Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent. We have two great Scriptural stories presented in the liturgy this weekend. The first is the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of his son, and second is the

Transfiguration of the Lord. God’s request of Abraham is a story of faith. The scripture writer labels it a test. As Christians who follow Christ, we don’t often think of God as a tester. We see God as loving and forgiving, but in the Jewish Scriptures it is not unusual to see God checking on people’s faith. So Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son. Abraham is willing to do it if God is asking, but because he is willing God relents and blesses him for his faith. I think this story is a foreshadowing of God’s love for his people and God’s willingness to sacrifice his own son for our sake. The Transfiguration Story to me is a proof story. So in case you didn’t believe after Jesus’ baptism, and you didn’t believe after his time in the desert, God gives us the Transfiguration. On top of a

(Continued on page 3)

Fr. John’s Column

During Lent, the Paschal Candle will be lit at all Masses in memory of those who died from Covid-19. The lighted candle reminds us that in our grief and in our darkest moments, the Risen Christ is among

us to bring us light and hope.

On the Inside...

Sunday, February 28, 2021—Second Sunday of Lent

• Calendar .................... Page 2 • Food Drive ................. Page 3 • RMChurch Mtg ........ Page 3 • Bible Study ................ Page 4 • School ......................... Page 5 • Liturgy ....................... Page 6 • Lent Regulations ....... Page 7 • Palm Cross Sale ........ Page 7

This Week at St. Agnes Masses for the Week

Saint Agnes Parish and Catholic School Mission...to welcome, nurture, and serve the people and children of God— generation to generation, guiding souls and growing minds.

St. Agnes Parish Information

SATURDAY, MARCH 6 4:00 PM William Gavenda by Anne Marie & Robert 4:00 PM William Long by Odessa Simich 4:00 PM John Ciaccio by Paulette SUNDAY, MARCH 7 8:30 AM Dorothy Narcisi by Rita & Jeff Hajkowicz 10:00 AM Families & Friends of St. Agnes

MONDAY, MARCH 1 Have a safe week! TUESDAY, MARCH 2 6:30 PM Religious Ed (On-Line) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 7:00 PM Bible Study (On-Line) THURSDAY, MARCH 4 Be a kind neighbor. FRIDAY, MARCH 5 Stations of the Cross (always) on our web page: www.saintagnes.us SATURDAY, MARCH 6 4 o’clock Mass is live streamed and then available on you tube at any time. SUNDAY, MARCH 7 Happy Sunday friends!

BAPTISMS: Sundays at 11:30 p.m. Please call the Parish Office at least one month before the date of the Baptism to make arrangements. Must register to attend class which is held the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. MARRIAGES: Engaged couples should make arrangements with the pastor at least six months before the wedding date. No arrangements should be made before the desired date has been confirmed after an initial interview has taken place. ADORATION CHAPEL: The Adoration Chapel is open MON, TUES, WED, FRI, SAT & SUN from 8 AM to 8 PM. Please call Cecelia Leal-Camacho 254-3755 or Juan Rangel (Spanish) 362-4161 to sign up or for info. YOU MUST SIGN UP TO ATTEND.

PARISH: 1501Chicago Road Chicago Heights, IL 60411 Rev. John Siemianowski, Pastor Rev. Tom Kasputis, Associate Pastor Rev. Erasto Nyoni, Associate Pastor Rev. William T. O’Mara, Resident Assistant PARISH OFFICE: Kay Ashby ……………...708-709-2694 Web Site……...www.saintagnes.us Email………….parish@saintagnes.us DEACON: Dave & Carol Brothers….708-755-7252 PASTORAL ASSOCIATE/ DIRECTOR OF LITURGY: Margie Wegrzyn………...708-709-2696 DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: Carl R. Opat……………..219-678-8726 708-709-2694 DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT: Karen Zerante…………... 708-709-2092

RCIA/MARRIAGE PREP: Carol Brothers ..................... 708-709-2699 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Teri Klopp…………………708-754-0713 MINISTRY OF CARE COORDINATOR: Call Parish Office ................ 708-709-2694 SCHOOL OFFICE: Matthew Lungaro, Principal Karen Hamilton ................... 708-756-2333 SCHEDULE OF MASSES: Sundays:………...8:30 a.m. (English) 10:00 a.m. (Spanish) Saturdays……….4:00 p.m. (English) Holy Days………As scheduled CONFESSIONS: By appointment, call………….709-2694

Page 2 Second Sunday of Lent February 28, 2021

RESERVE YOUR SEAT TO COME TO MASS!

Please go to www.saintagnes.us and register online for the upcoming weekend Mass. You may also call the parish office at 709-2694 and leave your name, phone number and Mass choice: Sat @ 4 pm (English), Sun @ 8:30 (English) or 10 am (Spanish).

Saturday 4 o’clock Mass is livestreamed (www.saintagnes.us)

and then available on you tube.

Please see the website saintagnes.us to find a worship aid for remote Mass attendance. The worship aid will contain the words for the

Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed and, when available, the words and music for the songs. The worship aid for the Sunday Mass will be avail-

able from Saturday morning until Sunday night. Worship aids for special/holiday Masses will be available the day before

the day of the Mass.

Fr. John’s Column Continued Lenten (Drive-Thru) Food Collection

mountain Jesus is shown to be God in the midst of his disciples. The Disciples themselves don’t know what to do with the information. They ask Jesus if they should set some tents up for the heavenly visitors. Before he can answer God answers, “This is my Son, my beloved. Listen to him.” No need for tents or booths, because God is going to be with them and take up residence in them. God has done the same for us. We are filled with God’s light, just as Jesus was, and we are called to spread that light in the world. We have been waiting for about a month for the Renew My Church decisions. The Grouping Teams finished their work in mid-December and then it went to the Archdiocese for review and decision. People have been asking me what the decision will be. I honestly can tell all of you, I do not know. I know the Archdiocese had questions about the Grouping Teams recommendations for the eight parishes in our grouping and have been looking for answers to those questions. As we have throughout the process, we all need to trust in the work of the Holy Spirit. I do want to invite everyone to save March 10, at 6:30 PM for a Microsoft Team Parish Meeting that will be hosted by Bishop Perry and Fr. Jason Malave, the head of Renew My Church. This meeting will be for all of the parishioners of the eight parishes in our grouping. We have not received the computer invitation yet, but it will be in the bulletin on Sunday March 7th and on the web pages of both St. Agnes and St. Kieran prior to the meeting. Obviously you will need a computer or other electronic device to join this meeting. As always we have to look forward to where the Holy Spirit will be leading us. Registration for St. Agnes School is continuing. Throughout the pandemic we have maintained our enrollment numbers and look forward to next year being even better! I encourage you to enroll now because we have a limited amount of help we can give through scholarships and grants. This is one time when the early bird really does get the worm! Give Mrs. Hamilton a call at 708-756-2333.

(Continued from page 1)

February 28, 2021 Second Sunday of Lent Page 3

?Stone or Bread? “Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he

asks for a loaf of bread?” (Mt. 7:9) Of course we would not offer stone. And because we are fed

spiritually in the Eucharist with the bread of life, we are called to reach out to our hungry neighbors with bread for

their physical lives. So then, in the spirit of charity :

When? Saturday. March 20— 1:30 to 3:30 pm What? Drive-thru food collection to benefit the pantry at Respond Now Where? Parking lot entrance to St. Agnes Church and School How? Volunteers will come to your car to collect your do-nations of non-perishable food. We should all observe mask-ing and distancing. You do not need to enter the building. Why? For many reasons, we have always had hungry neighbors in our surrounding communities. Loss of health, jobs, and income during the pandemic has added to the num-ber of those struggling to put food on their tables.

COVID-19 means hunger. Please note: If you are registered to attend the March 20 and 21 weekend masses, you may bring your food donations when you arrive for mass. Finally: This is the only time and way we will be accept-ing donations of food during Lent. Your generosity will be a blessing to our hungry neighbors.

ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

GO TO ANNUALCATHOLICAPPEAL.COM TO DONATE ONLINE, MAIL IN, OR DROP IN

WEEKEND COLLECTION. Thank you for your support!

RENEW MY CHURCH PARISH GROUPING/PARISH MEETING

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 6:30 PM

This meeting will be via Zoom. The “invitation” info will be available in next weekend’s bulletin and on our

webpage: www.saintagnes.us See Father’s bulletin (above) for a little more info!

Page 4 Second Sunday of Lent February 28, 2021

Readings for the Week

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith (Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18). Psalm — I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living (Psalm 116). Second Reading — If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b-34). Gospel — Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white (Mark 9:2-10). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Dn 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8, 9, 11, 13; Lk 6:36-38 Tuesday: Is 1:10, 16-20; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mt 23:1-12 Wednesday: Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6, 14-16; Mt 20:17-28 Thursday: Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 16:19-31 Friday: Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46 Saturday: Mi 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps 103:1-4, 9-12; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 Sunday: Ex 20:1-17 [1-3, 7-8, 12-17]; Ps 19:8-11; 1 Cor 1:22-25; Jn 2:13-25 Alternate readings (Year A): Ex 17:3-7; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 [5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42]

With thanks for the little acts of kindness that make the days fly by… to Mother Nature for a mild week...to “Good Samari-tans” helping each other out during the very snowy and freezing days—thank you...and the list continues...

With Kind Thoughts

Are you homebound because of illness, disability, or age? Are you residing in a nurs-ing home? We would like to keep you connected to the par ish family by visiting you and bringing you the Eucharist. We are the Ministers of Care of St. Agnes parish, prepared and commissioned through an Archdiocesan program to serve you in these situations, be they temporary or long-term. But we cannot respond to your need unless you make us aware of it. Hospitals and nursing homes do not notify us about your admission or dis-charge. Privacy laws restrict them from doing so. So please let us know of your need, or the need of a family member, by calling the parish office. AT THIS TIME, THERE ARE NO VISITS TO NURSING HOMES. OUR PRIESTS AND MINISTERS OF CARE ARE PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEM..

Sick or Homebound?

Would any person really want to be considered a hero? I suppose being remembered by future generations in a positive way would be nice. But there is always a price to pay. Being a hero, by definition, always means going up against the extreme situations and lim-its of being a human being - often in areas that we would prefer not to go. Abraham is held up as a ‘hero of faith’ because his

belief in God’s love enabled him to obey God always and not just at the convenient or pleasant times, even if that obedience meant the kind of suffering we witness in our first reading this weekend. Jesus knew the price he would be asked to pay. The glory of the Resurrection cannot be found through anything but the ultimate test of suffering. Peter and the other apostles were all too willing to talk Jesus out of this hard road. “Let’s just pitch camp here where it is good and safe”, they say. Then God speaks and says. “I love. That’s all you need to believe in order to get through life. Jesus knows this. Listen to him!”

Being a true disciple of Jesus means that we embrace the Good Fridays of our lives with the same faith in the love of God that Jesus has. It is only then that we can share in the joy of the Resurrection and be considered heroes of faith. Father Tom K.

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Journey of Stones: A Bible Study (via Zoom)

Wednesdays: Thru March 24 7:00-8:00pm

Drawing on the rich imagery of rocks and stones in Scripture, we will reflect on the Scriptures for the purpose of nurturing our faith and changing our hearts as we journey through Lent. Please join us.

Contact Margie Wegrzyn at mwegrzyn@saintagnes.us to sign up or for more information.

March 3 Rejected Stones Bible Text: Matthew 21:33-46 March 10 A Rock and a Hard Place Bible Text: John 8:2-11 March 17 Stones Cry Out Bible Text: Luke 19:28-40 March 24 The Stone Still Rolls Bible Text: Mark 16:1-8

Bible Study

February 28, 2021 Second Sunday of Lent Page 5

SCHOOL NEWS

Lord, Jesus, as the Holy Season of Lent begins, I come to you for help. There are so many more things I need to know and even more that I need to understand. Cleanse my heart as you wash away my sins with Your Holy and Precious Blood that You shed for me on the cross. Send

Your Holy Spirit upon me to open my mind and my understanding so that I can begin to grasp the magnificence of Your love for me. Amen.

Health & Safety Travel Reminder: First of all, THANKS to all the parents who are following all the safety guidelines. We’re having a great year and I want to keep it going! Second, if you go on a vacation out of state, you need to contact the office so that we can go over your quarantine dates. This could end up being a very serious health issue for other people. Without violat-ing anyone’s personal information, I know for a fact that there are school employees, their family members, and student families who have underlying health issues who could end up in a grave situation if they get infected with COVID. We are doing our part with so many precautions and procedures. We need you to do your part so as to keep everyone as safe as possible. If you are travel-ing out of state, please call the office and we’ll give you your 10-14 day quarantine dates. If you have any questions about this Archdiocesan protocol, please call the office. Spanish Speaking Parents : If you need to ask a question, please know that there’s an app called ‘What’s App’ that can help you communicate with other Spanish-speaking school parents. Please call Ms. Francisca Rangel at (708) 705-5222 and she will get you set up on the app.

A Few Notes from the Principal…

STAY CREATIVE ST. AGNES!

STAY SUCCESSFUL

ST. AGNES! (Keys to Success)

SO MUCH SNOW!!

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR HAS BEGUN. PLEASE CALL KAREN HAMILTON @ 756-2333

FOR INFORMATION. JOIN OUR SCHOOL FAMILY!

Page 6 Second Sunday of Lent February 28, 2021

February 28, 2021 Second Sunday of Lent Page 7

EASTER PALM CROSSES

24” X 15” Palm Crosses with two lilies and a bow

$15.00 each

The St. Agnes/St. Kieran Religious Education Office is sponsoring an Easter Palm Cross Sale. Please indicate your bow color choice and the number of crosses you wish to purchase:

_____ White

_____ Purple

_____ Total number of crosses ordered X $15.00 $______TOTAL DUE BY MONDAY, MARCH 15 Name: ________________________________ Phone: ________________________________ Please place your order into the collection basket at either St. Kieran or St. Agnes, in an envelope marked “Palm Crosses,” or mail/deliver your order to either Parish Office. Checks must be made payable to St. Agnes.

Palm Crosses will be available for pick at St. Kieran Church on Thursday, March 25, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the northeast doors of the church. Pick-up will be drive thru, so you will not need to leave your car. Call Teri Klopp at 708/754-0713 with questions.

Abstinence from meats is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years old and older on all Fridays of Lent. Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and encouraged for Holy Saturday. The special Paschal fast and abstinence are prescribed for all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. Those who are bound by this may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permit-ted if necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. By the threefold discipline of fasting, almsgiving and prayer the Church keeps Lent from Ash Wednesday until the even-ing of Holy Thursday. All of the faithful and the catechu-mens should undertake serious practice of these three tradi-tions.

Lenten Regulations

Pray along with the Stations of the Cross at St. Agnes by going to our webpage (www.saintagnes.us) or going to you tube.

RETURN TO GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART...

Stations of the Cross

Do You Want to Fast this Lent? In the words of Pope Francis………... • Fast from hurting words and say kind words. • Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. • Fast from anger and be filled with patience. • Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. • Fast from worries and have trust in God. • Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. • Fast from pressures and be prayerful. • Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy. • Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. • Fast from grudges and be reconciled. • Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

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