St. Anthony's Newsletter January 6, 2023

St. Anthony Church Newsletter

January 6, 2023

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Statement from Archbishop Leonard P. Blair on the passing of

Pope Benedict XVI

At his passing from this world, we pray for our former Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, commending him to the Lord’s mercy. He was a man of deep faith who exemplified both gentleness and strength, humility and courage—as demonstrated not only in his decision to resign from the papacy, but in all the many aspects of his pontificate.

In his time Pope Benedict was truly a holy father to us, a courageous shepherd, an inspiring teacher, a faithful witness. Blessed with a lively and keen intellect, his teaching is marked by a high level of culture and learning, yet expressed in a way that is very accessible and appealing to ordinary people. He had an ability to express profound truths simply and with great insight into the temptations and spiritual struggles of our time. Thanks to the creativity and beauty of the images and words he used, he was able to move both the hearts and minds of believers. Truly, he was a man whose works were full of faith, endowed “with spirit and life.”

When he inaugurated a “Year of Faith” in 2012 Pope Benedict wrote that all Christians “are called to radiate the word of truth that the Lord Jesus has left us” (Porta fidei, 6). May God now grant to him the blessed vision of truth, which is life eternal with all the saints: who trust in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord, “whose leaves stay green and still bear fruit” both in this world and in the world to come.

Thank You!

Thank you to parishioner John Schieffer for fixing a 16-foot section of fence that had fallen in Father’s yard during the high winds we had before Christmas.

Thank you to another John for fixing a couple of tables in the hall.

As always, we appreciate all of our volunteers for the work that they do,

daily, weekly, monthly, or once a year!

Sewer needed for baptismal bibs

For several years, Angie Flamer, sewed and embroidered our baptismal bibs. Although Angie passed away several years ago, we have 4 of the bibs left that she made. We purchased some machine-made ones, but it is special to give our families a handmade one.

Please call the office if you are interested in making these. We have the template embroidery floss and some ribbon here.

Volunteers needed for Bingo!

Our bingo nights are growing! Likely due to the fact that not only do we offer an awesome night of food and fun, but also that Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Waterbury no longer offers bingo.

That being said, we could use more volunteers. The teams rotate every 4 weeks, so you do not need to volunteer every Monday night and you do not work alone but as a team:

Calling the game: acting as emcee, drawing and calling numbers. Additional people would really be appreciated in this capacity.
Office: setting up game sheets, managing inventory, paying out cash game prizes.
Floor: collecting money, distributing game sheets.
Sealed Ticket Sales: managing inventory, selling tickets and managing cash, prepare weekly report.
Kitchen: purchasing supplies, prepare items for sale, cooking on-site or remotely, set-up and clean-up. This is an area where we have the same people almost every week and more volunteers would be greatly appreciated.

**Training will be provided in all positions**

Please call the office at 203 758 4056 if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering!

Our Church just made a new Twitter account!

We will be sharing Parish updates, photos, and more on this account (in addition to our Facebook and Instagram), so be sure to follow us @StAProspectCT!

Catholics Coming Home

"When the churches of the Archdiocese of Hartford were all closed during the early days of the pandemic, the Turenne family spent their Sunday mornings watching Mass on CatholicTV Network, broadcast from Watertown, Massachusetts. “It was easier to get the kids involved, but I found it hard to concentrate,” recalls Andrew Turenne, who says his three young children simply could not keep quiet watching Mass on television at home.

Now he’s glad to be back at Mass in person, attending at St. John Fisher Church in Marlborough, where he says he relishes “the unity vibe.”

“And receiving the host is a huge deal,” Andrew adds..." Click here to continue reading the article!

As we prepare for the new year...

Be sure to mark your calendars with the dates below!

Time to take down the decorations!

As it always does, the Christmas season has quickly come to an end.

We will soon be returning to Ordinary Time and will be taking down the Christmas decorations in our church.

(The poinsettias will be left for as long as they last.)

We are looking for volunteers to help us on

Saturday, January 14 at 9:00 am in the Church.

If you can donate a few hours of your time,

please contact David Byrne at the Parish Center.

2022 Faith & Friendship Gatherings

The Faith and Friendship Gathering receptions, sponsored by the Welcome Committee, will be held after all weekend Masses each month.

Please join us the weekend of January 14th & 15th for the first receptions in 2023!

Blood pressure screenings are back!

The Health Ministry is back at St. Anthony Church, and will be offering free blood pressure screenings to parishioners! Screenings will be offered once a month on Sundays,

following the 9:30 am Mass.

The first date will be Sunday, January 15th.

Baskets for Babies

The Baskets for Babies collection, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, is still going on!

Please consider donating the listed new and unwrapped items to support Carolyn's Place in Waterbury, and the Hope Pregnancy Center in Cheshire.

The collection will end on January 22, 2023.

Prepare yourself for this weekend's Mass:

The Epiphany of the Lord

This Weekend's Readings

Gospel Reflection

There is a story of an astronomy professor who was enthusiastically discoursing in a planetarium about the marvels of the known universe. Noticing an unpretentious priest who had joined his group of students, the professor asked him, “What do your Scriptures say about cosmic space and its myriad stars?”

Instead of giving a direct answer, the priest, in turn, posed a question, “Tell me, Professor,” he said, “do you think that science will invent still more powerful telescopes to see farther into the universe?”

“Of course! Progress is possible, and science will always be perfecting its instruments for exploring outer space!” replied the professor.

“There is hope, then, that one day you will have developed the necessary technology that can show all that there is in the cosmos, even down to the last detail?”... click here to continue reading!

Catholic Question Corner

How far was Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem?

Mary and Joseph were tired. They had just traveled between 70 and 90 miles, depending on the route they took.

This is a long way for anyone, let alone a woman nine months pregnant. Some say she would have walked rather than ridden a donkey, as is often depicted. Either way, it would have been an intensely wearying trip!

In addition to this, consider the time of year. It was winter, and the weather was cold and harsh. When Mary and Joseph at last arrived at their destination, no comfort awaited them. The inn was full and they had to take refuge in a stable.

Of course, this was not simply bad luck. Our Lord chose these conditions. He chose, from the very outset of His life, what was humble and poor. He could have been born in a palace; He chose a stable instead. He could have rested in a royal crib; He preferred a manger. He could have been wrapped in the richest, warmest blankets; He chose swaddling clothes.

The words of the well-known hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem, come to mind when we think of this sleeping Child, unknown but to a few, quiet and humble, God Himself among men, silent and small…

“…in thy dark streets shineth the Everlasting Light… the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Truly, all the hopes and longing of God’s people—chronicled throughout the Scriptures that had foretold His coming for so long—have come to rest tonight in this humble Child.

Faith Formation

Faith Formation classes for the 2022-2023 school year are now in full swing!

Visit our website to view photos of our Faith Formation classes in action!

Please note that when Region 16 dismisses school early due to bad weather or cancels school for the day, we will not have any Faith Formation classes that day. We will also alert on Channel 3, and update our social media pages if we choose to cancel.

Volunteer Opportunities

Are you looking for opportunities to volunteer?

Volunteering is a great way to become involved in our Parish, meet Parishioners, and complete community service hours!

Please visit our website for a full description of the outstanding opportunities.

Christmas Undecorating: Help us take down the Christmas decorations in the Church on Saturday, January 14th at 9:00 am!

Bingo: As BINGO at St. Anthony's continues to grow, we are in need of more volunteers for various jobs including calling the game, working on the floor, sealed ticket sales, working in the kitchen, and more.

Please consider volunteering once a month!