[Sunday, Jan. 18] Coffee and donuts are served over in the St. Anthony Hall, after Mass.

[Wednesday, Jan. 21] Today, we celebrate the funeral of Robert Davis. The wake is at Panozzo Funeral Home, in the afternoon, followed by a Liturgy of the Word at 7:30 p.m. Robert is survived by his widow, Louise, whom you know as a lector at San Rocco. His daughter, Kathleen Florio, was married at San Rocco in 2004. Robert is also survived by his son, Philip. Robert died Sunday morning about 5:30. For the funeral, Father Ron Kondziolka presides.

[Friday, Jan. 23] At Kerr-Parzygnot funeral home, there is a wake for Palmira ("Mims") Mancini, in the evening. Tomorrow, Saturday, there will be viewing in the morning, until the funeral Mass at 10:30, in the chapel. Mims passed away about 8 p.m. Monday. She is survived by her daughters, Madeline and Vicki.

[Saturday, Jan. 24] At Steger Memorial Chapel, Deacon Gene LaBelle presides over a wake and prayers for Dena Betancourt. Her children are Yvette, Michael, Steve and Jon. You know Yvette from her good work at San Rocco; you know Basilio, Dena's husband, from his maintenance of our hall.

[Tuesday, Jan. 27] Our new bishop, Blase Cupich ("SOOPitch") comes to our part of the Chicago diocese, Vicariate VI, for a welcome Mass at 7 p.m. The location is St. Jude Church, 900 East 154th Street, South Holland. Archbishop Cupich wishes to welcome everybody in this region; lay people are most welcome, as are clergy and parish personnel. There is ample parking, in the lot just west of the church. After the Mass, there is a reception in the parish hall, for those who wish to meet Archbishop Cupich personally.

[Wednesday, Feb. 18] At 5:45 p.m., at Prairie Green residence on Dixie Highway, there is a Liturgy of the Word, with distribution of ashes, for the beginning of Lent. This liturgy is about 20 minutes long. At 6:15 p.m., at Brookdale-Olympia Fields and at 7 p.m., at San Rocco, there are similar Liturgies of the Word.

[Sunday, March 8] Over in the St. Anthony Hall, we share pizza fritte, about 11:30 a.m. A nominal donation is requested, to cover the costs.

[Sunday, March 15] At the end of Mass, the questions proposed by Bishop Cupich are presented to the people, for them to answer. These questions are derived from the extensive questionnaire from Rome, in preparation for the synod there in the Fall. Using pencils and paper distributed, people answer the questions in their own words.

In the early afternoon, the DiGiovanni clan gathers for its annual reunion, in Steger, at St. John's Lutheran church. Father David Simonetti says grace before meals, about noon. A St. Joseph's Day table is part of the event.

[Sunday, March 23, 2015] At the end of Mass, Giovina [Bronecke] and Jack Arenz receive a formal blessing, for their new, married life. All applaud and wish them well.

[Holy Thursday, April 2] At Panozzo Funeral Home, there is a wake and Liturgy of the Word for John Dallesandro, who died March 28. John was the husband of Carol Dallesandro. Meanwhile, at San Rocco, we celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper; there are about 35 people present. The choir sings Panis Angelicus and Ave Verum, directed by Celeste Jones.

[Thursday, April 16] Dinner at the Amaseno Lodge.

[Saturday, April 18] At St. Kieran's, we celebrate the funeral of Deacon Ray Deabel, who helped San Rocco over the years. Father Ron Kondziolka presides.

[Tuesday, April 21] Vespers of the Dead, at Holy Name Cathedral, for the late Cardinal George.

Thursday, April 23] Funeral Mass at the cathedral.

[Friday, May 1] Today, we celebrate the funeral of Antoinette Massicci, 82 years old. She was the cousin of Catherine Inucci, Sharon Billo, Dean Armato, and Donna Sarek. There are about twenty people at the Mass. As usual, we sing Eternal Rest, May Saints of Old, and May God Welcome Her in Glory. All singing is a cappella.

[Saturday, May 16] At the Idlewild Country Club, the Amaseno Lodge holds its annual, scholarship celebration. Scholarships are announced for Mark Buoscio, Julian Hansen, Alex Kraft and Anthony Panici, Jr. The Amaseno Lodge was incorporated in 1913, especially to help recent immigrants from the town of Amaseno, about 60 miles south of Rome, Italy.

[Tuesday, May 19] May devotions, at 7 p.m.

[Sunday, May 24, Pentecost] At the Amaseno Lodge, a special dinner, hosted by the Sons of Italy; reservations are required.

[Saturday, July 18] At the church, we celebrate the presentation of Abrela Bravo, three years old.

[Thursday, July 21] The men's group from St. Paul's church ("Emmaus") meets at the St. Anthony Hall, on the San Rocco campus. Tim Totos makes the arrangements. The Knights of Columbus (council 997) continue to meet at the hall, on the second Tuesday of each month.

[Saturday, July 25] At 3 p.m., quinceañera of Mia Diaz, at San Rocco church. Mia is the daughter of Laura Dominick of Crete. 4:30 p.m., dinner at Moose Hall on Sauk Trail, for quinceañera of Camille Flores, the granddaughter of Fidel & Oralia Castro.

[Sunday, Aug. 9] Father Tommaso Petrongelli presides at Sunday Mass at San Rocco. He is of the order of the Mother of God, headquartered in Rome. His brothers, Italo (Phyllis) and Americo (Rosemary) live near the oratory, on the hill. During the week, Father Petrongelli says Mass at 7 p.m.

[Saturday, Aug. 15] This year, by the decision of the U.S. bishops, the Feast of the Assumption is not a holyday of obligation. That's because the feast falls on a Saturday.

[Sunday, Aug. 16] Father Petrongelli presides at Sunday Mass, for the third day of the San Lorenzo festival. On this day, the traditional procession begins at the Amaseno Lodge (24th & Union), about 11 a.m. Mass begins about 11:30 a.m. Father Petrongelli leads some of the songs, in the Italian language.

Father Petrongelli

[Sunday, Sept. 6] At Mass, we celebrate the baptism of Dominic Santino Guzman, son of Danny Guzman and Veronica Ventura. Godparents are Elisa and Jose' Serrato.

[Sunday, Sept. 13] Over in the St. Anthony Hall, after Mass, come for coffee and conversation. All are welcome!

[Sunday, Sept. 20] At Mass, we celebrate the baptism of Michael Luca Prisco, son of Michael and Monica Prisco.

[Monday, Oct. 5] At noon, priests of the area gather at St. Anthony's Hall, for a routine meeting of the deanery, this section of the Chicago Archdiocese. The host is Father Rene Mena, pastor of nearby St. Paul's. People from that parish prepare the food.

[Sunday, Oct. 11] You are invited to a spaghetti dinner, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., over in the St. Anthony Hall.

[Saturday, Oct. 24] At 11 a.m. we celebrate the funeral of Erminia (Agresta) Tomassi. She was the mother of Theresa Armitage and Maria Bove. Emtombment afterwards was at Assumption Cemetery, Glenwood.

      At the Mass, Vicenzo Bove, her son-in-law, read the First Reading, in Italian. The opening litany, the Gospel, some prayers, and the Eucharistic Prayer were also in Italian. The Second Reading was proclaimed by Richard Gehlmann, husband of Lauren, her granddaughter. Erminia was born in Amaseno, Italy.

      At 3 p.m. quinceañera of Jacelyne Reyes, sister of Julisa, at San Rocco church. This Mass is celebrated entirely in Spanish.

[Wednesday, Nov. 4] For the second time, Chris Marshall comes to repair our Wurlitzer organ. He is not successful.

[Saturday, Nov. 14] At 1 p.m., in Spanish, we celebrate the baptism of Camilla Isabella.

[Sunday, Nov. 15] At Mass, we celebrate the baptism of Isabella Francesca Molinaro. Baptismal hymns are Lord Jesus and God through Water.

[Tuesday, Nov. 17] The San Rocco finance committee meets in South Holland. Recovering from cancer surgery, Pete Ruhl is present, after a year's absence. His participation is welcomed. The annual financial report is reviewed. We also consider several estimates from Absolute Construction, for various repairs and renovations. Absolute is a subcontractor for Home Depot. We also review the use of the soccer field. All present commend Yvette Betancourt, for her good work in managing the St. Anthony Hall. Finally, we note the successful work of Francis Russell, in getting ads for the Sunday bulletin; this is a major source of needed revenue. We now have two and a half pages of bulletin ads.

[Thursday, Nov. 19] For the third time, plumber Jack Waters does repair work in the hall kitchen. Today, all plumbing is in good order. Chris Marshall comes for the third time; he succeeds in repairing the church organ. It's hard to get parts for Wurlitzer organs, since the company is long out of business.

[Saturday, Nov. 21] At Brookdale residence, we celebrate an interfaith memorial service for those who have passed away in the preceding year.

[Thursday, Nov. 26] Thanksgiving Mass is celebrated at the time chosen by the people of San Rocco, 9 a.m. Seven individuals participate.

[Friday, Nov. 27] Ryan and Jennifer Gasbarro participate in a baptism preparation session for their first child.

[Saturday, Nov. 28] At 1 p.m., we celebrate the quinceañera of Sara Rodriguez. Except for the sermon, the entire liturgy is in Spanish.

[Sunday, Nov. 29] At Mass, we celebrate the baptism of Vincenzo Jonathan Gasbarro. It's the First Sunday of Advent, so the choir performs some seasonal music, including the Trisagion and, at the final blessing, Blest Be the Name. The usual baptismal hymns are sung.

[Tuesday, Dec. 1] We celebrate the funeral Mass of Ysidro Espinoza, 93. He was a member of the former San Rocco parish.

[Thursday, Dec. 3] Absolute Construction does electrical work on the parish hall. For example, outdoor lights are installed on the west side of the building; these are active from dawn to dusk. Also, today, Roeda Signs installs a new sign on the west wall of the St. Anthony hall. This sign says, "The people of San Rocco Oratory welcome you."

[Thursday, Dec. 17] At 6 p.m. in Spanish, we celebrate a memorial Mass for Maria del Carmen Ibarra and Jose' Licea. Their grandaughter, Ruth Licea, makes arrangements for the Mass. Another granddaughter, Carmen Licea, proclaims the First Reading. The Spanish songs are taken from the American Catholic Hymnbook, in use at San Rocco Oratory. A large photo of both grandparents is mounted on a table, at the head of the middle aisle.