The St. Catherine - St. Lucy (SCSL) hiring committee is thrilled to announce a familiar face as our new leader: Ms. Kelly Archambault has officially been named Principal! Big Shoulders, the Office of Catholic Schools, and the SCSL hiring committee have confidence in Kelly and believe she is the best candidate for the role... Please join us in giving a warm "welcome back" to Mrs. Archambault in her new role...

We all know life is busy with entrances and exits. People come, and people go. As many of you might remember, I moved to Oak Park in the summer of 2020 during the COVID pandemic to minister with Father Carl Morello. My time here has gone by fast, but it's time for me to leave Oak Park... During these past six years I have had the privilege of getting to know many of you personally... I thank God for having called me with Father Carl to minister to each and every one of you...

As we continue to accompany families and individuals, the ways that we support the stranger in our midst continues to expand, evolve, pivot… There are many words for this work that your support allows us to do... What are the challenges we see today, this week, next month? Our community of volunteers continues to expand as the needs expand. All with a smile and a hug; such joy!... Donations are accepted on Mondays from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the former St Bernardine School...

Could you recommend someone? - "Ascension and St. Edmund" and "St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy and St. Giles" Parishes are seeking recommendations for potential Parish Pastoral Council members... You can recommend someone you know or yourself. Those who are recommended will be contacted to answer any questions. An information session will be held in early May for those who have been recommended...

The mission of The Neighborhood Bridge (TNB), located in the former rectory of Saint Catherine of Siena-Saint Lucy is to connect Austin neighborhood families to existing high-performing human services providers. In our Advocate Program, trained volunteer Advocates accompany families in need (called Participants) and help connect them to the services and aid they need... Next Volunteer Bridge Breakfast will be on May 2... Please Sign Up!...

Thank you, Ascension 5th and 8th graders, for your generous donation of Easter baskets for the children served by the Migrant Ministry. Wow! So many beautiful baskets, each one filled with sweet treats and small toys - carefully curated by CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN!... Donations are accepted on Mondays from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the former Saint Bernardine School... Easter baskets and bags were distributed to families accompanied by the Migrant Ministry and Easter baskets to children...

We are the Resurrection - Here and Now. This was the message I tried to convey at the Easter Vigil as well as on Easter Sunday... Here in our Catholic Communities of Oak Park and Neighbors, we find ourselves in a continued time of change... Last Saturday at our one shared Easter Vigil, we witnessed it... That moment was not just a ritual - it was a revelation... The Resurrection is not just something that happened long ago. It is happening here. It is happening now. And it is happening in us...

On Sunday, April 12, the first Sunday after Easter has been designated as Divine Mercy Sunday. The celebration of Christ's resurrection continues with this feast, which recognizes that God's love and mercy endure forever and overcome any sin that separates us from Him... The Divine Mercy Chaplet is a Catholic prayer based on visions and messages received by Saint Faustina Kowalska... The chaplet is particularly encouraged on Good Friday and at 3:00 PM, the hour of God's mercy...

The Migrant Ministry continues its efforts to meet the short-and long-term needs of our migrant brothers and sisters, but is increasingly called to serve in new ways. A new ministry is developing to support migrants who have been detained, often for months, in deplorable conditions in detention centers... This is a concrete way of demonstrating compassionate support of New Neighbors... Donations are accepted on Mondays from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM at the former Saint Bernardine School...

Welcome, and Happy Easter! Whether you are here every week, visiting from out of town, or returning after some time away, we are truly glad you are with us today. Your presence matters. There is a place for you here, and there is a reason you are here – even perhaps more than you realize... Easter is not simply a memory of something that happened long ago. It is a proclamation for today... Easter invites each of us to begin again. To believe again. To hope again. May this day bring you peace...

Before the proclamation of the gospel at the Easter Vigil liturgy, there is a deeply powerful and moving moment. It is the joyous triple Alleluia... Yet, we may find that our Easter joy has been dampened this year in the face of the daunting challenges of war, the upheavals experienced by migrant families... Let’s not hold back our shouts of joy. Let us sing with gusto our Alleluia for it bears witness to our enduring hope in Christ’s Resurrection...

The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is a process to guide you in your discernment as well as a pathway to become Catholic... The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is how people can question, search, and learn about the Catholic faith... The following are our OCIA Candidates and Catechumen receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil on April 4, 2026...

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...