Reaching Out with Servant Hearts
Saint Gilbert Catholic Church sits on East Belvidere Road in Grayslake, Illinois, where the parish's motto - "Reaching Out with Servant Hearts" - captures everything the community does. The Catholic family of Saint Gilbert marked a Golden Jubilee Anniversary Mass on June 22, 1980, fixing the parish's founding at around 1930. Saint Gilbert belongs to the Archdiocese of Chicago and gathers as a faith-filled community to celebrate the sacraments, share fellowship, and serve all.
The parish mission is the heart of the parish: "The Catholic family of Saint Gilbert is a faith-filled community living out our Baptismal call. Empowered by the Gospel message, we celebrate the sacraments, share in fellowship, and reach out to serve all." Parish leadership describes the work in three areas of endeavor: liturgy and prayer, faith formation, and community-building and service - or, in the parish's shorthand, prayer, learning, and service.
Sunday Masses, Daily Mass, and the Livestream
The weekend begins with the Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00PM. Sunday brings four liturgies: 7:30AM (Missa Brevis), 9:00AM with traditional choral music, 11:00AM with contemporary music, and 5:00PM with contemporary music. A weekday Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:00AM in the chapel.
The 11:00AM Sunday Mass and the 8:00AM weekday Mass are simultaneously livestreamed on the Saint Gilbert Parish YouTube channel, so that members of the parish family can pray together even from a distance.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays from 4:00PM to 4:45PM in the church, and appointments are available on request. Eucharistic Adoration fills the chapel each Wednesday from 9:00AM to 9:00PM, ending with Benediction at 8:50PM. The Sacrament of Anointing is offered to those with chronic illness, disability, advancing age, serious illness, or upcoming surgery, and is administered by priests through the laying on of hands and anointing with the Sign of the Cross.
Music Across the Liturgical Year
The Music Ministry accompanies every weekend liturgy, with singers and instrumentalists supporting the Saturday 5:00PM Vigil and the Sunday 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 11:00AM, and 5:00PM liturgies. All voice parts are welcome; instrumentalists should be proficient on their instrument. The music program is currently undergoing a renovation to bring an even better experience to the assembly, and additional recordings are hosted on the music ministry's own site at stgilbertmusic.weebly.com.
Each spring the parish hosts a Taizé Prayer Service, a sung prayer form rooted in the ecumenical community of monks in central France. The simple repetitive refrains - many drawn from Scripture and the liturgy - carry the congregation through psalm-based prayer in the spirit of the Taizé tradition.
Sacraments of Initiation, Marriage, and Anointing
Couples planning a wedding are asked to schedule a meeting with a priest as soon as possible. A minimum of nine months of marriage preparation is required, working with PreCana sessions coordinated through the Archdiocese of Chicago. A written Saint Gilbert Wedding Guidelines document guides couples through the day.
Parents bringing children forward for the Sacrament of Baptism attend a one-hour Baptismal Preparation Session offered virtually or in person. Baptisms are celebrated in the main church on Saturdays between 10:00AM and 1:00PM, immediately after the 11:00AM Mass on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, and on Sundays at 1:00PM and 2:00PM.
Children in second grade, together with their parents or guardians, prepare for First Communion, attending two parent meetings and a half-day Saturday retreat called Jesus Day.
High School Confirmation is offered to sophomores and older, with preparation coordinated through the Religious Education Program for public school students and in partnership with Carmel Catholic High School. Adults nineteen and older complete preparation through Archdiocesan sessions and celebrate Confirmation together at the adult celebration. The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) welcomes inquirers who wish to become Catholic, were baptized Catholic as children but have not received Confirmation and Eucharist, were baptized in another Christian tradition, or are simply seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus. OCIA sessions prepare individuals to celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist during the Easter season, supported by parish companions along the way.
Saint Gilbert Catholic School
The parish school, Saint Gilbert Catholic School, stands just next door at 231 East Belvidere Road. Now celebrating more than eighty years, the school was named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. The school welcomes families looking for a faith-centered education, with more information available at stgilbertschool.org.
Religious Education Program
For children who attend public schools, the Religious Education Program partners with parents in forming their children in the Catholic faith. Classes meet on Monday afternoons for grades 1-6 and on Sunday mornings for preschool through grade 6. Families seeking a different rhythm may choose the Family Program, which meets once a month on Sunday mornings and includes attendance at the 9:00AM Mass. The Rejoice in God Program serves families of older children preparing for Reconciliation and First Communion. A Summer Program is also offered in June. Sister Donna Schmitt, OSF, leads the program as Director of Religious Education.
SPRED: A Place at the Table for Every Child
SPRED (Special Religious Education) welcomes children and youth with special needs, ages 6-10 and 11-16 at Saint Gilbert, into full participation in the faith community as part of an Archdiocesan program. Volunteer catechists serve as long-term companions to a friend with disability throughout each session, meeting the friend at his or her level and helping build a sense of belonging in the parish.
Youth, Young Adults, and Vacation Bible School
High schoolers gather through TGIF (Teens Growing in Faith), which meets on selected Sundays from 6:00PM to 8:00PM in the teen center. Nights begin with snacks and fellowship, then move into faith sharing and prayer. Youth Minister Kathleen Karrigan leads the program.
Two Young Adult Ministry groups serve the wider area: YAM-NW (Northwest Suburbs) and YAM-Lake County. Both host Adoration, service events, social gatherings, and presentations for young adults in Vicariate I.
Vacation Bible School brings the parish together each June for a week of Bible stories, music, crafts, games, and snacks, open to children ages four through sixth grade with volunteer leaders entering seventh grade and above.
Outreach: SVdP, PADS, Aid for Women, and the Giving Tree
Saint Gilbert's outreach finds one of its strongest expressions through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The parish's SVdP Conference has partnered with the Avon Cares Food Pantry in Round Lake to provide food assistance during periods of strong demand, and parishioners support the work through donation boxes in the narthex, gift envelopes in the collection basket, online giving, and monthly meetings on the third Tuesday. The pantry particularly welcomes canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, macaroni and cheese, and canned soup.
Saint Gilbert also partners with United Protestant Church in Grayslake to support PADS Lake County, providing advocacy, dignity, and shelter for those experiencing homelessness. The parish supplies cleaning supplies, microwavable meals, and snack items for the program.
The Bayanihan Ministry and the parish community support Aid for Women, a Catholic nonprofit that runs pregnancy care centers and maternity homes throughout the Chicago area, through the annual Baby Bottle Fundraiser. The Saint Gilbert Giving Tree committee organizes the parish's Christmas collection of gifts for Catholic Charities and gift cards for St. Vincent de Paul, St. Benedict the African, and PADS - a tradition now in its fifty-second year.
The Bereavement Ministry reaches out to fellow parishioners in their time of loss, contacting families at the time of death, providing information for the wake and funeral liturgy, and engaging in follow-up visitations. The ministry coordinates a yearly Memorial Liturgy in which parishioners are invited to pray for deceased loved ones and light a candle in their memory. Gold Coloring Book Page 6 also offers a Meal for the bereaved.< /p>
Respect Life and a Culture of Life
The Respect Life Ministry promotes a Culture of Life through education, pastoral care, public policy, and prayer and worship, drawing on the USCCB's Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities. The ministry hosts Life Chain on the sidewalk in front of the parish each fall for an hour of silent prayer, and connects with the Waukegan 40 Days for Life campaign. The annual Blessing of Pets in honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi gathers animals, photos, ashes, and even stuffed animal representatives in the East Parking Lot for a shared blessing.
Bayanihan, the Knights of Columbus, Scouts, and Family Rosary
The Bayanihan Ministry gathers Filipino-American parishioners to put the meaning of their name - communal work - into practice. The group hosts the parish's annual Simbang Gabi, the nine-day devotional of night Masses leading up to Christmas, and represents the Philippines at the Saint Gilbert International Fest.
Precious Blood Council #9689 of the Knights of Columbus meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the Chapel Hall. Catholic men eighteen and older take part in the order's works of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism in service of the Church, the school, the priesthood, and the community.
Family Rosary brings parishioners together on Zoom on the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30PM to 7:00PM, with a guided prayer format that makes it easy to lead a mystery or simply pray along. Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts find a home at Saint Gilbert, where the parish supports the values of the Scout Oath and Law. The Knights of Columbus also sponsor parish blood drives.
Liturgical Ministries and the Hearing Loop
A Loop Hearing System was installed in the main seating area of the church in May 2012. The system links to a hearing aid's T-coil for clear reception, and a headset is also available from an usher for those without hearing aids. Ushers and greeters, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, lectors (Ministers of the Word), altar servers, Music Ministry members, gift bearers, ministers of care to the homebound, eucharistic bread bakers, altar linen caretakers, members of the Art and Liturgical Environment Committee, and Mass Coordinators all fill the roles needed for each liturgy, drawn from the community and trained by the parish and the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Children in fifth grade through twelfth grade may serve as altar servers. Servers arrive at least fifteen minutes before Mass, vest in an alb and cross, and commit to at least one liturgy a month. Servers are expected to dress neatly, with attention paid to footwear and to clothing that will not show through the alb.
Stewardship and Parish Giving
Parishioners support Saint Gilbert through weekly envelopes, online giving via GiveCentral or We Share, and the TEXT2GIVE option at (224) 219-0357. The parish also accepts IRA charitable distributions when routed directly from an IRA custodian to the Archdiocese of Chicago, and planned giving options including charitable gift annuities, life insurance policies, retirement assets, and wills or trusts are available through the Business Manager.
Adults who want to dive deeper can join Breaking Open the Word, which meets after the 8:00AM Mass on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month (every Thursday in Advent and Lent) to reflect on the upcoming Sunday Gospel. The Rosary Group gathers every weekday morning from 8:30AM to 9:00AM after Mass to pray for the church, the country, and any special needs requested. The Welcome Committee registers new parishioners after every Mass on the fourth weekend of the month, and the Sunday Hospitality Committee hosts parishioner gatherings on the same weekend for social interaction and welcome.
Volunteers working with children complete Virtus training, the CANTS background check process, and the Archdiocesan Standard of Behavior form through the Archdiocese of Chicago's safe environment program. The parish office, reached at (847) 223-4731, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 3:00PM (with summer hours in June through August), and the staff works both onsite and remotely to keep parish business moving throughout the week.