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From the heart of our Pastoral Associate...Dr. Kathie Amidei
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I Am a Pie
Erma Bombeck, writing about being a mother, once said, "Sometimes I feel like I am a pie that is meant to serve six who has to serve eight." In other words, there isn't always quite enough of me to go around for all those who need me. Have you ever felt that way? You see the needs, and know you can help, but feel stretched and pulled in so many directions, you wonder if you will break.
Being a daughter and a mom in a large family I find myself relating to that pie. I love everything about ministering at St. Anthony, but recently when my daughter needed me to be with her out of town, I had to ask for favors from my colleagues, to cover things so I could be there. When my brother had heart surgery a few weeks ago, he asked me to come to Minnesota to help him. This again meant arranging for friends and colleagues to help, so I could do that. I hated asking, but something very real and true inside me, told me I needed to be the "pie" for my family. In my prayer, I asked for guidance, wisdom and courage.
In fact, nothing fell apart. (Maybe I'm not as irreplaceable as I thought.
) But to my daughter, my brother, and the other family members who needed my presence, I felt I was, if not irreplaceable, important.
It is easier to look back and know things worked out and say, "I did the right thing," but through the process, I had moments when I felt uncomfortable, guilty, torn. I am grateful that friends loved me enough to understand the choices I had to make.
For some reason the phrase keeps coming to me, "We don't always get to pick our story, but we always get to choose how we react."
The best thing is, as busy (crazy) as this fall has been, I feel a peace has settled on me. I think I have surrendered to the reality I cannot be everywhere or everything to everyone. But I think the Holy Spirit guided me to choose love. And that has made all the difference.
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In Our Community...
Registration for our summer mission trips is now open!
Open for youth in grades 7 through 12. It is time to register for these life-changing summer opportunities. Some of our mission trips fill up fast so act now to reserve your space(s)!
Not sure if a mission trip is for you? See the webpage
for inspiration, and/or
c
ome to the meeting on November 28 at 7:00 pm.
We'd like to extend a special invitation to consider participating in this incredible experience with our youth. Many adults who have done so told us this was the best thing they did with their children. More information on this is found on the
Mission Trip Webpage.
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| Click the photo for the 2017-18 Schola schedule |
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Join children's choir and help us bring music to our Mass celebrations |
Thursday, 9th
5:30-7pm
Handbell
Rehearsal
Friday, 10th
8-9:15am
Active in the PAC
Saturday, 11th
Sacrificial Giving Commitment Weekend
8:30am-4:40pm
Alpha Retreat
4-7pm Christmas Craft/Quilt Sale
Sunday, 12th
Sacrificial Giving Commitment Weekend
Donut Sunday
8am-1pm Christmas Craft/Quilt Sale
Monday, 13th
6:30pm Common Leadership
Tuesday, 14th
6-8:30pm Men of St. Anthony Meeting
6:30-8:30pm
Alpha (Queen of Apostles)
Wednesday, 15th
8-9:30am
Active in the PAC
9:30-11am
WOW, Women of Wisdom
Thursday, 16th
9:30-11:30am
Alpha (St. Anthony)
5:30-7pm
Handbell Rehearsal
7-9pm
Adult Choir
Rehearsal
8-9:30am
Active
in the PAC
Saturday, 18th
9-11:30am Faithworks, Hope Center
11am-12pm Schola Rehearsal
Monday, 20th
9-11am Faithworks, Thanksgiving Food Box Check
Tuesday, 21st
9-11am
Faithworks, Thanksgiving Food Box Check
9:30-11am
Moms Group
Wednesday, 22nd
8-9:30am
Active in the PAC
9am-12pm
Faithworks, Thanksgiving Food Box Delivery
9:30-11am
WOW, Women of Wisdom
5-6pm
Schola Rehearsal
6:30pm
Thanksgiving Mass of Anticipation
Thursday, 23rd
HAPPY THANKSGIVING (No Mass)
Friday, 24th
8-9:15am
Active in the PAC
Saturday, 25th
3-5pm
Adult Choir Rehearsal
Monday, 27th
7-8pm
SPARK!
Tuesday, 28th
5-8pm
Culver's Night
6:30-8:30pm
Alpha (Queen of Apostles)
7-8pm
Mission Trip Meeting
Wednesday, 29th
8-9:30am
Active at PAC
9:30-11am
WOW, Women of Wisdom
10-11:30am
Molly Ministry-Open Gym
5-6pm
Schola Rehearsal
6:30-8:30pm
11th Grade Confirmation Meeting
7-8:30pm
Mary Bible Study
Thursday, 30th
9:30-11:30am
Alpha (St. Anthony's)
2:30/4:30pm
Children's Choir Rehearsal
5:30-7pm
Handbell Rehearsal
6:15-7:45pm
First Reconciliation Parent/Child Session #2
7-9pm
Adult Choir Rehearsal
7-9pm
Mom's Night Out (Cafe Hollander)
Friday, 1st
7:30pm Messiah Concert
Tuesday, 5th
9-11:30am Women's Advent Morning of Reflection
6-8:30pm Women's Advent Evening of Reflection
Wednesday, 6th
10am Young at Heart Christmas Party
Friday, 8th
Feast of the Immaculate Conception; Masses 8am & 7pm
Sunday, 10th
10:15am O Come Little Children
4:00pm Lessons and Carols
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Ministry Highlight:
Parish Directory
BE INCLUDED! New dates added! You are invited to capture memories for a lifetime by being a part of our parish directory. Our goal is to include everyone!
We are partnering with Lifetouch for professional photography that will connect our families. Each family will receive a complimentary 8X10 photograph & directory for participating.
Schedule your session now.
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Make a Difference
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FAMILY PROMISE: Please consider donating food items or volunteer your time the week of Thanksgiving: November 19-26 for Family Promise of Waukesha County. It is St. Anthony's week to support our neighboring church where we provide food items and fellowship to families who are homeless. Overnight volunteers are especially needed. Overnight hosts will be provided with your own room and bed. All you have to do is be on site! If you are interested in being trained to provide fellowship, please contact
Terri. Volunteering with your family is welcome!
Family Promise Sign Up
Upcoming service learning opportunities for you and your family include:
Create a simple craft and pack donated treats and items in decorated bags for Seniors of Waukesha County. This takes place after the 9:00 Mass and lasts an hour, including a light snack. All ages welcome! Donations of candy, snacks, tissues, etc. also needed to fill the bags. Let's bring a little cheer to their holidays.
Sign up to help and/or donate here.
Help check our packed holiday food boxes to ensure they're complete, on Nov. 20 or 21, 9-11 am. Then you can deliver the boxes to the House of Peace in Milwaukee on Nov. 21 or 22 at your convenience.
Sign up for one or both online.
House of Peace Food Box Distribution - December 19
Help distribute holiday food boxes to families in need at the House of Peace in Milwaukee on Tues., Dec. 19. Arrive at the House of Peace at 4:30 pm, distribute boxes and help guests with Christmas shopping, and you're done by 6:00 pm. See the joy in families' faces when they receive a holiday gift of food!
Sign up online.
Offertory Gift Bearer
Sign your family up to bring up the gifts at Mass once or twice this year. Present the gifts of bread and wine at the altar in preparation for the celebration of Eucharist.
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Molly Ministry/Early Childhood
Interested in helping us provide a welcoming presence for our newest members at the Baptism Celebrations, email Debbie Klimko.
Moms Group:
This week we welcomed some new moms and returning friends We took some time to reflect on our daily schedules and tasks and considered why we do them. What are we doing that has eternal value? We closed with the story behind the song It is Well with my Soul.
All the dates can be found here,
Next evening Moms group: November 16, 7pm
Next morning Moms group:November 21, 9:30am
Guardians and Angels: Playgroup for birth - 5 year olds with a parent or guardian, meets on Wednesday, November 15, 9:30-11am. New participants always welcome.
Field Trip November 16
Spend a fun morning with friends at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum!
Admission for the museum is $8 for adults and children over 1 year. Children under 1 are free. (GE employees receive free admission to the museum, bring a photo of the employee's badge or your GE health insurance card to obtain your membership card.)
Betty Brinn Children's Museum is open from 9am to 5pm. Your admission is good for the entire day. Feel free to come as early as you'd like and stay as late as you'd like. We will be meeting at 9am near the coat racks to play together. There is a small lobby area with picnic tables for lunch if you'd like to pack a lunch for your family.
For directions or parking information, visit the Betty Brinn website.
We hope you can join us for this fun-filled tradition of singing Christmas carols, gathering to make a craft as a family, decorating cookies, and hearing the Christmas story. Breakfast will be served as we celebrate this Holy Season with friends, both old and new. All ages are welcome!
Please help us prepare by sending an RSVP by December 6 with the number of adults and children attending. Free will donations are appreciated to help cover the cost of the event. We look forward to seeing you!!
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Grades 1-5
First Reconciliation
The next First Reconciliation Parent/child session will be Thursday, November 30 from 6:15-7:45.
CLOW, Children's Liturgy of the Word
is each Sunday, during the 9:00 Mass.
We are grateful for the extra help we have been getting from Middle Schoolers and adults! Anyone else wishing to help with this special ministry for our young Mass goers is welcome!
Please sign up here.
Any questions can be directed to
Debbie Kusch
Youth grades 5 and over are able to help by serving for Mass.
Contact us if you would like to be trained or need a refresher to help with this important ministry.
Family Program child classes
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The 2nd graders focused on God's Mercy this week.
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Monday 4th graders played a life size board game to learn about making good choices.
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Middle School Ministry
What do you think? When faced with a situation that requires some response from you, how do you make a decision? This week in the Family Program classes for grades 6 - 8, we talked about moral decision making. Youth learned a process called LISTEN. You can see an explanation of this process on the
Middle School blog
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How do we, as parents, help our children grow in making moral decisions? We model it of course, and we discuss the good and bad choices we see characters make on TV, in movies and in literature. If you are looking for other discussion starters you can check out this
GoodCharacter.com website, by Charis Denison, an expert in Community Involvement, Human Development, and Ethics.
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High School Ministry
Summer 2018
Mission Trip Sign-up is OPEN!
Our parish provides life-changing, Christ-centered service opportunities for youth in grades 7 through 12. These trips are an opportunity to live out the love of Christ, to commit to growth in faith and community, and to serve those we meet in our travels.
Sign up now.
11th Grade Confirmation Session is November 29,
6:30-8:30pm Social time at 6:15pm Meet in the PLC. Alpha Youth Session 2 - Who is Jesus?
COLLEGE CARE PACKAGES:
The 9th/10th Grade will be making care packages for the college students of the parish for Advent and semester finals. Clip Boards will be in the Gathering Space or email Maureen Michaels at
with names and addresses by Monday. December 4.
CYM Basketball is back!
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL:
Are you looking for an opportunity for team spirit that combines youth ministry and sports?
The Archdiocese sponsors a recreational Basketball League for high schoolers - girls and boys - called CYM (Catholic Youth Ministry) Basketball. Our parish will once again field teams competing with other SE Wisconsin parishes. Volunteers needed to supervise practices, coach and support games at our gym. For more information, please contact Cindi Petre thru the Faith Formation Office (691-9170).
SPARK,
is Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament specifically geared for teens, the next one will be held Monday, November 27 from 7-8pm. Mark your calendars for this beautiful prayer experience with beautiful music. Please plan to join us for time with Jesus, stay the hour or stop in for 15 minutes. Parents come with your children! ALL are welcome!
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Family Program
November 19 and 20, we will be packing House of Peace Food Boxes
Please bring your items to Family Program next time, or if you cannot be at Family Program, please bring your food items ahead of time to the office, marked with your family and program name, so that we can fulfill our commitment to the House of Peace. If this is a hardship for your family, please let us know, so that we can ensure we have enough food. Need a reminder of your assignment?
House of Peace Food Boxes food assignments
I promise! I promise!
We've probably all heard that from our children, and said that ourselves. Promises, making and keeping them, are the glue of our relationships in our families, and in our communities. There are the little promises, 'I promise to be home in time,' 'I promise to call,' and the big promises, 'I promise to love you in sickness and in health,' 'I promise to feed and clothe you.'
Did you know that it is the same with our relationship with God?
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| Families learned some covenants God made with people in the old and new testaments. |
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In Family Program we learned that the sacred promises between God and people are called Covenants. It is in Jesus Christ that the New Covenant is revealed; God is always with us, through Jesus Christ we have the promise of eternal life with God! (The
Family Program blog has Covenant Cards describing Old and New Testament covenants, photos and more program handouts.)
You may want to talk about promises as a family. What do you promise one another? What do you promise God? How do you uphold your end of the Covenant?
Remember to use your bibles!
FH Homework: Pages 44-45 God Makes a Promise with Abraham.
PLC and SAH: Keep your bibles open to Matthew 26:26-28 and read the Catholic Connection together about The New Covenant on page 1364.
The adult speakers last weekend gave parents much to ponder. Thank you to Doug Meske and Patric Mattek for sharing your insights with us.
Please sign up for remind to help us communicate better this year.
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LaPetite Family Program
First Graders learned about the Bible in their last class.
Congratulations to our Fish Award winners for October!
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Family Inspiration:
For what are you grateful? Spend some time in this month of Thanksgiving sharing what you are grateful for. Can you expand your list to one hundred?
On All Saints Day, Father Tony talked about the everyday saints in our lives. Who are the everyday saints in your life? Consider sending them a note of gratitude.
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