We are excited to welcome back Fr. Victor Ingalls and Fr. Pat Arensberg from Mobile, Alabama.

Girl Scout cookies are coming — and who doesn’t love them? Girl Scouts from St. Paul of the Cross will be selling cookies in front of church on Saturday and Sunday, February 7–8 and February 14–15 (a perfect Valentine’s Day treat!). Traditional favorites — Thin Mints, Samoas, Lemon-Ups, Do-si-dos, Tagalongs, and Trefoils — along with the gluten-free Toffee-tastic will be available. New this year are Adventurefuls, a brownie-inspired cookie featuring caramel crème and toasted

We are very proud to share the good news of our parish’s successful 2025 Christmas Care Bag Project with you. Thanks to your kind generosity, St. Paul of the Cross Church provided warm scarves, hats, gloves, and socks to 1,300 homeless and less fortunate men and women during the Christmas season.

“Like a mighty wind that overtakes us, like a crash that startles us, like a fire that illuminates us, the gift of the Holy Spirit descends upon us”

“Share your bread with the hungry,” Isaiah says. “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn and your wound shall be quickly healed.”

St. Paul of the Cross Parish is on a journey to know, love, and serve Christ in our parish community. Together we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship so our parish can thrive and be a place for others to grow together in faith.

The 2026 Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) launches this weekend, with next weekend being our commitment weekend. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls His disciples to be salt and light, making God’s goodness visible through their lives (cf. Matthew 5:13–16). Through the ACA, the Church brings Christ’s light to others through education, formation, justice, peace, and respect for life.

This week, St. Paul gives us his “take” on how he prays. He writes to his Colossian converts: “For I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Those of you faithful readers of this weekly letter are familiar with me asking “what’s your favorite this or that?” (and then inviting you to let me know what it is). My creativity is waning these days, so I’ll ask another question in the same vein: what is your favorite and least favorite Beatitude?

This Saturday, February 22nd, our parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for our students.

Please join us for the screening of Jerome Lejeune: To The Least of These My Brothers & Sisters.

Join the SPC Women’s Club for a festive Galentine’s Day brunch celebrating friendship, faith, and fellowship.

Enjoy a delicious Lenten meal with family and friends at our annual Fish Fry, featuring classic favorites, fellowship, and community spirit.

Engaged? Mary, Seat of Wisdom invites you to a one-day, in-person Pre-Cana workshop. We believe in providing a safe, intimate, and interactive space for couples to discuss the important, real-life topics that lead to a lifelong, joyous marriage. Our facilitators provide personal mentorship, helping you move from “planning a wedding” to “living a marriage.”

Members of the New Parishioner Welcome Ministry will be available on Sunday, October 5, 2025 from 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM at the Parish Life Center to register new parishioners, answer any questions and distribute welcome packets.

Catholic Schools Week celebrates the faith, community, and excellence that make St. Paul of the Cross School a special place to learn and grow. Throughout the week, we highlight the strong academics, welcoming environment, and meaningful traditions that shape our students’ lives.

The Holy Family Guild will be coordinating the parish’s annual Blood Drive on Palm Sunday with Vitalant.

Please join us for our next book meeting where we will discuss The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen. All are welcome

I was pretty sad this past week over the Bears’ loss. I imagine most of Chicago was too. So, I asked the school children to give me some words to cheer me up.

Many of you have asked over the past months how Mother of Mercy Parish in Mobile, Alabama is doing. Last year, they were our Lenten Almsgiving project, and thanks to your extraordinary generosity, we raised a record amount of support—funds that have made a significant impact on the parish.

Join us for a Serving Our Seniors (SOS) Fellowship Luncheon as we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day and reflect on the greatest gift of all—Christ’s love for us. Friday, February 13 | 10:30 AMHoly Family Chapel(St. Paul of the Cross Church—downstairs)

Thursday, January 29 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul of the Cross Hosted by SPC Candlelight Rosary & Crux Teen Ministry All ages welcome!

Due to the MLK Day Holiday on Monday, January 19, there will be no 6:25 a.m. Mass or 8:00 a.m. Confessions. We will still have the 8:30 a.m. Mass. Enjoy the day off from school and work.

Dear Parishioners, Someone recently shared with me an article on obituaries based on a study posted in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers from Michigan State University, Boston College, and Arizona State University inserted into an AI processor 38 million obituaries published between 1998 and 2024. There were several observations from the data. I won’t note all of them, just one: world events influenced obituaries. For example, after September 1

Beginning in February 2026, our sharing parish will transition from St. Benedict the African in Chicago to Our Mother of Mercy in Mobile, Alabama. Please see Fr. James’ January 18 letter for more information.

Enjoy a relaxed evening of food, fellowship, and faith-filled conversation with Fr. James Wallace, Fr. Victor Ingalls, and Fr. Pat Arensberg. Hear inspiring stories and reflections. Appetizers provided and cash bar available.

Jesus asks his cousin John the Baptist to do something that doesn’t make sense in John’s eyes: baptize Jesus. Baptism was a sign of someone acknowledging their need for repentance, and repentance implies sin and imperfection. Jesus, of course, was perfect with no sin, hence he had no need to repent and no need to be baptized. John resists at first. “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” he says. Jesus responds: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for

The CRUX Retreat is a powerful overnight experience designed to help teens grow in faith, friendship, and confidence in who they are as sons and daughters of God.

Thanks to SPC Parishioners for your support of Pack 24’s Popcorn sale and Troop 24’s Wreath Sale. We’ve had another successful year because of your support. Thanks again.

THAT MAN IS YOU (TMIY) brings men together to grow as leaders in our families and communities.

Saint Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, our second reading today on this Feast of the Epiphany, says this: “The mystery was made known to me by revelation” (Ephesians 3:3).