February is African American Heritage Month. All are invited to a special Mass and celebration on Saturday, February 14, at 4:30 PM... Why is it important? Because African American History is Catholic History... In a time of division and injustice, gathering for prayer is a powerful act of unity and hope... The Saint Edmund School building will most likely be publicly listed for sale in the next week...

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...

Commitment Weekend for the Annual Catholic Appeal will be of February 14-15 - Cardinal Cupich invites us to answer this year’s Appeal message from Pope Leo XIV, “Together we bring light.” - Bring your pledge to any Mass on February 14-15, or mail your pledge directly to the archdiocese, or make your contribution online - The parishes receive 100% of the incremental funds - We thank you for your generous gifts!...

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...

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 some of our OCIA Candidates and Catechumen for this year 2026...

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...

PDF File - Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark issued a strongly statement measuring U.S. foreign policy against the principles set forth by Pope Leo XIV in his Jan. 9, 2026 address to members of the diplomatic corps accredited the Holy See...

Praying at the Broadview Processing Center early this morning we encountered a man with two suitcases and a bag of clothing for his wife who is being deported to Poland today... Donations are accepted on Monday mornings at Saint Bernardine School in Forest Park... Life for the migrants we serve has become so stressful that one of the rooms will be dedicated to accompaniment and advocacy...

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 Neighborhood Bridge’s leadership is both proud and grateful to report that our organization enjoyed an exceptional first year of operations. Here's a partial list of significant accomplishments as of January 2026... We are recruiting volunteers to serve as Advocates To learn more, we invite you to attend our next Bridge Breakfast on February 7 at 8:30 AM...

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...