'The Nativity Story' Comes to St. Agnes Parish

The church will show three presentations of the classic biblical story Friday evening.

If you're looking to head into the weekend with a little more Christmas spirit, St. Agnes Parish and Catholic School may have you covered with a retelling of the story behind the holiday. The church will give three consecutive presentations of "The Nativity Story," accompanied by the St. Agnes Choirs, Friday evening. The church will also be serving up hot chocolate, coffee and doughnuts in St. Agnes Isaiah Hall after each presentation. The presentations begin promptly at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., according to the event listing posted by Karen Zerante. Take a look at the listing to learn more about tonight's shows. For more information, call 708-709-2092, or send an e-mail to parish.­stagnes-­chicago@­archchicago.­org.

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5 Things to Know About the New Roman Missal

Later this month, Catholics will start using new missals at Mass. The Chicago Archdiocese has been aiding local churches with the transition. A Chicago Heights pastor talks about the change.

It has been a process over a year in the making, according to Todd Williamson, director of the Chicago Archdiocese's office of divine worship, who hopes local Catholics are ready for some of the changes to the new Roman Missal. The Roman Missal is an assembly of prayers, chants and directions used to celebrate Mass. The missal, originally translated from Latin to English in the 1970s, has been updated. All Catholic churches will begin using the new text later this month. Williamson says that the initial translation was never intended to be permanent.  "That most important thing, the Mass, is going to have some profound changes for the first time since 1975," Williamson said. "It is pretty momentous in the life of the church in this country…

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Steve Burke

9:38 pm on Monday, November 14, 2011

Just think of it as another "gift" from "saint" JPII.   more ›

People of Faith

St. Agnes: Century-Old Heartbeat of the Heights

Rev. John Siemianowski talks about the church's history, its congregation and what makes it unique.

When he was 8 years old, John Siemianowski lost his best friend and mentor—his father. In the months that followed, the family parish stepped in and helped John’s mother raise six children. The compassion of the priests, the nuns and the community helped mold John into the man he is today: The Rev. John Siemianowski, pastor of St. Agnes Catholic Church in Chicago Heights. "The church became an extended family for my mother," Siemianowski said. "She had six kids, no income, lots of bills and worries. The church stepped in, they were there for us. They brought us through a tough time."  Siemianowski spoke with Patch about the church, the congregation and his willingness to serve others. Patch: How long has St. Agnes been in Chicago Heights? …

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Bloom 206 Battles, Friendly Robberies, St. Agnes Fun: Week in Review

Let's take a look back at the most interesting stories from the week of Aug. 14-20.

This story brought out the fury in a few of our readers. We checked with Drake, his sister, the district's lawyer and public records to figure out if the board president had too many ties to his family's bus company, which has a contract with Bloom 206. We let the readers decide whether they felt there was a conflict of interest. Take a look at the article and let us know what you think. As part of our new series, Census Sense, we took a look at data from the 2010 Census showing the make up of every household in Chicago Heights. Some of the numbers were pretty interesting. This story got a lot of attention, mainly because it involves a man allegedly spontaneously robbing his friends at gun point. Who knew friendship could be so dangerous? …

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St. Agnes Unity Fest Brings Food and Fun Together: Photo Gallery

Tradition continues as members from St. Agnes Catholic Church have an end-of-summer festival to celebrate.

It was a party in the St. Agnes parking lot both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was perfect for the most part as members of St. Agnes, along with friends, enjoyed the annual summer festival. Various food was served, from tacos to Italian beef sandwiches, and everything was homemade. The St. Agnes young-adult group Faith Plus 1 spent the weekend volunteering as well as several adult parish members.  Children enjoyed a blow-up slide as well as a bouncy house and various games throughout. Families caught up with the latest news among friends, enjoying a perfect weekend of faith and fun. Visit our Places listing for St. Agnes to learn more about this long-standing Heights church and school.

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