Sacred Heart of Jesus Church - Serving the Communities of South Bend and Lakeville, Indiana
Upon return, I was given word from our seminarian (St. Jude) that Robert Krisch (Bobby, as he’s been well known for years) has been “officially” called to Holy Orders. As you may know, his first step in Order is the call to the Diaconate (transitional), which will take place at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on May 21, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. Our Parish as well as many from Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish who may know Bobby, congratulate him and continue to promise our prayers for his journey and this important and wonderful step forward.

Feel free to use the address listed below if you wish to send Bobby a note of congratulations. He will be home for Easter/Spring Break time from school, returning for a short while and then home for the summer. All our seminarians will be stationed in town from my understanding due to a program they will be taking at ND, along with their respective parish assignments.

Mr. Robert Krisch
Mount St. Mary's Seminary
16300 Old Emmitsburg Rd.
Emmitsburg, MD 21727-7797

Again, blessings to Bobby and congratulations!

At St. Jude Parish, we would like to once again begin what had been called “Children’s Church” in the past, which was simply the children under the age of (First Communion) were able to go downstairs for the readings through the Preparation of the Gifts (Offertory), to hear the Scriptures for the day and learn about then from a level more suitable for their understanding.

Many of the couples who have done that in the past (up to the time Covid quashed so many things) have been doing so for many years and are passing the baton. as one couple remarked, "My oldest is now 30, I think it is time to pass this onto the some younger teams/couples." We are looking for some young couples or singles who might want to work as a team of two (easier to handle numbers of smaller children). If you are interested, please contact the office. It is something that had not taken place during summer months, rather only the school year, but that is not a detail that has to stay the same. The couples who did the program in the past are willing to meet with new/interested teams, to share with them the process, details of where things are stored, resources used, etc., and maybe one of those couples, still younger themselves, would help with a first time for those sharing the responsibility. In the past, they had four teams, so the role was only a monthly one. The more the easier it is on everyone, as with all things. ~Fr. John
Income: $ 12,457.00
Expenses $ 5,691.58
Profit $ 6,765.42

We served 800 Adults and 39 Children A tip of the hat goes to Roger Mathia, Jr. who continues to be our awesome interim overseer ~ THANK YOU!
The Easter Choir!
Next rehearsal is this Thursday, April 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the church.
St. Jude’s tradition (as with most parishes up to the time of Covid) to do Funeral Dinners, is one that I think most parishioners would like to see continue.  I see no reason why we could not return to this ministry at this time.  Such gatherings are all family anyway or family and closest friends who have all been with one another in light of the family member’s death taking place.  And true, some families will choose to do their own meal at someplace like the FOP or Elks, or similar event locations.  We are not involved in those meals of course.
       
Our difficulty at this time is that Shannon Daniels, who had taken the role of coordinator for so many years, felt it was time for her to retire so she could spend more of her time helping at Marian where her children had moved on to school.  With Covid restrictions, we had not made a huge effort to encourage a new coordinator to take the role.  But surely it is time we do so, in order to continue this wonderful ministry to families at a time of great loss and grief.
       
Most all the dishes are brought in by volunteer members of the parish, so little cooking is actually required.  Shannon loved to cook and was a great one to do much more than is necessary, but there is no reason the position has to be as involved in providing a nice meal for a family.  We had always had a number of helpers that do much of the work.  The coordinator’s position is involved, but not meant to be overwhelming and a good organized person would do what is needed.
       
If there is someone who is available during the day, willing to do this important and long-standing tradition, if even for just a two-three year commitment, please give me a call and we can talk further about what is involved.  Things like making contact with those  bringing  in dishes, have needed paper goods/serving ware on hand, calling the volunteers to help prepare and serve and clean-up.  Determine with the office approximately how many would be attending.  It is rare that there are ever more guests than what would be at the burial itself (not the funeral Mass, but the burial). 
       
I hope we have someone in our parish who would find this a meaningful way to help us minister to other members in a great time of need for comfort.  Thanks for your prayerful consideration.
Calendar Events:  there are things to make sure are on your calendar that will be in either the parish bulletin and/or the school newsletter, and not too early to mark your calendar for the times of the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week/Easter! We would hope that many members of the parish would plan to attend Chrism Mass at St. Matt’s, The Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday evening), Good Friday (The Passion of Our Lord), Easter Vigil and of course, all attending Easter Sunday Masses.  More will be in the bulletin as we draw closer to Holy Week. Fortunately, Spring Break week doesn’t confound Holy Week this year (with many being out-of-town) as it is the week prior to Holy Week. 
       
Frequently check the parish website and the Parish/School Calendars to make sure you do not miss something enjoyable, important, or enriching, to parish family and school families. ~Fr. John
During Lent only, and beginning Wednesday, March 9th, Mass time on Wednesdays at Sacred Heart is at
6:00 p.m. followed by Stations of the Cross