Bishop Jeffrey Grob offers his Advent Season reflection and blessing to all 

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Let’s start our Advent journey with message of our Shepard and join him to pray the Advent prayer daily – prayer attached

POSTPONED: Calling Juniors & Seniors! KAIROS 18 REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

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POSTPONED: Keep an eye out for updates to a later date!

Calling Juniors & Seniors! KAIROS 18 REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Jan 14-17 [Martin Luther King Jr Weekend]

What is Kairos?

Kairos is a Christian experience of prayer and reflection. St. Francis de Sales Parish began hosting Kairos retreats for high school juniors and seniors in 2009. Kairos can be a powerful and life-changing opportunity for teens as they grow in their knowledge of themselves, others, and especially, God. Kairos is open to any junior or senior high school student who would like to join us. Participants do not need to be Catholic to attend. All are welcome.

Good Reasons to Participate in a Kairos Retreat:

  • Everyone needs time to reflect. This retreat offers a break from the many distractions in our lives.

  • The Kairos Retreat centers on seeing God’s love in our lives and encourages the development of a personal relationship with God.

  • This retreat creates an open and accepting retreat atmosphere for you to experience God’s love and forgiveness and the importance of friendship and family.

  • Maybe you don’t know if God really cares, and you need to find out just how much He does.

  • The reasons to attend are as unique as each person. Talk to past Kairos participants or youth ministry adults and ask them why they participate in Kairos.

    Important Information:

  • Masks will be worn per guidelines at the time. Teens will sleep in private rooms.

  • Cost: $300.00 for 4 days & 3 nights (Please let us know if you need assistance)

  • The retreat will begin on Friday near 4:00 pm and will conclude Monday near 7:00pm.

Transportation details are in process! Other details shared on the Registration Form!

They are back! Hand-Carved Olive Wood Gifts from the Holy Land

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Proceeds benefit Catholic communities in the Holy Land.

The group that sells the olive wood from the Holy Land is going to be in the parish to sell the beautiful figurines to help the Christian community in the Bethlehem area. The Christian carvers in the Holy Land are suffering greatly as the local government refused to assist them with any kind of funds. Therefore, the consequences
are threatening to their existence. They are building hope on the Catholic churches to make a purchase from their group to put food on the table.

Please visit their website:
www.starofbethlehemart.com
and try to purchase anything that would help substantially.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Issam

SFdS Art & Environment Committee | Fall Transformation

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met on November 4 to decorate our church for Fall and Thanksgiving.  A lot of moving, rearranging, laughing and fun was involved in creating a worship space reflecting the beauty of Fall for our Lord.  Thank you for all you do!

If you would like to join in on this fun and help create a beautiful space throughout the liturgical year, please contact Barbie Chmieleski @ 847-772-8405 or Barbie3465@aol.com

Welcome Home, Fr Ryan!

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We are relieved and so happy to announce that our Pastor, Fr David Ryan has been officially reinstated after a year away. We are GRATEFUL this thanksgiving in so many ways!

Advent 2021

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Advent is here.  This year has been very challenging for all of us, and we may wonder how to hold hope and joy in our hearts right now.  

Advent blesses us with time to step back and focus on our true Hope and Joy- God loves us so much that He sends His only Son so that everyone who believes may have eternal life. ~John 3:16  

Take time during Advent to talk to Jesus and give Him your joys, struggles and questions. He came into this world for you!

Here are some resources and opportunities to help:

Reflections on the daily Advent Gospel readings by Bishop Barron

To receive Booklet: https://books.wordonfire.org/adventbooks2021

Or to receive free daily email reflections:https://dailycatholicgospel.com/adventreflections

Dynamic Catholic Advent Videos

This Advent, discover and choose the things that draw you to the light! 

Short, inspirational free videos each day to help you slow down and find Hope.

https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/advent.html

Rejoice! Finding Your Place in the Advent Story- Ascension Press 

https://ascensionpress.com/collections/rejoice-finding-your-place-in-the-advent-story

offers 2 Advent resources:

  • Rejoice Journal will help you to see how the people, places, and events of the first Advent affected Jesus's story. 

  • Weekly free guided meditation videos to help you find your place in the Advent story.

Short Advent Daily Reflection videos that feature Dr. Tim Gray commenting on the daily Mass readings, diving deeper into the joys and mysteries of the Incarnation.

https://daily.formed.org/

Pray More Advent Retreat

Presentations from 6 different speakers that will help you focus on prayer in your everyday life this Advent -- and onward into the new Liturgical year.

https://praymoreretreat.org/

SFdS Graduate Spotlight: Mary Kate Mooney

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Mary Kate Mooney, daughter of Angela and the late Michael Mooney, ran into Fr Ryan and Deacon John at the Hungry Mule this past summer and Fr Ryan insisted that we share Mary Kate’s update with the parish! Mary Kate and her family were so grateful to Fr. Ryan and Deacon John that they were able to pray together in the restaurant before she departed for Thailand. Mary Kate graduated from SFS class of 2013, Carmel Catholic High School Class of 2017, and most recently graduated from Hope College in 2021 to accept a Special Education Teaching Position at the International Community School in Bangkok, Thailand. 

“I am in my first year teaching at ICS, a private, non-profit Christian school. Majority of our students do not come from Christian homes, so each day our community has the opportunity to plant seeds about the truth of Christ and demonstrate the love of Christ. 

I am the Elementary Special Education/Life Skills teacher at ICS. My focus is on inclusion. My students are given the opportunity to join their peers in the general education classroom as much as possible. My role is to support them in those classes, as well as providing direct instruction in my own classroom throughout the day. 

I'd say most students come from well-off families, but we do have a good amount of missionary families! Our missionary families receive quite a bit of financial support. Taken from the website, ICS continues the tradition of offering quality Christian education for the international English speaking community and now educates over 1000 students from over 22 nations. 

Our Mission Statement: Based on the Bible, in partnership with parents, we teach the whole student to know and apply wisdom for the good of our world and the glory of God. 

I think the coolest thing is that most of our students are not from Christian homes, but their parents still choose ICS knowing they will hear about Jesus each day.” 

Here is the website if anyone wants to check out more! https://www.ics.ac.th/who-we-are 

We love you, Mary Kate and are praying for you and your ministry! 

A Holiday Tradition | A Gift of Love 

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We are returning to our tradition of adopting families and women from Mt. St. Joseph again this year. This year we have many individuals and families who need our assistance during the upcoming holidays. By remembering them with a Christmas gift and food for their dinner, we act as a reminder of Christ’s presence in the world today. We are also requesting gift cards or cash donations to allow us to purchase gift cards for families and for our sharing parish – Our Lady of Tepeyac, now Our Mother of the Americas. We will not collect gifts for them again this year, but we will appreciate the gift cards. 

We ask that you purchase a new article of clothing and a gift for each child in the family. Gifts for the parents are optional. We also ask that you purchase $10 Jewel or Walmart gift cards per person for the family so that they may make their own food selection. Look for the Gift of Love sign-up tables in the Gathering Space before and after Masses the weekends of November 6th and 7th ,13th and 14th and 20th and 21st .If you donate gift cards or cash they can be: 

Mailed to St. Francis, 135 S Buesching Road, Lake Zurich 60047 

Dropped off at the Ministry Center 

Dropped off in a dedicated box in church during the weekend Masses 

Through the online giving program 


If you donate gift cards please make the cards in increments of $25 or $50 and only for Walmart, Target or Jewel. Stop by the table to sign up or learn more about the program or call Jane Clery at 847-370-8933 with any questions you may have.

Blood Drive Nov 10th

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$15 E-Gift Card for all donors!

 Due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 in our communities, we are facing an immediate need for blood donations.  Many blood drives have had to canceled, which has led to a dramatic drop in blood donations in recent weeks. In our efforts to keep the shelves filled with blood at our hospitals, Versiti Blood Center will be sending all  donors a $15 e-gift card as a token of appreciation in helping us save lives in our community. 


Who benefits from blood donation?

At Versiti Blood Center of Illinois, formerly 
Heartland Blood Centers, we never forget the patients who receive the blood we collect.
Every unit of blood is collected from volunteer donors who meet specific criteria and have been screened according to strict guidelines. Every unit (pint) is collected, transported,
tested and stored according to tightly-controlled procedures.

Examples of transfusion needs are:

  • Cancer: up to 8 units/month

  • Bone Marrow Transplant: up to 2 units/day

  • Liver Transplant: up to 100 units

  • Auto Accident: up to 50 units

  • Cardiovascular Surgery: 2-25 unit

FREE ANTIBODY TEST for every donation

BRING A PHOTO ID & MASK REQUIRED

WEDNESDAY, November 10

2-6pm, Fr Valker Hall

Appointments are encouraged,
Walk-ins welcome!

https://bit.ly/BloodDrive-11-10-21

Broken and Blessed: A Prayer Service Nov 18th

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Rewatch Service here

Broken and Blessed: A Prayer Service

Come encounter God’s love, healing, and hope!

November 18, 2021 – 7:00 pm

Gather as one family of faith to recognize our brokenness, acknowledge our heartache, receive

God’s blessings and grace, and bring hope to our broken world. Encounter the peace of Jesus

Christ and join together for a night of prayer, support, and song on November 18, 2021, at 7:00

pm, St. Francis de Sales Church.

SELLING BUTTER BRAIDS DURING ALL MASSES OCT 30/31! 

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Our St. Francis de Sales 8th graders are headed to Washington D.C. in May for their class trip. 100% of the proceeds from this fundraiser go directly to the students to reduce the cost of the trip. The school does not receive any of the profits. Students will be selling before and after all masses the weekend of Oct 30/31 at the both entrances of the church.  Please contact Nichole Alivia with questions- 224-239-3914.

Thank you for supporting our 8th grade students!

Butter Braid