September News from the Province
September has been a busy month for our Province and Parishes! It has been a month of great blessings and changes.
Over the first three weeks of September, the Augustinian Order held their 186th General Chapter at the Curia in Rome. The chapter brought together 80 delegate friars from 49 geographical circumscriptions, and 63 countries of origin. The three-week meeting opened on the evening of Sunday, September 1, with an inaugural Mass at the St. Augustine Basilica, with chief celebrant Fr. Alejandro Moral Antón, O.S.A., Prior General of the Order.
At the opening of the second week of the General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine, the delegate friars re-elected Fr. Alejandro Moral Antón, O.S.A. as Prior General of the Order. With this re-election, Fr. Alejandro will serve a second six-year, which goes into effect immediately.
On September 2, Prior Provincial Fr. Tony Pizzo, O.S.A. was invited to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Profession in a truly blessed way, as he was invited to say Mass on the morning of the first day of the Augustinian General Chapter at our Curia in Rome. Click here to read his homily.
On September 13, the Augustinians at the General Chapter were invited to the Papal Palace for an audience with Pope Francis. Read Francis' address here.
The three Federated Peruvian Vicariates, which have been under the jurisdiction of the Midwest Province, the Spanish Province, and the Italian Province, continue their talks towards unification and independence, though no official changes had been approved at the General Chapter.
The General Chapter voted to suppress the Province of St. Joseph, Canada. It now has been subsumed under the full canonical jurisdiction of the Midwest Province.
The Prior Provincial together with the Provincial Secretary and Treasurer are continuing to work with the Augustinian Community at Marylake - Canada and the AFOI about options for maintaining an Augustinian presence there.
The Franciscan Ministries Board and the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago have approved the sale of the St. Anthony Village in Crown Point, where the friars of our Health Care Community reside. The new owner and operator will be Majestic Care of Crown Point. Currently, the Province leadership is scheduling a meeting with Majestic Care to clarify our relationship with the new administration and what if any changes they are planning in their facilities or care.
Br. Joe Ruiz, O.S.A. has been appointed the new Prior of the St. Rita Monastery in Chicago (St. Rita H.S.); Fr. Stephen Isley, O.S.A. has been appointed the new Prior of St. Augustine Monastery (Cascia Hall).
Fr. Chris Steinle, O.S.A.will be assigned temporarily to the Augustinian community in Apurimac, Peru.
Fr. Bill Hamill, O.S.A. is convalescing temporarily at the Montereau skilled healthcare facility in Tulsa, OK.
St. Rita High School President Search Committee continues to move forward positively and is currently in the process of interviewing candidates.
The Colegio San Agustin is moving towards the completion of their first three-story school facility in Trujillo, Peru.
Augustinian News from the Parishes
On September 10, four parishioners from St. Jude Parish delivered welcome packages to a family from Syria that has now settled in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood on the city’s north side. Thanks to the generosity of the St. Jude community, they have everything they need not only for their apartment, but also to start the newest chapter in their lives.
On September 13, St. Jude School celebrated the blessing of the students’ grandparents. They were celebrated and honored at a Mass with the students, enjoyed a concert, and visited classrooms.
On October 4, there will be Eucharistic Adoration. Eucharistic Adoration takes place the 1st Friday of the month.
St. Jude’s Octoberfest will be taking place on October 26 from 6:30pm to 11:30pm. It is a 21 and over event and it is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and St. Jude School.
St. Bernard Parish welcomes Br. Sam Joutras, OSA as he will be conducting an appeal on behalf of the Midwest Augustinians for our missions in Peru. The appeal will take place during the Masses on October 5 and October 6.
The Knights of Columbus hosted a Tootsie Roll Drive on September 21 and September 22. Funds raised went to support the intellectually disabled.
St.Bernard and Our Mother of Good Counsel hosted a Healing Mass with the Anointing of the Sick at St. Bernard Church on Saturday, September 28. Fr. Joe McCormick, OSA was assisted in the Anointing of over 300 attendees by five Augustinians co-celebrants:
Fr. John Merkelis, OSA, Fr. Jerry Nicholas, OSA, and Fr. John Ohner, OSA from the Homer Glen/New Lenox area and Fr. Joe Mostardi, OSA and Fr. Kevin Mullins, OSA from St. Augustine Friary in Hyde Park.
Frs. Joe & Kevin brought with them three students in formation who assisted as acolytes in the service: Brs. Jeff Raths, OSA, Spencer Thomas, OSA, and Michael Riggs, OSA.
Fr. Jim Sheridan, OSA, Fr. Jim Thompson, OSA, and Bro. Paul Koscielniak, OSA came from St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park to co-celebrate and/or be anointed.
Fr. Joe hosted the participating Augustinians to a pizza party at the rectory of our Mother of Good Counsel. Frs. Tom Osborne, OSA and Terry Deffenbaugh, OSA of the Good Counsel community helped host.
Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish will be hosting plenty of wonderful events at the beginning and throughout the month of October:
On October 6, there will be a blessing of the Animals that will take place at 12:00pm
On October 13, OMGC will be providing flu shots from 8:00am to noon. It is a good idea for people of all ages to receive them, but those who are the most vulnerable are small children and the elderly.
On October 27 the Knights of Columbus will be hosting a Blood Drive 8:00am to noon. One pint of blood can save up to the three lives!
On October 27 there will be CCW Trunk or Treat after 10:30am Mass.
The Knighs of Columbus will be hosting a Spaghetti Dinner on October 13 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, please call the parish office.
St. Turibius Parish is asking for donations of canned meat or cans of Spam for their food pantry. Please check cans for expiration dates as expired cans WILL NOT be taken or used. Cans can be brought to Mass or taken to the rectory during business hours.
The 2nd Annual Feast Day Banquet will be taking place on Saturday, October 26. 5:00pm to 6:00pm is the Feast Mass of St. Simon and 6:00pm until midnight is the Banquet reception. Proceeds raised are going towards major repairs and the replacement of the heating system in the parish. For more information, please call the parish office.
To be kept up-to-date on the events taking place at St. Turibius, you can register with St. Turibius Parish’s database. All information is confidential and secured. To register, go to https://connectnow.parishsoft.com/chicago and create a user account. Enter the necessary information and then select St. Turibius Parish - Chicago. Continue to enter the rest of your information in the required fields. Once the form is completed, click on the “Submit Registration” button. For any questions about this, please contact the parish office.
St. Rita of Cascia Parish had a Blessing of the Repaired Sanctuary Floor at each Mass on Sunday, September 15.
On Sunday, September 29, St. Rita’s held a special Ministry and Parish Information Fair to offer the opportunity to parishioners to get more involved in the parish.
St. Rita’s continues to going through the Renew My Church process of the Archdiocese. The parish now knows the possible scenarios of the future of the parish and they have been shared with parish leaders. The final decision will not be known until late December or January.
