"Saint Gabriel the Archangel Center" -  This is the new name for the parish school building.  Because of Gabriel’s role in the Incarnation (announcing the birth of Jesus), his close relationship with the Blessed Mother, and his name “God is our Strength,” he seemed the perfect patron saint.  St. Gabriel is associated with Our Lord Jesus Christ; he is the patron saint of messengers and the media.  And also, St. Gabriel is the angel who intercedes in birth, conception, the Incarnation, and mercy.  We look forward to consecrating our new space to the Incarnation of Jesus in the name of St. Gabriel the Archangel.

Altar Server Ministry is in need of your help.  We are looking for adults who would be willing to serve parish funerals and the morning weekday Masses.  This is a wonderful opportunity to show our love of the Lord and our parish.  By participating in this liturgical ministry we can deepen our own faith life and our appreciation of the Holy Mass.  

If you would like to participate, please call
Fr. Arek, Fr. Pawel or the Parish Office.  There will be a training/orientation and informational meeting.  

Thank you for your prayerful consideration. 

Ryan Dillon was born and raised in Salem, WI. He attended Providence Catholic School and Catholic Central High-school from 1^st to 12^thgrade.  After high school and through his college career, Ryan received his Bachelors in Liturgical Music with a focus in Vocal Performance and Choral Conducting at St. Joseph’s College, Rensselaer IN.  Ryan has his Masters of Arts in Liturgy at the Liturgical Institute of Saint Mary’s of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, IL.  Ryan’s hope is to use his degree to have a deeper understanding of the Liturgy and how music enhances the liturgical participation of the faithful towards the authentic love that Christ shares with his Bride, the Church.  This coming June, Ryan and his future bride, Chrysa C. will be married and he asks all of Incarnation Parishioners to please pray for both of them as their wedding day approaches.  When Ryan and Chrysa are not working, they enjoy long walks through the Riverwalk in Naperville, following his favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers, and they all enjoy going to the Ravinia for musical entertainment.  He is excited to be part of the Incarnation Family and looks forward to getting to know everyone. 
 
Please keep Ryan in your prayers as he begins this new phase of life and ministry and as he enriches the Music Ministry of our Parish with his God-given talents.  Of course, the best way to welcome Ryan is to SING!  If you love to sing, please consider joining our parish choir or become a cantor and share your musical talents with God and His people.  

I want to thank our Incarnation Youth - TRAIN - for dedicating their time and creative energies to make the Passion Reenactment such a beautiful commemoration of our Lord’s sacrifice. Also, a big thanks go to our Youth Minister Michael J. and Mary S., who coordinated this event.

They did very well and we all should be proud of them!

Fr. Arek

Have you checked our Marian Garden?

The entrance is next to the School/Music Room and is open daily 7:00AM to 9:00PM. It is a beautiful, shaded garden that affords a quiet and restful atmosphere for prayer and meditation. There are benches to sit on or a path to walk, whichever suits your need. A shrine to Mary is at the west end of the garden for those who wish to invoke Her prayers for their concerns. Our parishioners maintain this peaceful place. Recently we trimmed all trees in the Marian Garden and majority of them throughout our entire campus. Through the generosity of our parishioner, we purchased and installed the outdoor Stations of the Cross that enhance the beauty of the garden. We encourage all to visit.

We welcome the first class relic of St. Faustina Kowalska to our Parish! In the specially built reliquary in our Church, you can also find the following first class relics:

- Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus,
- St. Maria Goretti,
- St. John of the Cross,
- St. Simon Stock,
- St. Germaine,
- Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos,

May God continue to bless our Incarnation Family, and may the Saints intercede for us.

The Incarnation Music Ministry got together for a Music Ministry Program Potluck dinner on Thursday, May 31st. The reins have been handed over to Ryan Dillon, our new Music & Liturgy Director, and he and our talented singers and musicians got to know each other better.  Our Incarnation Family is looking forward to more of the beautiful musical treats we have come to expect from our excellent Cantors, Parish Choir, Handbell Choir, and Children’s Choir.

Remember, the best way to welcome Ryan is to sing loudly with the voices God gave us.  Did you know it's even in the Catechism? In the section on liturgical music, CCC #1156 reminds us to sing and make melody to the Lord with all our hearts and goes on to quote the famous expression of St. Augustine: “He who sings prays twice.”

... to the six outstanding high school studentsrepresenting Incarnation Parish who will receive Vicariate V Youth Leadership Awards from the Archdiocese of Chicago at a dinner this weekend. Students are nominated for their participation in parish ministries and dedication to service in vari- ous categories. Please join me in congratulating these seniors who will be honored this year as leaders in the Incarnation Catholic community. Our 2018 Youth Leadership Award winners and the category of their awards are:

- Carissa B.   – Catechesis
- Ana G.        – Catechesis
- Nick S.        - Catechesis
- Matthew R. – Leadership Developmentx
- George S.   – Leadership Development
- Bradley F.   – Prayer and Worship

We ask God to bless them as they continue their exceptional efforts to shine the light of Christ to others. We, their Incarnation Family, are so proud of each one of them!

Handing on our faith to the next generation of Catholics is one of the most important responsibilities we share as the Church.  

Incarnation Parish Religious Education Program (REP) is dedicated to this mission!  

Our goal is to build a community where young disciples and their families not only learn more about the life-saving message of Our Lord Jesus, they truly encounter the love and mercy of Christ through our wonderful catechists, aides, and board members!  

REP meets from September through May, on Sunday mornings or Monday afternoons.  Over 260 kindergarten through eighth graders currently join in prayer, music, art, and study - bringing our Catholic faith alive!  Every grade lives the mission of Jesus by doing service, in our parish community and beyond. From our first graders who make cards for the nursing home, to our third graders who pray the rosary, to our seventh graders who serve as junior catechists, all our young disciples learn the importance of "washing feet."  We also worship together and learn about the Holy Mass: all our grades attend "class Masses" with their catechists throughout the year, to deepen their understanding of and relationship to the Eucharist.  

From our dedicated catechists who have been teaching for over thirty years, to our high school helpers, everyone in REP is welcome to share their time and giftedness!  And our REP Board is amazing - hard working and strong in their faith.  Every summer they gather for an overnight retreat, spending time in prayer, reflection, and spiritual growth.  

Please keep our religious education program, our children, their families, our catechists, aides and staff, in your prayers - that the Holy Spirit of God continue to bless us and inspire us. 

Also please stop by the Religious Education office to register your child(ren) to our wonderful program, call at 708.388.4005 for more information or check out our REP web page by clicking HERE.

Kathy McNicholas - Pastoral Associate & Director of Religious Education Program

Answering the call for the New Evangelization, all leaders and members of all ministries from Formation/Education, Spiritual Life, Parish Life and Human Concerns Commissions participated in the spiritual and evangelical renewal program “Alpha” that was adopted to the current needs of Incarnation Parish and given our own name of “Journey to the Heart of the Faith.” Please watch the video below:
 

1. Visit our official Facebook page, click ‘like’
    and make sure to ‘follow’ us.

2. Text @2g77e to the following phone
     number: 81010 to receive weekly
     inspirational texts messages.

3. Keep visiting our website at    
    www.incarnationcatholic.com
    to view our recent bulletins and parish
    information.

4. Join Twitter: @RealIncarnation

5. Follow us on Instagram    
                                    @IncarnationCatholic

Our parish bulletin is read by thousands of people each weekend and it is also available on line. This is your opportunity to secure a space to promote your business to our parishioners. To place an ad or get more information, please contact our Parish Office at 708-597-3180 or contact directly, a LPI representative, Jeff Hansen, to place an ad today! His email address is jhansen@4LPi.com and his phone number is (800) 950-9952, extension #2683. 

We would like to thank our present advertisers for renewing their ads.

In the recent years, parishioners have been asking for votive candles in our Church.  Thanks to some recent generous gifts from anonymous donors, we have been able to purchase two stands of votive candles.  They are in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel and in Church by the Holy Family.
 
Each candle will burn for 2 hours.  There is a suggested donation of $2.00 per candle, which can be placed directly in the box attached to each candle stand.  
 
In the lighting of candles, we remember and truly live the words of our Lord, “I am the Light of the World.”  After lighting a candle, you should offer a prayer.  Your prayer may thank God for a favor or blessing.  You may thank a particular Saint for intercession for your particular need, or you may bring a petition to our Lord, His Mother, or one of the Saints.  You might want to light a candle in memory of your loved one.  Your lighted candle will join with those left by others as a tangible sign of the combined prayers of our Incarnation Family.  Many small lights make for a greater cumulative brilliance.  When you see those flames, you can offer a prayer for all the needs that they represent in our community of faith.
 
There was a challenge to install the votive candles in Church because there was no electrical outlet near the Holy Family that could be used to connect the candle stand.  In a very special way, I want to thank our parishioner – electrician -  J. Canner for finding the solution and for adding a new electric outlet in our Church.  He performed an excellent job, which was not an easy one and time consuming as well.