What does it really mean to receive God’s love? Save the date—Saturday, April 26th—for an Easter Morning of Reflection with Fr. Larry McBrady and Elly Rodriguez at Immaculate Conception Church from 8:30am-11am. We will reflect our parish Lenten theme, Draw Near and Receive God’s Love, in light of the resurrection. This time of prayer, reflection, and renewal will be a beautiful way to deepen your Easter joy. All are welcome and no registration is required!

Calling All Children of the Parish! We invite all the children to join us at 9:30am Mass for Children's Liturgy of the Word (C.L.O.W.) as we journey through Lent together over the next few weeks. This is a great opportunity for our younger members of the community to connect more deeply with the Mass and experience the meaning of Lent in a fun and engaging way. Throughout this season, we will have special activities, prayers, and reflections to help guide our children’s spiritual growth. Let’s come together and make this Lenten journey one of faith, prayer, and community! Learn more about C.L.O.W. in this weekend's bulletin.

Mark your calendars for our powerful and inspiring Parish Mission evenings on Monday, April 7th, and Tuesday, April 8th, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. This two-night event is an opportunity to deepen your faith, recharge spiritually, and strengthen your Lenten commitment. Featuring speakers Fr. Tom Hickey and Mgsr. John Canary, Parish Mission will offer practical and powerful insights to draw closer to God’s love. Don’t miss this chance to be part of a transformative experience. Learn more about the event and our speakers HERE.

Deepen your Sunday Mass experience by participating as a lector, usher, Eucharistic minister, or sacristan! We are training new liturgical ministers on Saturday, March 29th at St. Joseph Church (1107 N Orleans St) from 9-11AM. Please RSVP to Elly at erodriguez@icsjparish.org if you are interested in joining!

We invite you to make a difference by supporting our annual Lenten Food Drive, organized by our Knights of Columbus. On Saturday, March 29th, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Drop off your donations at the Immaculate Conception parking lot to help support local food pantries. Most Needed Items: peanut butter, jelly, cereal, oatmeal, canned fruits and veggies, canned meats, dry ramen, Individually packaged multigrain bars, cookies, Rice Krispie treats, Hostess Cupcakes/Twinkies, and brownie mix.

ICSJ Financially Co-Sponsors Nicaraguan Family of Five in Resettlement! Thank you, ICSJ Parish, for your generous and incredibly timely gift to RefugeeOne. We’re so grateful your parish has opted to co-sponsor the Ramirez family. As you know, the new administration has temporarily suspended the resettlement program, however this does not prohibit us from continuing to serve clients to the best of our abilities as they rebuild their lives in Chicago. We’ll ensure that the Ramirez family has access to all of our programs, such as housing, resume and job support, youth services, mental health therapy, and much more. Read the full update on the Ramirez family in the ICSJ Refugee Ministry News section on our Refugee Ministry page.

The Stations of the Cross will be prayed on the Wednesdays of Lent at 6:00 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. This is a powerful prayer experience for this season. We hope you can join.

Experience our Lenten small group series, Draw Near, on Tuesday evenings from March 11th to April 15th, from 6:00–7:15 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church. Enjoy free food and drinks as we dive into powerful Gospel stories and hear the inspiring faith journeys of fellow parishioners. It’s a wonderful opportunity to grow closer to God and each other during this holy season. Please register here; we offer a childcare option for those who might need it!

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

ICSJ Parish invites all of you to travel with us this Lent on our 40-day journey to Easter!  We have prepared several Lenten opportunities to guide us along the way. Allow Jesus to show you new experiences that can bring renewal and reveal God’s presence to you. We hope you can join us on this adventure of drawing near to God’s great love for us. Let this Lent change your life! Visit our Lenten Journey page for details!

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

Gather with us on Sunday, March 23, for our annual St. Joseph Table, a free Italian feast in honor of one of our patron saints! This year, we have even more to celebrate: Fr. McBrady’s 80th birthday! Come for the 11 a.m. Mass, then continue the celebration at St. Joseph Table with a special tribute to Fr. McBrady, delicious food, and a joyful afternoon of fellowship, and festivity. Learn more HERE. ▶︎▶︎ VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Lend a hand, share your favorite dish! This celebration depends on volunteers like you! SIGN UP HERE!

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!

May She Rest In Eternal Peace. Please keep the family of Meg Fitzgerald in your prayers. Meg, the beloved former teacher at our ICSJ parish school, and devoted wife and mother, passed away on February 28, 2025. Services will take place Saturday, March 15, 2025, with visitation from 1–5 p.m. and a memorial service at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Breast Cancer Research Fund or the donor’s choice. Read Meg’s obituary here.

This weekend we will have a second collection at all the weekend Masses to Support the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. Contributions can be made at Mass or HERE on our website's Second Collection page. More information can be found by clicking HERE.

Rose Marie O’Neill, 93, of Chicago, died peacefully Sunday March 23. Visitation will be Friday, March 28 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, 1107 N. Orleans Street, Chicago, followed immediately by a Mass of The Resurrection at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations in Rose’s name may be made to the Irish Georgian Society. Read Rose’s obituary here.

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