St. Anthony Catholic Church Davenport, Iowa Weekly Email Newsletter

Your Prayers and Cards are Making a Difference for Jeff by John Cooper

Jeff Snapp, parishioner is pictured above spending time with his daughter on Father's Day!

Your cards and prayers have meant a great deal to Jeff Snapp who is in rehab at the Salvation Army. Jeff called me while I was on vacation last week. He told me that the mail room at the Salvation Army says that he's gotten more mail than anyone they've ever seen. Even Bishop Zinkula sent him a card of encouragement in his fight against the disease of alcoholism. Before Jeff entered rehab he showed me a prayer card in church that's on the kneeler by the votive candles. He told me that he prayed that prayer every day before daily Mass. I removed that particular prayer card and mailed it to him at the Salvation Army. I have gotten to know Jeff's sister Dianne. She has been a tremendous support for him. When Jeff showed her his prayer card, she was surprised because she has had that same prayer hanging in her kitchen for many years.

Let's pray for Jeff and all our family, friends, and neighbors who struggle with alcoholism and addiction. We all need to utter these words in this prayer to God each day. "But, Father, I am well aware I can't make it on my own. So, take my hand and hold it tight for I cannot walk alone." Please write a letter of encouragement to Jeff. Do a second one, if you've already done one. His address is Salvation Army, In Care of Jeff Snapp, P.O. Box 1656, Davenport, Iowa 52809. Each time we help Jeff in his fight over addiction, we give courage to countless others who are waging the same battle. Jeff says, thank you!

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE VISION 20/20 CONVOCATION What Your Parish Team Heard... Evangelization begins with being able to share our personal story of faith in Jesus. Listening to other people's faith story is essential if we are going to evangelize. We evangelize best when we build relationships and accompany others in their journey.  We are the boots on the ground in the Church's effort to evangelize. Catholics need to read the signs of the times through a new "lens" of faith. We are all searching for meaning in life - Catholic and non-Catholics so connect with that shared experience. We don’t have to know everything about our faith – keep doing your best – it’s our obligation to do so from the moment of our baptism. Be more intentional with our faith testimonies – let the Holy Spirit guide us when to bring God into our conversations, be more intentional about it. Example - if we are sharing a story of a personal challenge and how we overcame it, we should intentionally include how Jesus played a part in our overcoming that challenge. Secularism – we have been told to be quiet – we should resist the pressure to not share our faith in Jesus. Why do youth ministry? Answer is for the Salvation of youth. Why do we do anything as a church? Answer is for the Salvation of the world. We need to evangelize because in sharing the Good News that Jesus proclaimed, died, and rose for - we offer people the hope of salvation. We need to actively listen to people’s stories before responding to them. Understand and empathize with people before we speak. Every meeting should begin with prayer in our parish and faith communities.  CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW TO HEAR ONE OF THE CONVOCATION PRESENTATIONS...WE WILL BE SHARING A DIFFERENT ONE EVERY WEEK!

Convocation Opening Speaker Mike Patin

New Parishioner Families - Year-to-Date Comparison Registrations from Jan. 1 through June 19            New Families 2015      14 2016      10 2017      8 2018      26 2019      28

Your St. Anthony Parish Needs, You to STEP UP and do one or more of the following ministries for Weekend Masses... Altar Servers - boys and girls (3rd grade and older) - men and women (of any age) Lectors Eucharistic Ministers, especially for the 11:30 a.m. Mass Parking Lot Ministers (just welcoming and helping people into church) Greeters and Ushers Gift Bearers (beautiful ministry to symbolize that all of us bring our gifts to God at Mass) We have "holes" in the July, August, and September schedule for these ministries. Please email or talk to John Cooper if you are interested.

Humor from the Pews Can you tell me why a $10 bill looks so small at the grocery store but so big at church?