Welcome to St. Edmund Parish, Oak Park, IL

The St. Edmund Parish Website incorporates information and news about St. Edmund Parish, the first Roman Catholic Parish in Oak Park, and includes weekly updates about St. Edmund School, educating children pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade.   

(Photo Courtesy of Chicago Architecture Info.)

St. Edmund Mission Statement

The people of St. Edmund Parish are a diverse community of Christians whose beliefs are rooted in sacred scripture and the traditions of the Catholic faith. We strive to fulfill the commandments of Jesus to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength (Mk 12:30), and to love one another as He has loved us (Jn 13:34). We gather as community to be nourished in Word and Sacrament, and are sent forth to be, to see and to experience Christ in the world with friend and stranger alike.

In gratitude for all our blessings, we commit ourselves to love, forgive and support each other joyfully. We seek to serve others and to be active participants in living our Catholic faith.

** News and Events for the Week of May 19, 2013**.

• Saturday, May 18, is this year's Elegant Evening...Catches the Aloha Spirit., at the River Forest Country Club.  See the Elegant Evening '13 page for information about your underwriting or donation opportunities, as well as raffle ticket purchases and prizes--and find a link to buy raffle and event tickets on-line!

• Saturday-Sunday, May 18-19, is Bundle Weekend. Donate clean, gently-used apparel such as: clothing, outerwear, and shoes for adults and children. Household items in good condition are needed including: linens; cooking and serving items; small, working appliances; and decorations. Pack delicate items safely in a box/container and mark them fragile. Drop off items before or after the May 18-19 weekend masses at the St. Vincent de Paul Society trailer in the parking lot. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

• Saturday, May 25, join the Vigil to End Gun Violence from 6:30pm to 7pm on the Parish Green...immediately following the 5:30 mass . Please come and bring friends for this simple short service which shows our willingness to help stop the violence so prevalent in our culture.bNames of some of the Chicago area victims of gun violence will be read aloud, and we will pray and sing together.

• Saturday/Sunday, May 25-26, there will be a Yarn Collection for the Prayer Shawl Ministry in the church’s North Transept at all weekend Masses. The ministry serves parishioners in need of comfort/healing from physical or emotional distress. As ministers crochet, knit or sew prayer shawls and lap quilts they pray for the person who will receive the tangible reminder of God’s loving presence and care. Nearly 50 shawls and quilts have been made since the inception of the ministry.

• Sunday, May 26^th, please join us at the11:30am mass with a reception to follow in Murphy Hall to say Farewell to Fr. Chris Devron, S.J., weekend presider here at St. Edmund, who will be leaving Chicago to serve as president of the Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx, NY.

• Sunday, May 26, the Sunday 6pm Liturgy goes on hiatus until it resumes  in September. Please make a note of this change and plan to attend one of the other masses that are offered on Sundays at 8am, 9:30am and 11:30am.

• Monday, May 27, the only Memorial Day mass will take place at 9am. Begin the holiday by worshipping with us! In addition, there will not be Eucharistic Adoration this day.

• Saturday, June 8,  Save the Date for St. Edmund Parish Service Day.  It’s Time to Spruce Up!

• And:

  • Are you beginning to think about the upcoming school year?  Time now to register for 2013-2014 Parish School and School of Religious Education classes! Please contact us and we will be happy to share with you and your family all of the academic and spiritual offerings that we are so proud of! For registration forms, click on the Religious Education page.

  • St. Edmund Parish is in need of a few good people to serve as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist and Lectors for the weekend masses. The Ministers of the Eucharist assist in the distribution of Holy Communion at mass.  Lectors proclaim the First and Second readings at mass, lead the people in the Prayer of the Faithful, and read the weekly announcements. See the Echoes for more details.  For questions, contact Mary Lynn Diestsche at mldietsche46@gmail.com  or call the parish office.

Prayer Opportunities at St. Edmund 

• Attend Daily Mass.  Join us every Monday-Saturday at 8:30am.

•  Centering Prayer every Saturday at 9:30am. All are welcome—beginners too! Come join us.

•  Eucharistic Adoration Mondays, 2pm - 8pm. Join in this blessed devotion on Mondays unless otherwise announced. 

• Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturdays: 4:15pm. (located in west end of north transept).

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..... and, F Y I

• Parish Office Hours

  • Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am – 8:00 pm

  • Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

  • Saturday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

  • Sunday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

• Religious Instruction (Contact Peggy Leddy, at 708-848-4417, extension 202 or email pleddy@stedmund.org.

  • Do you want to become a Catholic, or perhaps just learn more about the Catholic faith? Registration for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is now open and sessions start soon. For more information click here or contact Peggy.

  • Adult Confirmation Sessions. Baptized Catholics,18 and older, who are not yet confirmed, are invited to contact Peggy for information about preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Registration is now open and sessions start soon. For more information click here.

  • New or expectant parents are invited to register for Baptismal Preparation Class. For more information or to register, please contact Peggy.

• Religious Study

  • Join our Tuesday Morning Faith Sharing Group Group which reads and discusses the three scripture passages for the upcoming weekend masses. We meet Tuesdays after the 8:30 mass in Murphy Hall.  Please call Janet Bennick at 708-848-7220 or email at jbennick@stedmund.org  for further information..

  • Wednesday Evening Bible Study of the Gospel according to John meets from 7:00pm - 9:00 pm in the Parish School resource room, starting Sept. 19. There is a small fee for materials. For more information, contact Mary Lynn Dietsche mldietsche@gmail.com ..

  • Friday Morning Bible Study of the two volumes written by Luke, Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles is held in Murphy Hall on consecutive Friday mornings, starting September 28, from 9:00 am - 10:30 am. All are welcome.  For more information, call the Parish Center office at 708-848-4417.

  • Centering Prayer Group, Saturdays at 9:15  a.m. in the church. All are welcome.

• Parish Service Opportunities and Groups

  • The St. Edmund PADS ministry has been staffing an overnight emergency shelter in Oak Park for over 15 years.  This is the parish’s largest ministry and needs your help to have another successful PADS season, October, 2012-May, 2013. We are looking for Site Leads, Evening and Overnight Volunteers, and Breakdown Teams. If interested please contact Deacon Tom Dwyer at and Anita Dwyer at 708-848-4417.

  • Consider joining the St. Edmund Music Ministry and one of our parish choirs!  Join us on Wednesdays 7:30-9pm in the choir loft. Choirs serve at the 5:30pm Saturday mass and the 11:30am Sunday mass. Auditions for vocalists are not needed. Contact music director Kathy Halfpenny at 708-386-1832 or via e-mail at khalfpenny@stedmund.org .

  • It is not too late to join the Children’s Choir! Rehearsals are Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30pm in Murphy Hall. The choir sings at the Sunday 9:30am mass once a month and is open to any child who is able to read. This is a great way to involve your children in the liturgy, help them grow in their understanding, and deepen their faith. Contact Kathy Halfpenny at 708-386-1832 for more information.

  • Join the St. Edmund Book Club, The Living Room: Explorations of Faith in Literature and Film. The group meets once a month in a comfortable, casual and friendly environment to explore the richness of faith in classic literature and selected films. For details, and monthly selections, see this week's Echoes or contact the Parish Office.

  • St. Edmund Young Adults (SEYA) welcomes all parishioners in their 20s and 30s to visit their blogspot, http://www.saintedmundyoungadults.blogspot.com

  • Parents with young children (newborn - 3 years of age) are invited to join the St. Edmund Parents Group (New StEPs). This informal play group meets on the second and fourth Friday of each month, starting September 28 from 9-11am in the Adventure Club room of the parish school. All are welcome! Check out our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/NewStEps  or contact Una McNulty at mcnultyuna@gmail.com  for more information.

  • The parish’s Prayer Shawl Ministry ministry helps provide comfort to those who are ill, support those who are experiencing difficulty in their lives and those who are coping with the loss of a loved one. If you are interested in joining or need additional information, please contact parishioner Mari Hans via email at marithans@comcast.net  or call her at 708-848-6208.

  • The St. Edmund Parish Life Commission offers knitting and crochet classes for adults on alternating fall evenings from 7:30 - 9pm.  Each skill includes six lessons. Knitting classes will be held Sept. 6, 30, Oct. 4, 18 and Nov. 1 and 15. Crochet classes will be held Sept. 13, 27, Oct. 11, 25, and Nov. 8 and 29. Pre-registration is required. For complete details see the August 26 Echoes.

  • Wednesday Night Bridge,  7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Murphy Hall. Beginners and advanced players welcome!  Learn or improve your game.

  • The St. Edmund Mixed Bowling League meets on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 5:45 pm at Circle Lanes in Forest Park. If you are interested, please contact Carole Murphy at 708-771-6018 or email her at carole.murphy3@att.net .

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