St. Joseph Parish, 7240 W. 57th Street, will be hosting a Lenten mission on Monday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. nightly in the church.
The theme of this year’s mission is Walking As A Lamb of the Shepherd and focuses on how Jesus Christ is our shepherd, and we are his faithful lambs called to his flock, to walk humbly with Him from our Baptisms through our final footsteps on earth to enter the Kingdom of God in Heaven.
St. Joseph Parish is honored to have the Rev. Ron Hicks, the Dean of Formation at Mundelein Seminary, who humbly serves God and mankind, with his extensive missionary work on behalf of orphaned children in nine Latin American countries, as our guest preacher and mission presenter.
On Monday, March 24, the focus of the evening is healing the mind, body and soul by keeping Christ, the Good Shepherd, at the center of our lives. Anointing of the Sick will be administered to all those in need of healing, as well as a special caregivers blessing for all nurses, doctors, EMTs and other caregivers who devote their lives to providing healing services alongside Christ. A special gift will be available to all who attend on Monday.
On Tuesday, March 25, the mission will focus on forgiveness with an emphasis on the act of forgiving others and wholeheartedly accepting the gift of forgiveness from God within our lives. The importance of prayer in our daily lives will be addressed and the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated.
There will be a hospitality area with refreshments in the church narthex following the mission presentation each night. This will allow an opportunity to socialize with other parishioners and a meet and greet with Rev. Hicks. There will be prayer intention cards available and a sealed prayer box to place them in. The prayer intentions will be prayed over by our parish priests, deacons and throughout the year by our Confirmation and First Communication candidates and their catechists at our school and religious education programs.
Rev. Ron Hicks is a well-respected presenter of Catholic missions, workshops, classes and university lectures. He is excited to be coming to St. Joseph and looks forward to meeting each and every one of you during the mission. Working with orphaned children in Latin America is something that is near and dear to his heart. Donations collected at the Mission will help Rev. Hicks and his volunteers continue their good work, clothing and feeding the underprivileged orphans. After graduating from Niles College in 1989, Rev. Hicks volunteered his time at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Mexico. Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos is a compassionate and loving home devoted to caring for over 3,600 orphaned and abandoned children in nine different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
With the blessing and permission of Francis Cardinal George, Rev. Hicks temporarily left his ministry in Chicago during July of 2005 to serve a five year term as Regional Director of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Central America, where he was out in the trenches, on the front lines, helping rescue, clothe, educate and feed God’s most vulnerable and needy children. These experiences have drawn him even closer to Christ which is clearly evident is his inspirational preaching style.
In 1994, Rev. Hicks was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago. Rev. Hicks graduated from Quigley Seminary South in 1985, earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Niles College of Loyola University Chicago in 1989, was awarded with a Master of Divinity degree in 1994, and his Doctor of Ministry degree in 2003, both from the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein.
Rev. Hicks is no stranger to the Chicago area or the south suburbs. As a parish priest, he has faithfully served Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Chicago as associate pastor from 1994 to 1996, served full-time at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills from 1996 to 1999 and later as their weekend associate from 1999 to 2005.
As a Catholic educator at the university and seminary level, Rev. Hicks served as a Spiritual Director at St. Joseph Seminary from 1994 to 1999 and lived and worked full-time at St. Joseph College Seminary as the Dean of Formation from 1999 to 2005. Presently, Rev. Hicks serves as the Dean of Formation at Mundelein Seminary, where he also lectures and teaches classes, while still finding time to assist with weekend Masses at St. Jerome Parish in Rogers Park.
All are welcome to attend the St. Joseph Parish Mission with Rev. Hicks. Be sure to “Like” the St. Joseph Parish Mission Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/SJPMission2014 and share the link with family and friends.
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