This Giving Tuesday Remember Those Who are Served by St. Pius V Parish

voluntarios-1These smiling people are just a few of the dozens of volunteers who work hard to feed the hungry in our community. These generous women and men prepare and serve a nutritious hot meal three days a week in our parish hall. They also pack and distribute two bags of donated groceries to scores of families in need every Tuesday.

Other volunteers in this ministry include students from St. Pius V School and Benito Juarez High School as well as a group of young men who come by bus every Friday noon from St. Laurence High School in suburban Burbank!

If you are making a Giving Tuesday gift this year, please consider not only the individuals and families who benefit from our emergency food assistance program, but think of your donation as a show of support to these hard-working and generous volunteers.

You can make a safe, secure, online donation to the mission of St. Pius V parish – including the food pantry and soup kitchen – by clicking here.

Thank you!

Support St. Pius V Church and School as You Cyber Monday Shop!

If you’re shopping online this Cyber Monday, please remember that Amazon will donate a portion of proceeds to St. Pius V church and school if you start at smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2240477.

This costs you nothing and you will have the same shopping experience on Amazon, including prices and specials and memberships. By starting at smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2240477 you trigger the automatic donations – a percentage of the dollars you are spending – to St. Pius V.

Please share this with family and friends as well. This is an easy way to support the mission of our school and parish!
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Happy Thanksgiving from Fr. José and St. Pius V Parish!

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Fr. José M. Santiago, OP, Pastor

Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Pius V Parish,

We have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tradition at St. Pius V of celebrating Mass at 11:00 am and then hosting a community dinner in our parish hall. I invite you to join us this Thursday!

Both Mass and dinner are open to all: parishioners, friends, and many who have nowhere else to go for the holiday. The meal is prepared and served by a dedicated team of volunteers led by parishioner and coordinator Yesenia Serva.

Many of those who break bread with us on Thanksgiving are people who have visited our parish soup kitchen and food pantry throughout the year – often sitting side by side with benefactors whose generosity has made all this possible.

Thanksgiving at St. Pius V really started last Saturday as our parish hosted a large distribution of donated turkeys and other foods for families in need. On behalf of all who participated, I thank H. Kramer and Company, Richards Supply, HFS Chicago Scholars, the 12th District of the Chicago Police Department, and Manuel Perez School for their generosity and volunteer spirit in making this happen.

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Some of the generous, talented people we honored at Volunteer Appreciation Night on November 19.

Last Saturday we also hosted our annual Volunteer Appreciation Night in the parish hall. Along with food, music, and dancing, we celebrated and thanked the dozens and dozens of volunteers who make this parish such an active and engaged community of faith.

As we pause this week and express our gratitude to God for the many blessings in our lives, I give thanks for the parish family – parishioners, staff, school families, volunteers, and benefactors – of St. Pius V for the spirit of service and love that marks all that we are and do.

May God bless you and your loved ones on this Thanksgiving Day and always!

In Christ’s peace,

Fr. José M. Santiago, OP
Pastor, St. Pius V Parish

Your support allows us to minister to individuals and families in many ways, including the more than 45,000 meals made possible each year by the food pantry and soup kitchen in our parish hall. Please consider a Thanksgiving donation in support of the ministries and social outreach of St. Pius V parish. Thank you!OT_donate

 

 

Photos from our Volunteer Appreciation Night 2016

noche-de-voluntarios-66Our parish family recently honored the many volunteers who give so generously of their time and labor to make the ministries of St. Pius V a reality.

For photos of the event, including pictures taken with the Volunteer Night frame, please visit our online folder here. For more information on photos please contact the parish office at 312-226-6161.

Thank you to our parish volunteers!

 

Standing in Hope and Unity with Our Immigrant Sisters and Brothers

archbishopgomezSt. Pius V parish was built – literally – by our immigrant ancestors and we are proud of our long history of welcoming and being a people who came from other lands to find freedom and a better way of life for their children in this country.

At a time when many immigrants are fearful for themselves and their family members we stand by this long tradition and we are grateful for the leadership of our parish, archdiocese, the national conference of Catholic bishops, and the Holy Father for standing up and speaking out on behalf of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers.

Last week Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles led a prayer service for hope and unity and the words of his homily give us strength and courage:

“En los últimos días, como todos sabemos, muchos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas, adultos y niños están temerosos pensando que los van a deportar y por tanto separarlos de sus familias….

“El sistema de inmigración no funciona desde hace muchos años y nuestros líderes lo podrían haber arreglado desde hace mucho. Más de 2 millones de personas han sido deportadas en los últimos 8 años. No puede ser. Somos mejor gente que eso en este país. Tenemos que seguir insistiendo que tiene que haber una solución justa y digna de nuestro país.”

– Archbishop José Gomez