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Renew My Church Book

Northside Catholic Academy

Visit website: www.northsidecatholic.org

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Together with all faithful over the world, we are entering into the Holy Lenten Season 2020, beginning with Ash Wednesday on February 26.

In the liturgy of Ash Wednesday, immediately after the homily, we will participate in the rite of blessing ashes. And the ashes will be applied to the faithful’s foreheads, or as custom in many places to the faithful’s heads, in the shape of the cross. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made from the burning of palms blessed in the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration.

The act of receiving ashes on our forehead in the shape of the cross or having ashes sprinkled on our head serve as an outward sign of need for penance and humility.  We recognize the fragility, limitations of our humanity, and our sinfulness.

With the aforementioned intentions of Ash Wednesday, we enter the Lenten season, lasting 40 days and nights, to prepare our hearts and focus our attention on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  Through praying the Word of God and in contemplating the Passion of Jesus Christ, we enter deeply into our relationship with God. We will be better aware of the love God has for us. We will also see more clearly our sinful selves and determine to turn away from the old way of life full of imperfections.  With God’s forgiveness and grace, we live the Christian life better.

To help each of us to live fully the meaning and purpose of Lent, Father Nguyen Quang SCJ, Vice Provincial and Vocation Director of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Wisconsin, will come to our parish to lead this year’s Lenten Retreat.  The Lenten Retreat 2020 will take place on the second week of Lent, March 7 - 11, 2020.  Especially on Sunday, March 8, there will be a session for the youth from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm.

We earnestly hope that every member of our parish will all make an extra effort to attend the Parish Lenten Retreat.  Please see the attached Lenten schedule.

May the merciful God through the intercession of Blessed Mother and Martyrs of Vietnam bless abundantly all of us.

 Rev. Ambrose Phi Nguyen

Pastor

Sunday, February 23, 2020

1:30 pm:  Rite of Blessing Palms to Ashes

Wednesday, February 26, 2020: Ash Wednesday

7:30 am:  Mass (bilingual)

7:00 pm:  Mass (in Vietnamese)

Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent

6:00 pm: In English

6:30 pm: In Vietnamese

7:00 pm: Mass (in Vietnamese)

2^nd Sunday of Lent – March 7-8, 2020

Fr. Quang Nguyen, SCJ preaches at 4:00 pm Saturday Mass and 10:00 am Sunday Mass

Theme:  Living out Christ’s Call:  Salt of the earth and light of the world

^3rd Sunday of Lent – March 15, 2020

Lenten reflection - Holy Abandonment:  11:30 am – 12:30 pm (in the church)

Thursday, March 19, 2020:  Solemnity of Saint Joseph

7:30 am:  Mass (bilingual)

7:00 pm:  Mass (in Vietnamese)

Sunday, March 22, 2020

11:30 am – 1:00 pm:  Confessions (children in Religious Ed. and EYM)

Wednesday, March 25, 2020:  Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

7:30 am:  Mass (bilingual)

7:00 pm:  Mass (in Vietnamese)

Sunday, March 29, 2020

11: 15 am – 1:15 pm: Confessions

2:45 pm – 5:00 pm: Confessions

The Parish Grouping Process

At the heart of our Renew My Church efforts is the renewal of vital, sustainable parishes that have the leadership, resources, and vision necessary to create an effective culture of evangelization that makes disciples, builds communities and inspires witness. This requires prayerful discernment and challenging conversations on our part. It also necessitates great trust that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will lead us to where He wants us to go.

As I’ve shared, our parish is working with St. Timothy, St. Margaret Mary, and Blessed Aloysius Stepinac Mission as one group to discern and provide input into how we can best structure our parishes and ministries to make disciples, build community, and inspire witness. Together, we will work through multiple stages on a shared journey of renewal:

1. Discernment & Decisions. A selected team known as the Grouping Feedback and Discernment Team will reflect upon potential scenarios of how our local parishes and schools may be organized differently in the future and develop potential ideas to achieve the mission imperatives. This stage concludes when Cardinal Cupich makes his final decisions regarding any structural changes affecting the grouping.
2. Transition Support. Once decisions are made that result in structural/organizational changes to the grouping, a dedicated support team from the archdiocese works on-site to help pastors manage the transition - both the pastoral accompaniment to walk with people through this time of change and operational transition to ensure new parishes have strong, sustainable operational foundations, upon which the great work of ministry can be built to achieve our mission imperatives.
3. Building the New Reality. At this point in the process, with the structural, operational, financial, and personnel foundations in place, the grouping will focus its efforts on vibrantly living out the three imperatives. At the core will be a culture of evangelization that supports the work of making disciples, building community, and inspiring witness. This will be a journey over the next several years in our parish.

Along this journey, our Good Shepherd guides our steps. He is with us always and assures us in the Gospel, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27-30). It’s on us to keep our ears open and to listen with our hearts throughout this process.

As always, for more information, visit RenewMy-Church.org, or ask me, your pastor, and parish leaders.

Grouping Meeting Schedule

In English Language

In Spanish Language

In Polish Language