We are recruiting volunteers to serve as Advocates - trained companions who walk alongside families as they navigate services and pursue their goals... To learn more, we invite you to attend our next Bridge Breakfast on November 1 at 8:30 AM...

Sister JoAnn Persch and Sister Pat Murphy are members of the Sisters of Mercy. For the past 40 years they have had a ministry of persistence. There motto is, “We do things peacefully and respectfully. But we never take no for an answer.”... Today, we hear three inspiring stories of people with limited resources or skills who persevere in their tasks...

Last Thursday, October 9, was our last Migrant Ministry Services day in Centro San Edmundo,... how do we meet the needs of the migrants too afraid and traumatized to leave their homes?... The free stores are paused, but our incredible volunteers are not stopping... Padre Vittorio Bruscella, CMF, recently reflected that “the word ‘Sanctuary’ no longer means a place made of bricks”...

While Father Carl is on Vacation, our Oak Park Parishes' Operations Directors offer some parish updates... Carlos Guerrero: I want to begin by thanking you for your ongoing support of the parish. Fr. Carl and all of us on the staff appreciate each one of you... Matt Brophy: When I started working at the parish in January 2021, Father Carl wondered if I would have enough work to keep me busy...

A Companion Sponsor for OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) is a parishioner who would like to accompany a person who is preparing to receive the sacraments... Companion Sponsors will receive training prior to being paired with an individual and will continue to be supported while they work with a person...

The simple phrase “What would Jesus do?” has guided Christians for generations... When we ask, “What would Jesus do?’ the answer is NEVER hatred, fear, or exclusion, but it is ALWAYS mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and truth spoken in love... In the end, the question is not only “What would Jesus do?” but also “What will we do?” As followers of Christ, we are called to be different...

We learned this week that one of our migrant couples are planning to get married but were waiting until they could afford to buy the bride a ring... We will miss Centro San Edmundo and recognize the impact our time there has had not only on the migrants,... We are pausing all but financial donations now, and will alert you when we can accept donations again...

The decision has been made to close the Saint Edmund School building due to the enormous cost of repairing and maintaining the beloved, but very old, structure. The last day the “free stores” and social services will be available for the migrants in the building will be Thursday, October 9. Immigration Support Services has moved to Murphy Hall and that will continue...

I feel it and hear it spoken all around me these days. There is so much bitterness and hardening of hearts in our country today. How do we not give up on hope? Read Luke 8:4-15... Jesus speaks about the word of God as a seed that is sown but does not produce fruit in everyone... Our task these days is to ask ourselves, what kind of soil am I?...

We are accepting RE Registrations for the Year 2025-2026 - We are excited to begin another year of faith formation and spiritual growth! Whether you are returning or joining us for the first time, we look forward to guiding your child on their journey of faith...

Brothers and sisters in faith, our country is living through a difficult season. Political divisions run deep... Each time we make the sign of the cross at the beginning and end of our prayers, the cross reminds us that violence is never the answer... What can we do personally? One simple but powerful step is this: examine our words... We need peace and civility in our nation...

While not officially a part of the Migrant Ministry program many of our parishioners attend the Friday morning 7:15 AM Prayer Vigil at the Broadview Processing Center... Services in the Saint Edmund school building will end on October 9, and we hope to move to another space. Until further notice, we paused donations on Monday, September 15...

Our local council of the Knights of Columbus has completed its resource document for those caring for ailing or elderly loved ones. The document includes information on individual caregivers as well as agencies and offers insights from those who have provided or arranged for care for an elderly or ailing loved one.

These are very difficult times with the beginning of the long-threatened surge of DHS and other federal agents to the Chicago area and the possibility of a National Guard deployment... Services in the Saint Edmund school building will end on October 9 and will move to another space. Until further notice, we will pause donations on Monday, September 15...

Last Sunday, Pope Leo canonized two new saints, Saint Carlo Acutis and Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. Carlo was a gifted coder and devout Catholic who used his skills to build a multilingual website cataloguing Eucharistic miracles which earned him the name “God’s influencer.”... Frassati embodied ordinary devotion...

It is with a heart full of gratitude and after much prayer and discernment that I write to share with all of you that I will be transitioning to a new parish assignment. This has not been an easy decision, as serving among you has been a true blessing and a profound privilege...

We are now accepting registrations for High School Confirmation for the Youth seeking to be formed and celebrate this Sacrament in Spring 2026. We witness a living faith, and we provide space for prayer, faith growth, service, and reflection...

Both the world and our country are filled with heartbreaking news about hate and violence against innocent and defenseless children and families. Many of us may feel, how do we connect with God in all this mess? Recently I am reminded of the saying “let go, let God.”... A “let God” life loves others sacrificially...

Our Immigration Support Services (ISS) works with migrants to help them complete many applications including those for asylum and work permits, and also translates documents... The last day Migrant Ministry will receive clothing and other donations (except financial) will be Monday, September 15...

As we begin a new season of school, choir, Religious Education, and many of our other church activities that bring us together to build community and unity in our parishes, let us remember WORDS can BUILD - or BREAK - BRIDGES. “The way we communicate is of fundamental importance.”...