St. Margaret Mary ParishSt. Margaret Mary Parish February 9, 2020February 9, 2020

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary TimeFifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

1450 1450 Green Trails Dr.Green Trails Dr. Naperville, IL 60540Naperville, IL 60540 630630--369369--07770777 www.smmp.comwww.smmp.com

Masses: Saturday: 5:00 pm

Sunday: 8 am 10 am 12 pm

Weekdays Monday-Saturday 8:15 am

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Parish Office: 630-369-0777 Fax: 630-369-1493 Religious Ed. Office: 630- 369-0833

All Saints Catholic Academy:

1155 Aurora Ave. Naperville, IL 60540 630.961-6125 or www.ascacademy.org

New Parishioners: Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me; and those who welcome me welcome the one who sent me.: (Mt 10:40) St. Margaret Mary Parish wishes to welcome everyone to our community as Jesus would. For information, please call the parish office.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Confessions every Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 PM or anytime by request.

Sacrament of Baptism: Sundays following the 12:00 Mass, except holidays. Please call Parish Office to make arrangements for Baptism and required Preparation Meeting.

Sacrament of Marriage: Six months preparation required. Parish music policies, which reflect Diocesan guidelines, are to be followed.

Sick, Homebound, Hospital Visits: Contact the Parish Office if you would like Communion, if you need someone from SMMP to visit you in the hospital, or if we can help you in any other way. Privacy policies do not permit the hospital to contact us directly.

Feed the Hungry… Your Light Shall Rise in the Darkness

Parish Social Mission Weekend, February 8/9

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Priscilla Arrieta Elaine Badelt Judea Beckett Arlene Bennett Edward Bojan Blake Burton Patrick Cameron Kathleen Carey Lori Cross Justin Dellarose Murlene Dolley Ben & April Espinos Michael Facchinello Mary Fisher Jo Ellen Furlong Jim Gardner William Garrett Eileen Hensel John Hill Kay Hill Kevin Hill Fr. George Hurley Kate Kirchner

Bill Koloseike Emma Martinez Josie Martinez Joseph Mathy Donal McGoldrick Maxine Messere Dr. Edward Michl Collette Miller Linda Palulis Russell Rasche Patrick Rockowitz Allen Rogers John P. Rossi David Schuberg A. Schuman Mary Sheehan Greyson Stanley Elizabeth Stock Jim Tamburrino Roy Taylor Jim Topolewski Joan Vinkler Marion Warner Bob Whipple Ray Young Barb Zdon

Year to Date Weekly Collection 7/1/2019 to 02/02/2020 Present

Weekly Mass Offerings: $ 17,895 $521,069 Automated Giving: 8,293 239,634 Stock/RMD/Tea Donations 0 25,950 Totals: 26,188 786,653 Budget Goal 25,589 798,197 Over/(Under) Goal 599 (11.544)

God’s Share

Stewardship Ministry The Stewardship Ministry was established several years ago with the sole purpose of ensuring adequate financial contributions are made to the parish to continue doing God's work here. Prior to establishing this ministry, there was no direct responsibility for this function. The primary responsibility of the Stewardship committee is to communicate the status of contributions while advocating for responsible giving to the parish. An example of our work is the annual appeal held each November. Another accomplishment has been to establish "Planned Giving" as a mainstream method of contributing to the parish and advocating tax favorable methods of giving. Take a minute to get to know your Stewardship Committee members: Carl VanDril, Chas Bellock, John Mele, Virginia Cox, Bruce Cox, and Anne Lysaught. You may contact the committee by emailing Stewardship@SMMP.com.

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Feed the Hungry… Your Light Shall Rise in the Darkness

Parish Social Mission Week, Feb. 2-9

Ending hunger for all: Who is “deserving?” Whenever conversations about government programs to feed the hungry take place—especially in regards to able-bodied single adults without children –the is-sue of “deserving” poor and “undeserving” poor often comes up. But these distinctions do not appear in the teachings of Jesus and are not part of the Church’s pro-life commitment. Freedom from hunger is a human right not an earned privilege. Elena Gormley, a social worker studying at the Jane Addams College of Social Work points out, “When the argument about who “deserves” financial assistance in order to eat — something we must all do to live — is framed as “lazy slacker living off the system” versus the “deserving poor,” we forget all the invisible people in the middle of this spectrum of stereo-types. … We need to rethink why our state and federal policies around pro-grams like SNAP are designed to subdi-vide recipients based on completely ri-diculous standards of “deservingness.” We need to be willing to confront the complex web of social, cultural, and po-litical attitudes that motivate this cruelty and exacerbate our nation’s failure to end hunger for all.” Professor Maggie Dickinson, author of the book, “Feeding the Crisis: Care and Abandonment in Amer-ica’s Food Safety Net,” reminds us of the impact of cuts to SNAP benefits, “I saw this firsthand as a re-searcher studying SNAP in New York City from 2011 to 2013. During the recession that began in 2008, New York City was one of the only places in the country that enforced SNAP work requirements, which mandated that single, unemployed men and women work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for assistance. I met lots of men who used their SNAP benefits to feed their children.” She pointed out that many of these men did not live with their kids so the

government categorized them as single adults with-out dependents.” She raised the case of an unemployed father of four who used almost his entire $190 food-stamp budget each month to buy groceries for his children, even though they lived with their mother. As he put it, “I’ve basically been starving the past three days so my kids could have something to eat. A lot of times I eat a honey bun and some [chips] before bed and

that’s it. I’m starving now so they can have something later.” Dickinson notes, “The Trump admin-istration’s stated rationale—that able-bodied unemployed SNAP recipients should find jobs instead of depending on the government—obscures these consequences. It gives the impression that the program has to be protected from lazy, unemployed freeloaders while ignoring, say, the people caring for an elderly parent while out of work and the dads who are looking for work but still trying to make sure their kids have something to eat.”

When he spoke before the US Congress, Pope Fran-cis praised the witness of three Americans. One was Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who was as pas-sionate and committed to social justice as he was to contemplative prayer. Merton wrote, “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” Thanks to all those who signed postcards this weekend to oppose the Trump Administration rule change. Stay engaged and stay informed!

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The following is a summary of the minutes from the Pastoral

Council (“PC”) Meeting of January 7, 2020. The full detailed minutes, as approved by PC, along with the Commission and Committee reports, are available on the parish website: www.smmp.com under About Us/Parish Leadership/Pastoral Council.

Parishioners are always welcome to observe these meetings. Normally they are held on the first Tuesday of each month.

Finance Committee: The Finance Committee Chairperson presented a draft budget outline for 2020-21 and a forecast of future years. PC discussion followed. An updated budget outline will be presented at February’s meeting before given to the commissions.

Leadership Community Gathering: The PC discussed the upcoming Saturday, February 8th meeting of the PC and SMMP Staff.

Saint Margaret Mary Woods: The PC discussed updates for the fundraiser to grow many trees on the hill east of the Church.

Appreciation Dinner: The PC discussed its hosting of the upcoming Appreciation Dinner for all the volunteers at SMMP.

40th Anniversary Plans: The PC briefly discussed progress being made on plans to celebrate SMMP’s 40th anniversary this year.

Commissions Review: A review, both verbal and written, of each commission was had. This included: • Upcoming Boy Scouts mass on February 1st • Activities of the many Christian Service ministries at

SMMP • Adult Faith Formation opportunities coming up • Christian Worship Commission updates, including

discussion about lower number of baptisms in 2019 • Bids received to fix leaky window above altar What We are Hearing: • Positive feedback to moment of silence at recent mass • Positive feedback about dedication of large number in

funeral choir • Positive feedback on recent interfaith service

St. Margaret Mary Parish, Naperville, IL Pastoral Council Minutes Summary, January 7, 2020 By Terry Wagner, Pastoral Council Secretary

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War, as we know, often begins with the inability to accept the diversity of others, which then fosters attitudes of aggrandizement and domination born of selfishness and pride, hatred and the desire to cari-cature, exclude and even destroy the other. War is fueled by a perversion of relationships, by hege-monic ambitions, by abuses of power, by fear of others and by seeing diversity as an obstacle. And these, in turn, are aggravated by the experience of war. …

The world does not need empty words but con-vinced witnesses, peacemakers who are open to a dialogue that rejects exclusion or manipulation. In fact, we cannot truly achieve peace without a con-vinced dialogue between men and women who seek the truth beyond ideologies and differing opinions. Peace “must be built up continually”; it is a journey made together in constant pursuit of the common good, truthfulness and respect for law. Listening to one another can lead to mutual understanding and esteem, and even to seeing in an enemy the face of a brother or sister.

2020 World Peace Day Message, Pope Francis

Peace must be built up continually.

We believe we are called to break down the walls that divide us—accepting, affirming, and accompanying each other, even those with whom we disagree. We seek unity, not uniformi-ty.

- Parish Theme/Calling Statement

Our parish theme and calling in

God’s Word To Us

Reflection on Lectionary Readings 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time,

February 9, 2020

Our parish calling to be light for the world

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells his followers, “you are salt of the earth” and “you are the light of the world.” In saying this Jesus is not only speaking to us as individuals but as a faith community. In effect he is saying, “Your parish is salt of the earth and a light to the world.”

This month our parish Leadership Community (pastor, parish council and staff) will begin another year of communal discernment in order to better understand God’s call for our parish. This work is grounded in the belief that our parish exists because of God’s initiative and not our own. It is God who has called our parish into being and it is the mission of our parish to discern and participate in God’s mission for us.

This process of communal discernment begins with reading the “signs of the times.” The Second Vatican Council teaches that the Church has a duty to scrutinize the signs of the times and interpret them in light of the Gospel. “We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics.” The Jewish prophets were gifted at reading the signs of the times and calling their people to respond in faith. One of those prophets, Isaiah, speaks a powerful truth that is as true today as it was when he wrote it, “If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness.”

Our parish calling includes the following, “St. Margaret Mary Parish strives to create a welcoming, loving, and merciful community that serves those in need and shares the joy of the Gospel.” The more deeply committed we are to this calling—both as individuals and as a faith community –the brighter our light will shine to dispel the darkness of our times.

Tom Cordaro

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The St Margaret Mary Knights of Columbus Council 16011 conducted a Free Throw Competition at All Saints Catholic Academy as part of their national championship. Among the participants representing St Margaret Mary (pictured above) were Nicholas Patt, Natalie Patt, Sophia Patt, Kasey Glynn, and Ella Terry. Natalie, Kasey, and Ella won their age group and will advance to District competition in February.

Calendar of Events .02-12-Wednesday- Volunteering at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. 02-16-Sunday- Hosting Hospitality Sunday. 02-17-Monday to 02-25-Tuesday-Knights of Columbus 9 Day Novena for Life in the Chapel at 7:45am. 02-19-Wednesday- Volunteering at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. 02-21-Friday- PADS at SMMP helping with cleanup and dirty laundry return to Edward hospital Laundry. 02-23-Sunday- Hosting the Last Sunday of the Month Family Rosary Service in the Chapel for all Parish members after the 8:00am,10:00am and 12 Noon Masses. 02-27-Thursday- Knights of Columbus Monthly Pre-Meeting Social Fellowship Gathering open to the men of the Parish at 6:30pm in the Upper Room. The regular monthly meeting for member Knights only to follow at 7:15pm. 02-29-Saturday-Participating in the Men’s Christ Renews His Parish CRHP “Feed Your Soul” from 7:30am to 3:30pm in the Upper Room.

For more information about the Knights of Columbus, please contact: Stewart Mattson - Grand Knight of Council 16011 - 630-207-5927 Bob Presnak - Membership Director - 312-543-2735

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Presidents’ Day Break Classes will be canceled for the week beginning Monday, February 17th and will resume on Monday, February 24th.

Ash Wednesday Classes are cancelled on February 26th in observance of the first day of Lent. All Faith Formation students are expected to attend the service at 4:00 p. m. WITH a parent. A special prayer service and distribution of ashes will set the tone for your Lenten season.

Children’s Mass On Saturday, February 29th the 1st to 8th graders in our Faith Formation program will be hosting the 5:00 Mass. Online registration is available on the Faith Formation page of the parish website www.smmp.com. through Feb. 19th.

First Communion Assignments of dates were emailed out on February 7th for those who have registered. Please register if you have not done so.

First Communion Retreat The retreat is schedule for Saturday, March 7nd from 10 am to 12:15 pm. Pre-registration is required. The parent volunteer planning meeting is Tuesday, February 25th at 7p.m. in room 8. We are in need of adult volunteers.

Please contact Jacqui Snyder at 630 369-0833 or jsnyder@smmp.com with any questions.

5th grade—From Mrs. Catania’s class We read about the importance of Saints, including Mary, in our thoughts and prayers. We read the story of when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and how significant she is as the Queen of Saints. We decided to pay tribute to our Blessed Mother by all of the kids drawing a mural together in her honor.

Fr. Paul’s Homily

Mystery of Love 1 Jn 4:7-10; Mk 6:34-44

(“Whoever is without love,” faith or no faith, “does not know God, for God is love.”)

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“Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.”

This reading from the First Letter of John zeros in on a very important truth that God is love and love is the foundation of everything that exists. Since God is love and God is the creator of all contingencies, everything created is from God, everything is coming from love. And St. Paul points out that the three great virtues, which really are from God, which are divine-like virtues: “faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love,” and yet oddly Christians have often forgotten this.

This is because of the great importance that St. Paul places on faith, especially in his two letters: Romans and Galatians. Now at that time Paul was dealing with the Jewish religion and the Jewish way of life. Judaism is actually all very explainable; it’s actually rational. The Torah is rational; it makes perfect sense. It makes perfect sense to prohibit certain things and to promote certain things, and that’s what the Torah did.

However when we come to Christ and moreover the cross, our power to explain flounders. We are introduced into what Christians call mystery. That is, we participate in this level of reality without really being able to explain or comprehend it in a developed way.

Therefore there is now a gap between the practice of Judaism, which St. Paul was very familiar with and which is very rational, and now something that goes beyond reason, which is the world of mystery and, in a way, darkness. Kierkegaard talked about a leap into the dark. Well, in a way, yes, especially when you are talking about the cross. So Judaism expected a Messiah, but never one that would die on a cross. Why? Well I can’t say; no one could ever say. People pretend they make explanations, but they don’t work. It’s a mystery why God’s involvement in our lives included the suffering, torment, and death on a cross.

Thus St. Paul says something more than mere obedience is needed. One needs this leap, and not only that, but he implies, and already at work is this idea that there’s something really wrong with humanity that the Torah can’t heal. Paul reasons in Galatians that if the Torah could heal, if it could bring salvation, then the cross would be superfluous. So there’s something deep, deeply wrong with humanity that called for this remedy, because Jesus himself described his blood as being poured out for forgiveness. So something deep has to be forgiven, not just the infractions of law, but something else. And to relate to God, who is now giving this remedy, who is

now sharing his own existence with our suffering and mortality, that requires this leap of faith. So faith is important in a way that Judaism never quite understood, nor does any other religion. Every religion requires some kind of faith. If you are Muslim, you have to believe Gabriel talked to Mohammad. If you are Buddhist, you have to believe that the Buddha was enlightened. But if you are a Christian, it’s something else. This is a belief in what you can never understand, this belief in mystery.

However the mystery is the mystery of love, and that’s why love is still the primary focus or should be. However, misunderstanding St. Paul, Thomas Aquinas said that we are justified by our faith, which he took to be belief in the propositions of the Creed, intellectual assent of the articles of faith. That is not what St. Paul meant. Martin Luther said faith means basically believing the Bible, but that isn’t what St. Paul meant either. Both of them arrive at a conclusion that faith is what’s really important. Well of course neither denied the importance of love, but they didn’t focus on it quite as the very essence of discipleship and Christian life, but it is. And that’s what John is saying here. “Whoever is without love,” faith or no faith, “does not know God, for God is love.”

BLACK HISTORY MONTH What is the “Number One Killer” in the Black Community? HIV deaths, firearm homicides deaths, diabetes deaths, accidental deaths, cancer deaths or heart disease deaths? The answer is “none of the above”. The “Number One Killer” in the Black Community is abortion! In 2011, the number of abortions outnumbered the total of all the above-mentioned causes of death.

Today, Blacks make up about 15% of the population but get 35% of all the abortions in the USA. 2011 CDC Nat’l vital statistics report: Death data

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Masses for the Week

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Monday — February 10/St. Scholastica 8:15— Joan Dolinar — Barb Sieja Tuesday— February 11 8:15— Bill Savage — Chris Corbett Wednesday— February 12 10:00— Deceased Members Buried from SMMP Thursday— February 13 8:15—Walter Pokropinski — Gerry and Pat Ann Rotko Friday— February 14/Ss. Cyril and Methodius 8:15 — Janina Golebiewski — The Breakfast Club Saturday— February 15 8:15 — 5:00 — Fr. Jonathan Foster — Peggy & Dennis Nowicki Sunday — February 16 8:00 — Ed O’Malley — Family 10:00 — Tom Tully — Judy Tully-Wise 12:00 — For the Parish Family

Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

February 15 Fr. Stempora February 22 Fr. Paul

Date February 15 & 16

Lectors Eucharistic Ministers Servers

Sacristan/ Deacon/Presider

5:00 Daniel Maguire Jerry Lynch John Gerding

Michael Maziarek Laurette Solak Barbara Ryan

Karen Ng * *

P. Nowicki Deacon Don Fr. Stempora

8:00

* David Brandenstein Dan Skinner

Dan Skinner Ralph Meeker Bill Hassett Stewart Mattson Lucy de los Reyes

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L. de los Reyes Deacon Don Fr. Paul

10:00

Laura Williams Vincent Keenan Tony Lavarda

Jeanmarie Considine Felicia Egan Jennifer Arnott

Cade DiMailig Tanner DiMailig

F. Egan Deacon Ken Fr. Paul

12:00

Alissa Prendergast Karla Heck Scott Parks

Karen Romano Anna Moore Alan Meder Katrina Meder

* * *

A. Moore Deacon Ken Fr. Larry Brunette

Please remember in your prayers those members of our parish and family and friends who have recently passed away. \

James Ricci, grandson of Mary Ricci

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St. Margaret Mary Parish Naperville/Lisle -- 630-369-0777

Parish Staff Art & Environment Coordinator Jill Mizen

Bookkeeper Pat Henke

Business Manager Michael Prus

Building Manager Bob Stezowski Communications Coordinator Julie Duffin

Custodian Ziggy Owiesek

Deacons (Permanent) Deacon Joe Ferrari

Deacon Don Helgeson

Deacon Ken Miles

Deacon Fred Straub (retired)

Deacon Terry Taylor

Justice/Outreach Minister Tom Cordaro Liturgy Coordinator Deacon Ken Miles

Music Director John Schlaman Parish Secretary/Bulletin Editor Sue Carroll

Pastoral Associate Sr. Madelyn Gould, S.S.S.F. Pastoral Council President Joey Rose

Priests Rev. Paul Hottinger, Pastor

Receptionists Loretta Mercadante & Mary Sears

Director of Religious Ed., Pre-school - 8 Jacqui Snyder

Director of Youth Ministry Dan Lawler

Religious Education Secretary Arlene Serio

Religious Education Staff Assistant Debbie Brutlag

Food for the Journey Scripture Readings for the Week

Monday: 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13; Ps 132:6-7, 8-10; Mk 6:53-56 Tuesday: 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30; Ps 84:3-5, 10-11; Mk 7:1-13 Wednesday: 1 Kgs 10:1-10; Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40; Mk 7:14-23 Thursday: 1 Kgs 11:4-13; Ps 106:3-4, 35-37, 40; Mk 7:24-30 Friday: 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19; Ps 81:10-11ab, 12-15; Mk 7:31-37 Saturday: 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34; Ps 106:6-7ab, 19-22; Mk 8:1-10 Sunday: Sir 15:15-20; Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Mt 5:17-37 [20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37]

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READINGS First Reading — If you share your food with the hungry, provide housing for the homeless, then light shall break forth upon you (Isaiah 58:7-10).

Psalm — The just man is a light in the darkness to the upright (Psalm 112). Second Reading — My message to you, says Paul, was the proclamation of Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Gospel — You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. In your good deeds your light shines before others, leading them to glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16). NEXT WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS First Reading — God allows us to make choices, but we are not to choose injustice or sinfulness (Sirach 15:15-20). Psalm — Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! (Psalm 119). Second Reading — God’s wisdom is mysterious and hidden (1 Corinthians 2:6-10). Gospel — Jesus has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17-37 [20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37]).

In order to be considered for bulletin publication, items must be received no later than the Friday a week prior to the desired publication date. For example, for an article to appear in the February 28, 2016 bulletin, it must be received by the office no later than Friday, February 19. Information can be emailed to scarroll@smmp.com. Space may be limited; priority will be given to information about SMMP events or staff-generated articles.

NAME AND BULLETIN #St. Margaret Mary Parish, Naperville. #832 DATE OF BULLETIN: # OF PAGES SENT (including this one): 13 SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2003 Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Windows XP Home Edition SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

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