Join us after morning mass until 11:30 on February 12 in the St Anne & Joachim Room with Jaisy Vetticaden.

Please see below schedule for our Ash Wednesday Mass Schedule for February 18.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent—and a wonderful opportunity to make yourself 100% available to God!

Are you called to serve?

We are seeking new mentors to participate on the Transitional Housing Team at St. Raphael. We are a Program Partner with Bridge Communities to provide this ministry.

With Program Partner support, Bridge Communities provides free transitional housing to 100+ DuPage County families each year. During the two years each family spends in the program, they can save money, learn budgeting and life skills, use family resources provided by Bridge, and obtain better employment so that they can live self-sufficiently once they graduate. Mentors meet with their assigned Bridge client for 1 hour per week or the length of the program (approx. 2 years) to provide the budget structure, help with debt pay-off strategies, set short and long-term goals, and serve as an accountability partner.

If you are passionate about discipleship and feel called to invest in another journey, please contact Margaret Foye (mfoye@st-raphael.com). Bridge will be holding a two day training course for new mentors on February 20 and 21.

Let’s build a stronger community together!

Click this link to register for the next mentor training session held on Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21.

See below picture for a list of our volunteering opportunities along with our gathering events. All High School Teens are welcome to the CONSUMED youth gatherings!

Events:

Consumed Youth  will gather on February 5th @7pm in the Rose chapel and Feb. 19th @ 7pm in the teen room.  Fun, refreshments, and reflection, bring a friend.

Reflection opportunities: 

February 18th, Ash Wednesday I encourage all teens of the parish to attend one of the many opportunities to come to church, receive ashes and sit in stillness to prepare for the Lenten season. See bulletin for mass, service and distribution of ashes times.

Volunteer opportunities:

Confirmation retreat at St. Raphael’s Saturday February 7th  from 12:30-5:00pm

Witness to those who will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on the impact of the Holy Spirit in your life. Witness times are approximately 1:00pm and 3:30pm. Contact Dcn Jerry, two teens are needed.

Vacation Bible School:

Week of June 15th, your help is needed in many areas. If you are confirmed you can be a group leader.

If not confirmed your presence will be greatly appreciated and you can help in many other ways. Further information to follow. Prayerfully consider giving of your time.

Consumed Youth ongoing Formation:

Parish Mission: ” Facing Mercy”  February 15th, 16th, 17th, With Fr Ryan Adorjan.

Fr. Ryan  is an excellent presenter and a down to earth priest. His soothing voice, his humor and his presence will fill the church and lift you up into the Father’s mercy. 

I encourage the teens of our Consumed youth and all other teens to attend. Feel free to join me in the church during the mission.

” WORTHY ”  Youth Conference, June 26-28 2026  Benedictine University Lisle IL.

Last summer we were all Consumed by the love of the Father.

This summer;  we all are “Worthy” of His love –no strings attached. 

All teens 9th -12th grade are welcomed.

See bulletin for registration and further details.

Please see below message from Deacon Jerry

Begin your day centered, focused and with prayer.

I invite all of you to join us in Morning prayer in the chapel, Monday through Friday at 8:15am, before mass.
Morning prayer lasts 15 minutes and is pretty easy to learn.

The Liturgy of the Hours is a daily prayer cycle in Christianity, consisting of specific prayers, psalms, readings, and hymns that are prayed at set times throughout the day, such as morning, midday, and evening. Also known as the Divine Office, it is considered the official prayer of the Church and aims to sanctify the hours of the day by immersing the faithful in the mysteries of Christ and the liturgical year. While traditionally prayed by clergy and religious, it is open to all the laity as a way to deepen their spiritual connection with God and the wider Church.

Key components of the Liturgy of the Hours

• Scriptural readings: The foundation of the prayer is the Word of God, with the psalms being especially central. It also includes readings from other parts of the Bible and writings from Church Fathers and saints.
• Hymns and prayers: These are integrated to correspond with the time of day and the liturgical season.
• Canticles: These are the Gospel canticles (like the Magnificat and Benedictus) and other biblical songs that are used for meditation and reflection.
• Intercessions: The prayers often include petitions for the needs of the Church and the world.

If this is something that you might like to participate in and feel a bit reluctant, please contact me Deacon Jerry at 630-615-7609

MAKE is a call to action — rooted in Catechesis, Evangelization, and Faith into action — to follow Jesus’ Great Commission: Go and make disciples. It’s time to live our faith boldly. Together, let’s make disciples — starting now!

Click here to read Bishop Hick’s Letter

“Having fallen in love with Jesus, we are impelled by a sense of mission to share His unfathomable love with everyone we meet and to serve others. He now sends us to put our faith into action.