Welcome to all who gather with us this Christmas, parishioners, visitors, family and friends... In this holy season we pause to remember the heart of Christmas: God is with us. In a world that often feels uncertain and divided, the birth of Christ brings light, hope, and peace... May your time with us fill you with the warmth of God’s presence, the joy of Christ’s birth, and the comfort of knowing this community welcomes you, any time...

Our Christmas celebrations coincide with the beginning of winter. There is less light at this time of year and more cold than we might want... We remember God’s only begotten Son born of the Virgin Mary. He comes into a dark and cold world as its light and its warmth... As you gather with family and friends and fellow parishioners, I urge you to reassure each other with our convictions of faith...

This is what 200 Pounds of Winter Coats Looks Like - The first week of December we distributed 122 coats, plus hats, gloves and scarves. The second week we distributed 50 coats plus other warm items... A few elves took a trip to the Good Will outlet and purchased 200 pounds of winter coats and other warm outer wear... We need more coats (especially men’s small), gloves, and blankets...

As we enter this fourth Sunday of Advent, our hearts naturally turn toward Christmas with anticipation and joy... When we return for Christmas, it is important to remember that things may not look or feel like a typical Sunday... Because of this, both I and the parish staff ask you to PLAN AHEAD... Thanks to all who took part in our giving tree programs at all our parish sites...

Our two Parish Creation Care Ministries in Oak Park, H.O.M.E. (Ascension and St. Edmund) and Vine and Branches (St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles), offer the following suggestions to make your Holiday Season an Eco-Sustainable Christmas that will minimize its environmental impact through conscious choices in decorations, gifts, and food...

With Father Carl’s permission, we reopened Centro San Edmundo on Tuesday morning, December 2 for the distribution of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and blankets only... That first morning we distributed 122 coats, similar numbers of hats, gloves, and scarves, and 40 blankets (limited to one blanket per family)... Net result - We need more coats (especially men’s small), gloves, and blankets...

This weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday or Joy Sunday... Amid Advent’s hopeful waiting and quiet preparation, the Church invites us to pause and rejoice because Christ’s coming is near... Today let us remember that Advent joy becomes a quiet but powerful witness that doesn’t deny pain but proclaims that God’s light is stronger than any darkness...

This weekend (December 13, 2025), we remember one of the Patron Saints of our newly combined parish family, St. Catherine of Siena-ST. LUCY and St. Giles, of our Catholic Communities of Oak Park and Neighbors... Let us remember St. Lucy this weekend and ask her to pray for us that we may carry Christ’s light with courage, walk with clear vison, and be a source of hope for one another...

Pivoting Again - Well, it worked okay - but the need was greater than what our temporary coat distribution plan could meet... The Saint Edmund staff reported seeing migrants approaching the school building door and walking away saddened because the Center was closed... With Father Carl’s approval, we will open on Tuesday mornings for coat, winter gear, and blanket distribution...

Today in our second reading Paul talks about “Christ Jesus” and the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”... This is why Paul says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."... This weekend we pray for and bless Deacon Kevin Morgan and his wife Marci as they now have a new parish assignment...

Remembering Mercy Sister JoAnn Persch - On retirement in 2018, I knew that I wanted to spend time volunteering with an organization caring for migrants... Although, Sister JoAnn and her colleague, Sister Pat Murphy, ministered to migrants detained at the McHenry County Jail for 12 years until the Illinois Way Forward Act passed forcing the facility to cancel its contract with ICE,...

Welcome to the Advent Season! - This time of year, Advent, reminds us that we are always waiting - but never waiting alone... We wait by trusting that God is faithful to His promise. We wait by tending to prayer, by small acts of kindness, by choosing patience over anxiety... In this holy season, we have chosen ALWAYS WAITING IN HOPE, as the focus for our thoughts and prayers...

With a Heart Full of Gratitude... As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I want you to know how truly grateful I am for you. Because of your support, our community continues to grow in faith while reaching out to those who need God's love... On behalf of our clergy and staffs, we wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and meaningful Thanksgiving...

Thank you so much, Ascension and St. Edmund's Knights of Columbus and St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles Parish Communities, for your recent coat drives. We are so grateful for the bags and bags of men’s, women’s, and children’s coats that we received... We regret that we can no longer allow the migrants to select their coats as before...

Thanksgiving is upon us, and so is the beginning of our new liturgical year which begins next week, the first Sunday of Advent. Our theme reminds us of one of the gifts we can be grateful for, hope. Always waiting, in HOPE!... May this season renew our hope, soften our hearts where needed, and remind us that GRATITUDE is itself a blessing that draws us closer to God and one another...

Migrant Ministry is honored to have received the 2025 Bradford O'Neill Medallion for Social Justice from Dominican University, a Catholic Hispanic Serving institution and a leader in educating immigrants and the children of immigrants... Over the past two years, Migrant Ministry has had many opportunities to work with the students and faculty of Dominican...

As the season of Thanksgiving is upon us, I am grateful for two important events that happened quietly and with little fanfare... The former Saint Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Rectory is now being used as offices for Housing Forward, The Bridge Center and Faith and Fellowship Ministry... Dominican University gave our Migrant Ministry the Bradford O’Neil Medallion for Social Justice...

The bishops address their concern for the evolving situation impacting immigrants in the United States... Los obispos expresan su preocupación por la situación cambiante que afecta a los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos...

This month has been designated for highlighting the legacy of Black Catholics in the Church. On July 24, 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States formally established November as Black Catholic History Month... Through the centuries, Black Catholics have endured oppression, discrimination, and marginalization even within the Church,...

One of the most urgent and valued services provided by the Migrant Ministry has been assisting migrants to complete and submit their asylum applications, work authorization, and change of court venue... it was determined that “the drastically changed legal environment” requires the experience and knowledge of an immigration lawyer to navigate...