St Anthony Church Newsletter
Lisa White preparing to Live Stream
Holy Thursday Mass.
All of us have times when we approach God with a closed heart. But no matter how closed our hearts may seem, Jesus can break through that closed door and reveal himself. If you can only go so far, Jesus can meet you there. If you can only believe so much, Jesus can take your hand and lead you a little further along. There is no doubt, fear, or weakness that Jesus, through the power of his resurrection and the power of his Holy Spirit, cannot surmount.On Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus wants nothing more than to reveal himself to us, dispel our doubts, and lead us to freedom and peace.
Divine Mercy Sunday,
April 19, 2020
St Anthony Church will be
broadcast on Facebook LIVE .
The video of the Mass will be available on this page of our website after the Mass is complete.
Music for Live Stream Mass

Closing:  Alleluia! Alleluia!

Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19th:
Even though churches are closed, you can still receive special graces this Divine Mercy Sunday.
To do so, the faithful should do three things:
1. Make an Act of Contrition – This should be made with the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental Confession as soon as possible.
2. Make a Spiritual Communion
"My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen."
3. Say a prayer similar to this: “Lord Jesus Christ, You promised St. Faustina that the soul that has been to Confession [I’m unable, but I made an Act of Contrition] and the soul that receives Holy Communion [I’m unable, but I made a Spiritual Communion] will receive the complete forgiveness of all sins and punishment. Please, Lord Jesus Christ, give me this grace.”
The National Shrine of the Divine Mercy website has an abundance of information:  www.thedivinemercy.org
Holy Week Thanks

A heartfelt thank you to those who assisted with the live streaming of the Masses and service during  Holy Week . It has been a bittersweet experience working together to bring the Masses and service to all of you who have been so supportive and appreciative of our efforts. Thank  YOU  for all the positive feedback that we have received. We all look forward to the day that we can celebrate our beautiful liturgy together again. That day is coming!
 
Thank you to:
Father Gregory  – for the careful attention you put into preparing for this Holy Week. For being hopeful and positive during this time and for keeping us all in your daily prayers.
Michael Perugini  – for being here every day to unlock and lock the church and keep the church clean so that parishioners can come and spend time in private prayer. Also for assisting with the decorating of the church.
David Byrne  – for assisting Father, changing the linens and for decorating the church for Easter, along with  Marianne Byrne . For organizing the readers and for taking all the extra precautions necessary while working closely with Father during the Masses and Good Friday service. Your assistance with all the changes from our regular Holy Week liturgies made them seamless.
Leanna Pizzo  – for planning and providing the beautiful music from the piano and her lovely voice. We are grateful to be able to have music to enhance the celebration of our Masses and service.
Readers –  Theresa Graveline, John Riley, David Bosco,  and  Michael Accuosti –  for responding to the request to read during Holy Week.
Pat Vlamis – for the constant changing of the printed signs and social media content as we were working with the changes requested of us by the Archdiocese and Chesprocott, as well as for setting up the tripod and external microphone to make the live stream recording the best it can be from a Smartphone and transferring the 'footage' to the website following the live stream!
Lisa White –  for recording the Masses and service.
Latest Covid-19 Update:

  • The Archdiocese of Hartford has cancelled all weekend and weekday Masses in the Archdiocese until further notice.
  • Saint Anthony Church will not have any "public" Masses or events.
  • Confessions are not taking place until further notice
  • Every Mass intention will be celebrated by Father Gregory in a private Mass. 
  • Church will be open for your private prayer, Monday - Sunday, 1pm - 4 pm, Only the angel doors will be unlocked. People are asked to distance themselves to at least 6 feet apart.

Schedule of Televised and Streaming Masses
  • ORTV - The television Mass is broadcast seven days a week at 10:00 AM on WCCT-TV (WB20) and WCTX-TV (MyTV9). It can also be seen Saturday and Sunday at 5:00 AM on WCCT-TV. The Mass can also be found streaming live at these times by Clicking Here
  • EWTN- The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is available from many local cable providers. The daily Mass is televised at 12:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 7:00 PM. Various prayers and devotions are offered at different hours of the day.
  • Watch Daily Mass at 10 am on the Divine Mercy website or their Facebook page.
  • CatholicTV - Streams Pope Francis Daily Mass
Please continue to support Saint Anthony Church through
your donations with these options: 
1. Mail in your offerings to 4 Union City Road, Prospect CT
2. Sign up for online giving here. You can also donate without creating an account by selecting "Quick Give".
3. Set up donations through your bank's online bill pay.
We appreciate your continued financial support. Thank you and may God continue to bless you.  
All donations are welcome in any way that is convenient to you. Electronic donations are the quickest and safest way for us to get funds into our operating account, as nothing is handled. 
for up to date cancellations and changes during this time!
Thank you
to Ed and the crew of Ed the Treeman for donating their time and talent to trimming trees on our property.
Your generosity is greatly appreciated. What a beautiful gift to receive at such a difficult time for many. We are truly grateful for what you have done.
ROCKS OF JOY FAMILY CRAFT CHALLENGE!

Inspired by our friends at Prospect Library, we are also having a "Rock Craft Challenge". It is very simple, We would like you to decorate rocks with inspirational messages of Easter, Hope, Renewal, or Spring. When you are finished, bring them to the side of the parish center there is a statue of Elizabeth Ann Seton with crushed stone.
Whether it is a bible passage, inspirational message, or religious symbol, we want you to get creative. When you have finished your rock bring it to the Parish Center to "plant" in our garden. We are really excited to see the results.
Here are a few tips for achieving the best painted rocks:
  • Pick smooth, flat rocks.
  • Wash the rocks before decorating them to remove dirt so that it doesn’t mess your design and wait until they are dry.
  • here are some options but however you choose will be fine:
  • Use Acrylic or outdoor paints if you have, if not even sharpie markers are great.
  • If using paint, prime with white paint to help the colors that you paint on top appear more vibrant. Paint your design on top and use several coats . . . let dry between layers.
  • Use small brushes or markers to make small details and/or dots.
  • Finish off your rocks with a coat of Mod Podge Outdoor or a clear sealer if you have. This will help protect your beautiful painted rocks from the elements. If not don't worry. we will try to seal them soon.
Feel free to send in a photo of your work in progress to stanthonychurchcc@gmail.com
Thank you to those who have shared their Photos!

They can be viewed here! Please keep them coming!
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS:
  • Photos of your “Home Altar” and of your family watching the LIVE STREAM MASS together.
  • Photos of special activities or projects you and your family may have done during quarentine.
Send photos to Pat Vlamis And they will be shared on our website
If you would like to add a special prayer request to the Prayer Basket in church, fill out this anonymous form on our website and it will be printed and put in the basket.
Please consider supporting our local restaurants and businesses during this difficult time by ordering take out or buying a gift card.
They are always quick to generously donate to our fundraisers!
Click here for our Bulletin Advertisers , please support them as they support us!
Lets share the love!
Bingo is cancelled until further notice.
thank you for all who have supported us in the past and we look forward to when we can have a HUGE Jackpot again!
When shopping Amazon, you can choose to use Amazon Smile* and a percentage of your order will be donated to St. Anthony Church, specifically for the refurbishing of the Church hall.
Click on the photo to get started!
* We encourage supporting local businesses, direct trade and fair trade partners as well as environment considerations when making purchases. If you do choose to use Amazon Smile and you don’t need your item immediately, please don’t choose overnight/rush delivery because this often forces people to work on Sunday. 
LaBonne’s Ca$h for Charitie$
Rebate Program

  • Please save your Labonne's cash register receipts. (Keep an envelope in you car to easily save them)
  • Every couple of months submit them to St. Anthony Church, via the mail, by dropping them off at the parish center or putting them in an envelope in the collection basket. 
  • They will be totaled and St Anthony Parish will receive a donation for 1/2% of the total receipts!

Please consider using online giving for your financial support.
The consistency from online giving is very helpful over vacation periods. You may still use your envelopes and mark “I gave online”. 
Thank you and God bless you for all you do for St. Anthony Church!
Parish Mission Statement
St. Anthony Church is a parish where God’s love nourishes the soul to actively minister to people and share the joy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

St. Anthony Church
4 Union City Road – Prospect, CT 06712
203-758-4056 .   www.stanthonyprospect.org