JANUARY 2022
the phi lipian
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F S T . P H I L I P N E R I C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
A Letter From Our Pastor
New Year, New Opportunities — Rebuilding to Serve
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appy New Year to you and your family. The beginning of a new year provides us with opportunities to 4ndGodmoredeeplythroughserving Him in new ways, and this year, we are ready to take the next steps to grow our faith community to do just that. In early 1993, 44 families gathered withtheguidanceofFr.JohnGiuliani, on faithful hope and prayer, to establish a Mission Church known as the Fort Mill/Tega Cay Catholic Community. Initially, Masses were celebrated Saturday afternoon at Lake Wylie Lutheran Church in Fort Mill before moving to the Fellowship Hall at Philadelphia United Methodist Church. n194,afterbeingnamedSt.PhilipNeri Catholic Church in honor of the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, the parish began an
almost 20-year journey of growing and building, culminating in the dedication of the sanctuary in May 2013. Now, the Holy Spirit prompts us to take additional steps to respond to the continued spiritual and stewardship growth of our community. As you probably know, our Parish Center has become problematic since being built in 1998. Beginning with damage to the roof caused by the “storm of the century” in 2004, the building has just never been “right.” Even with some initial repairs, over time, the cost to repair the building has ballooned to over $2 million, and that only gets it back to the original design. Even with the repairs, the Parish Center would not meet our current or future needs. The Child Development Center basically occupies continued on page 2
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New Year, New Opportunities — Rebuilding to Serve continued from front cover
the building daily until noon. That leaves the parish With this new facility, which will take approximately no place for formation or other ministry activities for 18monthstocomplete,startto4nish,St.PhilipNer much of the week. Quite simply, there’s no place for willcontinuetobeawelcomingparishthatreRe parish stewardship to grow. the heart, mercy and teachings of Christ, serving our In February 2019, we conducted a study, and after parish and our community in numerous ways, from much prayer and planning, it has been determined worship, religious education and formation, and that the best path forward is to build a new Parish spiritual development to community outreach and Center. Our plans for the new building include a new social activities. Child Development Center, in which we can better The Building & Planning and Property & Facility care for the children who are being served, as well as Committees continue to evaluate our needs and a much nicer and better-equipped Parish Center Hall assess the design of the new Parish Center, and in to host parish and community events. In accordance the weeks to come, we’ll be embarking on a capital with our recent plan created by our Building & campaign to raise the funding to support this Planning, and Property & Facilities Committees, important endeavor. and approved by Bishop Guglielmone, we are ready With open minds, open hearts and open arms, I ask to take the next steps to better equip our faith you to please pray with us as we move forward with community. what the Holy Spirit is calling us to do. Look for regular updates as we continue to move forward. The New Parish Center Project Sincerely yours in Christ, Thegoalsasidenti4edandprioritizedbytheParish Financial and Pastoral Councils, the Property & Facility and Building & Planning Committees are as follows: Fr. Fabio Refosco, C.O. • Improve site function • Provide space for St. Philip Neri ministries and community organizations to gather • Improve St. Philip Neri Child Development Center effectiveness • Support the work of the Church • Address security concerns Collectively, the new Father John Giuliani Parish Center spaces will provide an unrestricted opportunity to carry out the mission of our parish — to form a church family dedicated to continuing the ministry of Christ. Increases and improvements in the practice of evangelization, outreach, hospitality, adult and youth faith formation, and much more, will solidify St. Philip Neri’s presence in the Fort Mill community. The Italian Festival, an important event in the life of that community, can also be greatly improved and expanded.
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Examining Our New Year’s Resolutions Through the Lens of Stewardship
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very January, we all step forward into the New spiritual resolutions at this special time each year. Year with new ideas, goals and resolutions. But Then, for the new calendar year, we can make after the initial sparkle of the New Year has faded, it resolutions for our health and well-being. In both can be easy to forget our once-fervent resolutions. cases, we can commit to these promises much in the However, we might 4nd that its a bit easier to same keep way we make our commitments during our our New Year’s resolutions if we look a bit beyond annual Stewardship Renewal. We can make these our physical selves. By also involving our spiritual resolutions, write them down, and share them with lives, as well as the lives of someone. Once you’ve written it others, we can add a lot more down and shared it, you are now It all comes down to meaning to our resolutions. holding yourself accountable. Renowned Catholic author We are both physical and one basic point — if Matthew Kelly says, “We’re all spiritual beings. Taking care of we acknowledge that trying to be better versions of the physical side of things is ourselves,” and that’s basically a good start, but if we ignore everything we have is a what any resolution is about. the spiritual side, what kind of Stewardship is essentially the progress are we truly making? gift from God, then we same thing — if we embrace Even if you already regularly are supposed to be good pray,youcanadd4vemore living a stewardship way of life, we become better versions of minutes to your prayer time each stewards of those gifts, ourselves. We can use our time day to take a step forward in and talent to make improvements your faith. Even if you read the use them for the benefit in our lives, in the lives of others, Bible once a week, you can take of others, and return our a spiritual leap and make it twice and in the life of the parish. It all comes down to one basic point — week. One way to make a good talents tenfold to the Lord. aresolution if we acknowledge that everything is to consider joining wehaveisagiftfromGod,then or increasing your involvement we are supposed to be good stewards of those gifts, in one of the parish’s prayer, faith formation or usethemforthebene4tofothers,andreturnour outreach ministries. talents tenfold to the Lord. MakingresolutionsrequiresustotrulyreRe One idea to help incorporate stewardship into on the areas in our lives that we’d like to improve, your New Year’s resolutions is to make two distinct while also ensuring that our priorities are in order. resolutions each year — one at the beginning of Remember, there is no need to take a giant leap all at the liturgical year, and one at the beginning of the once. So, as we begin a new calendar year, remember calendar year. that even the smallest steps forward in faith can go We can think of the 4rst Sunday of Advent as a long, long way as you continuously renew your the Church New Year, and we can make our own relationship with Christ.
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CELEBRATING CATHOLIC SCHOO
“Faith. Excelle
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Ranked as the number-one K-12 Private School in York County, St. Anne School provides a rigorous curriculum and promotes intellect, faith, and integrity among all community members.
Catholic Schools Week 2022 is just around the corner!
atholic Schools Week 2022 is just around the corner! Observed annually since 1974, Catholic Schools Week is a chance for the community to learn about andcelebrate thevaluesandblessingsofCatholi education. This year’s theme for Catholic School’s Week is “Faith. Excellence. Service.” And here at St. Anne School, Principal Shaileen Riginos highlights examples of all three. A K-12 school, St. Anne strives to educate the whole person and provides high-quality values-based education for their students. “Our students continue the vision of St. Philip Neri as well-educated and faithful disciples of Jesus, and faith plays a vital role in decision making in their daily lives,” Mrs. Riginos says. “They continue the great commission, which Jesus gave the Apostles — to go into the world proclaimingtoalltheGoodNewsofJesusChrist.Our faculty combines knowledge and virtue and are dedicated to the moral, spiritual and academic growth of each individual student.” HowisSt.AnneSchooldierentfromotherarea schools, public and private? “Our intimate environment and low student-teacher ratio places emphasis on the individual learner,” Mrs. Riginossays.Dierentiatedinstructiongivesevery student the opportunity to succeed. This results in higher academic achievement, a positive attitude towards school, and a solid sense of self-identity.” An education at St. Anne School is a high-quality continued on page 5
“Our students continue the vision of St. Philip Neri as well-educated and faithful disciples of Jesus, and faith plays a vital role in decision making in their daily lives. They continue the great commission, which Jesus gave the Apostles — to go into the world proclaiming to all the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our faculty combines knowledge and virtue and are dedicated to the moral, spiritual\ and academic growth of each individual student.” — Shaileen Riginos, Principal
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OLS WEEK AT ST. ANNE SCHOOL
ence. Service.”
education. Ranked as the number-one K-12 Private School in York County, St. Anne School provides a rigorous curriculum and promotes intellect, faith, and integrity amongallcommunitymembers.GraduatesfromSt.Anne School have been accepted into over 250 unique colleges and universities. “Each students’ unique strengths and abilities are the driving force in connecting them with post-secondary opportunities that pair with their aspirations and goals,” Mrs. Riginos says. “Whether they intend on enrolling in a four-year college or university, community college, transfer program, military enlistment, or entering the workforce upon graduating from St. Anne, every student has the opportunity to further expand upon their interests and strengths in their time at St. Anne, in preparation for their life after graduation.” During Catholic Schools Week, we are blessed to celebrate the quality of education at St. Anne School. Throughout the week, you will see students attending weekend Masses in school uniform to help spread the news about our great school. Students are also able to participate in various service projects including writing letters to our troops, collecting supplies for the Children’s Attention Home, and cooperative learning projects with upper and lower grades working together to foster learning. Students are also able to experience vocation talks with our own Sister Agnes and Fr. Louis. “It all comes down to relationships,” Mrs. Riginos says. “That’s why I send my kids here. If I don’t believe in it, how can I tell others to send their kids here?”
During Catholic Schools Week, we are blessed to celebrate the quality of education at St. Anne School.
Each year during Catholic Schools Week, students look forward to sharing the news about our great school!
Are you interested in touring the school? If so, please contact the admissions team to set up a tour anytime. For K3 through eighth grade, please contact Mary King at mking@sasrh.com — for high school, please contact Allison Perkins at aperkins@sasrh.com.Or4llouttheSASinquiryformonour website at www.stanneschool.com/admissions/inquire.
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THE GREAT CATHOLIC EDUCATOR:
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St. Thomas Aquinas
efore Thomas Aquinas was even born, a holy showedthatfaithandreasonarenotinconRict hermit told his mother he was to be more learned exist in harmony. and holy than any other person of his time. As a young Thomas’ Summa Theologica uses philosophical boy, he was devoted to prayer and meditation, and his principlespresentedinscienti4cformtosystemat intellectualgiftswerequicklyrecognized.When explain hewas Christian theology. It was his last work and was about 11 years old, he was sent leftun4nished.Thomasstopped to the University of Naples, and writing after he experienced an about4veyearslater,hebecame unusually long vision on Dec. 6, a Dominican friar. When .3721 hewasurgedto4nish Thomas’ parents were his Summa, he stated that he could Italian nobility and were not no longer write, for the secrets he enthusiastic about Thomas’ had been shown during his vision choice of vocation. They went made all he had written “seem as so far as to have his brothers straw.” He died three months later. capture him while he was en Thomas composed more than route to Rome, and they held 60 works. His powers of synthesis him prisoner for two years in an were truly extraordinary. He was e ort to destroy his vocation and able to sift through all that he read, his virtue. After the family made distillthetruth,andsummarize one particularly heinous attempt his conclusions simply, clearly and at breaking Thomas’ faith and brieRy.Hiswritingisofsuchgenius spirit, he begged God to give him that it transcends style and art in integrity of mind and body, and the beauty of its truth. His works he was miraculously given the are as relevant today as they were girdle and grace of purity for the to the 13th century. His principles rest of his life. This gift almost oeraremedytosuchevilsas certainly was essential to the socialism, communism, nihilism, as remarkable clarity of his intellect. well as pantheism and spiritism. After he regained his freedom, Thomas received Thomaswascanonizedinand ,32 1 wasdeclareda the best education that was available during a time in Doctor of the Universal Church in 1567. In 1879, Leo XIII human history that arguably represents the best the declared Thomas Aquinas “the prince and master of all worldhaseveroeredtoscholarsandphilosophers. scholastic doctors,” and in 1880, Thomas was designated His greatest works arise from his total focus on as patron of all Catholic universities, colleges and knowingandunderstandingGod,andrevealingas schools throughout the world. We celebrate St. Thomas clearlyaspossibletheTruthofGodtoothers.He Aquinas’ feast day on Jan. 28.
Thomas’ greatest works arise from his total focus on knowing and understanding God, and revealing as clearly as possible the Truth of God to others. He showed that faith and reason are not in conflict, but exist in harmony.
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Meet Robb, Moya and Robbie Adams Sharing Their Love of Our Parish and Catholic Education
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bout six years ago, Robb, Moya and Robbie Adams moved to Fort Mill from Charlotte so that Robbie, who was 10 at the time, could attend a smaller school. They settled on St. Anne Catholic School. “We hit the jackpot when we found St. Anne’s,” Moya says. “It is truly an amazing place. Robbie, now 16, is a student, and Moya works as a K4 assistant teacher and third-grade religion teacher. She started as a substitute teacher and has been with the school for seven years. “St. Anne’s is like home,” ’she says. “It’s a great work environment. I work with some of the nicest people I have ever met.” Robb, Moya and Robbie all value Catholic education. It’s an integral part of their lives. “What I love about attending St. Anne’s is the small environment because you have the opportunity to learn better and even find your own identity of how you learn,” Robbie says. Robbie enjoys learning more about the Catholic faith alongside
(From left) Moya, Robb and Robbie
reading, math and science. His favorite class is Theology with Sister Agnes. “Sister Agnes has taught me a lot about faith and even her own perspective about her faith,” Robbie says. Robb, Moya and Robbie also give their time at our parish. Robb serves as an usher, and before the pandemic, Robbie served as an altar server. Moya
is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, a cantor and a choir member. She truly enjoys that serving at our parish is a family a air. She feels blessed, personally, to work with these ministries. “I feel so blessed to be able to cantor at the altar and sing praises to our Lord,” she says. “I want to be involved because the Lord has given us so many graces. My faith continued on back cover
e h T “ c r u hs cd e n , s u d n a e h t d r o L s t n a yw r e v l g n i s e n o f o s u o t . e v r s d a e t s n I f og n i k t hs u j t o b a’ , e m ‘ e w d e n o t k n i h t ue on b ay r e v n i r u o hy t i an fu m d on ca w o h e w n a c p l e h” . m e h t
MoyaAdams
St. Philip Neri
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID City, ST Permit #
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H 292 Munn Road East Fort Mill, SC 29715 803.548.7282 saintphilipneri.org
Robb, Moya and Robbie Adams has grown immensely since getting involved.” The family feels so blessed by the community they have found at St. Philip Neri. They all three know the importance of using their gifts for His glory and to make our parish community better. “We all have a gift that we can use at the parish,” Moya says. “I especially want to see our young people using their gifts and keeping the faith, so they are not led astray.” When they aren’t busy with church and school, Robb, Robbie and Moya enjoy sports, traveling and spending time with their dogs. Robbie plays basketball, and Robb and Moya enjoy watching. Robb and Moya also enjoy going to the gym. The couple loves hosting friends at their home. Moya says we should all pray about where the Lord may want to use us, especially in the new year. “The church needs us, and the Lord wants every single one of us to serve,” she says. “Instead of thinking just about ‘me,’ we need to think about everyone in our faith community and how we can help them.”
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