. Come and create a journal. Father Michael Kearney, our pastor will be joining us for our discussion and self-care activity.
• Please contact Janice Hurtado Aeppli at 312-217-7872 or at olmopenhearts@yahoo.com for any questions.

• Our monthly Magnify is on Wednesday 10/26th when we host a night of adoration in the church from 7-8:30 pm with praise and worship by Josh Goodman to supplement that encounter with Jesus. Father Michael will be hearing confessions after his scriptural reflection up through Benediction. There is also prayer ministry. We pray that you come and spend time in prayer with Jesus, encountering Him in a special way. He is personally inviting you to come and share your heart with Him. Join us anytime from 7pm - 8:30pm in the Church. Don’t forget to bring the children, neighbors, and friends.

• I'm looking forward to this year's "Trunk-or-Treating with the Saints" on October 29, hosted by our Family Faith Formation Office! The Christian life is all about striving for Sainthood! I'd like to encourage parents, grandparents, and our young adults to support this event, with prayerful consideration, to host a trunk decorated to reflect a saint of your choice. As St. Therese of Lisieux once said, "Holiness consists simply in doing God's will, and being just what God wants us to be." Which saint is He calling you to become?
  God Bless,
  Fr. Michael
  See details and sign-up to host a trunk here.

• TOn Saturday, 11/5 at 6pm is the Charismatic Healing Mass. A healing Mass is a normal Mass, but it has a special focus on God’s healing power; this will be reflected in the songs, prayers, and scripture readings. If you’re in need of God’s healing grace, come to the Charismatic Healing Mass.

• The annual Brogan Family Coat Drive will be on Sunday 11/6th from 9am to 12pm. There will be a trailer in the parking lot waiting to receive your donations. Clear out your coat closets for a good cause!
• Mike and Carole Brogan were icons at Our Lady of Mercy.  Both passed away in 2019. One of the ways they supported our parish was a yearly coat drive.  They would literally pack up their car with donations to the point that they could barely see out of their car windows.
• Once again this year the Brogan Family and our church would like to continue this mission by asking for donations of new and gently used coats, hats, boots, and gloves. The donations for women and children will benefit Mutual Ground and the donations for men’s items will benefit Breaking Free.

• Because of the fruitfulness of the last conference and repeated requests, there will be an Unbound Freedom in Christ Conference on 12/9 from 6:30pm to 9:15pm through 12/10 from 9am to 9pm with catered lunch & dinner included.
• Recommended reading prior to the conference is the “Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance.”  The book is available in the parish office for $15, purchase a copy today and prepare your heart to be overwhelmed by the love of Jesus.
• Unsure about Unbound? Check out the short videos below of the recent conference and a snippet of what Unbound is. Experience what over 200 people experienced at the last conference; sign up now.