PARISH MISSION: Spiritual Growth Made Easy

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We want to invite you to the upcoming Parish Mission THIS WEEKEND!

PARISH MISSION

The focus of the Parish Mission is on Prayer. Josh Danis, who works for Hallow as the Head of Parish and Diocesan Partnerships, will be speaking at all Masses on Sunday and also on Monday and Tuesday at 9:30am and 7:00pm (in the church).

  • Sunday, March 2nd - Styles of Prayer for Anyone

  • Monday, March 3rd - Beyond the Peaks and Valleys 

  • Tuesday, March 4th - Pathways of Grace 

If you are unable to get to Mass on Sunday March 2nd, you can watch Josh Danis' presentation during the 9:30 Mass which will be streamed and  available on our St Francis de Sales Youtube page. https://www.youtube.com/@stfrancislakezurich9186

HALLOW APP

What is Hallow? Hallow is a Catholic app that offers prayerful meditation, formal prayers, scripture, sleep, and rosary content. It also includes daily Gospel readings, introductions, and commentary from some of our favorite Catholic believers. 

St Francis de Sales is partnering with Hallow to go deeper into prayer this Lenten season. Watch for the special St Francis de Sales code to get our group discount.

  • Free access to "Lent Pray 40" content on the Hallow App (free and no credit card required) 

  • Access to a full trial of the Hallow App for 9 months for only $1!

  • 20% discount on the annual subscription ($56 instead of $70)

The Hallow team works to ensure Hallow always stays 100% authentically catholic & aligned with the Church.

The goal of our partnership is to help people encounter the Jesus, form robust personalized daily habits of prayer, and help the formation of small Christian communities who pray together -- where people are praying for each other and with each other. Through these prayers we are fueling the mission of the parish - fueling the hopes for the parish

STORY OF THE HALLOW APP

The Hallow app was created in 2018 by Alex Jones. Read more about his story HERE.

Alex Jones: "I grew up Catholic, but fell away from my faith. I became fascinated with secular meditation, but always felt like something was missing – like I was being pulled towards something deeper.

I started asking everyone I knew if there was any sort of intersection between meditation and faith, and what I found changed my life…

The Holy Spirit quickly pulled together our amazing team and we began learning about the Church’s beautiful tradition of prayer & meditation. Not just what we all knew from grade school, but deep and transformative contemplative and meditative prayer techniques.So we quit our jobs and began building Hallow. We launched the app at the end of 2018, and have just been working to make it better ever since."

Chicago Tribune Article: ‘People need help’ St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish assists people impacted by two hurricanes

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‘People need help’ St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish assists people impacted by two hurricanes

By KARIE ANGELL LUC | Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: October 21, 2024 at 2:54 PM CST

Right, Rev. David Ryan, pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish in Lake Zurich, leads a blessing of the truck and its donated contents destined for people in Tampa, Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton, outside of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

 

It took under one hour for volunteers of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19 to load up a van and large truck with donations destined for people impacted by Hurricane Milton in Tampa, Florida.

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish, in partnership with Lake Forest business Contract Installations, made possible the donation drive to provide relief supplies.

On Saturday morning, adult parishioners were also joined by students from St. Francis de Sales Catholic School and the parish’s religious education program to pack up and load items.

Upper right, in blue shirt, is Mike Iwanski of Long Grove, participating in a prayer and blessing of the truck by Rev. David Ryan, pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish in Lake Zurich, who is leading the blessing of the truck and its donated contents destined for people in Tampa, Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton, outside of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

 

“It’s good teamwork,” said Mike Iwanski of Long Grove, among volunteers working the assembly line to load the truck.

Matt Dulen of Lake Zurich is president of Contract Installations, a Lake Forest business with a three-decade history and now with 30 to 40 employees. Contract Installations specializes in commercial office furniture and related services.

Contract Installations has a satellite location in Tampa, Florida, and when Hurricane Milton occurred, Dulen reached out to contacts in Tampa to ask how to help.

Dulen was inspired to launch a local donation drive. Supplies such as water, diapers, and baby formula will be driven in a 53-foot tractor-trailer truck to Tampa for donation distribution by a charitable relief organization, non-profit ECHO of Brandon (Emergency Care Help Organization). The donations should arrive in Tampa the week before Halloween, Dulen said.

Volunteers outside of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

 

“In today’s world and how things are going,” Dulen said, “I think this is a good opportunity to just bring everybody together for a good cause.”

In addition to being a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Dulen is a member of the Knights of Columbus Queen of Peace Council #3954 and his children attend St. Francis de Sales Catholic School. “I know this is going to go a long way,” Dulen said of the amount of donations. “It’s a cool thing to see.”

Parishioners and families of the religious education program and the school donated multiple skids of bottled water and non-perishable food such as energy and granola bars. The items were staged in the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center over one week.

Rev. David Ryan, pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish, conducted a blessing of the truck once it was loaded. Volunteers put their hands on the truck as part of the gesture of faith.

Far right is Mike Iwanski of Long Grove, participating in a prayer and blessing of the truck by Rev. David Ryan, pastor at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Parish in Lake Zurich, who is leading the blessing of the truck and its donated contents destined for people in Tampa, Florida impacted by Hurricane Milton, outside of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

“We’re not like social workers, we’re disciples of Jesus Christ carrying out the great law of love and carrying out the corporal works of mercy and being good samaritans along the way, stopping and helping someone in need,” Ryan said.

Father Ryan complimented the school’s (NJHS) National Junior Honor Society, student council, religious education, and youth ministry for assisting, in addition to school principal Mary Keller, parish families, and associated ministry collaboratives.

“This has been a tremendous reflection of the great law of love,” Ryan said. Arlene Kuhn of Lake Zurich was among Saturday’s volunteers. “People need help, people have lost everything,” Kuhn said. “It’s bleak, so any little thing that we can do that would help somebody at least maybe get through an hour or a minute...I want to help, so that’s why I’m here.

“We need to serve one another,” Kuhn added. Joanne Luce of Hawthorn Woods was also among the helping hands. “It just makes me feel good,” Luce said.

Left, Joanne Luce of Hawthorn Woods is among volunteers helping to load donations in the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Of even one bottle of fresh water, “That’s one they didn’t have before,” Luce said.

Evan Garrow, 13, an eighth-grader from Lake Zurich, helped to bring items to the back of the large truck, removing a sweatshirt in the process on the sunny day with temperatures approaching 70 degrees.

Evan belongs to Boy Scout Troop 309 of Lake Zurich.

“I have cousins down in Florida,” Evan said. “But I know it’s really bad down there right now, I guarantee it.

“It’s important for us to give back,” Evan added.

Evan Garrow, 13, an eighth-grader from Lake Zurich, takes a moment during the loading of the truck outside of the St. Francis de Sales Parish Center in Lake Zurich on Oct. 19, 2024. (Karie Angell Luc/Pioneer Press)

Volunteer Ben Iwanski, 10, a fifth-grader from Long Grove said about the hurricane situation and those impacted, “I’m really worried.”

The parish plans on hosting another donation drive before the end of October to benefit those in Asheville, North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

Father Ryan invites people to contact the church for donations by calling 847-726-4723. This phone number does not accept text messages. The website is https://www.stfrancislzparish.org . The parish is located at 135 S. Buesching Road. The email is also parishoffice@stfrancislz.org.

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.