October 7 - St. Paul the Apostle Church

Marriage as a Christian Sacrament
(Part 3 in a series from the US Bishops' Letter on Marriage)
Although marriage remains a blessing from
God, Original Sin has had grave consequences for married
life. As a break with God, it ruptured the original
communion between man and woman. Jesus healed
this rupture when he raised marriage to the dignity of a
sacrament. In marriage a man and woman become one
flesh. They love each other as they love themselves
and cherish each other's bodies as their own. This union
is an image of Christ's love for his Church. Spouses are
called to give themselves to each other as fully as
Christ gave himself to his Church.
When the baptized spouses exchange their
promises of loving and permanent fidelity before the
Church, their marriage covenant becomes a participation
in the unbreakable covenant between Christ and
the Church. The Holy Spirit binds the spouses together
and enables them to perform acts of self-giving love to
the benefit of themselves, their families, and the whole
Church. In this way their marriage does more than symbolize
Christ's love; it makes that love present in the
world.
In order to imitate
Christ's love for his Church,
the relationship between man
and woman needs healing.
Their relationship is not a one
-sided subjection of the wife
to the husband, but a mutual
subjection of husband and wife, following St. Paul's
charge to "be subordinate to one another out of reverence
for Christ" (Eph 5:21).
Sacraments Near the Time of Death…
If you have a family member who is terminally ill or likely
to die in the next month, the Church always offers sacraments
to Catholics who are preparing to leave this life
and enter eternity. Sometimes, however, people procrastinate
and wait until the matter is very urgent before requesting
that a priest come, leaving only a few hours before
the time of death before calling. A priest is not always
available on such short notice. When a family
member begins to make that final journey, be sure to call
the priest at least several days before the matter is urgent
and preferably even sooner than that. A priest is usually
able to come within 24 hours but not always in a shorter
time frame. The Anointing of the Sick is not more effective
if it is administered closer to the moment of death; in
fact, it is more fruitful if the dying person is conscious,
alert, and participative.
The Family Ministry Office of the Diocese of
Joliet sponsors a unique program for the widowed
entitled Joyful Again! All widowed men and
women are invited to attend.
What:
Workshop/Retreat for
Widowed Men & Women
When: October 27 & 28, 2012
Where:
St. Charles Pastoral
Center, Romeoville, IL
For further information, call: 1-708-354-7211
Joyful Again! Widowed Ministry Program
Charlotte Hrubes, Director
E-mail: joyfulagain@att.net
Website: www.joyfulagain.org
“The Sounds
of Sacred
Music”
Concert
With gratitude for those who have supported Catholic
education in the Diocese of Joliet, the 2 nd annual,
Sounds of Sacred Music Concert event will be held
on Monday, October 8, 2012 beginning at 7:00 PM
at Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Naperville. This
FREE event is again sponsored by the Catholic Education
Foundation (CEF) which distributed over $1.6
million this year to our schools and parishes through
scholarships, ministry grants, and ‘Leaders for the
Future’ funding for our school staff and parish catechetical
leaders.
Join Bishop Joseph Siegel and Fr. John Belmonte,
S.J., Ph.D. (Superintendent of Schools) for an
evening to enjoy the combined St. Raphael and
St. Scholastica Choirs. Our theme this year is
‘celebrating the Year of Faith’ as announced by our
Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. This concert was
created as an opportunity to celebrate Catholic
education throughout the Diocese of Joliet and to
thank our CEF supporters.
COME JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION
WHEN: Monday, October 8, 2012
WHERE: Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Naperville, IL
ADMISSION: Free
RSVP: CEF Office, 815-834-4023, or
JLangenderfer@dioceseofjoliet.org