Mission 2008

Saturday-Wednesday, 16- 20 February 2008

Saint Patrick Parish will have a Parish Mission this Lent.  Two Franciscan Friars will join us that week.  They'll preach at the Weekend Masses the weekend of 16 and 17 February.  There will be a Mission Presentation at 7 p.m. Sunday.  There will also be presentations Monday-Wednesday.  The morning session will include Mass and will last from 8 a.m. to about 9 a.m.   The evening session will last from 7 p.m. to about 8 p.m.  There will be refreshments following the evening session.

What is a Parish Mission?

A parish mission is an opportunity for a parish to deepen and clarify its faith response to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is amied at a renewal and a deeper commitment to Jesus, His mission, and the life of the Church.  It is a time of blessing for all and an opportunity for revitalization both as individuals and as members of Saint Patrick Parish.

Why Should I Go?

We all need to do something just for ourselves.  We get shots to prevent sickness and disease; we take vacations form daily stress.  A parish mission has much the same motivation.  We commit ourselves to renewal so that we can be refreshed with God's word and God's love to better approach our daily lives.

What's in it for me?

You take the chance or risk of coming to know the Lord better in your life. You can open yourself to the power and the love of the Spirit more readily in your life and find answers to questions with which you may have been struggling.  You can also experience a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

Meet the Team!

Fr. Donald Blaeser, O.F.M., was born and raised in Chicago. After studying at John Carroll Univ., Cleveland, OH, he entered the Franciscan Order, Sacred Heart Province, in June, 1962. He studied at the Franciscans' seminaries, professed his final vows in 1966, then earned his M.Div. in theology at Catholic Theological Union, and was ordained a priest on June 13, 1970. During his years in the seminary he pursued studies in music and completed a B. Mus. degree in Music Education at Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY, in 1971.   Following his ordination, Fr. Don served as chaplain at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital in Wheaton, IL, for ten years. From 1980 to 1983 he was a confessor at St. Peter's Church in Chicago�s Loop, and served briefly as an associate pastor, and then as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in St. Paul, MN, from 1984-1992. Fr. Don was co-director of novices at the Franciscan inter-provincial novitiate in Cedar Lake, IN from 1993 to 2000.   Since music has always been a vital part of his life, Fr. Don has played trumpet with the Naperville Municipal Band and the Highland, IN, Community Band, and has sung with the Apollo Music Club of Chicago, and with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Chorus. He has also put his music talents to use playing the organ, piano and trumpet for liturgy during his years on the novitiate staff and elsewhere.   He has been serving on the "Ministry of the Word" Team since 2000, giving numerous parish missions, retreats to sisters and priests, and novenas, and taking on a variety of preaching assignments. Fr. Don also holds a Certificate in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO, and his enjoyment of singing, humor, stories, and human nature, lead Fr. Don to weave these through his homilies.

Fr. Dennis Koopman, O.F.M., was born and reared in northeastern Iowa.  Once graduated from Loras College, Dubuque, IA, he attended the Franciscan St. Joseph Seminary, Westmont, IL, and in 1965 was professed in the Franciscan Order, Sacred Heart Province, St. Louis, MO.  After theological studies at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL, he was ordained to the priesthood, June 13, 1970.   Having obtained a Masters degree in Chemistry at the Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, Fr. Dennis subsequently taught chemistry and algebra for 20 years at Quincy University, Quincy, IL, a Franciscan University.  For most of Fr. Dennis' teaching years, he was active in and held leadership positions for Worldwide Marriage Encounter and for Engaged Encounter.  He organized the marriage preparation programs for west- central IL, in the Springfield Diocese.  Issues of family life and parish life were his pastoral ministry while teaching at Quincy University.   After attending the Vatican II Institute for Theological Renewal for priests at Menlo Park, CA, in 1994, Fr. Dennis began his full-time ministry of preaching Parish Missions.  He has been full-time in the preaching ministry ever since then.  He is a member of the Franciscan "Ministry of the Word" team for Parish Missions, and holds a Certificate in preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO.   Currently Fr. Koopman lives with five other Franciscan Friars at St. Gratian Friary, Countryside, IL, a near-southwest suburb of Chicago, three suburbs straight west of Midway Airport.

The Mission will include opportunities for Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick and Mass. The Mission Team will also work with Saint Pat's School and CCD students, and with the homebound of our parish. Religious items will also be available at the Mission.

I hope you're looking forward to this very special week.  Mark that dates on your calendar!

You are visitor   +  Thanks for visiting  

© mmvi Saint Patrick Parish

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam