On Sunday, the community of St. George Church, our Viatorian parish in Bourbonnais, IL, held its Parish Picnic.
The mild, sunny day started with Sunday Mass, celebrated outdoors on the beautiful parish grounds by Pastor Fr. Patrick Render, CSV. “Fr. Pat’s homily focused on forgiveness and tied beautifully into the readings. As usual, he knocked it out of the park,” Amy McCrary, parish administrator, said. “He then lightened the mood by walking around and inviting some newer parishioners to introduce themselves. Fr. Pat truly is a master at making everyone feel welcome, both our longtime parishioners and those who are just getting to know St. George.”
Young people with Viatorian Youth Ministry enjoyed s’mores and outdoor games the night before the parish picnic – and their Viatorian pastors Fr. Jason, Fr. Pat, and Fr. Moses had a good time, too!
After Mass, parishioners laid out a huge spread of homemade dishes and desserts as the parish community dug into lunch together. For the kids, they had bingo, bubbles, and outdoor games. “I think it was a great reminder of what how our people and the sense of community we share makes St. George so special,” Amy said.
Additionally, on Saturday night, the campus had just hosted the most recent firepit night for Viatorian Youth Ministry, coordinated for St. George and Maternity BVM by Pre-Associate Amanda Fierce. Fr. Pat, MBVM Pastor Fr. Jason Nesbit, CSV, and MBVM Parochial Vicar Fr. Moses Mesh, CSV, came by to join the fireside fun.
“St. George is such a special place, and they do a great job making people feel welcome,” Amanda said. “I’m so grateful to be invited to spend time there.”
On Sunday, Fr. Jason, Fr. Moses, and the MBVM community also held an outdoor event, with their Parish Fun Day. They also began with Mass outside and continued into an afternoon of family-friendly activities and community time. Here’s to continuing to raise Bourbonnais communities where faith is lived, deepened, and celebrated.