Border Town Parishes

09/05/2026

You do not get one of these all that often as a priest. In thirty years of this ministry, this is only the second time that I have had the honor and privilege of offering a blessing to a married couple making it to SEVENTY-FIVE years.

The first time was in 2016 for John & Lucille Staroska. Today we had the honor of offering the special blessing and presentation of papal recognition to Frank & Virginia Pilotte. Thank you to Jim and Leslie Meyer from St. Patrick’s Church’s Knights of Columbus and Council of Catholic Women for being present at this event with Frank and Virginia’s children.

09/04/2026

Thanks to the students of Momence High School for helping us unload five pallets of water for the food pantries and the needy in our area. We were able to take care of of St. Anne, Momence and a whole bunch of other good souls!

09/03/2026

MASS FOR THE 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AT THE BORDER TOWN PARISHES (SEPTEMBER 6, 2026)

As he was reflecting on the scripture readings for this Online Homily, Fr. Pete was reflecting on the writings of St. Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202) and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955), two theologians that believed that we, as a human race, are evolving in our relationship with God yet, based on the empty seats in our worship spaces and the closures of Churches throughout the world, Fr. Pete wonders if our faith society is still experiencing the metaphorical "terrible twos" in our relationshp with God, constantly saying "no" to God when our answer should be "yes." This year, Fr. Pete theorizes that he has preached on this gospel some FORTY times in his priesthood (at least ten times on Sunday and thirty times during the weekday readings). Have we learned the lessons from our gospel readings that our Lord warns us to follow?

At the end of this Online Mass, we offer Fr. Pete's "Tour of the Church" videos (including the Narthex, the Nave and the Sanctuary) as first produced almost a decade ago for the University of Dayton in Ohio. We also provide highlights from our St. Anne's Day Celebrations on July 25-26.

MASS FOR THE 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AT THE BORDER TOWN PARISH...

09/01/2026

So here’s your story for the day… Marlo Steinle is my artist who is semi-retired, but has helped me rebuild and repaint statues, crucifixes, and all kinds of things at the parishes where I have served for the last twenty years.

When I purchased an image of of St. Anne from Europe for this year’s feast day on July 26, there were some imperfections in the statue that Marlo promised she would touch up. She picked up the statue at the beginning of August and brought the statue back today.

Marlo repainted the faces, touched up the imperfections and fixed a hand with a broken thumb. She also told me that one of her granddaughters was born this year on St. Anne’s Day and the family named her Celine Regina Anne after hearing the story of what we wanted to do with the statue.

I told Marlo that we would pray for her family and all those who had been suffering, including her young grandson, Joshua, who passed away in February.

Marlo refused to charge us anything for the statue and we are blessed to know her… And we are blessed to know all of you as well!

08/31/2026

https://conta.cc/4xGj0qM

Email from St. Patrick Church TEN BAPTISMS, FIVE QUINCEANERAS AND FOUR HUNDRED MEALS DELIVERED IN AUGUST TO THE GOOD SOULS OF OUR AREA! Ministry Galore!!! NOTES FOR AUGUST 31, 2026 Faithful can subscr

08/31/2026

HOMILÍA DEL XXII DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO - IGLESIA DE SAN PATRICIO (MOMENCE, IL) - 30 AGOSTO 2026

P. Pedro Jankowski celebra y predica la misa en la Iglesia de San Patricio (Momence, IL) en nombre de los feligreses de la Iglesia de San Patricio (Momence, IL) y del Santuario Nacional de Santa Ana (St. Anne, IL) que no pueden asistir a los servicios. ¡Todos están invitados a nuestras liturgias en interiores en las parroquias de las ciudades fronterizas (tenemos mucho espacio)!

Para apoyar la misión de la Iglesia de San Patricio, comuníquese con nosotros al (815) 472-2864 o escríbanos a 119 N Market Street - Momence, IL 60954. También puede acceder al sitio web de la parroquia en www.stpatrickmomence.org y hacer clic en el enlace "donaciones en línea", siguiendo las instrucciones en la pantalla de su computadora.

https://youtu.be/aBYpxUvcAy8

HOMILÍA DEL XXII DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO - IGLESIA DE SAN PATR...

08/31/2026

FAMILY BLESSING AT THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MASS & SOCIAL (MOMENCE, IL) - AUGUST 30, 2026

Thanks to Grand Knight Jim Meyer and the Knights of Columbus Council #7984 and their GREAT WORK in serving the faithful of our community, especially at our parish, in the city of Momence and specifically at Good Shepherd Manor, where the Knights serve those most in need of God's mercy in the best way possible. If you are interested in joining the Knights, contact Jim Meyer at [email protected].

The Knights of Columbus decided to serve all ministries at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on August 30 and serve coffee and donuts following the Mass. We are so blessed with their service and dedication to the Momence Community and all they do!

FAMILY BLESSING AT THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MASS & SOCIAL (MOMENCE, ...

08/29/2026

So here on August 30, we just celebrated the last of our FIVE quinceañeras and TEN baptisms. God bless Valeria and her family and all of you!

08/29/2026

You know, St. Anne’s only has 120 registered families. This is my fifth baptism in a month here! What is going on? The answer I think is FAITH…

Congratulations Olivia et al!!!

08/28/2026

I would like to thank everyone who benefited from our Amazon food extravaganza today. Periodically, our friends at Amazon are able to provide a whole slew of food for the needy. In this particular case, we received over FOUR HUNDRED meals that were given to the good souls of this area, many of whom are in great need.

We started with feeding the Momence Police Department prior to one of their meetings today. Later on, the Momence football team (thanks Diane Marcotte for helping us out!) who was going down south for a couple of games stopped by for some food and drink. We made sure that our food pantries in the area were stocked up and then Diane Rumback from the Momence Food Pantry stayed to help us distribute the rest of the food.

The first good souls that came through the door were from St. Anne. Within a half an hour, the rest of the food had been distributed. FOUR HUNDRED meals in a half an hour! Go figure.

God bless Amazon! God bless Nick Skokna! God bless all the good souls in East Kankakee County!