SACRED HEART HOLY MASS
Sundays at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CDT – Registration is no longer required.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church 337 S Ottawa St., Joliet, IL 60436
Unvaccinated attendees are requested to wear masks.
Fully vaccinated are not required to wear masks. Social distancing at arm’s length.
As the Sacred Heart family has learned, Fr. Ryan grew up in Oswego and was a member of St. Anne’s parish. This Sunday, Sacred Heart welcomed visitors from St. Anne – Fr. Ryan’s mother, Kim, Denine Chambers, Jameson Fajfer and Vicky Fajfer, Jameson’s mother. In addition, we were visited by two seminarians, Greg Alberts and Joseph LeMay.
Greg Alberts said he is “at Mundelein Seminary, for four more years” When he was asked “Then we’ll look for you here, right?” to which Greg replied “Oh yeah! I’ll be back. You’ve got that on tape now. I’ll be back.”
Denine Chambers, Jameson Fajfer and Vicky Fajfer, Jameson’s mother, are from St. Anne’s parish in Oswego.
Joseph LeMay related, “I’m going into my second year of college seminary at Pontifical College Josephenum. I’m from St. Joseph in Downers Grove . . . Fr. Ryan invited me here – he said ‘I’ve got the 10 am Mass at Sacred Heart. Come join me.’”
“My name is Kim and I’m Ryan’s Mom, Fr. Ryan’s Mom” shared Kim Ryan. “I’m blessed to be here and he’s very blessed to be here. Thank you so much.” (Kim was informed that Sacred Heart was glad to have her.) “We’re happy to hear that. Everybody’s been so nice. When Ryan was younger, he had a devotion to the Sacred Heart. I don’t know if you knew that. When he was a young seminarian, he made a very strong devotion to the Sacred Heart – still does. So, is it coincidence that he’s here? I don’t think so.”
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Tom Mayer is from Glen Ellyn, St. Petronille Parish. Tom began, “I met Father (Alfred) in 2012 at a Joliet Cursillo weekend. And we’ve worked together for charity in Uganda, building a medical center, and opening it up and treating people for the past five years.” Tom is the Board President of the “Friends of Shalom for Uganda.” Fr. Alfred Tumwesigye is from Uganda and he explained his objective “… and I’ve been working in health care ministry to make sure that people in rural communities, hard to reach areas, having to walk, and climbing the mountain, where they can access better health care for their families for their kids, and for their pregnant mothers.”
“I’m here for the summer mission cooperation plan here, a program of the United States Council of Bishops, where we have been invited in the Diocese of Joliet by the Bishops for the Mission Office, to speak to the parishioners of the Sacred Heart Parish. So that through their second collection, for their prayers and for their financial support, they can help with furnishing the medical center, with the Mary Queen of Heaven Community Medical Center in Uganda. It is in a rural community in the southwestern part of the country. From the capital city which is Kampala you drive about six hours to reach the village community where the medical center is.”
Fr. Alfred has been a priest for the last 13 years. “I was ordained on July 3, 2005, and this year I made 13 years in the priesthood. I’m still around [Joliet] until September 2 when I go back to Uganda, so I still have the rest of August. Thank God I’m here meeting great people, caring and loving people.
