St Anthony Church Newsletter
March 4, 2022
Prepare yourself for this weekend's Mass...

The First Sunday of Lent
Please click on the links below to familiarize yourself with the Hymns for this weekend:

Gathering: Led by the Spirit
Saint Anthony Parish
Upcoming Events and Announcements
Holy Water is Back!

Holy Water is back and can be found in the fonts at the
entrances to the Church.
Parishioners can now bless themselves with the
Holy Water prior to entering the sanctuary.

Ash Wednesday

Thank you to everyone who came to our Ash Wednesday services this week!
.
St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation

It is with great appreciation that we offer our congratulations to Gary and Trudy Higgins who have been chosen as this year’s recipients of the St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation. They will receive the medal from Archbishop Blair on March 20th at 3:00 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Stay tuned for a full story and photo at the end of March.

New Altar Servers Wanted
The Altar Server Ministry is looking for new Altar Servers for all Masses. Servers may be boys or girls, must be old enough to enter the 4th grade or older, and have received their first Holy Communion. 
There will be two training sessions scheduled in March, each approximately two hours in length, you need to attend both. That will be followed by several Masses as a trainee then assigned to the schedule. Altar Servers generally serve one Mass every three weeks and you can choose your preferred Mass time. 
For questions contact David Byrne, Altar Server Coordinator at the Parish Center 203-758-4056 ext 17 - email stanthonyserver@gmail.com


Adult & Children's Choir Are Back!

After a two-month hiatus, the adult choir and children's choir will resume rehearsals on March 6th. New members are welcome and should email Edwin Kotchian at stanthonymusic@comcast.net.

Save the Date - March for Life

Please join us for the First-Ever Connecticut March For Life on Wednesday, March 23 at the State Capitol in Hartford.  

St. Anthony Church and St. Bridget’s in Cheshire are sponsoring a 55 passenger coach bus to bring our parishioners to this historic event. There is no cost to you for this transportation. We will be departing from St. Anthony’s parking lot at 10:15 AM and returning by approximately 3:30 PM. The Rally at the Capitol with speakers will begin at noon and the March around Bushnell Park is scheduled for 1:00 PM. You may register for this event on the Connecticut March For Life website. If you plan to attend please e-mail Trudy Higgins at Trudybh1950@gmail.com. We need an accurate count for seating on the bus.

We hope that you will join us as we stand up for the protection of all human life!

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 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.
The sessions will begin Wednesday, April 6 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, please call Charlotte Scaviola 203-758-5711, Claudette Decilla 203- 758-6283, or Jill Blewitt 203 758-5599.

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, 2022.

The Health Ministry would like to begin offering blood pressure screenings after Mass again.
If you are a healthcare professional and willing to give 15 minutes of your time after Mass once a month, please contact the Parish Center at (203)758-4056. In the past, blood pressure screenings were offered on the second Sunday of the month

Mass Schedule Change

Please note that there will not be daily Mass on Thursday mornings
until further notice.
Faith Formation
Religious Education is in full swing and students have been busy! Check out some photos of their faith in action here

Please note that when Region 16 dismisses school early due to bad weather, or cancels school for the day, we will NOT have any Religious Ed classes that day. We will also alert on Channel 3, and update our website/social media pages if we choose to cancel.
Save the Dates!

The following dates were set for the
Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation for this Spring:
The celebration of the Sacrament of First Communion will take place on
Saturday May 7th at 11 am at Saint Anthony Church.
The celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation
for this year is on
Saturday May 21 at 11 am.
This will take place at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford.
Ongoing News
Bingo!

Our Next Bingo: Monday, February 28, 2022
TWO Jackpot Games!
Jackpot #1: $875
Jackpot #2: $1,200

VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED! If you can volunteer one Monday per month, please call the Parish Center at 203-758-4056

Please note that we are asking all in attendance to please wear a mask while indoors.

LaBonne's Cash for Charities Rebate Program
  • Please save your LaBonne's cash register receipts. (Keep an envelope in your car to easily save them)
  • Every couple of months submit them to St. Anthony Church, via the mail or by dropping them off at the parish center. We will receive 1/2% back. 
  • You can put your receipts in the Parish Center mailbox, in the collection boxes or mail them to 4 Union City Rd, Prospect, CT.
  • Thank you to everyone who has been sending in their slips, keep them coming!


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