For almost three years now, migrants have traveled from across the city to our Ministry Mornings. We are now in our third location and have made adjustments to meet a changing reality, but the mission and vision of the Ministry remain the same... We are a welcoming space for our migrant brothers and sisters... But it has become evident that Centro San Bernardino is increasingly a place of deep encounter... An ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST...

Here we are, Palm Sunday and then the Holiest Days of the year, the celebration of the Sacred Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil... On Holy Thursday, we remember the gift of the Eucharist and Jesus’ commandment to love and serve one another... On Good Friday, we stand quietly at the foot of the cross, recognizing the depth of God’s love poured out for the world... Then in the darkness of the Easter Vigil, light breaks forth again as we proclaim the Resurrection...

Hanging atop a doorway at the end of the corridor, a genuine horseshoe from Churchill Downs in Kentucky now bestows good luck on the volunteers and migrants visiting Centro San Bernardino. It is a gift from SM in gratitude for the assistance he recently received from Migrant Ministry volunteers... Donations are accepted on Mondays at the former Saint Bernardine School... We are now accepting only spring and summer clothing, as well as bedding and shoes...

Attention!!! Lay leadership and co-responsibility are important aspects of vibrant parishes today and for the future. I ask all to please read the information included in this week’s corner. Both Parish Pastoral Councils are in a time of transition and seeking new membership... When recommending a potential Parish Pastoral Council member, please include: Name, Phone Number, Email Address, and a brief description of what gifts this person would bring to the council...

Be a Beacon of Faith, Service, and Community - Are you passionate about deepening your faith and sharing Christ’s joy with others? The Spirit and Light ministry is seeking new members to join our Advisory Board! If you feel called to make a meaningful impact in our parish and beyond, we invite you to prayerfully consider this opportunity...

Since the installation of the LISTEN WIFI assistive listening system in the Churches, more and more parishioners have begun using the app and are finding it helpful... We completed an evaluation of our overall sound systems at both Churches... If you are interested in lending your support to the Sound System Project, please contact David Anderson in the coming weeks...

The Migrant Ministry has evolved to meet the changing needs of the migrants we serve!... MM volunteers have been assisting JM, a Venezuelan migrant detained on Jan 13 when he went to the Broadview Center for his ICE check-in and was sent to a facility in Kentucky... A MM volunteer went to the office, paid the bond with money orders, filled out forms, and waited. And waited... What great joy to have daddy home! Celebrate! Release the white balloons! HABEMUS PAPÁ!...

In this fourth week of Lent, the world feels heavy. News of war reminds us how fragile peace can be. At the same time, our nation has paused to remember the life of Jesse Jackson,... At one of the services, Stevie Wonder sang the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”... Lent invites us to make that same choice. When the world feels divided by fear, war, or injustice, the gospel asks us to begin where we are - through prayer, kindness, and the quiet work of reconciliation...

RC began donating quilts to the Migrant Ministry over a year ago, and to date has donated over 40 beautiful handmade quilts that migrants gratefully take home to warm their beds... The pieces of cloth that make up the quilts are diverse... Donations are accepted on Mondays from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the former Saint Bernardine School, 815 Elgin in Forest Park... We are now accepting only spring and summer clothing, as well as bedding and shoes...

I want to extend our congratulations to both Deacon Willam Pouncy and Prentice Butler for awards given to them in recognition of their service to the community... We congratulate William on receiving the Augustus Tolton Award for Religious Leadership at the 48th Annual African American Heritage Prayer Service... Prentice received the 32nd Archbishop James P. Lyke African American Male Image Award honoring his service in our community...

One of the clearest ways the Church guides us is through the Corporal Works of Mercy; to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, cloth the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned and to bury the dead... Lent calls us to reflect - not simply on what we give up, but on who we are becoming... the Corporal Works of Mercy offer more than charity, they offer a Christian response... In our restless and wounded world, the Corporal Works of Mercy ground us...

The Migrant Ministry would not be possible without the incredible support of the larger community, manifested through volunteer time, in-kind donations, and financial contributions. We are grateful for the small and large, one-time and monthly monetary donations. How is this money spent?... The Migrant Ministry Leadership Team makes the financial decisions... Starting March 1, we are only accepting spring and warm weather clothing...

The Migrant Ministry is part of a loose network of organizations that share resources, connections, and experiences to collaboratively support our migrant brothers and sisters. The network recently facilitated the return to the Chicago area of a migrant released from a detention center in Indiana... We couldn’t do what we do without your support. MIL GRACIAS, Catholic Communities of Oak Park!...

Lent invites us to do something deeper. We might fast from constant noise... Another fast is to step back from whatever dulls our spiritual awareness... This Lent, I encourage every member of our parishes to intentionally create space for retreat time with God. Utilize what our parishes are offering and use these options to create your own space for retreat time with God... Think of this during the Lenten season: “Less noise. More God.”...

In anticipation of a larger ICE presence, we have begun to prepare our families and those who come to our free store in the event they are seeing officers in their neighborhoods or are themselves apprehended... Those phone numbers are: ICIRR or the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights 855-435-7693... NLG or the National Lawyers Guild Chicago 872-465-4244... “Free stores” are now open...

Catholic social teaching has guided the Church for more than a century and is rooted directly in the Gospel... “The Church considers it her duty to interpose her authority” when the dignity of persons is threatened. There are circumstances around us today that make it our duty to speak up... Let us remember African American Christian witness teaches us to live the Gospel with truth, dignity, and enduring love...

During the past two weeks we have learned of three families unable to make rent payments... We try to help any way that we can... If you are reviewing your 2026 giving, please consider a donation to Migrant Ministry... The “free stores” are open. Volunteers are offering clothing, coats, boots, and bedding as well as a breakfast space and a children’s playroom. Donations are accepted on Monday mornings...

This weekend, we will have speakers at all Masses at both parishes. They will share information about F.C.N., Foundation for Children in Need... On February 14, we will celebrate our African American Heritage Mass with our joined choir members under the direction of Dr. Thomas Jefferson... Next weekend is Commitment Weekend for this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal...

The Village of Oak Park will be making significant improvements to Oak Park Avenue, around St. Edmund Church.  This project will affect Oak Park Avenue, between Randolph Street and Ontario Street. The project is scheduled to run until November 2026. At times, the street will be closed and not accessible to parking. The St. Edmund parking lot will remain open...

On January 20, opening day of our new migrant center (Centro San Bernardino), the volunteers arrived early and expressed how glad they were to be together again serving the migrants... But before we started, the volunteers gathered in a room and Father Carl and Father Vittorio led us in a beautiful blessing written by Father Carl - a meaningful start to a packed morning in which 210 migrants were served...