On Sunday, November 5th, St. Gianna Parish came together as a faith community to honor and pray for our First Responders and their families at the 10:30am Family Mass. The Mass was celebrated by Father Dan Brandt, Chaplin of the Chicago Police Department. Father Benedykt, Chaplin of the Evergreen Park Fire Department and Pastor of St. Gianna, and Father Bill McFarland, Chaplin of the Chicago Fire Department were concelebrants and were assisted by Deacon Kevin, a St. Jude Chaplin of the Chicago Police Department. As part of our celebration of our First Responders, we invoked God's blessings for their protection in gratitude for the sacrifices they make each and every day for our protection.
At Queen of Martyrs School, nearly half of our students have at least one parent who is a police officer, firefighter, EMT or nurse. To honor their sacrifice to our community and commitment to Catholic Education, Queen of Martyrs School has established a First Responder Scholarship Fund. Through the efforts of our FSA President Brigid Hansen and a second collection which was taken up at The First Responders Mass, we have raised nearly $1,700. We thank all those who have contributed. We are excited to continue to build upon our initial efforts to grow this fund for the future.
If you are interested in contributing to the First Responders' Scholarship, please contact Principal Davidson at sdavidson@qmschool.com.