This fall, the 177 Project is bringing an evening of Eucharistic Adoration and music to every diocese in the United States and we want you to join us! The evening begins with a rosary at 6:45, followed by Adoration at 7, and a small concert at 8:15. The evening is free to attend but does require a ticket. You can get yours now here or click for more information.

We are happy to share with our parish community that the long-awaited statue of St. Michael the Archangel has been completed and is on display in our church.  We are grateful to the artist, those who sponsored this project, and we hope that this statue will help us to remember the important role of angels in our life.  We will solemnly bless our new statue on the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, which this year falls on Saturday, September 29^th.  The blessing will take place during the 4PM Mass.
 
In addition to the St. Michael statue, the parish has also received a statue of St. Padre Pio from a generous donor. This year is celebrated as the year of St. Padre Pio, because it is the 100^thanniversary of Padre Pio receiving the stigmata and the 50^thanniversary of his death.  Our Holy Father Pope Francis has personally visited the tomb of Padre Pio in order to offer prayers for the Church and to solemnly begin this special year of the Saint.  As soon as we receive the pedestal for the statue, it will be installed and blessed in our church. 
 
May St. Michael the Archangel and St. Padre Pio intercede for our parish, for our Archdiocese, and the whole Church.  May their example inspire us to imitate Jesus in our own life.  Finally, may the presence of these statues aid our prayers, liturgies and the beauty of our parish church.

We are very pleased to announce that Albertine Sister Noemi Gil will join the pastoral staff and begin ministry in our Parish as a Pastoral Ministry Aid.  Sister will support our parish in the following areas: Ministry of Care to the sick and homebound, Religious Education Program, Faith Formation and also, she will support us in the Church as our weekday Sacristan.  Sister will reside in the Convent with four other Albertine Sisters:  Nikola, Benia, Marta and Katarzyna.  Please warmly welcome Sister Noemi.


Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus:
 
One of the ways to heaven is a life dedicated to God. There are many forms of this life. The idea for this way is given to us by Jesus Christ. The one who calls is God.  He gives us the sign that He wants us to be His partners.  Jesus calls whom He wants to.  He is free in his ideas.  Most people are called to a particular charism or community.  Think of a vocation and fidelity to Him as a condition of fulfilling life and achieving happiness.  This is how I also see 33 years of my ministry in the Congregation of St. Brother Albert Chmielowski.  With the blessing of God. I wish to continue this service together with you.
 
I made my final vows in Cracow (Poland) in 1994 and graduated from the Catechetical Theological Institute there.  I have worked in a variety of communities serving different purposes: with children and youth, the elderly, retired priests, and also in Rome.  Finally, in 1999 my Mother General sent me to the USA.  Here I worked in four different Albertine stations including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Cardinal’s Residence during the tenure of His Eminence Francis George, O.M.I.
 
At the beginning of my annual retreat in July this year, my Superior mentioned to me a new ministry at Incarnation Parish in Palos Heights, to which I gave a joyful response and said ‘yes’. 
 
As you know, four sisters have been living in the parish since last year, who work at the Catholic Charities in Summit.  I express my great joy that I will be part of this Community at Incarnation Parish.
 
At the will of our Pastor – Fr. Arek Falana, I will coordinate different Ministries in the Parish as a Pastoral Ministry Aid, and also serve as sacristan for weekday Masses.
 
Jesus said, “I will go before you.”  Let these words give us a lot of peace in our hearts.  Let us pray for each other like children of one big family.  May the grace of our Lord be with us all.
                                                                                        Sr. Noemi Gil

"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. 

Dear Parishioners of Incarnation Parish,

The Ensemble season is upon us!  Wednesday, September 5^th, 2018 from 7:30pm-9pm is the official first practice for the Incarnation Parish Choir, Monday, September 10^thfrom 6pm-7pm is our first Children’s Choir Rehearsal, and if you’re more of an instrumentalist, our Bell Choir’s first rehearsal is Wednesday, September 19^thfrom 6pm-7pm for the 2018-2019 year.  

I would like to extend a personal invitation to any parishioners who enjoy singing, ages 15 and up, to join the Parish Choir.  Our Children’s Choir ranges from grades 3^rdto 8^th.  Any child, even outside the Religious Ed program or Parish, is more than welcome to join the Children’s Choir.  PLEASE NOTE: No musical background is required!  The Sacred Music Ministry Family will teach you how to sing and ring!

The ultimate aim of all the ensembles in the Sacred Music Ministry Program is to foster a more complete participation of the faithful within the Liturgy (Mass). The Church documents point to this direction: “To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, pp.30).  

The Sacred Music Ministry Program does this in three ways:  
1) Our singing and playing is for the greater Glory of God;

2) We sing from the depths of hearts; and,

3) We lead the people of God to heaven by making beautiful music, so that the congregation can have a taste of the heavenly liturgy.

Please pray and consider joining the Parish Choir, the Children’s Choir, and/or Bell Choir and assisting in its mission, all while enjoying being part of a wonderful group and singing/playing!

If you are interested in joining the choir, please contact me, Ryan Dillon, at the Parish Office at (708) 597-3180, Ext. 305 or contact me by email at      
         rdillon@incarnationcatholic.com.  

Thank you for your devotion and dedication to Incarnation Parish.  I look forward to praying with you in this upcoming year. God bless!
 
Gratefully,
 
Ryan Dillon
Director of Music and Liturgy

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.

This Mass fulfills Sunday obligation.

Fr. Bashobora is a Charismatic priest known for his prayer, deliverance and healing ministry. Fr. John travels all over the world preaching the Good News, sharing his deep love for Christ with others and delivering the Healing Power of the Holy Spirit to those in need.

Fr. Bashobora serves as a coordinator of the Charismatic Renewal Movement in the Mbarara Diocese of Uganda. He was ordained a priest in 1972. In 1988 he earned a Doctorate in Theology of Spirituality from Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, with a thesis on the discernment of spirits. Father Bashobora is the founder of the Friends of Christ Foundation. The foundation is providing housing, schooling & medical care for 5,000 orphans in Uganda.

On Friday, October 19th at 7PM, Incarnation Parish welcomes you to a teaching and exposition of Sacred Relics.  Over 150 relics will be shown, some believed to be as old as 2000 years!

Among the treasures will be relics of St.Peter, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Goretti, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (the "Little Flower"), St. Francis of Assis, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Faustina Kowalska.

In addition, there will also be present a piece of a veil which is believed to have belonged to Our Lady and one of the largest remaining pieces of the True Cross in the world! All are welcome!

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.”

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.incparish.com
    to view our recent bulletins and parish
    information.

4. 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.