St. John the Baptist Catholic Church/ Iglesia Católica de San Juan Bautista, Joliet

The Solemnity of Corus Christi is a marvelous occasion to celebrate and appreciate the goodness of God and the gift of celebrating our sharing in the Body of Christ.  God gives us the gift of his Son who was crucified and risen.  We remember this most essential mystery of our faith and we deepen our appreciation of that mystery every time we celebrate the Eucharist. 

As I write this article, our parish is waiting for permission to celebrate public Mass on weekends and week days.  Our reopening will mostly will be on June 24^th.  There are a number of factors to consider as we re-open.  Bishop Pates wants to be assured that our parishioners are safe and that we make every effort to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.  In order to do this, we will take the following steps and initiate the following procedure for public Mass:

• The re-opening interim Mass schedule will be Sunday, 8 a.m. (English), 2 p.m. (Spanish), 6 p.m. Spanish. This allows for cleaning between the Masses
• There will be a limited number of people allowed in the Church, no more than 50.
• People wishing to attend Mass must register on Ticket Leap (accessible through the Website and Facebook) by Friday at 11am or call the office before 11am on Friday.
  • Leaving a voicemail at the parish office, does not mean you are registered
  • You will receive confirmation via e-mail or by phone
• We will make every effort to accommodate those who wish to participate. When we have reached capacity, we will make a waiting list. Those on the waiting list will automatically be on the list for the following weekend.
• To error on the side of caution, we would ask at the present time that those who are sick or elderly to refrain from coming to Mass at this time.
• As you enter the church building, the usher will escort you to your place. All people are expected to wear a mask. If you don’t have one, it will be provided. The seating allows a six feet radius between people.
• The usher will also direct you to Communion, you must sanitize before receiving Communion.
• You must continue to use your mask in the communion line. Receive the Body of Christ in one hand.  Step to the side, lower your mask off and receive the Body of Christ, raise your mask back on and return to your place.
• The usher will also direct you on exiting the church building.
• There will be collection baskets by the sanitation area, please make your offering before you receive Communion
• When everyone has exited from the church building, we will begin to clean and disinfect the church building.

For the time being we are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass.   We will also live stream the first two Masses each Sunday.

The parish staff has collaborated with the help of two committees that were recommended by the staff.

Leadership Committee: Elia Zavala, Jim Brodnicki, Oliver Medina, Gutemberg Montesimos, Patti Hernandez, Rosario Meza.

Logistics Committee: Fr. Mike Jennrich, Fr. More, Rocio Ramirez, Juliann Daletski 

Please continue to check the parish website and Facebook for more updates.

On the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession:   Confessions will be heard on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  Must have a reservation through Ticket Leap or call the parish office. Reservations must be made by 11 a.m. on Friday 

In the next few days, we will post information on Baptisms and hours of adoration. For arrangements for funerals, weddings, and Quinceañeras, please talk with either Fr. More or myself.

Let us pray so that we will continue to adopt a spirit of collaboration and reverence for each other so that our life as a parish community may continue to be a great sign of the living Christ within us.

Fr. Larry