Join ICSJ’s FORMED for our next young adult social at Waveland Bowl! We're throwing strikes from 6:30PM-8:30PM. It is free of cost and all young adults are welcome so sign up and invite a friend! RSVP HERE

Peace Yoga is back at Immaculate Conception Church on Saturdays from January 11 to March 1, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Everyone is welcome! Jennifer Kim from The Peace School leads this beginner-friendly class with stretches, yoga postures, breathing meditation, and relaxation to help you recharge. The eight-class series is $60, payable by cash or check on your first day. Donations to the Church are appreciated for providing the space. Bring your mat and make Saturdays your time to unwind. To sign up or learn more, email Jennifer at info@peaceschool.org.

Sparkle is ICSJ School’s largest fundraiser, and your support makes a meaningful difference! A donation is a wonderful way to contribute to our school's success and help fund Teacher Retention Bonuses. There are several ways to give:

▶︎ Make a general donation
▶︎ Choose a sponsorship level, which includes entry into the Sparkle raffle!
▶︎ Sponsor a Teacher and help cover the cost of a teacher’s attendance so they can enjoy the event for free.

We also invite ICSJ alumni parents and parishioners to join us for a fun evening at Tree House from 7 to 10 PM! Special $100 Friends of ICSJ tickets are available until February 19th. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Our partners at Refugee One and Exodus World Service (EWS) need urgent support as resettlement agencies lose funding. Families must move from temporary housing to permanent homes, and EWS has asked ICSJ to collect a Welcome to America pack in the next two weeks for a family of four. Please consider donating through our Amazon Wish List—just click here, select items, and check out. All donations will be sent to the parish office for our Apartment Set Up volunteers. Feel free to share the link with family and friends! Thank you for your continued generosity and support! Please contact Elly with questions at erodriguez@icsjparish.org.

The ICSJ Music Ministry's Love Song Sing-Along is just a month away! Join us Saturday, February 15th at 6 p.m. in the IC parish hall, following our 5 p.m. Mass at Immaculate Conception church. We will be able to show our appreciation and say farewell to our Director of Music, Kate Ryan, who is leaving to spend more time with her family. We have truly been blessed by Kate’s gifts and talents over the last ten years!

The ICSJ community is so proud of our parish school! We celebrate the parents, students, educators, administrators, and staff that help us continue to bring Catholic education to our children. In honor of Catholic Schools Week, we are putting our faith into action with a food drive to support local organizations and their food pantries. Please drop off your items on Saturday, January 25th from 9a.m.–12p.m. in the IC Church/School parking lot. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for organizing!
Items most needed are:

• Peanut butter, jelly, cereal, oatmeal, canned fruits and veggies, canned meats, dry ramen, individually packaged multigrain bars, brownie mix, cookies, rice krispie treats, Hostess cupcakes and Twinkies

We will be making the Annual Catholic Appeal at all Masses on the weekend of February 22-23. Please consider supporting this year's Appeal! Your generous contribution will be a source of blessing for many people for yourself and for your loved ones. To make your donations online, visit annualcatholicappeal.com and be sure to mark Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph as your parish!

All young adults are welcome to join ICSJ's FORMED young adult community for happy hour at Declan's on Wells Street from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 15th. Bring your friends and stop by! .To stay connected with our young adults, subscribe to the FORMED monthly newsletter here.

A memorial Mass for Mary Alice will take place at St. Joseph Church on Friday, January 10th at 11a.m. with a visitation beforehand starting at 10 a.m. The Mass will also be live to watch on our Facebook page . In the meantime, please pray for the repose of her soul, and keep her family and friends in your prayers. To request a Mass Intention, please visit our Mass Intentions page or call Angela at the parish office (312)787-7174 ext 1. 

The amazing generosity of ICSJ parishioners was on full display this week. We were able to complete deliveries of food and gifts to many families in need this Christmas! We delivered:

• 26 bags of Christmas gifts from the ICSJ Giving Tree for families of people incarcerated through the support of Kolbe House Jail Ministry.

• $350 in Home Depot gift cards to Mother of Americas parish, compliments of ICSJ School families.

• Hundreds of bags of gifts, groceries and Mariano's gift cards to families at Union Baptist Church, Blessed Maria Gabriella parish, Art on Sedgwick and food pantry families, furnished by the Santa's Volunteers organization.

Many thanks to the generosity of the ICSJ Community and beyond in making this a special Christmas for so many families! A special note of thanks to Elly Rodriguez and Maureen Wilson for their work in organizing the programs, Claire Cosgrove and Megan Kelly from ICSJ School for calling participating families, ICSJ young adult group for wrapping all our presents, Dave Westerman of Santa's Volunteers, Colm Murphy ICSJ’s head of maintenance for his help picking up gifts on Saturday morning, and Jake Ferraro on our maintenance team for driving the truck and helping with deliveries.

Did you know that about half of those who attend our weekend Masses may not be officially registered with our parish? If you’re one of them, now is the perfect time to make it official! Registration helps us stay connected, keeps you informed about parish events, and allows us to better serve your spiritual needs. Click here to register now and become an official part of our parish community!

ICSJ Parishioners, friends and family are invited to order Christmas wreaths to support ICSJ School. Options include 4 beautiful hand-crafted wreaths made with fresh evergreen fir boughs, a festive LED candle centerpiece, and a charming replantable 22" tree with lights and decorations. The school will receive $8 for every item purchased; please share this ordering opportunity with friends and family! To order, visit giftitforward.org and use the Fundraising Code IMMACUIL002. You may enter PARISH in the "Referring Member" field.

Thank you to everyone who signed up to sing with the ICSJ Music Ministry at our Christmas Eve Family Mass on Tuesday, December 24th. CLICK HERE to find your choir’s home page, with your practice materials and rehearsal schedule. Questions? Please contact Director of Music Kate Ryan at kryan@icsjparish.org.

Join us on Zoom on Saturdays at 10 AM to watch and discuss The Chosen Season 4! Together we will delve deeper into thinking about and discussing the major players of the New Testament, what it might have been like to be there, and how it applies to our lives today. We will read the correlating scripture, watch the episode, and discuss! Contact Marilynn Snider, denandmars@aol.com for the Zoom info

All children in Kindergarten-3rd grade are invited to participate in our special Advent Liturgy of the Word during the homily time at our 9:30am Masses at Immaculate Conception Church on December 8, 15 and 22. This is a great opportunity for our younger members. Please contact Sacramental Coordinator Kevin O’Connell with any questions at koconnell@icsjparish.org or 312-787-7174, ext 2.

Our Encountering Emmanuel Advent Reflection group gathers on Tuesdays during Advent through December 17. Sessions begin with a brief video to launch us into deeper discussion of how we are preparing to encounter Jesus this season, and include snacks, beverages, and your own personal Encountering Emmanuel prayer journal. It’s not too late to journey together through this most sacred time. To join, please RSVP here.

This year, our annual parish fundraiser is a giving day on Sunday, November 17th, Give for our Ministries Sunday, in support of our 30+ parish ministries! Our fundraising goal is $40,000 which will help our ministries continue to do the good work that they do! Join those who have already contributed to make and early impact! CLICK HERE TO DONATE

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Give the gift of Christmas joy to families of the incarcerated via Kolbe House Jail ministries by signing up for our annual Giving Tree! Follow the link here and select a child to sponsor. Remember to return your unwrapped gift by December 15th to one of our church locations! Details and more information can be found on our Giving Tree webpage. 

Peace is elusive—both on the world stage and in our own lives. Maintaining a peaceful outlook can be difficult. How do we learn to live from a peace-filled inner life? Come and reflect with Fr. McBrady and Elly Rodriguez on Saturday, December 14th at Immaculate Conception Church. Refreshments begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by reflection from 9-11 a.m.

Click here to make your contribution for the Retirement Fund for Religious. More than 24,000 senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests have dedicated their lives to service- praying, teaching, and caring for those in need- usually, for little to no pay. Today, their religious communities do not have enough retirement savings. Your donation is crucial and can help bridge this gap, providing crucial support for their essential care, medicine, and daily needs. Thank you for your generosity!

Once again, ICSJ is joining up with St Michael for childrens’ religious eduction. Students in grades K-8 who do not attend our parish school are encouraged to register to be a part of this special program which includes making all the youth sacraments. Learn more here. We are also looking for a few wonderful catechists who want to share the faith with our students. Many grades are available. Please contact Kevin, our Sacramental Coordinator, to discuss options. In session classes are just approximately twice a month on Sunday mornings. Thank you!

Peace Yoga Returns to the Immaculate Conception Church Parish Hall on Saturdays, September 28- November 16, from 9:30a.m. - 10:15 a.m. All welcome! Join Jennifer Kim of The Peace School in this popular beginner level class. Each class includes stretches, basic yoga postures, breathing meditation and relaxation for a complete sense of well being. The cost of the 8-class series is $60, which you can pay on your first day of class by cash or check payable to The Peace School. (Also consider a donation to the Church for offering the space as a service to the community.) Please bring your own mat. To register or for more information: email Jennifer at info@peaceschool.org.

Are you an adult and interested in becoming Catholic? Maybe you are baptized but still need to make your First Communion and/or Confirmation. Looking to grow in your faith in a community environment? Then maybe RCIA is for you. If you think you want to take the next step in the Sacraments, then contact Kevin, our Sacramental Coordinator to begin your journey: koconnell@icsjparish.org or 312-787-7174.

Coffee and Donuts returns in September and we need volunteers! This is a great way to welcome people to ICSJ and get to know more folks in the community. Want to learn more about how you can help this hospitality ministry? Contact Elly in the parish office at erodriguez@icsjparish.org

Madonna House is a safe, transitional house for migrant women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse. As an LPOT mission, we are partnering with St. Teresa’s and St. Josaphat’s to provide Wednesday dinners to these families. Volunteers are needed to make meals at your home and drop them off at ICSJ on Wednesdays before 12 noon. New dates have been added for the Fall! See the meal details and sign-up link here. Questions? Contact Elly at erodriguez@icsjparish.org.

New doors for the entrance to Immaculate Conception Church have been installed. You may remember that the proceeds from our 2023 Parish Fall Fundraiser helped to financially support this project, along with the renovation of the church lobby and Joy Room. Our entrance looks fresh, clean, and welcoming. What a nice improvement. The beautiful doors, and the Joy Room, will be blessed on Sunday, September 29th before the 9:30 a.m. Mass at Immaculate Conception Church. Please join us for the celebration!

The next WWW Book Club gathering will be on Friday, November 8th at 3:30 on the third floor of the IC Parish Center! Our book choice is News of the World by Paulette Jiles. To RSVP or for any questions, please email Colleen at cm.424.svdp@gmail.com or Martha at Martha_60603@yahoo.com.

If you’re interested in learning more about the realities and experiences of refugees in our community, join us for a Lunch & Learn on Saturday, September 21st at 12:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 3rd floor. All are welcome! Please RSVP here if you plan to attend. The event will feature information about Exodus World Service, a Chicagoland-based Christian ministry that mobilizes volunteers to welcome and befriend refugees. Exodus World Service provides opportunities for education about the refugee crisis and what it means to "warmly welcome together" in the context of our ICSJ Refugee Ministry.

ICSJ School needs basketball coaches for the 2024/2025 season. All school parents and parishioners are welcome to apply. Volunteers must be in full compliance with the Archdiocese Office for the Protection of Youth and Children. If you’re interested, please contact Athletic Director Thomas Pack at 312-291-8523 or tpack@icsjschool.org to learn more.

Come for coffee, a treat, and conversation after 8 a.m.Mass on November 3rd! We will be meeting in the St. Joseph Parish Center Conference Room. See you there!