Attending a grief support group can offer several benefits, especially during a time when society may expect you to “move on” before you’re ready.
Here are a few ways these groups can help:
Validation: Others understand the depth and complexity of your grief. You’re not alone.
Community: A unique space to be with people who listen without judgment or pressure
Coping Tools: Learn strategies to manage emotions and find meaning in your new way of life.
Sharing the Journey, St Raphael’s grief support ministry, will begin the Spring session on Thursday, April 9th, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and will meet for six consecutive weeks.
For further details or questions, call Liz Russell at 630-335-3096. Registration is required.
It is time for another installment of Pardon Our Dust! Once again, the purpose of these articles is to offer transparency to you, our wonderful parishioners, about the projects, needs, and improvements at St. Raphael, and how your generous donations are being used to make them possible
This edition of Pardon Our Dust will focus entirely on our sound system. As many of you know, one of our speaker towers broke before I arrived. and we have been relying on a poorly functioning temporary solution ever since. In addition, our beautiful worship space does not always lend itself to clear sound. Ine nara surfaces cause sound to bounce and become distorted. In one area of the church you can hear every word clearly, while in another, it can be very difficult to understand.
Before I arrived, a nearly $80,000 proposal had been signed to replace the church’s sound system. Because of the significant cost, and learning just how complex our sound challenges are, I chose not to move forward with that plan right away. Instead, I invited several sound professionals to evaluate our space so we could be sure that, when we make such a major investment, it is truly the best solution for our church.
My team contacted many vendors, and ultimately six companies submitted bids. Using digital modeling technology, they were able to recreate our worship space and recommend speaker systems that would best meet our needs.
After much consultation and prayerful consideration, we narrowed our choices to two vendors. Both visited St. Raphael brought sample speakers, and conducted live demonstrations for our staff and parishioners. Friends, the difference was incredible! Even with just one speaker and half of the church tested, the improvement was dramatic.
We ultimately selected Integrity Sound as our contractor. Integrity Sound is a highly respected company that has designed sound systems for Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, St. Joseph Basilica in Milwaukee, and the Cathedral of St Paul in Minnesota, among many others. I have visited all three, and believe it or not, the Cathedral in St. Paul has even more reverberation than we do! If any company can help us, this one can.
While this solution addresses our worship space, 1 also beganlooking at the broader sound needs across our campus, especially in the choir loft and the gym. If you look in the choir loft, you’ll notice a single black speaker on a stand, which currently provides the sound. The white speaker on the ceiling in the center is no longer functional. Our choir and music ministry are wonderfully talented, and that gift should never be limited by outdated equipment. With all the singing and chanting at Mass, new speakers will truly elevate our liturgical experience. So Icdeert have included the choir loft in this upgrade.
The same is true for the gym. Depending on where you sit, you may or may not hear what is being said. We experienced this during the Joliet Jammers basketball game with our seminarians and 8th grade boys. Some could clearly hear the vocation story being snared, while others could not. Since we celebrate Christmas and Easter Mass in the gym and use it daily school sports and events, it made sense to include the gym sound system in this project as well.
Now you might be thinking, “Fr. Chris, that’s a lot!” And you’re right, It is. but it is is necessary and provides a long-term solution for our entire campus. By bundling these projects and working with one vendor, we were able to negotiate a fair and reasonable price.
As of publishing this article, we are still finalizing details, but l can share that the total proposal for the church, choir loft, and gym is under the original nearly $80,000 proposal that was signed previously – for the church alone. This is a big win for St. Raphael!
Once again, the goal of Pardon Our Dust is to keep you informed and to explain the reasons for these projects. 1 am excited for the day when God’s Word is proclaimed with clarity and the music of the Mass is heard with even more elevated beauty!
We have already been blessed with several donations designated for the sound system, and 1 am deeply grateful. I am hopeful that, together, we can raise the remaining funds needed. If you would like to donate please write Pardon Our Dust” on the memo line of your check. You may also give online, by mail, in the office, or by placing a marked donation in the collection basket. Any excess funds will remain in the Pardon Our Dust account for future parish upgrades.
Thank you for taking the time to read this long update. It is important that you are informed parishioners. Let’s keep Leading Souls to Heaven!
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It serves as a preparation for the celebration of Easter, focusing on inner conversion and renewal of the heart. During Lent, Catholics are encouraged to give up certain luxuries, practice self-control through fasting, and engage in acts of charity and service.
Lenten Regulations on Abstinence & Fasting
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards. If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, as the “pascal fast” to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily His Resurrection. Source: USCCB.org
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 information 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 March 5th at 7pm in the Rose chapel and on March 19th at 7pm in the teen room. All are welcome and bring a friend.
Reflection opportunities:
Stations of the Cross:-March 6th, 13th and 20th (Taize) 7pm in the church.
Family Holy Hour-Spend time with Jesus; reconciliation will be available:
March 3rd,10th,17th,24th (Praise and worship music) and 31st from 6pm-7pm.
Volunteer opportunities:
Walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary. Help lead Tazie stations on March 20th. See Dcn. Jerry.
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:
Sit in the wilderness and the quiet of your heart and come to know and listen to our Lord and savior on Tuesdays in Lent 6-7pm .
“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.
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!
“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.
Click on the most recent date to view our bulletin. This is a digital copy. This includes are variety of information and announcements. You will read about what is going on in our youth and adult mysteries as well.
