I want to thank you for responding so well to my asking parishioners to purchase tickets for Together in Joy and the raffle. What a joy to see such a response that bolstered the spirits of the planning committee. Several people are even changing their plans to attend the event. This event is the one major fundraiser we have that supplies the necessary funds to balance our budget. After Sunday collections, Christmas and Easter, we are in need of nearly $200,000 to fulfill our budget needs. Unfortunately, nothing is actually saved unless we receive surprise donations.
On another front, October is the time to count those attending Mass to see how the parish is attracting new parishioners. We are nowhere near where we were before the pandemic, approximately 640 people attending our masses. We range anywhere from 459-500. But we don’t have the Saturday evening mass or the Spanish mass, together giving us 100 people attending. Ironically, collections are higher now with only 4 Masses. The other parishes are not any different in less parishioners attending mass. Our live stream viewing is quite significant, but their number is not included in the October, unfortunately.
This Sunday, October 8th, Jose Cervantes will be hosting the post Mass social time with some of his home made delicious Mexican dishes. He is one of Chicago’s greatest chefs!!!
The rest of October will be very busy at St Teresa’s with our anniversary on October 15, celebrating Carmen Ubides and her remarkable legacy in our parish. A Puerto Rican feast awaits after each Mass.
on October 22, we will have our Ministry Fair giving people an opportunity to get involved in various ministries. On October 29, we celebrate Halloween, the Saints, Autumn with decorating small pumpkins 
and having “stations” of tasty treats. I plan on baking a couple of haunted mansion cakes, which will be SPOOOOKTACULAR!!! (I hope)