This week, Catholics across the country pause to celebrate Catholic Schools Week - a time to give thanks for the ministry of Catholic education and the countless students, teachers, families, and supporters who help it flourish... As we celebrate this week, we offer prayers of thanksgiving... The Annual Catholic Appeal is underway once again... This year's theme is “Together We Bring Light”...

Centro San Bernardino Opens This Week! - On January 6, our final event at the beloved Saint Edmund School was the distribution of approximately 80 coats, similar numbers of gloves, hats, and scarves, and about 30 blankets... Donations are accepted on Monday mornings at Saint Bernardine School, 815 Elgin, Forest Park. Please, only seasonal (winter) clothing, boots, coats, and bedding.

As we enter ordinary time, I want to pause for a moment and offer my immense gratitude to everyone who made our Christmas liturgies prayerful, joyful, and beautiful... Lent is around the corner; Wednesday, February 18, is Ash Wednesday... This first joint Vigil will take place at Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy and Saint Giles Parish, at the Saint Giles Church site...

Thank you for your generous support of the 2025 Giving Tree Advent Outreach Program. Together we raised $19,795.12 in donations. Your support made it possible to bring much needed help to some of our parishioners and local organizations - Beyond Hunger, Catholic Charities Food Pantry, The Neighborhood Bridge, Housing Forward, St. Vincent DePaul Society and A House in Austin.

The mission and ministries of our parish are made possible through your faithful generosity... We are pleased to share that a new Business Manager has joined our staff and is becoming familiar with parish operations... We look forward to resuming our regular reporting after the new year... We plan to publish a mid-year financial report in early February to help keep you informed...

Adding to the good news for 2026 (after the announcement of our move to Saint Bernardine School), we will be moving in another family during the first week of January... Our plan is to start receiving donations and organizing the rooms (“free stores”) on Monday, January 12 and Monday, January 19. We will open once again to migrants and immigrants on Tuesday, January 20...

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we should note this fact, that through our own Baptism we are anointed priest, prophet, and king as members of the Body of Jesus Christ... Baptism also calls us to more; a powerful thought as we enter the new year as followers of Christ... - As the Baptized in Christ, the Word of God we hear week after week offers us balance: courage without naivete, compassion without indifference...

When we learned back in June that we would have to leave Saint Edmund,... We received notice that Saint Bernardine School was now available, as a number of formerly-occupied rooms were no longer being used... After moving our shelves, tables, and supplies, our plan is to start receiving donations and organizing the rooms (“free stores”) on Monday, January 12 and Monday, January 19...

As we begin a new year and celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, many individuals and families do so carrying uncertainty rather than clarity... The Magi followed a star - not a detailed map... At the heart of that light is the Eucharist... On behalf of Father Rex, Father Bob. Father Vittorio, Father Tom, Father Larry, Father Ed and Father David, Happy Epiphany and Happy New Year to all...

On the final day of 2025 for coat and blanket distribution, we gave away more than 80 coats, along with hats, gloves and scarves... We need more coats (especially older children and adult sizes in small and medium), gloves, and blankets... From Migrant Ministry we hope that you have all enjoyed a happy and peaceful Christmas and look forward to a joyous New Year...

As we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, our faith reminds us that hope is not rooted in perfect circumstances, but in God’s steady presence with us, especially in times of struggle. What an important message as we approach the New Year 2026... Christian hope is not a denial of reality; it is trust that God is at work even when answers are unclear. The Holy Family is a great example of this...

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 ongoing Stewardship Renewal Drive is meant to inspire you to think about stewardship in new ways... Stewardship is the recognition that everything we have is a gift from God. How can we use those gifts bestowed on us to serve Him? The world needs you more than ever and so does our own parish... I ask you to consider the role stewardship has in your life...

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...