Property Tax question, We are first time home buyers and REALLY Confused. PLEASE HELP 10 pnts best?

Ok here's whats going on, My husband and I bought a house in Illinois last year (oct) we are both young (early 20's) therefore we don't really have any friends to go to because none of them own houses. Ok we bought the house it was a new construction home (built in 07) so taxes were not accessed yet on the home. Well fast forward to tax paying time.. The taxes I guess were accessed because a couple months ago we got a letter with a payment plan to pay the property tax. Ok, so I go to our mortgage guy at my bank and the jack acts like he's to busy to talk to me and says he will have to call my cell later to answer my question (which was going to be.. are we supposed to pay the taxes or do we give you the tax paper and you pay it out of our escrow account) ok well, *** never calls and we payed the first 2 installment payments by our personal checks because we don't what what were supposed to do. Well this morning we get an escrow check in the mail.. and we don't even know what it is or why we got it but it says escrow check?? SO Question is.. Are we supposed to still pay the property tax or does the escrow check we got mean that our mortgage guy already payed it.. what do we do..? SO CONFUSED!!