Bless me, Father...

When was the last time you received the sacrament of reconciliation? If it’s a distant memory, you are not alone. Reconciliation has a bad rap and conjures up all kinds of unpleasant feelings. For one thing, it persists in being known only by its first part: the confession, as if the forgiveness part is an afterthought.

But, on Wednesday March 25 at 7:30pm you can show those bad feelings the door. Come experience this healing Sacrament with new eyes. A communal service of prayer and music will be followed by opportunities for individual confession and sacramental absolution with a Priest. Deacons and prayer partners will also be available to talk with if you so choose.

Please come. Experience the healing and freeing Sacrament of Reconciliation with the community of St. Thomas the Apostle. Weds. March 25 at 7:30pm.

1500 Brookdale Rd. Naperville IL 60563 630-355-8980

What's your story?

This past week we were honored to have our Lenten Mission presented by the author Alice Camille. While she was here, Alice commented she truly felt she was among friends, and that our way of welcoming was relatively uncommon in the world of presenters. Our way of making a guest feel at home in not an accident.

It is, very simply, the way we do things at St. Thomas.

Alice shared many stories with us, and in each one a thread continued to emerge: God resides in the relationship. When we are present to one another, we shine a light on the holiness of the seemingly insignificant everyday encounter. We need to keep our eyes open, our ears alert, and allow ourselves to be vulnerable in order to recognize divinity in the moment; in other words, what happens when a simple conversation takes on an aura of sacred presence. Is it by chance? Perhaps a coincidence? As Alice told us, it's not magic, it's transfiguration.

At different times of our lives, we experience how it feels to be among friends, and conversely, how it feels to be alone, a stranger in a crowd. We all have a story. What is yours? When and where have you felt among friends, and when have you recognized God in an encounter? Will you share your story here?