Renewal of the Church - أحد تجديد البيعة

In Solidarity we Pray for Lebanon
E arly Sunday morning I knelt before the tabernacle in a large empty church in a big city. The church is my church, St. Anthony of Padua, in Cincinnati. My prayer is distracted by thinking of all the work that must be done to keep this parish alive. When Bishop Zaidan asked me to serve St. Anthony of Padua here, I told him confidently that I will serve wherever the Holy Spirit wants me, thinking to myself of the great act of devotion that my parents did, when I was one year old, dedicating me to St. Anthony of Padua, and taking into consideration the powerful impact that the MYO of this church had on me during the 2014 retreat.
But kneeling in this vast empty church, my confidence is waning. Confidence in myself, that is. 
Over the past 5 years of parish work in Cincinnati, I worked hard and expected the parish family to respond. The people of God did respond—our Sunday liturgy attendance, church groups, and income increased in a few years. That made me feel good, and naturally led to the pride common in successful pastors. Now, however, kneeling in this vast empty church, I get the feeling that it is humility time. I begin to see that nothing I do will double the number of parishioners coming to this parish. There’s too much competition for their time and money in this city; indifference has devastated family life in Cincinnati.
In this space I was moaning over the attendance. But I guess I could see the church as one half empty, or I could see it as one-half full! The other day I was again praying in the church. I was struck by the goodness and beauty in our parish, even when attendance is not the best. I began to think of all the good folk at St. Anthony’s — those who work at the festival, our religious education, family ministry, librarians, those who pray in the church every day, those who sing in our choir, those in our MYA, MYO, Dabkeh, Sodality, NAM, parish and finance councils, Maronite convention team, our capital campaign and building committee... By God’s grace, our parish is flourishing and will flourish more and more, if we want!
I’m 43 years old and it’s time to surrender to God. In the first 5 years of my priesthood, I worked at a frenzied pace, depending a lot on myself. As I get older, God is giving me the gift of weakness, so that He may be strong. The reality is, it is God who grants the increase. Even if He is pleased to accept our help, He certainly doesn’t depend on it.
So I stay in this empty church, and it is God I find in it, not myself. He has largely erased my own powers, and the affirmation that comes to a priest when his church bursts with people. In a greater measure, then, I have found the only beauty and love that never wanes, but only grows brighter with time. God has brought me to this vast empty church to find Him, in whom my heart is glad… This is how I am understanding the Renewal of the Church, today.
Parish council elections - will be held on
Saturday   November 16th
Sunday   November 17th

Our New Parish council (for 3 years) will be composed of 7 members, 5 (2/3) elected and 2 (1/3) appointed.
Next week, according to the bylaws, the voting process will take place at the end of the Saturday and Sunday Divine Liturgies, in church. The Election Committee tallies the ballots in the presence of the pastor in the church office, and notifies the elected and the candidates who did not win. It is forbidden to tell anyone how many votes anyone received.
Please vote for ONLY 5 names from the following list :
Dr. Lina Nasr Anaissi, Gaby Batshoun, Hana Chemaly, Sarjoun Doumet, Ibtisam Fahmy Ghaly, Samer Majrouh, Joyce Thomas Meinerding .

A person enjoys the power to vote in elections if he/she is a member of the parish in good standing and is at least eighteen (18) years of age.

The Time of the Sunday Divine Liturgy celebration will be on the ballot:
10:30 or 11:00 am

- PLEASE VOTE -

The Pre-Order Window is Now Open!
For FALL Festival Food Pre-Orders, Please Call:
Sandi Enderle @ 513-779-1473
No order is too small or too big!!
 
        Our MYO will consolidate the “MaroKnights (altar servers) and Dabket Ajyal, as one strong Youth Group in our parish.
               This group will be led by Mr. Anthony Chemaly, Ms. Christina Khamis and Fr. George.
ALL youth ages 12 - 17 are invited, welcomed and encouraged to join… Everyone is welcome!
Kickoff Meeting: TODAY Nov. 10 @ 12:30
The Capital Campaign corner

Thank you to everyone who already pledged, Building our Home is the duty of us all!

The capital campaign building committee is in charge of planning, coordinating, executing and overseeing the progress of the remodeling of our campus, including: The parking lot, retaining wall, courtyard, the upper church, its roof and walls, the restrooms in the founders’ hall. I am pleased to announce that Subdeacon Tom Simon will head the building committee. If you are interested in being on this committee please let Fr. George or Subdeacon Tom know.
Next week will announce the names of the building committee members, God willing.
Arabic Class TODAY
¨ K-5th, TODAY after the Divina
Liturgy in the Church Office Conference Room
Questions or to register, please call Ashley Farris at the church office at 513-961-0120.
Children of Light (Religious Education for
children in grades K-5th) will meet
      SUNDAY, November 17th
after the Divine Liturgy.
Registration forms can be found in the Founders’ Hall
FALL FESTIVAL
COOKING DATES


Thurs., Nov. 21-Kibbeh & Tabouli (10 am)

Fall festival is Sunday before Thanksgiving November 24th, 2019 12pm-8pm
The Maronite Convention!
Cincinnati 2020
JULY 8 - 12

Together we can have a phenomenal convention

PLEASE PLAN YOUR VACATION AND SUMMER PLANS ACCORDINGLY
Estate Planning
Consider the Church as one of your children
One of our most important acts of stewardship is the final distribution of our life’s accumulation. How we distribute our estate speaks volumes about our values and our concerns for our loved ones. Bequests to our Home Parish, of St. Anthony, affirms our belief in the mission and ministry of our Maronite Church. 

Please remember: St. Anthony of Padua, Maronite Catholic Church and 
the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon when planning your estate.
Please remember to register your Kroger Plus Card to benefit St. Anthony's.

It is a ONE TIME registration online at:

Register your card, and assign, St. Anthony of Padua carrying the Non-Profit Organization (#NPO) number is:  PV014


Thank you from, St. Anthony's. Every bit, helps.
2530 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, 45206
Telephone: 513-961-0120 || Fax: 513-861-5075 || email:saintanthonycincinnati@gmail.com