1120 DOUGLAS AVENUE FLOSSMOOR, ILLINOIS 60422 (708) 799-5400 www.ijpparish.org

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THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 2 JUNE 7, 2020

From Fr. Jack Jura

“The Trinity is the answer to the questions of Plato.

If there is only one God, what does He think about?

He thinks an eternal thought:

His eternal Word, or Son.

If there is only one God, whom does he love?

He loves His Son, and that mutual love is

the Holy Spirit.

The great philosopher was fumbling about for the

mystery of the Trinity, for his noble mind

seemed in some small way to suspect that an

infinite being must have relations of thought and love.

But it was not until the Word became Incarnate that

man knew the secret of those relations and

the inner life of God, for it was Jesus Christ, the Son

of God, Who revealed to us the inmost life of God.”

- Fulton J. Sheen

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy

Trinity declared by Pope John XXII as a feast of the Uni-

versal Church in 1334.

The Most Holy Trinity might be the first way we learned

to talk about God. It began when our parents taught us

to make the Sign of the Cross when they prayed “In the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit.” Yet, as stated by Pope Paul VI, the dogma of

the Blessed Trinity is “infinitely beyond all that we can

humanly understand.” Why isn’t God just one Person

instead of three Persons?

As we read in his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint

Paul mentions the Most Holy Trinity by writing about

the grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This mentioning of the

Trinity created a problem for the early Church. They

knew that there is only one God. They also believed

that Jesus is God but He is not the Father and the Holy

Spirit.

In order to be able to solve this dilemma, the early

Church had to rethink their understanding of God. Even-

tually the Church came to understanding that there is

only One God but there are Three Persons: the Father,

the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each is truly God, whole and

entire and yet each is distinct from the other.

Fr. Johnny Go wrote that “For centuries, prophet after

prophet, God precisely tried to convince the Jews to do

away with their contemporarys’ pantheons of gods and

to believe in one and only one God. The way Yahweh

put it to Moses and the Israelites in the Book of Exo-

dus is: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Now,

after finally getting the Jews to subscribe to monothe-

ism, here comes Christianity complicating things by

claiming that by the way, in that one God, there are

actually three Divine Persons. Wouldn’t it be less mys-

terious to say that there is just one Person in one God?

Besides, if God is truly all-powerful, wouldn’t it be best

that there is only one Person in one God because after

all, He should be totally self-sufficient and can simply

isolate Himself completely from others?”

It would be simpler to have one Person in one God but

our God is not a loner. God is one but not solitary. His

very nature as a Trinity makes us aware that our God is

a God who always relates and shares even within Him-

self. God is not self-absorbed or self-centered and

God’s brand of love is not exclusive.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity,

we are being reminded that our faith in the Most Holy

Trinity has to be realized and expressed in our person-

al lives. True and divine love requires partners. For us,

it means love among God, ourselves, and our neigh-

bor. This communal way of loving is truly Trinitarian.

Just like our God, we are not meant to isolate our-

selves from others. We are not meant to be self-

centered and to think only of our own needs and our

own interests. Instead, we are meant to live with and

for other persons.

The recent events in our country show once again that

there are people among us who are “craving to be

heard and to be seen, and to have their humanity rec-

ognized.” They are longing for a time when we all be-

come equal not just on paper but in real life. They are

hoping for a society that treats every one with respect

and dignity.

The Solemnity that we celebrate this weekend makes

us aware that ALL LIVES MATTER. Therefore, as the fol-

lowers of the Triune God, we must respect every person.

Discrimination is evil. Racism is evil. Prejudice is evil.

Violence is evil. Treating others unfairly is evil. And so, it

is stealing, looting and destroying others’ property.

The Three Divine Persons are distinct yet equal. Each

of us is called to reflect that love and relationship in

the world. May our world, our country and every com-

munity be filled with the Trinitarian atmosphere of

love, sharing, unity, and peace.

Fr. Jack

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 3 JUNE 7, 2020

Infant Jesus of Prague Church Opening

We will begin our reopening as follows:

Saturday, June 6th:

Eucharistic Adoration from 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Sunday, June 7th:

Private Prayer from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Monday, June 8th:

Eucharistic Adoration from 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Sunday, June 14th:

Private Prayer from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

We are thrilled to announce that Infant Jesus of

Prague Parish has achieved Phase 1/1A reopening

certification from the Archdiocese of Chicago. This

certification allows us to reopen for Baptism,

Reconciliation, weddings, and funerals with a limit of

10 attendees. It also allows parishes to reopen for

private prayer and Eucharistic Adoration.

We will limit individuals in the church to 10 beginning

at the scheduled time, and they will be allowed 20

minutes of prayer/adoration. We will ring a bell at the

15-minute mark to alert those in the church that they

have 5 minutes left. Ushers will come to the pew to

escort everyone out. This will allow 10 minutes of

cleaning before the next group would be let in at half

past the hour. This process will continue until the last

group is let in 30 minutes prior to the end time. No

appointments needed during Phase 1/1A.

Our hope is to be Phase II certified soon with the goal

to begin daily Mass on Monday, June 15th. There will

be more information to follow.

We would like to thank the volunteers who have

stepped up to help already, but we are still in need of

more assistance. If you are available to help, please

contact Darla Draus at ddraus@ijpparish.org or 224-

622-1966.

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 4 JUNE 7, 2020

Infant Jesus of Prague Church Opening

Thank you to all of our volunteers who have worked

tirelessly this past week getting our church ready for its

reopening. We so appreciate you!

Here are some photos from the first day, which was for

Eucharistic Adoration on Saturday, June 6.

Kudos to the few parishioners that showed up to help

us move forward to Step 2 of the process!

Ken and Darla Draus

Khyati and Tim Bailey

John Yast

Sara Cogswell

Beth Maclin

Tammy McMahon

Jeff Janaszak

Mike and Jenice Deimer

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 5 JUNE 7, 2020

IJP Graduation Parade

Because IJP’s Graduation Ceremony is postponed, we decided to hold a special IJP Graduation Parade on May 29,

2020, which was the original date of the 2020 Graduation Ceremony. Graduates wore their 8th grade class t-shirts

and were driven through the parking lot honking and waving at the staff and teachers. They seemed to love it so

much that some of their younger siblings asked Mrs. Kelly if they could have a parade for every graduation class!

That morning the graduates were treated to teachers delivering Class of 2020 congratulations signs to each of

their houses...boy were they surprised and excited to see their

teachers in front of their houses!

You

Are

Loved

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 6 JUNE 7, 2020

Congratulations Class of 2020!

Rest in Peace, our IJP Angel

Genine Algenio Class of 2020

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 7 JUNE 7, 2020

A Reflection from Bishop Joseph Perry

What a disturbing video cap-

ture, in view of the world’s

eyes, of George Floyd detained

by a police officer kneeling on

his neck till life was crushed

from him; a frightening em-

blem of relations white-and-black reinforced by

similar atrocities embedded in memory of recent

days; lest we forget other black men, young and

old, grandfathers, great grandfathers, great-great

grandfathers, ancestors whose necks were locked

in chains during the Middle passage, then by

ropes from a tree, a litany of men our brothers

demeaned and emasculated. Is this the message

of America towards its black citizens? Is this the

fundamental assessment of whites towards

blacks? Is this the closeted attitude of a nation

calling itself free towards blacks and other groups

this nation throws to the sides? And, so we pray,

and we pray some more, and we pray still, hoping

for deliverance in this vale of tears.

Reflections on George Floyd

Statement of Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, on the murder of George Floyd

Released May 31, 2020

The past nights I have watched in great personal pain

as the pent-up anger of our people caught fire across

our country. I saw the city where I was born, the cities

where I have lived, the city I pastor now, catch embers

from the city where I was educated and burn. Was I

horrified at the violence? Yes. But was I surprised? No.

As the saying goes, if you’re not outraged, you’re not

paying attention. What did we expect when we learned

that in Minneapolis, a city often hailed as a model of

inclusivity, the price of a black life is a counterfeit

twenty-dollar bill? When we added another name to

the list of those murdered for being black or for caring

about the marginalized?

I will not pretend to speak with any authority about the

challenges people of color experience in our society. I

do not share the fear they put on when they and their

children leave their homes every day. I do not know

what it means to be “other.” But I know there is a way

to fix it. And the fix begins when we stop talking about

the proportionality of “their” response and start talking

about the proportionality of “ours.” Surely a nation that

could put a man in space, his safety assured by the

brilliance of black women, can create a fair legal sys-

tem, equitable education and employment opportuni-

ties and ready access to health care. Laws do not solve

problems, but they create a system where racism in all

its forms is punished and playing fields are leveled.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been called a great

equalizer. It has been even more a great revealer of

societal cancers as deadly as the virus. As others have

pointed out, health insecurity kills, and poverty is poi-

son. We can and must make a society that views the

soaring of a child’s potential with more joy than the

soaring of a rocket.

I stand ready to join religious, civic, labor and business

leaders in coming together to launch a new effort to

bring about recovery and reconciliation in our city. We

do not need a study of the causes and effects. Those

answers can be found on the shelves of government

offices and academic institutions across our burning

nation. No, we need to take up the hard work of heal-

ing the deep wound that has afflicted our people since

the first slave ships docked on this continent. And we

need to start today.

It’s time for a national reconciliation When news came that this past Memorial Day week-

end was Chicago’s bloodiest in five years, most of the

violence affecting communities of color, we had no

idea how much worse the week would get.

Eight hundred miles east, a white woman walking her

dog though Central Park was asked by a bird-watcher

to leash the pet, as required by posted signs. The man

happened to be black. She responded by promising to

call the police and say that an “African-American man

is threatening my life,” treating 911 as a customer-

service line.

Twelve hours later and 400 miles northwest of

Chicago, a Minneapolis man was arrested for allegedly

trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. He also happened

to be black, but his encounter with a white person on

Memorial Day, a police officer, ended differently. He

died, after the officer knelt on his neck for about 9

minutes — despite the man’s desperate cries for air,

and, heart-breakingly, for his late mother.

The man’s name was George Floyd. We must never

forget it.

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 8 JUNE 7, 2020

Confirmation / First Communion / RCIA

Please also keep these students in your prayers. They participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

They are anxiously awaiting their First Holy Communion.

Kameron Bixenman

Robert Bixenman

Chloe Brown

Stella Brush

Lydia Casillas

Addison Collins

Leo D'Astici

Joshua Davis

Madison Davis

Tinbit Dogisso

Derek Edwards

Chito Emechebe

Isabella Figueroa

Bryce Glass

Sean Haggerty

Kennedy Hamilton

Maura Hanley

Arielle Hilton

Simon Howard

Natalie Ibarra

Andrea Kearns

Jack Keigher

Ysabel Konecki

Anya Ledesma

Colin Lewis

Daniel Mahorney

Nick Mascolino

Marley Melone

Thomas Mick

Raquel Mote

Alexander Murray

Destiny Ndubuisi-Obi

Logan Nelson

Henry Ormsby

Oliver Paredes

Julian Perdomo

Violet Quirke

Luke Romans

Jaden Shillingford

Christian Smith

Jeremiah Sykes

Aubrey Testroet

Nancy Valdivia

Amy Ward

Xavier White

Jalen Williams

Terriell Williams

Ben Zamkin

Ella Zeman

Maeve Antonsen

Minah Bobb

Jordan Boese

Connor Boyko

Riley Curran

Liliana Davia

Rose Doherty

Stephen Gilbert Jr

Gerald Karl

Liam Kinsella

Sarah Lawal

Jaiden Logan

Emelii Matthys

Oluwafisayo Olaniyan

Natasha Rinella

Nora Wachtel

Graysen Woodbury

As we all await the reopening of the Church. Please keep the following students in your prayers.

These students worked very hard towards their Confirmation. Please continue to pray for them as

we await the openings of the Church so they may be sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and

complete their Confirmation.

Please keep in your prayers our RCIA Elect, who are awaiting to come into full communion with the

Catholic Church as Roman Catholics.

Jessica Johnson Kenneth Copeland Myia Higgins

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 9 JUNE 7, 2020

Our Prayers / Scripture / Readings / Music

If you would like to send in a

prayer request, please email

chope@ijpparish.org or call the

Parish Office at 708/799-5400

and leave a message. Your prayer

requests are important to us.

Louis Chermak

Harriet Carlson

Adrianna DeLuca

Mary Anita Repel

Richard Carlson

Judy Mason

Lili Max

Greg Pease

Chuck Janel

Cindy Chiappori

Ericka Schingoethe

Janine Boyle

Janet Hernandez

Veronica Deer

Carol L. Ehret

Lee Taylor

James Garcia

Anne Lintner

Anne Speitel

Marty Domansky

Niels Lauersen

Eileen Schumann

Patrick Patterson

Pat Curran

Michaelle Garraud

Tone Repking

Judy Mitrick

Kenneth Convall

Anne Fink

Noreen Oosterbaan

David Sinwelski

Sue Miller

Tony Zalewski

George Zalewski

Kathy Leitelt

Gertrude Malum

Matt Schury

Ludovic Aristil

William Zalewski

Barry Collins

Please pray for our sick...

Please pray for

our faithful departed

Patricia Bonaguro

Eternal rest grant unto them,

O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

Each week we would like to have parishioners

reading Scripture to us. Please contact Darla

Draus at ddraus@ijpparish.org if you are inter-

ested in participating.

This Week’s Readings & Gospel

1st Reading (read by John Yast)

Responsorial (read by Liliana Draus)

2nd Reading (read by John Yast)

Gospel (read by by John Yast)

“We Shall Overcome”

sung by Christal Luster

accompanied by

Justin DeAngelo on piano

IJP

Music

Ministry

Corner

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 10 JUNE 7, 2020

Readings / Prayer

CORONAVIRUS PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, you travelled through towns and

villages curing every disease and illness. At your

command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid

now, in the midst of the global spread of the corona-

virus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they re-

gain their strength and health through quality medi-

cal care.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from

working together and neighbors from helping one

another. Heal us from our pride, which can make us

claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no bor-

ders. Lord Jesus Christ healer of all, stay by our side

in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from this virus. May

they be at rest with You in Your eternal peace. Be

with the families of those who are sick or have died.

As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness

and despair. May they know Your peace.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all

medical professionals who seek to heal and help

those affected and who put themselves at risk in

the process. May they know Your protection and

peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the

foresight to act with charity and true concern for the

well-being of the people they are meant to serve.

Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solu-

tions that will help prepare for or prevent future out-

breaks. May they know Your peace, as they work

together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by

many people suffering from this illness or only a

few, Lord Jesus Christ stay with us as we endure

and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of anxiety,

give us Your peace. Lord Jesus Christ, heal us.

AMEN.

The Most Holy Trinity TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — The LORD, merciful and gracious, rich

in kindness and faithfulness (Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9).

Psalm — Glory and praise for ever! (Daniel 3).

Second Reading — Brothers and sisters, rejoice. Live

with one another in peace, and the God of peace will

be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11-13).

Gospel — God did not send the Son to condemn the

world, but to give it abundant life (John 3:16-18).

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for

Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English

in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: 1 Kgs 17:1-6; Ps 121:1bc-8; Mt 5:1-12

Tuesday: 1 Kgs 17:7-16; Ps 4:2-5, 7b-8; Mt 5:13-16

Wednesday: 1 Kgs 18:20-39; Ps 16:1b-2ab, 4, 5ab, 8,

11; Mt 5:17-19

Thursday:T Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3; Ps 65:10-13;

Mt 5:20-26

Friday: 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-16; Ps 27:7-9abc, 13-14;

Mt 5:27-32

Saturday: 1 Kgs 19:19-21; Ps 16:1b-2a, 5, 7-10;

Mt 5:33-37

Sunday: Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20;

1 Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-58

THE MOST HOLY TRINITY 11 JUNE 7, 2020

Parish Registration: Please call the Parish Office at

708-799-5400 for registration information.

Accessibility: Assistive listening devices are

available for parishioners who have difficulty hearing

during liturgies. Contact Joanne Meyer of the Open

Hearts/Minds/Doors Committee at 708-922-9455.

Bulletin Submissions: Articles are due by 10 am on

Wednesdays (10 days prior to publication date).

Electronic submissions required, e -mai l

bulletin@ijpparish.org Please include “Bulletin” in

the e-mail subject line.

PHONE & WEBSITE:

Phone: 708-799-5400

Fax: 708-799-5462

www.ijpparish.org

OFFICE HOURS:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,

9:30 am to 2:30 pm

Closed Friday

Infant Jesus of Prague Parish 1120 Douglas Avenue Flossmoor, Illinois 60422

SACRAMENTS

Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00 to 4:30 pm

Baptism: Baptisms are scheduled on the first and third

Sunday of the month at the 11:00 am Mass. The entire

Rite of Baptism is celebrated during the Mass. Please

call the Parish Office at least four weeks in advance.

Prior to the Baptism, both parents would need to attend a

Baptismal Preparation Class. At least one parent needs

to be a registered parishioner.

Marriage: Arrangements are to be made through one of

the priests at least six months prior to your wedding date.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA): For unbap-

tized persons or baptized persons interested in learning

more about the Catholic faith and the process of

becoming a Catholic. Please call Darla Draus at 708-799-

5400, x209.

Sick Calls: Call the Parish Office at 708-799-5400 to

arrange for a hospital visit or for Communion to the sick

or homebound.

MASSES:

Saturday: 5:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00, 11:00 am

Monday-Saturday: 9:00 am

ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY

708-799-5400 x350

IJP FAITH FORMATION

1101 Douglas Avenue Flossmoor, IL 60422

Cathy Hughes, Faith Formation Coordinator

chughes@ijpschool.org - 708-799-5200 x339

Diane Klupchak, Faith Formation Office Coordinator

re@ijpparish.org - 708-249-6307

IJP SCHOOL 1101 Douglas Avenue Flossmoor, IL 60422

Phone: 708-799-5200 Fax: 708-799-5293

Mrs. Charlotte Kelly, Principal

ckelly@ijpschool.org

PARISH STAFF

Fr. Jack Jura, Pastor

Fr. Ron Kondziolka, Associate Pastor

frron@ijpparish.org

Peggy Dull, Director of Operations pdull@ijpparish.org

Deb Bohne, Bereavement Ministry Coordinator

dbohne@ijpschool.org

Justin DeAngelo, Music Coordinator jdeangelo@ijpparish.org

Darla Draus, Ministry Coordinator ddraus@ijpparish.org

Cindy Hope, Parish Secretary chope@ijpparish.org

Trish Ladner, Youth Minister tladner@ijpparish.org

PERMANENT DEACON Deacon Jim Janicek jimdeacon@msn.com

PASTOR EMERITUS Fr. Michael A. Hack, J.C.D.