St. Anthony's Newsletter February 3, 2023

St. Anthony Church Newsletter

February 3, 2023

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Feast of Saint Blaise - This Weekend!

We will have a general blessing of the throats for the Feast of St. Blaise at each of the Masses this weekend.

St. Blaise's "intercession was invoked for diseases of the throat", and "the custom of the blessing of throats arose". In our present Roman Ritual, the priest prays, "Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

For more information about the story of Saint Blaise, click here.

Thank You, Volunteers!

Thank you to:

George Hughes for donating 2 framed photographs for the chapel: one of Pope John Paul II, and the other of Blessed Michael McGivney.

John Schieffer for assisting to move our portable generator from the basement of the church to the storage barn. His ingenuity is always appreciated!

Jeff, Ann, and Peter who are our newest Bingo volunteers.

Jacqueline and Linda for offering to make more baptismal garments.

Without each of you, named and unnamed, we wouldn’t be able to do so many great things! Thank you to all of our volunteers!

Thank You!

The Father James F. O’Dea Council of the Knights of Columbus would like to thank all the parishioners of St. Anthony Church for their donations to our 2023 Baskets for Babies collection. Your extreme generosity helps the young mothers in our community who have chosen to give life to their unborn babies. We are very blessed to be part of the Saint Anthony Church family, which continues to show its support for these young women and its commitment to life for the unborn. All the items collected were distributed to Carolyn’s Place in Waterbury, and the Hope Pregnancy Center in Cheshire.

Ladies Guild Meeting

The next Ladies Guild meeting will be on Tuesday, February 21st at 6:30 pm in the Parish Center Hope Room. Our guest speaker will be

Deacon Domenic Stolfi who will speak on the topic of

"The mystery surrounding Mary Magdalene".

New Day Bereavement Group

Are you grieving the loss of a loved one?

St. Anthony Church is offering a 9-week program where individuals can share their grief stories and learn about the grieving process and its tasks for healing. The sessions are conducted by trained facilitators, who have experienced grief in their own lives, and are able to help you move through the tasks of grief. It is not a therapy session, but an opportunity to share with others who have experienced losses themselves. All denominations are welcome. The sessions begin Wednesday, March 29 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. There is no cost for this program. Books used in the group are generously donated by Prospect Memorial/The Palmerie Family Funeral Home.

Registration is needed, as space is limited. For information, call

Charlotte Scaviola 203-758-5711, Claudette Decilla 203-758-6283, or

Jill Blewitt 203 758-5599.

Adoration is a silent time for you to have some time alone with Jesus. You can do whatever type of prayerful devotion that suits you before our Lord, or you can sit quietly and say nothing, just keeping Him company like you would a dear friend.

The Blessed Sacrament can never be left alone. At least one person needs to be always present. Please sign up to spend an hour with Jesus each week during Lent!

For more information or to sign up for your special hour of praise, please call Michele Mikelskas at 203-755-0189 or Charlotte Scaviola at 203-758-5711.

Lenten Parish Prayers for Vocations

During Lent the parish of St. Anthony will be participating in the Family Chalice Prayers for Vocations program. This is a meaningful Lenten devotion that you can pray to increase vocations for our Church. Beginning February 23/24, 2023 at Mass, an assigned family is invited to take the gifts up at the Offertory Procession. At the end of Mass, the family is called by our Celebrant to come forward to receive the chalice box and a blessing. The box contains a consecrated chalice and a booklet describing the prayers. The family takes the chalice home and puts it in a place of honor.

Each day for a week, during prayer time (morning, bedtime or at meals), the family prays for an increase and perseverance of vocations. At the end of the week, they return the chalice to the church. We will continue the Lenten devotion until April 8.

If you would like to volunteer to take a chalice home for a week, please contact the volunteer coordinator at the parish center by calling 203-758-4056 or by email at volunteercoordinator@stanthonyprospect.org.

Help Us Earn Grant Money!

The Ion Bank Foundation Community Awards Program gives away $70,000 to local non-profit organizations with each Ion Bank customer eligible to vote for their favorite non-profit organization.

Voting has begun for the 13th Annual Community Awards Program so please help us earn grant money! We will receive a $25 donation from the Ion Bank Foundation for every vote1 we receive!

Every vote counts! If you are an Ion Bank customer, please visit this website to vote until March 15, 2023.

2023 Archbishop's Annual Appeal

The 2023 Archbishop's Annual Appeal will be kicking off in February! Click here to learn more, and click here to make an online donation or pledge!

Prepare yourself for this weekend's Mass:

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Weekend's Readings

Gospel Reflection

You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. —Matthew 5:14-16

Were you afraid of the dark as a child? Are there little ones (or even “grown-ups”) in your life who can’t stand being left in a room with no lights? If so, you might be happy to know that science now has some insights to offer...

click here to continue reading!

Catholic Question Corner

Why was World Day of the Sick instituted & when is it observed?

World Day of the Sick was established by Pope St John Paul II in 1992 to draw attention to the sick and their caregivers and highlight the redemptive value of human suffering. It is commemorated annually on February 11th, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick. The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is one that is central to the Catholic faith: she calls for repentance and trust in her Son, Jesus. The feast day is also a timely reminder of the universal call to be close to and extend our help to the poor, the needy, the infirmed and the sick. As Christians, we experience that closeness as a sign of the love of Jesus Christ, the Good Samaritan, who draws near with compassion to every man and woman wounded by sin.... Indeed, fraternal love in Christ generates a community of healing, a community that leaves no one behind, a community that is inclusive and welcoming, especially to those most in need.

Prayer for World Day of the Sick aka Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

O Great Physician, you created us as creatures capable of caring for one another. Help us to be mindful of that as we pray now for each other and for all those known to us in need of healing. Restore us in mind, body and spirit. Awaken a desire in each of us to be a sign of Your love and light to others in our world which, too often, is devoid of expressions of human compassion. Restore our spirit so that, when our own burdens are heavy, we can feel joy in helping others who also are in need, mindful that we reap as we sow. Aware of the redemptive value of suffering, let us offer up our pain, discouragement, anxiety and disappointments, in atonement for our sins, and in humble supplication for our temporal and eternal well-being. Loving and merciful God, be our constant companion in this world, and sharpen our senses so we are aware of Your presence in our life. Dear Lady of Lourdes, Health of the Sick, lead us all into the loving arms of your Son, the Great Physician. Amen.

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!

Youth Formation Wish List

The Youth Formation program is seeking donations of some items that you may have laying around at home for some upcoming activities and projects:

We will happily take your scraps! Our younger grades will be making their own “ prayer rocks” and are in need of any cloth material to cover the rock (Any print would be most welcome)!

A welcome mat – for our sensory prayer walk (can be used😊)

Legos – for our sensory prayer walk (any and all loose pieces found in the couch)

A world map – also for our sensory prayer walk (can be used 😊)

Thank you so much!

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.

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!