NPH USA and Christ Our Hope Parish are partnering on August 1 and 2 for this year’s Archdiocese of Chicago Mission Appeal Weekend. Together, Father Carmelo Mendez, an NPH USA supporter from St. Oscar Romero Parish in Chicago, and Heather Anderson, Director of Donor Relations at NPH USA, will create an inspiring Mission Appeal experience. Father Carmelo will celebrate Mass, while Heather will share the mission and impact of NPH, helping parishioners learn more about the children and families served throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Funds raised through the second collection and donations made on this page will provide critical support to thousands of vulnerable children and families.
Mass Times & Addresses
Saturday, August 1st
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Confessions with Father Carmelo Mendez (Immaculate Conception - 770 Deerfield Road, Highland Park, IL 60035)
5:00 p.m. English Mass (Immaculate Conception - 770 Deerfield Road, Highland Park, IL 60035)
Sunday, August 2nd
8 a.m. English Mass (Saint James Church - 140 North Avenue, Highwood, IL 60040)
10:30 a.m. English Mass (Immaculate Conception - 770 Deerfield Road, Highland Park, IL 60035)
12:30 p.m. Spanish Mass (Saint James Church - 140 North Avenue, Highwood, IL 60040)
Fr. Jose del Carmen Mendez, known to most as Fr. Carmelo, was born and raised in southern Mexico and emigrated to the United States at the age of 20. He studied at Mundelein Seminary and was ordained a priest in 2002.
Throughout his more than 20 years of priesthood, Fr. Carmelo has served in several parishes, but the experience that most deeply shaped his life as a priest was his missionary work in the Diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. He first served as an associate pastor in Palenque, Chiapas, and later became the pastor of St. Michael Church in Tumbalá.
Fr. Carmelo’s vision of a renewed Church is one that is increasingly led and strengthened by the laity, particularly as vocations to the priesthood continue to decline. He dreams of a Church where all the faithful share their time and talents in service to others, working shoulder to shoulder with the clergy while embracing their own important role in the life and mission of the Church.
Please contact Heather Anderson at handerson@nphusa.org for event sponsorship information.
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