10 Things That Happen When You Go To Adoration More Often

Written by Ruth Kennedy | Adoration, Best Of Catholic-Link.org

The Eucharist is described in the Catechism as the ‘source and summit’ of our faith. Finding the time to go to Adoration can be difficult. But if you can make it happen, committing to regular Adoration with an open heart can have some surprising results.

While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. (Mark 14:22-24)

In today’s culture, the idea of interior progress is drastically undervalued; many times it’s considered a waste of time or something from our naive ancestors. Usually, only exterior and more palpable progress
is worth anything. The main difference between the two (material and spiritual) is that material progress remains outside of you. It will offer you certain positive sensations, yet it is always colored with a fleeting and inconsistent kind of occurrence. An interior progress, on the other hand, means that it is you who are changed. The time you spend adoration may surprise you these ten ways:

1. You develop a sense of awe and wonder

There is nothing like the atmosphere of a quiet chapel or church, the smell of incense and the splendour of the monstrance to help you understand the truth of what is happening in Adoration. We are truly before Jesus Christ, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. The more you sink into that silence in front of the Host, the more you’ll realize that the only response is awe and wonder at the greatness of our God.

2.  You experience peace in other areas of your life

Jesus said “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.” (John 14:27)  The outward peace we can experience in Adoration (the quiet and the stillness) reaches much deeper. It leads to an inner peace that affects all areas of our lives. It doesn’t mean everything in our life will be perfect and without suffering, but Christ’s peace means that we know that the storms of life can’t shake us.

3. You begin to look outwardly

Jesus told us to “love one another as I have loved you”. (John 13:34) Spending time in Adoration connects us to the whole world – after all, we’re spending time with the Creator of all things! More time praising and adoring God means you can look beyond your own concerns and see the needs of others in your life and in the world that we live in.

4. You get bored sometimes

There are going to be times when Adoration can feel anything but glorious. You get distracted, your mind begins to wander, you can hear someone else sniffing next to you. Maybe in the beginning Adoration was full of wonderful feelings! Regular Adoration is when daily life sets in and it can make it feel not so special. But that doesn’t devalue or take away from the truth of what Adoration is. Our faith is more than feelings and God will still be working in you. This is the beauty
of the Incarnation – God made man, coming into all our stresses, fears, problems – and yes, boredom. Know that even if an hour spent in Adoration is a continual returning to Him every few minutes when your mind wanders, you are still giving God the best gift you can – your time and company.

5. But you become excited going to Adoration

The more time you spend in Adoration discovering that God is a God who loves you and wants to spend time with you, the more you begin to actually want to go. If Adoration once felt like a chore, you might even find yourself becoming excited to go! Adoration is addictive, not just because of the things we can gain for ourselves, but because we were created to adore. As we say in the Mass, it is “right and just” that we should give thanks to the Lord! Adoration is imprinted on our hearts and “our hearts are restless until they find our rest in Him”! (Thanks, St Augustine!)

6. Grace enters your life

It’s amazing how a simple act of committing to even a short time of regular Adoration makes such a huge difference to the rest of your life. You can carry that moment of being in His presence with you long after you’ve left the church or chapel. His grace sustains you in every moment, especially in moments of temptation. Temptation becomes easier to resist when you’re spending more time in Adoration. Sometimes, it really is that straightforward.

7. You realize how fortunate you are

If it is as simple for you as getting in the car and driving to Adoration
at church, or even walking to the chapel nearby, you realise how much you can take it for granted. There are those who would love to spend more time with Jesus in Adoration but who are housebound, sick or busy parents. Then there are those around the world who actually risk their lives for the Eucharist, in places where they are persecuted for their faith. When you remember those who walk for hours or days in dangerous situations in order to be present with Jesus, you realise what a gift it is to be able to pray openly, not to mention having a priest
to minister the sacraments.

8.  You realize that God has a sense of humor

The more you are able to sit and let God speak to you (instead
of spending all your time filling the silence with talking to Him), you’ll find that God has a really good sense of humor. He likes a joke or two, and sometimes these moments are funny enough to make you want to laugh out loud. Surprising, maybe, but don’t the best fathers show you their love by affectionate good humor?!?

9.  You want to go to Confession more

This might sound scary, but it’s not. Confession allows us to experience the mighty boundless ocean that is God’s mercy. His mercy swallows up all our sins and gives us a true kind of freedom, a freedom without fear, which allows us to make the leap into His love and goodness, complete with all His perfect plans for our life. Time and time again, going to Confession re-enforces the knowledge that we are jumping into the arms of a father who loves us very much and “never tires of forgiving us”. (Pope Francis).

10. You fall in love

Ultimately, you can’t help this one! When you spend more time with an open heart in Adoration and just let Christ love you, then you’ll fall in love too. That love will define you and allow you to be yourself.
“I came that they may have life, life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)

https://catholic-link.org/10-surprising-things-that-happen-when-you-go-to-adoration-more-often/

Chesterton Academy

Adult Confirmation Classes

Are you a  practicing Catholic, between the ages of 18 & 99, who has made First Communion, but has not received Confirmation? 

Preparation for Confirmation for Vicariate I parishioners will be offered weekly, Monday, September 13 to Monday, November 1 from 7-9pm, at St. Edna Parish, 2525 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights. Bishop Jeffrey Grob will preside
at the Confirmation Mass on Tuesday, November 9.

Registration forms will be available July 12 on www.vic1chicago.org or by contacting Lorie Crepeau at LCrepeau@stedna.org, 847-398-3362, ext. 325.  

Zoom sessions will be offered if necessary, on Thursday evenings during the same weeks as in-person sessions.  

Lifeline Screening | July 8, 2021

Please call toll free 1-888-653-6441, or text the word, “circle” to 797979 to schedule your health screening.

Blood Drive | July 6, 2021

Congratulations to Deacon Bob Arvidson on his 20-year anniversary of ordination to the deaconate

Bob Arvidson was ordained to the diaconate on May 20, 2001. As a deacon, Bob has embodied the three-fold ministry of service to the Word, Liturgy, and Charity here at Sr. Francis de Sales Parish. Over the years, he has touched many lives through the celebration of the sacraments including baptisms, first Communions, confirmations, weddings, and funerals. His evangelization efforts are also visible in the RCIA program and the many people he has brought to the Church of God. He has served as the Chaplain and Parish Liaison for the Knights of Columbus Queen of Peace Council. Bob is a talented liturgist and has had a major impact on almost every liturgical celebration at St. Francis de Sales Parish, especially Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter celebrations.

A Catholic deacon is one who is ordained to diakonia, or service to God’s people. Bob has served St. Francis de Sales for the past 20 years with a kind heart, pastoral guidance, and a deep knowledge of the Catholic faith. He has spent countless hours supporting many ministries and has served the parish with distinction. As we thank Bob for his wonderful vocation, we would be remiss if we did not also thank Sue, his wife and partner for life, for her unwavering support of Bob’s ministry. Congratulations to Bob and Sue. Thank you for 20 years of service to St. Francis de Sales and the Archdiocese of Chicago. May God’s blessing be upon both of you for years to come.

Who said growing in your faith has to be done alone?

God created us for relationship and designed us to grow in our faith together!  Sometimes we just don’t know how to start. Join Deacon Keith Strom as he guides us in how to accompany each other to deepen our relationship with Jesus. Learn practical ways to spark the conversation and journey together in faith and friendship.

Come discover the joy of being an intentional disciple. Bring your questions to this safe environment with no judging.

Thursday Evening sessions from 7 – 9pm in person in the Ministry Center from July 8 through August 12.

More information at www.stfrancislzparish.org/intentional-disciples

A look at our Outdoor Adore Night!

What a great evening for outdoor Adoration of Jesus at St Francis! Prayer ministry was offered to have someone pray with you and two priests were available for Reconciliation. What a beautiful way to worship Jesus! If you could not make it tonight, stay tuned for future outdoor Adoration nights. We’d love to have you join us in prayer.

It's Official!!!! We are Reopening the Parish this weekend!

If you have been away from St. Francis de Sales during the past year, we want to welcome you back.

We have some exciting changes beginning this weekend:

1. Holy water is in our baptismal font

2. Registration for Mass is no longer needed

3. We’re back to 100% capacity in the church

4. Masks are no longer required for those who are vaccinated.  Anyone who feels more comfortable wearing a mask, please feel free to do so

5. Physical distancing is no longer required, but let’s respect everyone’s personal space 

We thank you for your patience. Please continue to treat everyone with dignity, love, and respect. Please join us for one of our Masses this weekend! Saturday 5pm Vigil, Sunday 6:30am, 9am (also streamed) & 11:15am Parking Lot Mass.

Welcome back!

Please continue to check the parish website for the latest updates and announcements

Hallelujah! The time has come!!

Hallelujah!  The time has come!! The city of Chicago and the Archdiocese are planning to lift all safety restrictions as of June 11. This is exciting news for St. Francis de Sales.  We anticipate that next weekend’s Masses will be wide open which means no pre-registration, no capacity limits, no social distancing and masks are completely optional..  Please note that the Mass schedule will remain the same [Sat 5pm Vigil, Sun 6:30am, 9am streamed, 11:15am Parking Lot, Daily Masses @ Noon & Tu/Th Communion Services @ 8am] (Pause for cheers!)  Invite all your family and friends back to Mass!!  Let’s see how full we can make our church for Jesus! Thank you for your patience and generous concern for others through this past year.   Check our website on June 11 for any new  updates. 

Outdoor Adoration Event

ST FRANCIS DE SALES CATHOLIC PARISH

Outdoor Adore

PRAYER MUSIC REFLECTION

Come join us as we worship our Lord. We will meet in the front parking lot outside church and process with Jesus to the back of church for a candle-lit adoration experience with prayer, music and reflection. There will also be people who would love to pray with you individually, and we are making arrangements for a priest to be available for Reconciliation.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2021 • West Parking Lot

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

NO REGISTRATION NEEDED

Volunteer Drivers Needed for Meals on Wheels

Please consider driving for the Meals on Wheels program. The time commitment is approximately one hour per month. The deliveries are in and around the Lake Zurich area. Many of them are within a mile of the church. If you are interested in volunteering for this important ministry, please contact Molly Ergastolo at 847-867-1179

May Crowning 2021 Reflection by Elizabeth Vinnes, Grade 8

May Crowning 2021 Reflection by Elizabeth Vinnes, Grade 8

This year, May Crowning was different than it was in past years. Normally, during May Crowning the whole school, their family members, and other parishioners gather in a packed church to participate in a ceremony dedicated to Mary.  The eighth grade normally leads in scripture readings and the praying of the Rosary, and we all sing songs in praise of the Blessed Mother. With Covid this year, only second and eighth graders were able to attend in the church, and everyone else watched the livestream from their classrooms and homes. We weren’t able to pray the Rosary, say special prayers, or sing songs to Mary.  On a normal May Crowning, each class brings in flowers to give to Mary, and the flowers would stay by her side in the church for days after. Classes this year weren’t able to bring in flowers. This year, May Crowning was incorporated into our weekly Mass, and the 8th graders gave flowers to Mary.  Despite the differences brought on by Covid restrictions, this May Crowning felt  special too. 

This year, I was selected to crown Mary at our May Crowning Mass. It was an honor to have such a special and important role in a ceremony to revere and crown the Blessed Virgin. Walking up to crown Mary, I was a little nervous because I was scared to mess up with many people staring at me.  That feeling changed when I finally approached the statue and laid the crown of flowers on her head.  In that moment, I felt a special spiritual connection with her, like she was looking down at us proudly and smiling. After I went back to my seat, I was deep in prayer with her, quietly talking to her in my head. I had never felt so close to her before. It felt amazing. Now, I feel my relationship with her is very strong.  

In the end, despite the challenges that Covid presented, everything went as it should have. It was even more special for me because I became closer to Mary than ever before.  Overall, like so many experiences this year, it was a May Crowning that was different than other years, but we were able to make this important ritual happen and acknowledge the special role that Mary plays in our faith.

Emmaus House of Hospitality in its 21st year of ministry to reopen July 11th

It’s been awhile since we have communicated about Emmaus House. Unfortunately, we have not been operating Community Dinner for over a year, however, we are excited to announce that we will reopen our doors July 11th. Please allow us to refresh your recollection of the work we do and our plans going forward.

Historically, each Sunday night, with a few exceptions, right below us in Father Valker Hall we provide a community dinner and perishable food pantry for those who face difficulties with feeding themselves and their families. The dinners themselves are generously provided by various groups looking for outreach opportunities such as: St Francis ministries, parish groups, civic groups, businesses, area churches and school organizations.

We hand out dairy, meat, bread and produce to our guests in the harvest room following dinner.  This bounty is designed to help our guests make it through the week more comfortably until our dinner the following week.  The food is donated by our generous retail partners in the area, such as Costco, Jewel,  Mariano’s, Trader Joe’s just to name a few.  Our volunteers go out to each of these establishments each week to rescue this food that we provide in the harvest room.

In addition to Sunday dinner and food pantry Emmaus House also sponsors other important programs for our guests including: Jeepers Sneakers, which provides back to school shoes for children, Undie Sunday which distributes new underwear and socks for school age children and diaper and feminine hygiene product distribution.

As always, thank you to all who have volunteered or supported Emmaus House in any way by giving of your time, talents, resources and prayers. We could not do this without everyone’s help and we should be proud of this as parishioners in the Lord’s work.

With the support of the parish and our volunteers we have put together a plan to slowly and thoughtfully reopen Emmaus House. To begin with, we will simply host our food harvest distribution on Sundays with a twist. We used to open our doors at 5:30 on Sundays. With the opportunity to analyze our operation we have decided to move up our time schedule to 4:00 pm so as to not conflict with the 5:00 pm mass. We will reopen the doors of Valker Hall safely on July 11th at our new time of 4pm for food distribution only.  At a later date, when it is safe to do so we will resume the community dinner portion of our ministry.

Each year, we asked for additional support for our mission and the Lord answered our prayers. This year is no different except perhaps our needs may be greater. It is important to note that we are an entirely volunteer-led ministry.  We have no employees of any kind. All of our Board Members and volunteers carve out time from their other family and professional responsibilities to contribute to this ministry.  For a variety of reasons, several of our volunteers have moved on.

We pray that this year we will again be blessed with the infusion of new volunteers.  Perhaps you have always wanted to volunteer but could not and now new work arrangements or other circumstances will provide you that opportunity. The good news is we have a great program set up by our founders. It’s our job to continue what they have put in place. You can help as little as you want or as much as you want. The message is simply this. If you feel that you want to lend a hand, we will find a way for you to participate in our mission in a way that fits your schedule and desires.

If you would like to learn more about Emmaus House and how you could help, I invite you to go to our website through the parish website, or give us a call. We are listed in the bulletin each week and the parish e-newsletter.

Finally, we cannot say it enough, on behalf of the entire Emmaus House, “Thank you to the Parish for your support of our ministry”. We could not continue to function without your blessing for over two decades. 

2021-2022 Religious Ed Registration is Open!

Welcome to Fr. Bob Heinz and Thank You to Fr. Jerome Jacob

Fr. Bob Heinz has been named the new Temporary Administrator of St. Francis de Sales Parish effective June 1, 2021. Fr. Bob is replacing Fr. Jerry Jacob who has been the Temporary Administrator of the parish for over six months.

Fr. Bob is an experienced and much-loved pastor in the Archdiocese of Chicago and will accompany the St. Francis de Sales faith community until the return of our pastor Fr. Ryan. Fr. Jerry will return to his more than full time duties as the Pastor of Saint Mary of the Annunciation and Dean of Vicariate 1-A .

It is difficult to say goodbye to Fr. Jerry. The parish owes him a great debt of gratitude for stepping in and leading St. Francis de Sales through some of the busiest and most difficult months of the year. With his leadership, the parish has continued to celebrate all the sacraments and move ahead on important discipleship and evangelization initiatives.

Please watch Fr. Bob’s and Fr. Jerry’s video messages. Also included is a personal letter from Fr. Jerry to the parish. A very warm welcome to Fr. Bob and a heartfelt thanks to Fr. Jerry. May God’s Blessing be upon both of them and the St. Francis de Sales Parish.

A Letter from Fr Jerry

Dear Parishioners of Saint Francis de Sales, 

It was the week of Thanksgiving last November when I received the unfortunate news that allegations had been made against your pastor, Fr. David Ryan.  I was asked if I would accept the assignment as a temporary administrator and I said “Yes,” with the hope that there would be a swift and just resolution to these allegations.  It has now been 6 months and I have had to face the reality that a resolution is still going to take more time, possibly months.  It is humbling for me to admit that I do not have the energy to continue serving as a temporary administrator while also serving as the Pastor of Saint Mary of the Annunciation and as the Dean of Vicariate 1-A .  

My classmate, Bishop Jeffery Grob, recognized that this was beginning to take a toll on my health and he initiated a search for a full-time temporary administrator.  I am grateful that Fr. Bob Heinz has agreed to accept the assignment as a temporary administrator of St. Francis de Sales Parish until allegations against Fr. Ryan are resolved.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Deacon Tom Purtell, Deacon Bob Arvidson, Deacon John Sfire, your pastoral team, especially Pam Lynch, Judy Reilly and Laura Angelini, and everyone who has been so welcoming and helpful to me these past 6 months. I am also most grateful for the support of Bishop Jeffery Grob and Bishop George Rassas, especially for administering the Sacrament of Confirmation.  I am also very grateful for the many priests who have served during this time, including Fr. Paul Wachdorf, Fr. Bradley Zamora, Fr. Rodolfo Ramirez, Fr. Emery de Gall, Fr. Dennis Zalecki, and Fr. John Hoffman.  

I have come to love the people of Saint Francis de Sales and I will continue to keep you and your pastor, Fr. David Ryan, in my prayers.

Let us pray for one another,

Fr. Jerry

Congratulations on Receiving your First Holy Communion!

ACA REPORT FOR OUR PARISH - MAY 2021 REPORT

ACA REPORT FOR OUR PARISH
MAY 2021 REPORT 

Donor Count.....................…………....….................338

2021 Goal.....….……………………………............$125,410

Amount Pledged..................…..……….......$148,098

Goal Overage..............................…..…..…..$22,688

Amount Paid.....................................………..$121,592

Balance Due....................................………...$26,506

Congratulations to our Children Catechumenates!

Keeping You and Our Church Safe!

Per the Archdiocese: All parishes should continue to require masks for all attendees at Masses and Liturgies

We continue to work hard to be able to safely offer opportunities for you  to worship Jesus in our church and gather together to receive His Body.  St Francis de Sales remains vigilant in following all safety guidelines mandated by the Archdiocese and the state of Illinois which include masking, distancing, capacity limits and hand sanitizing.

We pray that the  positivity rates which determine these state and Archdiocesan mandated guidelines continue to decrease.    We are hopeful and excited that the state and Archdiocese will then be able to safely expand capacity limits and ease other restrictions.  In the meantime, let’s love our neighbor as Jesus asks of us and continue to do our part to keep everyone safe.  

Keeping you and our church safe, requires a huge volunteer commitment.  In order to keep our church doors open,  we need adequate help.   We have a very dedicated and joyful pool of volunteers, but we can always use more.  If you would like to ensure that we can continue to safely keep our church open and at  our capacity limit, please consider volunteering at www.stfrancislzparish.org.

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