Dear Friends and Parishioners of Saint Jerome,
Pax Christi semper vobiscum!
We will be carrying out our sixth and last procession in honor of the Blessed Mother this coming Tuesday. Thank you for praying with us during the last five processions in the church. I am certain that the Blessed Mother has heard our prayers and will continue to intercede for us in a special way. As we are accustomed to, the month of October is dedicated to the Blessed Mother as Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. I would like to encourage everyone to say the Holy Rosary each day during this month. It is a good practice and devotion. The mantra and the repetition of Hail Mary’s on each bead is the repetition also of our endearment to Our Blessed Mother. I believe that the Angel’s salutation, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” always reminds Our Blessed Mother also of her privilege for being the bearer of the Son of God. God’s grace landed on a fertile heart that was filled with faith and the willingness to be a collaborator with God’s work of salvation. Yes, our praying of the Holy Rosary is a great reminder for us to imitate the Blessed Mother in her obedience and humility as she responded to the Angel Gabriel’s salutation.
We can pray and contemplate the mysteries of the Holy Rosary in so many ways. Holding the Rosary in our hand in silence while calling to mind the events of the life of Jesus is one way of praying the beads. Looking at the Holy Rosary in front of us while we recall the life of Jesus is another form of prayer. Of course, the traditional recitation of the Hail Mary’s on each bead is the most known to many of us. What is enormously important is our awareness of each story that took place during the ministerial life of Jesus, which together summarize the message of the Paschal Mystery, i.e., our salvation from eternal death. The Most Holy Rosary is a great companion in our spiritual journey to the way of perfection in charity.
In the long run, I would like to thank the group of parishioners and volunteers that made our October 3rd Dinner, Music & Stories ‘social distancing’ event a success, despite the rain! You will be given a report of the income we raised in next week’s bulletin. We are still waiting for some ticket sales’ money to be turned into the parish office. In addition, I would like to thank the choir members for their great participation in that event. I hope that we can continue doing more social gatherings in the coming weeks as we anticipate and pray for an end to the pandemic.
Included in our bulletin this weekend is a testimony of one of our families who were infected by Covid19 during the last few months. Their testimony is a good reference for us to see the way that God remains to involved in our lives during uncertainties, fear, and loneliness. The Murillo-Leon family experience made each of their members confident in the presence of God in a visible manner through their friends and other people that surround them. Testimony such as theirs is an encouragement for all of us to always see God in various life circumstances. I thank them for being courageous in sharing their Divine Encounter in a most humane and simple manner.
Finally, I would like to let you know that we are coming closer to the final decision of the Renew My Church discernment archdiocesan leadership team. I will be sure to announce during our weekend Masses the selected scenario that sounds most practical and viable for the next ten years for our Rogers Park-Edgewater area. While we still have three remaining meetings, I would like to ask everyone to please continue praying for the entire grouping discernment team to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in the direction that our parish should take.
I continue to be grateful to many of you who are always making an effort to come for worship of God each weekend. May He continue to bless and keep you.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
