"Saint Gabriel the Archangel Center" -  This is the new name for the parish school building.  Because of Gabriel’s role in the Incarnation (announcing the birth of Jesus), his close relationship with the Blessed Mother, and his name “God is our Strength,” he seemed the perfect patron saint.  St. Gabriel is associated with Our Lord Jesus Christ; he is the patron saint of messengers and the media.  And also, St. Gabriel is the angel who intercedes in birth, conception, the Incarnation, and mercy.  We look forward to consecrating our new space to the Incarnation of Jesus in the name of St. Gabriel the Archangel.

Altar Server Ministry is in need of your help.  We are looking for adults, teens, and children grades 3-8, who would be willing to serve parish funerals and the morning weekday Masses.  This is a wonderful opportunity to show our love of the Lord and our parish.  By participating in this liturgical ministry we can deepen our own faith life and our appreciation of the Holy Mass.  

If you would like to participate, please call
Fr. Arek, Fr. Pawel or the Parish Office.  There will be a training/orientation and informational meeting.  

Dear Parishioners of Incarnation Parish,

The Ensemble season is upon us!  Wednesday, September 5^th, 2018 from 7:30pm-9pm is the official first practice for the Incarnation Parish Choir, Monday, September 10^thfrom 6pm-7pm is our first Children’s Choir Rehearsal, and if you’re more of an instrumentalist, our Bell Choir’s first rehearsal is Wednesday, September 19^thfrom 6pm-7pm for the 2018-2019 year.  

I would like to extend a personal invitation to any parishioners who enjoy singing, ages 15 and up, to join the Parish Choir.  Our Children’s Choir ranges from grades 3^rdto 8^th.  Any child, even outside the Religious Ed program or Parish, is more than welcome to join the Children’s Choir.  PLEASE NOTE: No musical background is required!  The Sacred Music Ministry Family will teach you how to sing and ring!

The ultimate aim of all the ensembles in the Sacred Music Ministry Program is to foster a more complete participation of the faithful within the Liturgy (Mass). The Church documents point to this direction: “To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, pp.30).  

The Sacred Music Ministry Program does this in three ways:  
1) Our singing and playing is for the greater Glory of God;

2) We sing from the depths of hearts; and,

3) We lead the people of God to heaven by making beautiful music, so that the congregation can have a taste of the heavenly liturgy.

Please pray and consider joining the Parish Choir, the Children’s Choir, and/or Bell Choir and assisting in its mission, all while enjoying being part of a wonderful group and singing/playing!

If you are interested in joining the choir, please contact me, Ryan Dillon, at the Parish Office at (708) 597-3180, Ext. 305 or contact me by email at      
         rdillon@incarnationcatholic.com.  

Thank you for your devotion and dedication to Incarnation Parish.  I look forward to praying with you in this upcoming year. God bless!
 
Gratefully,
 
Ryan Dillon
Director of Music and Liturgy

Have you checked our Marian Garden?

The entrance is next to the School/Music Room and is open daily 7:00AM to 9:00PM. It is a beautiful, shaded garden that affords a quiet and restful atmosphere for prayer and meditation. There are benches to sit on or a path to walk, whichever suits your need. A shrine to Mary is at the west end of the garden for those who wish to invoke Her prayers for their concerns. Our parishioners maintain this peaceful place. Recently we trimmed all trees in the Marian Garden and majority of them throughout our entire campus. Through the generosity of our parishioner, we purchased and installed the outdoor Stations of the Cross that enhance the beauty of the garden. We encourage all to visit.

We are happy to share with our parish community that the long-awaited statue of St. Michael the Archangel has been completed and is on display in our church. 
 
May St. Michael the Archangel and all Saints intercede for our parish, for our Archdiocese, and the whole Church.  May their example inspire us to imitate Jesus in our own life.

We also welcomed the first class relic of St. Faustina Kowalska to our Parish! In the specially built reliquary in our Church, you can also find the following first-class relics:

- St. John of the Cross,
- St. Simon Stock,
- St. Germaine,
- St. Maria Goretti
- Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos,

May God continue to bless our Incarnation Family, and may the Saints intercede for us.

On Sunday, September the 23rd, the Pastor blessed our new statue of Padre Pio that will permanently stay in our Church. 

The year 2018 is a special year for Saint Padre Pio. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his death and the 100th anniversary of his stigmata, the holy marks of Christ’s passion. Earlier this year Pope Francis traveled to the tomb of Saint Padre Pio to pray in front of his relics. Saint John Paul the Great said of Padre Pio: “The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.” 

When the Church blesses a picture or a statue and presents it for public veneration by the faithful, it does so for the following reasons: that when we look at the representation of those who have followed Christ faithfully, we will be motivated to seek the city that is to come; that we will learn the way that will enable us most surely to attain complete union with Christ; that, as we struggle along with our earthly cares, we will be mindful of the saints, those friends and coheirs of Christ who are also our own brothers and sisters and our special benefactors; that we will remember how they love us, are near us, intercede ceaselessly for us, and are joined to us in marvelous communion.

Handing on our faith to the next generation of Catholics is one of the most important responsibilities we share as the Church.  

Incarnation Parish Religious Education Program (REP) is dedicated to this mission!  

Our goal is to build a community where young disciples and their families not only learn more about the life-saving message of Our Lord Jesus, they truly encounter the love and mercy of Christ through our wonderful catechists, aides, and board members!  

REP meets from September through May, on Sunday mornings or Monday afternoons.  Over 260 kindergarten through eighth graders currently join in prayer, music, art, and study - bringing our Catholic faith alive!  Every grade lives the mission of Jesus by doing service, in our parish community and beyond. From our first graders who make cards for the nursing home, to our third graders who pray the rosary, to our seventh graders who serve as junior catechists, all our young disciples learn the importance of "washing feet."  We also worship together and learn about the Holy Mass: all our grades attend "class Masses" with their catechists throughout the year, to deepen their understanding of and relationship to the Eucharist.  

From our dedicated catechists who have been teaching for over thirty years, to our high school helpers, everyone in REP is welcome to share their time and giftedness!  And our REP Board is amazing - hard working and strong in their faith.  Every summer they gather for an overnight retreat, spending time in prayer, reflection, and spiritual growth.  

Please keep our religious education program, our children, their families, our catechists, aides and staff, in your prayers - that the Holy Spirit of God continue to bless us and inspire us. 

Also please stop by the Religious Education office to register your child(ren) to our wonderful program, call at 708.388.4005 for more information or check out our REP web page by clicking HERE.

Kathy McNicholas - Pastoral Associate & Director of Religious Education Program

 

Answering the call for the New Evangelization, all leaders and members of all ministries from Formation/Education, Spiritual Life, Parish Life and Human Concerns Commissions participated in the spiritual and evangelical renewal program “Alpha” that was adopted to the current needs of Incarnation Parish and given our own name of “Journey to the Heart of the Faith.” Please watch the video below:
 

1. Visit our official Facebook page, click ‘like’
    and make sure to ‘follow’ us.

2. Text @2g77e to the following phone
     number: 81010 to receive weekly
     inspirational texts messages.

3. Keep visiting our website at    
    www.incparish.com
    to view our recent bulletins and parish
    information.

4. Follow us on Instagram    
                                    @IncarnationCatholic

All kids currently enrolled in Religious Education Program (REP) are welcome to play. Also, if a child is enrolled in a neighboring Catholic School or RE program that does not offer sports, they may play with Incarnation sports.