Easter celebrations stream from St. John Brebeuf

CAPTION 1

Deacon Andy Beierwaltes and Fr. Przemek Tomczyk, associate pastor at St. John Brebeuf, prepare to commemorate Good Friday at services last Friday. Parishioners and the surrounding community were still able to celebrate the Easter season virtually via the St. John Brebeuf website, www.sjbrebeuf.org, YouTube and Facebook.

CAPTION 2

Videographers prepare to stream Good Friday services from an empty sanctuary at St. John Brebeuf Church in Niles where parishioners and the surrounding community were still able to celebrate the Easter season virtually via the St. John Brebeuf website, www.sjbrebeuf.org, YouTube and Facebook.

The sanctuary may have been empty, but services are still streaming during the Easter Season at St. John Brebeuf Church. “It is in the Gospel of John that Jesus refers to himself as ‘the light of the world’,” said Fr. Michael Meany, pastor of St. John Brebeuf. “We seek to continue to bring that light to our world in new ways through these dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic even if we are prevented from physically being with each other.”

Services this week include Easter Week Monday, April 13, Masses at 4 p.m. in English and 5 p.m. in Polish; Tuesday, April 14, Rosary at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, April 15, Masses at 4 p.m. in English and 5 p.m. in Polish; Thursday, April 16, Family Mass at 8:30 a.m.; Sunday, April 19, Masses at 9 a.m. in English and 10:30 a.m. in Polish and Divine Mercy Hour at 3 p.m. To attend these services virtually, visit virtually www.sjbrebeuf.org, YouTube and Facebook.

The parish is also involved in good works this Easter season. The Pandemic Parish project will provide unopened disinfecting wipes and disinfecting sprays as well as face coverings for the Niles Police Department. Other ways that they are helping others include the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which helps people in need in the local community and partners with Niles Family Services and Catholic Charities to access resources, and Uncle Pete’s Ministry, which provides food for those in shelters in Chicago. Checks to support these ministries may be sent to the Parish Office, 8305 N. Harlem Ave., Niles, IL. 60714.

Finally, visit www.sjbrebeuf.org to hear St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of classical sacred music, the concert was recorded live in 2019 at St. John Brebeuf. “If you know the story, one can just feel the depth and take in the drama in Bach's St. Matthew Passion,” said Marek Rachelski, artistic director and conductor of the Niles Metropolitan Chorus and Musica Lumina Orchestra, who called it “A must for every life,” and added that everyone should experience the revered masterpiece at least once.

A community landmark since construction in 1964, St. John Brebeuf has been an integral part of Niles for the past 65 years. For more information or if you are in need of emergency help, please visit www.sjbrebeuf.org, or call 847-966-8145.66-8145., or call 847-966-8145.