COMJOIN US FOR ALPHA ONLINE
We invite you to  take a break from scrolling and try Alpha, a series of interactive sessions that freely explore the basics of the Christian faith. 
 
What is Alpha?
Alpha is an opportunity to explore the big questions of life. What is my purpose? What happens when I die? Why is there suffering? 

Who’s it for?
Absolutely anybody.

How does it work?
Each session includes a short video followed by a chance to share thoughts and ideas on the topic, and discuss in a small group. There’s no obligation to say anything, there’s nothing you can’t say (seriously) and there’s no such thing as a silly question. It’s an opportunity to hear from others and contribute your own perspective in an honest, friendly and open environment.

In normal times we would love to invite you to meet together before each session for a meal.  Sadly, we can’t do that at the moment so you’ll have to grab a cup of coffee or your preferred refreshment and join us online via Zoom! Don’t worry about the technology – all you need is a computer (ideally with a camera), tablet or a smartphone. 
 
We believe that Alpha is a key component of what the future holds for us as we build our new reality as Divine Mercy Parish.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know others in our faith community. 
 
ALL ARE  WELCOME!
Catholic or not…
Practicing or not…
Or simply curious.
TRY ALPHA!
COME AND SEE!

To  register for this event, click here.

Enjoy this video tribute to Father Mike Solazzo, as we bid him farewell and thank him for all that he has done for the people of Divine Mercy Parish, his previous parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the many people he has served through his involvement in countless ministries and organizations such as Misericordia and the Oblates of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago.
We are grateful for the gift of his Priesthood, his loving and compassionate spirit, his wisdom and understanding in all sorts of situations, his kind soul and his friendship. We will miss you!

ET'S SEND FATHER MIKE
INTO RETIREMENT
WITH A PARADE!
+     +     +     +     +    +     +     +     +     +      
Join us on Saturday, June 20th
at 1:00 pm
in the Hyde Park Day School (St. Philip the Apostle)
west parking lot
1980 Old Willow Road, Northfield
 
Feel free to decorate your cars/bicycles/persons
 
Do you have a card for Fr. Mike?  Just send it to the Parish Office,
and we’ll make sure it gets to him!
When we once again can gather together there
will be a celebration for Father Solazzo.
 
BUT, before he moves away, let us at Divine Mercy and friends
show him our love and appreciation
for his life in the priesthood
and his time here with us.
 
Any questions please call Bobbie Weiss at 312-590-0191

The Archdiocese is offering two wonderful resources for parishioners who are struggling during this time of pandemic.  Have you lost a loved one?  You can join on online grief support group.  Would you like to pray with another person?  We have someone with whom you can pray. 

Archdiocese of Chicago’s Online Grief Groups
Each online grief group consists of a small group of adults (18 years of age or older) who have lost a family member or a friend. In the absence of our usual in-person parish life, our online grief groups are places to share stories and feelings with others who have also experienced loss. Our online grief group facilitators are not counselors and do not give advice, but they will be present to listen and to guide each grief group in prayer and discussion. As Jesus comforted Martha and Mary after the death of their brother, Lazarus, a grief group is a place of comfort in our tradition. If you have experienced loss and are interested in joining us, please sign up here.

Additional Resources:
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline: 800.950.6264
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800.273.8255
GetHelp@catholiccharities.net 
Catholic Charities Cook County: 312.655.7700
Catholic Charities Lake County: 847.782.4000
Catholic Charities Counseling Support Line: 312.948.6951

Need Someone to Pray With?
Providing a Light in the Darkness:  Prayer can help to strengthen our bonds with one another and with God, regardless of our faith identities. By turning to prayer, we call forth a light in the darkness.

Who we are: Volunteers from across the Archdiocese of Chicago who feel called to accompany anyone feeling the need to pray during this time of uncertainty and isolation.

What we offer: A phone line staffed from 9am to 9pm daily, as well as 24-hour voicemail & e-mail connections. Our prayer partners are here to pray with you — opening our hearts to God, asking for his blessings and peace.

WE ARE AVAILABLE AT 312.741.3388
BY EMAIL: PRAYWITHME@CALLEDTOPRAYER.ORG
ESPAÑOL: REZACONMIGO@CALLEDTOPRAYER.ORG
POLSKI: POMODLSIEZEMNA@CALLEDTOPRAYER.ORG 

Dear Brothers in Christ,
 
This mid-March is unlike any other. It is a strange time. Its markers are disruption, inconvenience, isolation, discouragement, fear, anxiety, and sadness. The virus has upended all of our routines. And, while we sense that the virus has put us in a dangerous place, we also know that we have entered unknown territory, a foreign land. 
 
This is not the first time people of faith have experienced alienation and dislocation and we can learn from the past. In fact, the story of Israel gives us hope, for it is in their moment of exile, of entering into unknown territory, that God reveals the full breadth of His fidelity, His presence and action in the world.  In a word, the exile, while bringing great suffering, was even more so a moment of grace, for the People of God came to know the God who is close to them.  How can Israel’s experience of exile and alienation inspire us to see this crisis as a time of grace? How could God be moving in all of this?
 
Let me suggest some graces of this moment that you may want to share with your people. These are hidden blessings that we might easily overlook precisely because we are distracted and even absorbed by so much that is negative. Consider these graces:
 
The grace of knowing our fragility. You hear it said that young people take risks, sometimes really awful risks because they feel invulnerable. Well, it’s not just young people who feel invulnerable.  Even those of us who can count many years in our lives march into each day feeling in control and ready to master whatever we will face. Our sense of mastery over life is an illusion. We are fragile and vulnerable and not in control, even if we are not conscious of that. The grace of knowing our fragility in the time of the virus puts us in touch with a necessary trust and surrender into the hands of the God who made us, who has faithfully walked with us and who one day will call us home.
 
The grace of true freedom. With the virus, our movements are restricted and so are our options for doing things. The usual choices and freedom of movement are just not available.  If we define our freedom in terms of the choices available to us, then the virus has made us much less free than we would like. On the other hand, the restrictions we experience can open an opportunity for us to reflect on the true meaning of freedom. In our religious tradition, genuine freedom is not about the number of choices we have, but about the possibility of giving ourselves over to God and others in love. Jesus says of himself, “No one takes my life from me. I lay it down to pick it up again. For this the Father loves me.” (See John 10) That is true freedom.
 
The grace of time. The pace of life has slowed with the virus. Less commuting, less opportunity to work, more empty spaces—this amounts to a very altered rhythm of life. We have more time on our hands, but without entertainments and sports and social gatherings, we don’t have ways to fill it up. This unusual, even odd situation, may force us to reconfigure our sense of time. It has been observed that for most Americans, life is lived in a pendular rhythm of work and escape. We work hard and earn our escape time. Then we escape until we have to go back to work. But time is more than what is filled by work and escape. In our faith tradition, Sabbath time puts us in touch with another dimension of time. It is neither work nor escape but resting in God, an alert attentiveness to what is deep and sometimes mysterious in our lives. It is a gift to re-imagine time.
 
The grace of each other. Social distancing is, of course, the new normal for the time of the virus. Still, there are other ways, especially in our families, in which we have been pushed closer together. We are facing each other in our homes and across generations in new ways. That contact brings its own share of tension, no doubt. Still, it nudges us to rediscover each other and to value each other anew. It can teach us the value of “wasting time” with each other. Think, for example, of helping young people to realize the vulnerability of older members of their family and our need overall to protect and nurture each other. All this can awaken a new sense of urgency about “loving one another, as I have loved you,” in the words of Jesus.
 
The grace of wisdom. So much of our ordinary, “non-virus” life, is dominated by the pursuit of short-term results, such as financial, business and human-human transactions. The opposite of a short-term mindset is wisdom. Only wisdom cracks open the bigger picture of our faith tradition, in fact, the biggest picture imaginable. Wisdom gives us the capacity to look at all things in terms of God’s plan and destiny, of their ultimate goal. It is in moments of loss and upheaval that we are forced to take a fresh look at our lives and value the things that really matter. This time of the virus, upended as it is, pushes to take in the big picture. Then we can begin to name and embrace what really matters, what really counts.
 
There is so much that is sad and serious about the coronavirus and its impact on our lives and the lives of those we serve. All that is real enough. But, so too are the hidden graces that God has given His people in times of loss and exile into unfamiliar territory. All we need to do in response is open our eyes to the reality of God’s faithful presence in our life and remember He walks with us now as he walked in fidelity with people in former times. We surely do not want to suggest to people that all the pain and struggle we face in moments like these will magically evaporate. But, we can encourage them to trust in God’s promise, revealed in the suffering Christ, that He will share our suffering and in the end will bring us into a greater share in His life.
 
These are some of the thoughts that have come during my prayer that God guide me in ways that can be of help to you in your ministry. I hope they are of some encouragement.
 
Let us continue to pray for one another.
In Christ,
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich

• Download the Cardinal's Message here
  

Livestream and Church Hours Update:  In an effort to provide our parishioners with more access to our two Churches and livestreamed Masses, we wanted to share the following information with you. Please click the link below to view.

• Divine Mercy–Church Hours and LiveStream Masses March 16 2020 (PDF)
  

When you hear, read, or watch news about the coronavirus, you may feel anxious and show signs of stress—even when the outbreak affects people far from where you live and you are at low or no risk of getting sick. These signs of stress are normal, and may be more likely or pronounced in people with loved ones in parts of the world affected by the outbreak. In the wake of an infectious disease outbreak, monitor your own physical and mental health. Know the signs of stress in yourself and your loved ones. Know how to relieve stress, and know when to get help.

Please review the attached PDF for helpful information in recognizing and dealing with stress during these challenging times.

• Coping with Stress During an Infectious Disease Outbreak for Adults (PDF)
  

Although our Tri-Parish Reconciliation Service has been cancelled, you can still receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this Lenten season on Saturday mornings between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. at both Sacred Heart Church and St. Philip the Apostle Church.  

You can always call the Parish Office at 847-446-0856 to make an appointment with a priest.   

Please know that Coronavirus protocols will be honored by the Priest with whom you meet.  

As many of you may have heard, the Archdiocese of Chicago has cancelled all Holy Week Services, including Masses on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, throughout the Archdiocese.   

We know how disappointing this is for all of our parishioners.  We, too, are very disappointed. But, we are very aware of how important it is for all of us to shelter at home, so that our loved ones remain safe and healthy.   

We ask that you  take this opportunity to pray for each other, especially those impacted by the Coronavirus/COVID-19, the healthcare workers, the first responders and our government officials.  May God bless them and keep them safe.   

Finally, let’s remember to Be the Church! We are living in extraordinary times. As we continue to listen to the news from around the world, it’s easy to feel anxious and discouraged — but we believe Jesus is Lord and is among us during this time. This is a time for us to return to the roots of our Church; a Church of small communities and gatherings.

Please watch our homepage for Livestream Mass opportunities so that you can virtually participate in these important liturgies.  Thank you!