Welcome Bishop Jeffrey Grob
We welcome our new Bishop, Jeffrey Grob, to Holy Family. He is presiding at our 9:00am Mass this weekend. Again, this Mass is live streamed every week for prayerful viewing anytime. Bishop Grob is one of several Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago and will serve as the Vicar for our area of the Archdiocese, Vicariate 1, made up of 53 parishes and 85,000 Catholics in northern Cook County.
Bishop Grob is from Cross Plaines, Wisconsin and grew up on a dairy farm. He attended Holy Name High School Seminary in Madison, Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana and the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio earning a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies. He attended Saint John’s University in Minnesota for one year, then continued his studies at Mundelein Seminary where Fr. Kurt and I studied, but Bishop Grob was ordained six years after we were, also by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. He earned a Doctorate degree in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario in 2007.
He has served in several capacities of leadership in the Archdiocese including Chancellor and Judicial Vicar in the Chancery, Assistant Pastor at Sts. Faith Hope and Charity, Winnetka, weekend assistant at St. Basil in Ottawa, Ontario and Pastor of St. Celestine in Elmwood Park, Illinois.
Pope Francis appointed Jeffrey as Bishop in September of 2020 and he was Consecrated by our own Cardinal Cupich in November.
Let’s give him a warm Holy Family welcome!
Ash Wednesday
This coming Wednesday, February 17, is Ash Wednesday and begins our journey of Lent. This year’s Lenten theme is Now is the Time…, taken from the second reading from Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians on Ash Wednesday.
This is a statement of urgency. Paul is stating firmly to the people of Corinth, and to us, that salvation through Jesus Christ is upon us, indeed near, and now is the time to embrace salvation, and in classic Lenten form, to prepare for it.
Now is the Time… is also the beginning statement to usher in the time for many things and the major themes of the weeks of Lent provide us with a series of sub-themes: Now is the Time…for Change, to Listen, to Turn from Greed to Social Justice, to Believe, to be Servant Leaders.
Please see the website for the ongoing list of activities and events that will emphasize that now is the time to do many things during Lent to prepare for Easter.
Ash Wednesday Schedule
• Masses: 9:00am (Live Stream) and 7:00pm
• 15 minute services with Distribution of Ashes – 11:00am, Noon, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm
Registration is required for all services through our website, holyfamilyparish.org. Ashes will be distributed in a safe manner following Covid protocols as you leave church to ensure continued compliance. Ministers who distribute will wear a mask and a shield and will not touch recipients directly.
These protocols will give this ancient ritual a different feel and expression, but I ask for your understanding and cooperation in receiving ashes as you have during the past year in general.
Annual Catholic Appeal
This is the third and final weekend of the Annual Catholic Appeal which assists parishes, communities and agencies that do not have enough resources, or do not have any means of raising funds, to support their ministries. This campaign expresses our support for each other as an Archdiocese. It is a great way to serve and asks us to help our neighbors beyond our local communities.
Giving options include:
• Online at www.annualcatholicappeal.com
• Text to give:
Enter the phone number 345345 in the To: section
Type the Keyword: ACA2021 (not case sensitive) in the message of your text application • There are envelopes in Narthex to be picked up on your way out of church. Simply return them to the Offering Boxes also in the Narthex.