Dear Friends.

As you know there have been numerous natural disasters recently impacting millions of our brothers and sisters. The floods in the Midwest have caused massive devastation and suffering to some of our close neighbors.  Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar has created atremendous need for basic human needs. The May 12 earthquake which devastated Sichuan, China will require assistance from all around the globe.

If you would like to help our brothers and sisters who are suffering so much, please be as generous as you can and make a donation through your local parish.  The proceeds will be distributed equally between Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services (CRS).   

Catholic Charities USA's (CCUSA) Office of Disaster Response is already on the ground providing families with immediate needs such as gas, food, clothing, and cleaning supplies.  With the help of CRS, aid is getting through to people in some of the areas most affected by Cyclone Nargis in the Ayeyarwady Delta region of Myanmar. CRS is also supporting Caritas Hong Kong's response in the wake of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, China.

Thank you and may God bless you for your generosity.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Reverend J. Peter Sartain
Bishop of Joliet


        
        A boy plays in front of his home,                          A destroyed church is seen in the
          destroyed by Cyclone Nargis.                             earthquake-hit Sichuan province.
     Photo by REUTERS/Stringer (MYANMAR)                      Photo by REUTERS/Jason Lee  
 

WASHINGTON---In time for the Year of St. Paul, beginning June 28, the Secretariat of Divine Worship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched a website dedicated to the Pauline year honoring the 2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul.  The site is designed to provide resources and related materials to those interested in participating in and learning more about the year-long celebration....... read more

“DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, as in early times, today too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He needs witnesses and martyrs like St. Paul. Paul, a former violent persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to Damascus, did not hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed him without second thoughts. He lived and worked for Christ, for him he suffered and died. How timely his example is today!

“And for this very reason I am pleased to
announce officially that we shall be dedicating a special Jubilee Year to the Apostle Paul from 28 June 2008 to 29 June 2009, on the occasion of the bi-millennium of his birth, which historians have placed between the years 7 and 10 A.D.”

~ Pope Benedict XVI, June 28, 2007
First Vespers of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
Visit the Vatican website for more information and resources

WASHINGTON—U.S. Catholic bishops, convening June 12-14 in Orlando, Florida at their semi-annual spring meeting, by a vote of 191 to 1, passed a statement concerning embryonic stem cell research. This statement will be the first formal statement issued by the bishops devoted exclusively to this issue.
read "On Embryonic Stem Cell Research" A Statement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Bishop Sartain has announced the following clergy assignments. These assignments are effective June 18, 2008 unless otherwise noted:

Father Vern Arseneau, assigned as Pastor of St. Peter, Clifton and Sts. Mary & Joseph, Chebanse.

Father Lee Bacchi, assigned as Pastor of Assumption, Coal City.

Father Bradley Baker, assigned as Rector of Cathedral of St. Raymond, Joliet.

Father Gabriel Baltes, OSB, assigned as Pastor of St. Joan of Arc, Lisle.

Father Thomas Corbino, assigned as Pastor of St. Pius X, Lombard.

Father Herbert Essig, assigned as Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Bolingbrook.

Father Martin Gabel, assigned as Pastor of St. Bernard, Homer Glen.

Father Luis Gutierrez, assigned as Pastor of St. Joseph, Addison.

Father David Hankus, assigned as Pastor of St. Anne, Oswego.

Father Daniel Hessling, assigned as Pastor of St. Patrick, Momence.

Father Slawomir Ignasik, assigned as Pastor of St. Peter, Itasca.

Father Joseph Kudilil, assigned as Temporary Administrator of St. Joseph, Rockdale.

Father Michael Pennock, assigned as Pastor of St. Margaret Mary, Herscher, St. James, Irwin, and Sacred Heart, Goodrich.

Father James Schwab, assigned as Pastor of St. Mary, Park Forest.

Father Gerald Simonelli, assigned as Pastor of St. Isidore, Bloomingdale.

Father Gregory Skowron, assigned as Pastor of St. Anthony, Frankfort.

Father Dennis Spies, assigned as Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Gibson City & St. George Mission, Melvin.

Fr. Kevin Spiess, from the Archdiocese of Chicago, assigned as Administrator pro tem of Divine Savior, Downers Grove.

Father Anthony Taschetta, assigned as Pastor of Mary Queen of Heaven, Elmhurst.

**Father Jose Cilia, O. Carm., assigned as Pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Joliet
(effective July 16, 2008)
 

Click HERE for more information.

Theology-on-Tap
Summer Speaker Series for Young Adults

This July, it's time to cool off with tall glass of theology.
Diocese of Joliet's Theology-on-Tap program will kick off on Thursday evening, July 10th,
at the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center in Romeoville. The summer speaker series continues for three weeks at restaurants and pubs, college campuses, and parishes around the Diocese. This annual event is aimed at men and women in college and in their 20s and 30s, both single and married, and is held in both Spanish and English. For the complete schedule and more details about the series, log onto the Diocesan Theology-on-Tap website at http://www.dioceseofjoliet.org/reo/yamTOT.asp.

Read Bishop's Letter...