Sat. Apr. 1
8:00 Purgatorial Society
5:30 Dorothy Randall
by Frank & Lorraine Kula
Sun. Apr. 2 Fifth Sunday of Lent
8:00 In Thanksgiving
by Marie Craig & Family
10:00 First Reconciliation
11:00 Joan Roskos
by St. Gerard Majella Parish

THANK YOU
Thank you to all whom contributed to the collection on the weekend of March 18th and March 19th. The amount collected was $1,280.85.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK
Jack Seniw
Ann Knight
Rita Schreiber
Len Murphy
Corine Murphy
Ann Dytrych
Bill O'Connor
Adeline Deneen
Betty Nemecek
Helen Blaha
Betty Paschal
Ann Mysliwiec
Linda Jones
Osie Dompier
Eileen Desidero
Bernadine Smith
Chloe Ochoa
Terry El
Eugene Orris
Margaret Lee
Marie Craig
Brittany Dubs
Mr. Graves
Dorothy Loeffler
C. Campbell
Marge Straub
Shaun Deneen
E. Thielmann
Della Herrod
Sandra Thomas
Virgil Barron
Dorothy Barron
Toni Velez
Loretta & John
Szewczyowski

Anyone who is ill in our parish and would like to receive Holy Communion; call (708) 331-8400. If you can be removed or added from the sick list at this time, please call the parish office.

DATES TO REMEMBER
Mar. 28 Easter Choir Rehearsal (7 PM)
Mar. 31 Stations of the Cross (7 PM)
Apr. 2 First Reconciliation (10 AM)
Apr. 3 Parish Council (7PM)
Apr. 9 Guild Bake Sale (All Masses)
Dinner & Theater (3 PM) Shevlin Hall
Apr. 17 Guild Election of Officers (7 PM)

EASTER CHOIR
We would like to invite everyone to become a member of our church's Easter Choir. The choir will sing on Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday. Rehearsals will be held on each Tuesday night in the church at 7:00 PM. Being a member of the choir only requires a small amount of time and commitment, yet the rewards are great. We are looking for all kind of voices (big, small, good, so-so, male, female, young and older). Come and join us! You just might find some cookies and hot chocolate in your future.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
The Knights of Columbus Father C.C. Boyle council 4698 is holding a blood drive at St. George School located at 6700 West 176th Street in Tinley Park. The drive will be held after all the Sunday Masses March 26th in O'Connell Hall. You can arrive as early as 7:30 AM. Heartland Blood Centers will be on hand to conduct the drive. Please contact Roger Smuczerowicz at (708) 532-0665 for more information. Stop in and donate a pint of blood to help someone in need. The Knights are looking to provide at least 50 pints of donated blood.

CARMELITE RETREATS
Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm. Answering God - Finally! -
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 7:00- 9:30 PM
Join Fr. Bob Colaresi, O. Carm. At the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, IL for this series of programs as he illumines the stories of these "soul brothers" of the Bible and reveals how they provide a guide to being genuinely human and faith-filled. Cost: $15/person per session. Please call the Spiritual Center at (630) 969-4141 to register.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Friday, October 6th through Sunday, October 8th in Chicago at the only international conference of famous converts to the Catholic Church, "Path to Rome" come and hear the stories. Also featured are John Gummer, Anglican convert, member of British Parliament; Bro. Anthony Aarons, former Anglican priest from Jamaica; Alex Jones, ex-Pentecostal pastor, Detroit; and many other great converts. Cardinal Francis George, OMI. Archbishop of Chicago will give the opening prayer and greeting. Join us after the conference for a tour of inspiring Catholic and cultural sites of Chicago and other parts of Illinois. Weekend prices as low as $79 before Sept. 24. To register go to www.pathorome.com or call toll-free (800) 654-7945.

DINNER AND THEATER
Ascension St. Susanna and St. Gerard Majella will be co-hosting a Dinner and Show event on Sunday, April 9, 2006 at 3:00 in the afternoon in Shevlin Hall. We invite everyone to attend and have some fun and good food. The Dinner will be first, followed by a one act play presented by the children (plus a few adults) of both churches. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children under 12. For more information or to purchase tickets call the parish office.

WOMEN'S GUILD MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Once again it is time to invite all women of St. Gerard Majella Parish to join the Women's Guild. Our meetings are only one hour each month. Dues are $5.00 for the year. A real bargain! Envelopes will be in the back of the church. They can be dropped in the weekly collection basket at each Mass. We have a wonderful and dedicated group of ladies. They help at all the parish functions and events. It is through their help and hopefully your help in the future that we will continue to have such a vibrant and devoted group to aid our church.
If you have questions please call Shirley Roskos at (708) 560-0071.

SENIOR HOUSING
Are you a senior citizen or friend of a senior citizen looking for affordable housing in a community setting?
Look no further. The Bishop Goedert Residence, opening April 1, offers supportive, subsidized housing for seniors on the Hines VA Campus. The residence consists of 70 one-bedroom apartments, common areas featuring a laundry room and game room, and a front desk monitored 24 hours a day. Residents must meet certain income requirements.
For more information or to apply, please call the Housing Development Corporation at (312) 655-7440 or TTY at (312) 948-6992.

ITALY TRIP
Travel to Italy with adults in the Marian Catholic High School community on the journey of a lifetime, May 25-June 8. See the beauty of Italy's major cities from the Lake country to Positano in an educational but relaxed context. All meals, tours, 14 nights superior hotels, airfare from Chicago: $4,095.00. See www.maianchs.com or call Kim at All About Travel (708) 755-1562 for details.

WOMEN'S GUILD NEWS
The Women's Guild will be accepting nominations for club officers at their March 20th meeting. Anyone interested in running for office should contact Frances Smith and/or attend the meeting on March 20 at 7 PM in the school meeting room. This organization does a great deal of good for our parish. Every woman in the parish is strongly urged to join this organization. You will enjoy the fellowship of the women in the parish and contribute to the well being and energy
of our parish.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER EVENING
The Family Ministries and the Respect Life Offices of the Archdiocese of Chicago, in conjunction with Gordon Tech High School are, sponsoring a Mother-Daughter evening program for high school-aged girls and their mothers. The program will be offered on Sunday, April 23, at Gordon Tech. There will be two national speakers, a delicious buffet and music. The topic will be the true beauty of God's gift of womanhood in today's world. For more information call Maria Garcia at (312) 751-8273.

WHAT'S YOUR CATHOLIC IQ?
The answers to last week's questions are: there were no questions last week.

This week's questions are:
1. The Hebrew word shalom means (a) faith; (b) hope; (c) charity; (d) peace.
2. Jesus' tunic was woven in one piece without any seams, so while he was crucified the soldiers (a) rolled dice to see who would get it; (b) ripped it so everyone would get a piece; (c) raffled it off; (d) gave it to Jesus' mother.
3. Blessed are the merciful (a) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; (b) for mercy shall be theirs; (c) for they shall see their children's children to the fourth generation; (d) for they shall have long life in the land.
4. After Jesus died on the cross, a soldier pierced his side with a lance and (a) nothing happened; (b) water and blood flowed out; (c) one of the soldiers said, "This man deserved to die"; (d) one of the soldiers said, "I'm sorry I had to do this".
5. At Mass the vessel that contains the body of Christ is called (a) a vestment; (b) a cruet; (c) a ciborium; (d) an alb.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
We are people who often turn away from God, and yet even in our sinfulness God always calls us back. Each week we listen to the word of God and pray that we will be transformed by the power of that word. Today we hear one of the central texts of scripture: the Lord's conversation with Nicodemus. The Gospel of St. John tells us that God's only Son came into the world, not to condemn it but to save us all. As we approach the greatest of all feasts - the feast of Easter - let us pray that God's word will enlighten our minds and hearts.
Hear and answer our prayer, O God of goodness and compassion. Draw
us closer to your Son, whom you sent into the world to save us from the
darkness of sin. We make our prayer in His name, who is Lord forever and
ever.
Amen.