Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:5)

Baptisms are celebrated on the first  and third Sunday of each month. Parents wishing to have their child baptized at Visitation should be registered members of the parish. The parents of the child are also required to attend a Baptism Preparation class, hosted by the parish.

To schedule a baptism, please contact our Parish Coordinator, Suzanne Noonan at 630-834-6700 or email [email protected].
 

Your baby’s baptism is a time for celebration and joy. It is the first and most important step you will take as Catholic parents in the life of faith of your child.

Baptism is the first Sacrament of the Catholic church and initiates us into the Body of Christ – into His life, Death, and Resurrection. It is the essential sacrament in becoming a disciple of Christ and indelibly marks us as His. This sacrament is the essential prerequisite for all the others. Baptism is God’s way of showing love for each child. It is the sign that reminds us that we are loved and created in God’s own image. Through the waters of faith, your child is welcomed into God’s family.  

The sacrament of baptism ushers us into the divine life, cleanses us from sin, and initiates us as members of the Christian community. It is the foundation for the sacramental life.

At baptism, the presider prays over the water:

Father, look now with love upon your Church, and unseal for her the fountain of baptism. By the power of the Holy Spirit give to this water the grace of your Son, so that in the sacrament of baptism all those whom you have created in your likeness may be cleansed from sin and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit. (Christian Initiation of Adults, #222A)

• Saturday:3:00 PM to 3:45 PM or by appointment
• 1st Saturday:7:30 AM

Confessions are heard in the Confessionals in the back of the Church.
 

RECTORY OFFICE
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am - 4:30pm Closed 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Phone: 630-834-6700 . Fax: 630-834-6711

Prepare to Make a Good Confession

The priests of Visitation are overjoyed to hear your confession and help you to recieve the forgiveness of your sins and be drawn into deeper conversion and deeper relationship with God.

In order to make the most of your time in confession, we encourage you to faithfully prepare to recieve the sacrament.

Whether it has been a few months or decades since your last confession, we are here for you. Get started here.

GOING TO CONFESSION

There are four steps in the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

1. We feel contrition for our sins and a conversion of heart to change our ways.
2. We confess our sins and human sinfulness to a priest.
3. We receive and accept forgiveness (absolution) and are absolved of our sins.
4. We celebrate God’s everlasting love for us and commit to living out a Christian life.

Sin hurts our relationship with God, ourselves and others. As the Catechism states:

The sinner wounds God’s honor and love, his own human dignity…and the spiritual well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living stone. To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for the sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. (CCC 1487, 1488)

A mature understanding of sin includes reflecting upon our thoughts, actions, and omissions as well as examining the patterns of sin that may arise in our lives. With contrite hearts, we are also called to reflect upon the effects of our sins upon the wider community and how we might participate in sinful systems.

Contrition and conversion lead us to seek a forgiveness for our sins so as to repair damaged relationships with God, self, and others. We believe that only ordained priests have the faculty of absolving sins from the authority of the Church in the name of Jesus Christ (CCC 1495). Our sins are forgiven by God, through the priest.

The Spiritual effects of the Sacraments of Reconciliation include:

• reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace
• reconciliation with the Church
• remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins
• remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin
• peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation
• an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle (CCC 1496)

• Saturday: 4:00 PM
• Sunday: 7:30 AM 9:30 AM 11:30 AM 6:00 PM
• MonFri: 6:15 AM 8:15 AM
• Saturday: 8:15 AM

THE CELEBRATION OF MASS

The liturgical life of the Church revolves around the sacraments, with the Eucharist at the center (National Directory for Catechesis, #35). At Mass, we are fed by the Word and nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. We believe that the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not a sign or symbol of Jesus; rather we receive Jesus himself in and through the Eucharistic species. The priest, through the power of his ordination and the action of the Holy Spirit, transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is call transubstantiation.

By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity. (CCC 1413)

THE NEW COVENANT

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and…remains in me and I in him. (John 6:51, 54, 56)

In the gospels, we read that the Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper. This is the fulfillment of the covenants in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Last Supper narratives, Jesus took, broke and gave bread and wine to his disciples. In the blessing of the cup of wine, Jesus calls it “the blood of the covenant” (Matthew and Mark) and the “new covenant in my blood” (Luke).

This reminds us of the blood ritual with which the covenant was ratified at Sinai (Ex 24) -- the sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals united God and Israel in one relationship, so now the shed blood of Jesus on the cross is the bond of union between new covenant partners -- God the Father, Jesus and the Christian Church. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, all the baptized are in a relationship with God.

Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance. (CCC 1415)

The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year. (CCC 1417)

Receiving the Eucharist changes us. It signifies and effects the unity of the community and serves to strengthen the Body of Christ.

UNDERSTANDING THE MASS

The central act of worship in the Catholic Church is the Mass. It is in the liturgy that the saving death and resurrection of Jesus once for all is made present again in all its fullness and promise – and we are privileged to share in His Body and Blood, fulfilling his command as we proclaim his death and resurrection until He comes again. It is in the liturgy that our communal prayers unite us into the Body of Christ. It is in the liturgy that we most fully live out our Christian faith.

The liturgical celebration is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. First, we hear the Word of God proclaimed in the scriptures and responded by singing God’s Word in the Psalm. Next, that Word is broken open in the homily. We respond by professing our faith publicly. Our communal prayers are offered for all the living and the dead in the Creed. Along with the Presider, we offer in our way, the gifts of bread and wine and are given a share in the Body and Blood of the Lord, broken and poured out for us. We receive the Eucharist, Christ’s real and true presence, and we renew our commitment to Jesus. Finally, we are sent forth to proclaim the Good News

Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. (CCC 1316)

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we renew our baptismal promises and commit to living a life of maturity in the Christian faith. As we read in the Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) from the Second Vatican Council:

Bound more intimately to the Church by the sacrament of confirmation, [the baptized] are endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength; hence they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith both by word and by deed as true witnesses of Christ. (no. 11)

SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION FOR CONFIRMATION

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. While baptism is the sacrament of new life, confirmation gives birth to that life. Baptism initiates us into the Church and names us as children of God, whereas confirmation calls us forth as God’s children and unites us more fully to the active messianic mission of Christ in the world.

After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went out and confirmed others, showing confirmation to be an individual and separate sacrament: Peter and John at Samaria (Acts 8:5-6, 14-17) and Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:5-6). Also, the Holy Spirit came down on Jews and Gentiles alike in Caesarea, prior to their baptisms. Recognizing this as a confirmation by the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they are baptized (cf. Acts 10:47).

natural family planning

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the general title for the scientific, natural and moral methods of family planning that can help married couples either achieve or postpone pregnancies.

NFP methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.

Since the methods of NFP respect the love-giving (unitive) and life-giving (procreative) nature of the conjugal act, they support God's design for married love!

Interested in learing about Natural Family Planning?  Contact Cathy Mullen via email at [email protected] or call her at (773) 428-4592 to schedule an informational session.

engaged encounter

This retreat is a weekend away, with other engaged couples, which allows plenty of private time to plan your MARRIAGE, not your wedding day.  It is designed to give you the opportunity to talk honestly and intensively for 32 hours about your prospective life together—your strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, goals, attitudes about money, sex, children, family, your role in the Church and in society—in an environment free from the pressures and distractions of the outside world.  View this testimonial video to see what couples are saying.

Click here for information about Catholic Engaged Encounter weekends.

is god calling you?

I  am  interested  in  the  priesthood

Holy Orders

"Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time…It includes three degrees of order: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate" (CCC 1536). Deacons, priest, and bishops are essential to the Catholic Church because we believe that they continue the work begun by the apostles.

Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been conferred and exercised in three degrees: that of bishops, that of presbyters, and that of deacons. The ministries conferred by ordination are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the Church: without the bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of the Church. (CCC 1593)

Ordination is the rite at which the Sacrament of Holy Orders is bestowed. The bishop confers the Sacrament of Holy Orders by the laying on of hands which confer on a man the grace and spiritual power to celebrate the Church’s sacraments.

The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by the laying on of hands followed by a solemn prayer of consecration asking God to grant the ordained the graces of the Holy Spirit required for his ministry. Ordination imprints an indelible sacramental character. (CCC 1597)

who receives holy orders?

The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on baptized men (viri), whose suitability for the exercise of the ministry has been duly recognized. Church authority alone has the responsibility and right to call someone to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. (CCC 1598)

In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the presbyterate is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men. (CCC 1599)

The Second Vatican Council reminds us that the mission of ordained clergy, while unique, is interrelated to the mission of the lay faithful:

Though they differ from one another in essence and not only in degree, the common priesthood of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ. The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people. But the faithful, in virtue of their royal priesthood, join in the offering of the Eucharist. They likewise exercise that priesthood in receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, in the witness of a holy life, and by self-denial and active charity. (Lumen Gentium 10)

EMERGENCY ANNOINTINGS

If you are in need of an emergency anointing of the sick, please contact the parish office, even after hours. Follow the prompts on the answering machine and you will be connected to the Visitation Church emergency line.

The Emergency Line is for sacramental emergencies only. Do not use the emergency line for any other ordinary purpose (such as requesting Mass times or to seek out financial assistance). Repeat violators of the integrity of the emergency line will be blocked from its use.
 

VISITS TO THE SICK

Because of changes in hospital admitting policies, it is necessary to inform the Parish Office when hospitalized parishioners would like a visit from a priest or deacon.
 

WHO MAY RECEIVE?

In the Catholic Church, Extreme Unction or the Last Rites is the anointing at the time of death. Since the Second Vatican Council, this sacrament is now called the Anointing of the Sick and has been broadened to offer healing and comfort in times of illness that may not lead to immediate death. Speaking about a wider implementation of this sacrament, Pope Paul VI advocated for “a wider availability of the sacrament and to extend it—within reasonable limits—even beyond cases of mortal illness."

Unlike the traditional understanding of the Last Rites, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is, ideally, to be administered in a communal celebration.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that when the sick are anointed they should be "assisted by their pastor and the whole ecclesial community, which is invited to surround the sick in a special way through their prayers and fraternal attention" (1516). "Like all the sacraments the Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration…It is very fitting to celebrate it within the Eucharist" (1517).

DON'T WAIT!

The Anointing of the Sick is not merely a sacrament for the dying and the term “Last Rites” is no longer used in the liturgical texts and ritual books to punctuate that reality of the sacrament. However, the spirit of the request is understood: the priest is being called to prepare a person for death – a request we are happy to honor.

The end of life is a challenging time for everyone involved and often marked by some anxiety, hesitancy, and grief. However, it is very important for many reasons that families encounter the reality of death and dying honestly.

Death is a reality for us all and, while it may seem easier to “hope against hope” that things may get better, there comes a point when these hopes no longer correspond to reality and preparations should be made. Avoid the temptation to delay these preparations as a palliative measure for yourself – it only causes more difficulty down the road.

Part of these preparations is calling the parish priest. Please, do not wait until the very last moment to call us. There are a great many factors that could cause delay in our arrival (though we avoid those things at great cost). The sacraments are for the living and, while prayers after death are meritorious and we are happy to offer them, there is no perfect substitute for the sacraments. We recommend calling us immediately upon a person’s entry into hospice/end-of-life comfort care, even if death is weeks away.

In traumatic emergencies, such as vehicle accidents or other emergency medical issues, you may call the parish or request a priest from the hospital chaplain – every hospital has a list of priests they can call and will arrive shortly.

In the face of death, the Catholic Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, the Son of God, by His death and resurrection, has broken the chains of death that bound humanity for those who are faithful to His commandments. In our time of loss, our Catholic faith is an important source of consolation and support, especially for those who are grieving.

The various Catholic funeral rites are primarily to give thanks to God for the gift of our lives and for our salvation in Christ and to pray that mercy of God will come upon our loved ones and they be admitted into the Heavenly Kingdom.

When planning a funeral for a deceased loved one, please contact our Parish Office at 630-834-6700 or your preferred funeral home to make arrangements. Visitation strongly prefers that parishioners use a funeral home to assist with their arrangements.

After arrangements have been made between the funeral director and the parish, the family of the deceased will meet with a bereavement minister who will answer questions, gather information and explain the funeral liturgy as celebrated within the Catholic tradition. The parish works in close collaboration with the funeral home to assist the family in making arrangements and guiding them through the planning process and parish guidelines, which are closely followed for each and every funeral liturgy.