Don't Fall for the Scam!

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There has been an uptick in reports of spam messages and emails posing as Fr Ryan asking for gift cards etc.

If it feels out of character to be getting a text from Father Ryan, you are correct! He will not be communicating in that way and never will.

These requests are spam and phishing attempts that are trying to get access to your personal information or your $$$. Do not engage in the request. Delete the text, block the number, report the email as spam and delete it from your account.

And no, unfortunately we cannot stop the spam coming to your phone or email. We recommend that you try to block the number and report the attempt as spam or a phishing attempt to your email or phone provider.

Wishing you blessings this Lent!

Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship

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Sunday, January 21, 2024 @ Noon

We're happy to announce our annual Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship! All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level competition for the 2024 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Competition. The local competition will be held in the main gym of the St. Francis de Sales Parish School (enter through the side gym doors).

The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners progressing through the local, district, and jurisdictional competitions. International champions are announced by the Knights of Columbus international headquarters in New Haven, CT, based on scores from the jurisdiction-level competitions. All boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are eligible to participate and will compete in their respective age divisions. All contestants on the local level are recognized for their participation in the event. Participants are required to furnish proof of age and written parental consent.

For entry forms or additional information contact: Mike Iwanski at 224-246-5986 or mike.iwanski@gmail.com

Carmelite Spirituality

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Are you searching for something more? Wanting to go deeper in your faith? Were you aware that lay people can be Carmelites?

This part of the order is called the Third Order. Members, though not in Religious Life, choose to live out their baptismal commitment according to the spirit of the Carmelite Order. Third Order Members are brothers and sisters in the Carmelite Family and share in the same call to holiness and in the same mission of the Carmelite Order as the priests and nuns! The Third Order influences the spirit and the structure of the entire Carmelite family.

The call to Carmel is a vocation. It includes friars, monks, religious sisters, cloistered nuns and lay people. Third Order Lay Carmelites are not a prayer or social group. It is a vocation ... a call to live a way of life that is dedicated to prayer, service, and community. For those who are called to this way of life, it becomes a comfort, guide and beautiful source of spiritual strength as one is drawn into union with God. To become a Lay Carmelite, one must be at least 18 years old, a practicing Catholic in good standing and registered with a parish. You must also be searching for deeper spiritual guidance on your life journey.

Might you be called to live by the traditions and spirit of Carmel? We welcome you to learn more by attending a meeting. We meet the second Wednesday of the month in Crystal Lake. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, pray for us!

Contact the director Marcie Girolamo

(815) 245-0537 | marciegirolamo4@gmail.com

Hand-Carved Olive Wood Gifts from the Holy Land

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Proceeds benefit Catholic schools in the Holy Land. Did you know that 600 Christian families living in Bethlehem are completely dependent on carving olive wood figurines for their livelihood? The recent clashes in the Middle East and Covid-19 have stopped the tourism industry in Bethlehem, causing most

of those families serious harm in earning their living and forcing many of them to leave their homeland. In addition to Covid-19, the local government didn’t offer any help for the families who make these holy items, simply because they are Christians.

As a result of these actions by the local government, the Christian families are devastated. Emptying the land of Christ from Christians can have tragic consequences on the Holy sites. Issam from “Star of Bethlehem Group” came to the United States with a mission to help those families by selling their beautiful religious handicrafts. The cost of goods goes to benefit the Christian carvers to keep them working in the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the profit from sales goes directly to the needy Catholic schools and clinics in the Holy Land. The Star of Bethlehem has been approved by many bishops and dioceses of Jerusalem.