Please see our website at www.maryqueenpreschool.org and contact the school office for more information and registration. (630) 833-9500 Preschool classes have begun. We still have some openings in our Tuesday/Thursday class. Come join us! Preschool tours scheduled on request. Special Preschool Blessing at the 10:30a.m. Mass on September 23, 2007 Teacher Aide Position Available Do you enjoy working with children, fostering their growth spiritually, academically, physically, and emotionally? We are currently accepting resumes for the teacher aide position for our Preschool here at MQH. Please direct resumes to Mrs. Liz Lowrey at MQH Preschool 426 N. West Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126 Women in the New Testament Sign-Up Beginning the week of September 24, 2007, the Adult Education Ministry of Mary Queen of Heaven will be offering a study of the Women in the New Testament through the Little Rock Scripture Study. It will run 8 weeks through the week of November 12, 2007. You will have the opportunity to sign-up for this series this weekend September 15-16. Representatives will be at the back of church with materials you will need. The 2 books for the study are $12.00. Information will also be provided to help you choose the day and time that best fits your schedule. Bibles will also be available. Please speak to Mary Foley for any monetary assistance you may need to purchase the study material. New Yoga Class Schedule Come for one or more classes recommended for ages 15 to 75 (however, everyone is welcome) Increase your flexibility, strength, and decrease your stress. It is about balance, strength, and mobility. Tuesdays 9 am to 10 am Aug 28, Sept 11 & 18, Oct. 30, Nov 6, 13, 20 and 27 Wednesdays 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. October 3rd, and 17th and 24th $4 per class ($6 for families) Call Debbie Styka at 941-7224 Please bring a non-slip yoga mat if you have one. Required: comfortable clothing, socks that can come off Wanted: Eucharistic Ministers As Mary Queen of Heaven continues to grow, so does our need for an increased number of volunteers in the various parish ministries. We would like to add more Eucharistic Ministers to accommodate our growth and we ask that you consider becoming one of them. It is truly a privilege and humbling experience. The following are requirements to be a Eucharistic Minister: The person must be Catholic and in good standing with the Church, and must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Eucharistic Ministers must be at least 16 years old. Training will be provided at the church on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 7:00 pm. Please call the parish office at (630) 279-5700 to register in advance. Joliet Catholic Explorer Your diocesan paper has it all-good news coverage at home and around the world, sharp photos packaged in a stunning design, food for thought in a full page of editorial commentary, etc. What are you waiting for? Subscribe today call 815-834- 4062 or email camillea@dioceseofjoliet,org. PEACE AND JUSTICE ACTIVITIES The Peace and Justice Committee of Mary Queen of Heaven Parish is looking for a few good members to take part in its activities. This committee is involved in a major effort to provide information to the members of the parish concerning Catholic social teaching as it applies to contemporary social, economic and international issues facing all of us. The committee sponsors speakers on these topics and arranges carefully targeted activities to help alleviate unjust and unfair conditions facing people today. New people and new ideas for the committee's activities are needed to enable it to realize its potential. Meetings are held the 2nd Thurs. of each month in the Conference Room off Mary's Gathering Place. Join us at 7:30p.m. on Sept. 13th to take part in an important parish activity. "So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees". Let Worldwide Marriage Encounter strengthen your Marriage. The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is....Sept. 21-23. Contact couple: Tom and Mary Leonard 630-577-0778. Website: http://wwmejoliet.org Catholic Charities Hosts L.O.S.S. Support Group (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide) Catholic Charities has support groups in place for anyone who has lost a relative or friend to suicide. A trained facilitator and a mental health professional assist these groups. These groups meet from 7:00p.m.-9:00p.m. on either the 3rd Wed. or 4th Tues. of the month. For more information, call toll free 1-800-240-7011. Immaculate Conception Parish, 134 Arthur Street, Elmhurst, will kick-off another year of its peer support ministry for those experiencing separation or divorce, on Monday, September 17 at 7:15p.m. All are welcome. For more information please call (630)530-5262. Beyond the Tap: Upcoming Events for Young Adults (for men and women in college and in their 20s or 30s, married and single) Brew with the Bishop - with Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, Bishop of Joliet "Why Are the Sacraments So Important for Young Adult Catholics?" Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 7:00 p.m. Mullen's Bar & Grill, Warrenville Rd. & Naper Blvd., Lisle Cost: $5.00 at the door, plus the cost of dinner and drinks RSVP required. Call Dave Miserendino at (630) 851-3444, x225 * please note this program is ONLY open to those 18 to 39 Sacred Fun: Diocesan Young Adult Weekend Retreat (focusing on finding God in movies, music, and sports) Friday to Sunday, September 21 to 23, 2007 Cenacle Retreat House, Batavia & Butterfield Rds., Warrenville Cost: $160 for double; $175 for singles (by September 14th) Register by calling (630) 393-1213. For details about the Diocesan outreach to men and women in college and in their twenties and thirties, contact Paul Jarzembowski at (815) 727-6411, ext. 261, or email pjarzembowski@dioceseofjoliet.org. For updated details of Young Adult Ministry programs, log onto www.dioceseofjoliet.org/yam/ Prayer Requests To pray for our sick is an important privilege of our parish family. We hope that you will pray for these persons every day. Natalie Baker Joyce Belasiek Katherine Brennan Pam Bondfide Pat Caffarelli Rose Caffarelli Kathy Calzante Cosmore Ciancio Dennis Ciancio Lou Ciancio George Cibula Paul Cirone Ida Corriedo Cynthia Catalano Family Rosemary Davis Deacon Bob Delbeke Trudi Dolato Baby Dobrowolski Virginia Feret Kathy Filipiak Cecilia Garstki Mary Goggins Mary Hagerty Anna Heffel Jen Huwalt Tom Huwalt Michelle Humann Maureen James Richard Jones Kathy Johnston Irene Kmieciak Bernadette Kohn Anne Kostas John Larkin Baby Emma Lynde Marie Mangano Robert Manion Mary Martin Dennis McCabe Mary Piszczor Raymond Mitchell Fred Moss Mary Sabel Oye Geri Pstrzoch Baby Faith Reid Robert Restivo Vera Rossiano Agnes Sabel Patricia Sabel Joaquina Scroppo Linda Barone Simons Jess Smith Mary Spierowski Rachael Thompson John Unger Richard Vanni If you or a family member would like to be included in our prayers, please call the rectory at 279-5700. Also, please let us know when a name should be removed. Religious Education News God's calling...............Please don't hang up on him. We are still in need of catechists! Classes begin this Wednesday, September 19th. HELP us fill our remaining catechist positions. If we do not fill the positions, we will have to delay our first class session for some children on September 19th because good people like yourself (you know who you are) have not come forward. Please insure that all of our young people are able to begin their journey of faith on the 19th by calling today to volunteer. Please consider joining our team of dedicated men and women just like yourself who weekly share their Faith with the young people of the parish. Help our children to get to know our God. The following are those grade levels where help is still needed: Session 1 - 3:15 Grade 3 - 1 lead catechist is needed Session 2 - 5:15 Kindergarten - 1 co-catechist is needed Grade 6 - 2 co-catechists are needed. There will be no grade 6 offered at 5:15 unless catechists come forward. Session 3- 7:00PM Grade 6 - 1 co-catechist is needed This weekend we celebrate Catechetical Sunday. Every year throughout the country the third weekend of September is set aside to recognize those who minister as catechists in our parishes. The theme of this year's celebration is "Encountering the Living Christ". We encounter Christ in our catechists and they in turn encounter Him in their children with whom they share their faith. Catechetical weekend celebrates all those who draw us to a deeper understanding of Christ. Thank you to all who have answered the call to be a catechist here at Mary Queen. If you happen to run into one of our almost 70 men and woman who minister to your children as a catechist, you might want to tell them how much you appreciate what they do. In addition to the catechists, we have a large team of support staff who help in the RE program as subs, office help, and hall monitors. This brings the total to almost 100 people who help in our ministry to the over 500 children who are enrolled in our RE program. We are very grateful to these amazing people. Christ is truly alive in each and every one of them. RE Registrations Just a reminder, we do not process registrations this coming week of September 19th. You may still drop your forms off, but your children will not be put on a class list until the following week. For more info on any of the above, please call Mary Ann Woods at the REO, 832-8962 A Vocation View We are like the lost sheep when we have not found our place in life. Are you part if the herd, lost from the herd, or a leader of the herd? VOCATION NEWS! Seminarians have returned to school and the Diocese of Joliet has 14 new seminarians this year for a total of 32 seminarians. Please pray for these young men as they continue on their journey toward priesthood for the Diocese of Joliet. Would you like to donate some of your time for the homeless? I would add you to our email list or if you don't have email, I could call you. Once per month, on the fourth Sunday of the month, I will be looking for a few volunteers to help at a PADS site at St. Alexis in Bensenville. St. Alexis has finally finished their kitchen, so this will be "our location" to help. The hours are from 6:00 to 7:30 am, and you can do any of these chores: wash dishes, serve food, put away bedding, bleach mattresses. This job is very flexible and I may only need you one or two times per year. Please call Debbie Styka 941-7224 with any questions or to volunteer. The first date that I need a few volunteers is Sunday October 28th, 6:00 to 7:30 am St. Alexis, 400 W. Wood St. (off Church Road) between York and Rt 83. Please call me so I can add you to my list or if you want to try it one time. Thanks, Debbie Styka Diocesan News OPEN HOUSE AT UNIVERSITY OF ST. FRANCIS University of St. Francis - Campus Visit Day: High school juniors and seniors are invited to take a look and experience USF on Saturday, September. 22, complimentary breakfast at 9:15 a.m. with program beginning at 10 a.m. Information will be provided on all facets of the university including admissions, scholarships, financial aid, housing and extracurricular activities. A student panel with Saints Ambassadors, tours of campus and much more will be included. RSVP today by calling (800) 735-7500 or online at www.stfrancis.edu/visitday OPEN HOUSE AT BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY Benedictine University's Fall Open House from 12:00 to 3:00p.m. on Sunday, October 7 at the Krasa Center will acquaint high school and transfer students and their families with the University's admissions process, academic and intercollegiate programs, financial aid packages, residence life and study abroad options. Prospective students can also take a tour of campus, visit the bookstore or attend a financial aid session. Students who are interested in the Scholars Program can attend an orientation session at 1:30p.m. For more information, please call the Enrollment Center at 630- 829-6300 or visit Benedictine University on the Web at www.ben.edu/admissions/events/ohinvitation.asp Mary's Page Welcome, welcome, welcome! Welcome to a new year of Religious Education and Preschool, a new year of music ministry, a new year of many new beginnings! There are several things I would like to bring to your attention as we begin this new year. First of all, copies of the parish annual report will be arriving very soon. I know you will be pleased with the report. It is very important that we all work hard to keep up the very good progress we are making financially. I want you to know that last week, about 20 leaders of the parish representing the Finance Council, the new Development Committee, the Parish Pastoral Council, and our parish staff including Religious Ed, were all present for an important presentation on Stewardship and Evangelization. Work will now begin on our Sunday Offertory Renewal program for this year and for fundraising activities which will begin this fall. I am very grateful for all of those who have made a commitment to serving the parish by taking leadership responsibility for these activities, and I am very grateful to all of you for all of the ways that you support our parish. Thank you! Secondly, and speaking of Evangelization, please let your family, friends, and neighbors know that we will be starting Children's Liturgy of the Word in a few weeks. This is as important for the parents as it is for their children. We always have more parents come to church when there are activities for their children and I am sure there are many reasons for this. Being able to have Children's Liturgy of the Word here at Mary Queen will make coming to Mass more interesting for children and it will also help some parents who are distracted from Mass themselves because of caring for or monitoring their children. Children's Liturgy of the Word will be for children from kindergarten to 5th grade. Eventually, it is my hope that we will also be able to start a "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" program for children of preschool age. This, too, would be different from regular religious education and would focus on helping very young children to learn about and reflect on the Word of God found in Holy Scripture. This program is excellent but it will involve some significant preparation and planning. As time goes on, we will begin looking for people willing to help with this. By all means, if you think you may be interested in assisting us with this future initiative, you can let me know at any time! Third, we are embarking on another new endeavor for all of the adults of our parish! I want to give you an early introduction to something exciting that is coming up, a program that is designed to renew us spiritually, as individuals and as a parish. In November, we will begin a program called Christ Renews His Parish. The "Christ Renews His Parish" (CRHP) program centers around spiritual renewal and stresses a clear focus on the Good News of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes continued spiritual growth in our daily Christian lives. CHRP involves two weekend retreats, one for men and another for women. Here at Mary Queen, our Men's CHRP weekend will be held on Nov. 16- 18 and our Women's CHRP Weekend will be held on Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Each CRHP weekend is conducted by a team made up of two CHRP spiritual directors and a group of people who have attended a previous weekend. This team strengthens their own renewal process, too, by giving of themselves and presenting the weekend to a new group of retreatants. Our MQH CHRP weekends will be held in our school building, which will be closed during those weekends for their use exclusively. This is a retreat with two overnights and so rooms will be set up with cots for sleeping. All meals will be provided. There will also be regular breaks with coffee, soft drinks and many snacks. We will do our best to accommodate the dietary needs of participants What happens during the weekend? The weekend is an opportunity to listen and discuss how Christians function in our modern world. It is also an opportunity for individual renewal through Scripture, prayer, and personal reflection and connecting with others seeking to experience more fully the love of God. An opportunity for Reconciliation will be provided for anyone who desires this Sacrament and all of those on the CHRP weekend will celebrate Mass together in the school building during their weekend. There is a modest charge for the weekend to help offset costs but anyone should feel free to attend, regardless of ability to pay. More news to come soon! In the meantime, welcome once again to a new year! Mary Dr. Mary Foley, Pastoral Life Coordinator Joliet Diocese Nun Run, October 12-13, 2007 A Nun Run is a twenty-four hour experience of exploring Religious Life for women. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for a whirlwind weekend of discovery: see where we live, eat with us, pray with us, and laugh with us. Transportation provided. No fee for the weekend. Open to single women 18-35 years of age. E-mail Sr. Barb Kwiatkowski, bkwiatkowski@jolietfranciscans.org or call her at 708-254-6646 for registration information by October 9, 2007. Sponsored by the Joliet Diocesan Vocation Association