Sat. May 20
8:00 Purgatorial Society
5:30 Thomas Gibbons
by Norm & Rita Cole
Sun. May 21 Sixth Sunday of Easter
8:00 Joan Roskos
by Hallie D'Amore
11:00 Lou Grimm
by Mansanarz Family

THANK YOU
Thank you to all whom contributed to the collection on the weekend of May 6th & May 7th. The weekly amount collected was $1,665.00.

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
Nora 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
Judy Jones
Loretta & John
Szewczyowski
Jackie Weirbicki

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.

A LETTER FROM FR. ALTMAN
In today's Gospel, Jesus uses the beautiful image of the vine and the branches under the care of the vine grower to illustrate the inter-connected relationship of the Father with the Son and the Son with his disciples. This image demonstrates the important links between our God and our selves. We must rely on our God's love received through Jesus if we are to live well in this world and be given eternal life for the world to come.

This sense of connectedness offers us added insight into the special celebration we enjoy today. Today we celebrate Mother's day and we honor the women who gave us birth and in most cases so much more, such as care, nurturing, guidance, love, and the gift of faith. And on this day we are also grateful for so many other women who have meant so much to us in our lives. As Jesus presents the image of the inter-connections on which we depend for everlasting life, so we are inspired to realize the inter-connections we share with our own mother and the other women and men as we live according to the will of God in this world. Jesus teaches us that we need him and each other to live the sort of true faithful Christian life God wants for us.

On behalf of Fr. Bob and myself I want to express thanks and gratitude to all Mothers and all Women, especially in our parish, and wish blessings and love for a Happy Mother's day to every Mom living or deceased.

Last Sunday we were blessed to celebrate two special events, First Holy Communion for eight of our Religious education students and May Crowning by these same students and our Women's Guild. Both occasions were celebrations of faith and joy. We honor our Blessed Mother, Mary and acknowledged her not only as the mother of Jesus, but as our mother, too. During the month of May let us invoke her intercession through the Rosary and other prayers, so that we might be faithful disciples of Jesus as she was. Also, we raise prayers of joy that eight of our children have received Jesus in the Eucharist and will now join with so many of us at St. Gerard Majella and Catholics throughout the world in knowing him in the breaking of the bread. My heartfelt thanks go to all those who made the day so beautiful, especially the children and their parents, the Gerardian Women's Guild, Mrs. Thusing, Mrs. Jurek, Sr. Catherine and all the Religious Education students. May God's blessings be upon you always.

Fr. Joe

CONGRATULATIONS
We would like to congratulate the following Religious Education students who celebrated their First Holy Communion last Sunday: Caylie Sheridan, Cassandra Sheridan, Dave Handing, Jr., Amanda Tapia, Tyler Edwards, Hannah Edwards, Madelyn Relyea, and Matthew Relyea.

DATES TO REMEMBER
May 13/14 Annual Flower Sale
May 15 Women's Guild Meeting (7 PM)
May 21 Dinner in honor of Fr. Altman (1 PM)

WOMEN'S CENTER NEWS
During the month of May we remember our blessed Mother, Mary, and our own mothers in a special way. We ask your help for the pregnant mothers who come to us for assistance.
Each year our counselors help approximately 5,000 women and their families. If you have a heart for helping us save babies and their mothers, call Katie at (773) 794-8807 for information about counselor volunteer training sessions.
We always need new or gently used baby items and clothes. Toiletry items for use by an entire family would also be greatly appreciated. Please call (773) 794-1313 for our address where these items can be dropped off. We can provide tax receipts for all donated items. It would be a great help if you could deliver these items to us, otherwise please call (773) 794-1313 to have a volunteer pick them up.

FR. JOE'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 21st at 1:00 PM. We will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of Fr. Altman's ordination as a priest. There will be an afternoon of great food, friendship and fun. The festivities will be held at the Orland Chateau located at 145 LaGrange Road in Orland Park.
Please join Fr. Joe, his family and friends from Ascension / St. Susanna, St. Daniel the Prophet, St. Julianna, and St. Gerard Majella in celebrating this milestone in our pastor's life.

MEMORIAL DAY MASS
The Church will be celebrating the annual Memorial Day Mass in Catholic cemeteries on Monday, May 29, 2006. You are invited to attend one of these special Field Mass Programs. The programs are scheduled for 10:00 AM in most cemeteries with the Mass beginning at 10:30 AM. You can call the parish office for a list of cemeteries participating in this program.
A few of the participating cemeteries are: Assumption, Calvary, Good Shepherd, Holy Sepulchre, Mount Olivet, St. Benedict, St. Mary, and Resurrection.
the achievements of one of our parish family, especially our teenagers.

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS
The Golden Wedding Anniversary Mass will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 2:30 PM at Holy Name Cathedral, 751 N. State Street, Chicago.
Couples married in 1956 who are interested in attending this celebration should contact their parish to register.
For further information call the Family Ministries Office at (312) 751-8351 or visit the website: www.familyministries.org.

THEOLOGY ON TAP
Theology on Tap is group of young adults (those in their 20's and 30's) working together in an effort and reaching out to each other in a renewal of their faith. The theme of their 26th season is: Serving Young Adults the finest in Speakers, Conversation 7 Theology on the weeks of July 9, 16, 23, and 30 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. These events will be hosted by parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Joliet, the Diocese of Rockford, the Diocese of Gray and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
There will be a Mass and picnic with Francis Cardinal George on Sunday, August 6th. The Mass will be at 3:00 Pm at Holy Name and followed by a Lawn Party from 4:30 - 7:30 at the Cardinal's Residence.

WHAT'S YOUR CATHOLIC IQ?
The answers to last week's questions are: 1. (a); 2. (d); 3. (a); 4. (a); 5. (b).

This week's questions are:
1. The cassock, or full-length fitted robe, worn by the pope is (a) black; (b)blue; (c) red; (d) white.
2. In 1986, the Vatican approved, for the first time, a Native American language translation of most of the Mass. That language was (a) Sanskirt; (b) Hindu; (c) Navaho; (d) Urdu.
3. Of the following, the action that is not considered a sin against the Eighth Commandment is (a) gossiping; (b) lying; (c) stealing; (d) perjury.
4. A sacristy is (a) a blessed object; (b) the room for sacred vessels and vestments; (c) the red book used at Mass; (d) a penitential sackcloth.
5. In religious art, the flower that symbolizes purity is (a) carnation; (b) lily; (c) daisy; (d) tulip.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Today we look at how the fruit of the Resurrection is emerging from our lives of faith.
` The first reading tells us of Saul (Paul) and how after meeting the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus his life was changed. The second reading tells us that we are to love not just in word but also in our deeds and actions. We need to do things that show we believe in Jesus. The Gospel gives us a picture that makes this very clear. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Like the vine that brings the moisture and nutrients from the soil to the branches and the branches bring forth fruit, the Risen Jesus brings life and love into our lives. Like Paul and the Apostles and the saints throughout the ages, we bear much fruit.

Loving God, you are the vine grower; your Son, Jesus, is the vine; and we
are the branches. May our lives bear the fruit of the goodness and peace of
your Son.
Amen.