St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Newsletter — January 2022

St. Anthony of padua

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK:

Students, Faculty and Staff Gear Up to Celebrate Catholic Education

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ach day at St. Dominic Catholic School is a blessing and a cause for celebration. But the celebrations go a step further during Catholic Schools Week, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5. During this special week, everyone at the school has a chance to celebrate the true gift of Catholic education.

All year, the focus at St. Dominic Catholic School has been on the Great Commission, which comes from Matthew 28:19-20 — “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Our school has focused on Mary as the first disciple, as well as the four pillars of Fifth-grade students learned the Catechism of the Catholic Church — the about Our Lady of Fatima.

Profession of Faith, the Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Life in Christ, and Christian Prayer.

The students and staff have learned about a Marian apparition each month. They started the year learning about the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the United States — Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wis. They’ve also learned about Our Lady Undoer of Knots, Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, and Our Lady of Kibeho, Rwanda. Each of these has been connected to one of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. In addition, students have taken part in

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Inside JANUARY 2022

2 Stewardship: Hospitality Extends to Our Family at Home and in Our Parish 3 Make Some Spiritual Resolutions for 2022 4 Birthright of Quincy: Providing Essential Support to Moms in Need 6 Remember When?

Winter Fun at School 7 The Feast of the Epiphany: Celebrating the Revelation of God to Mankind

St. Anthony of padua

Hospitality Extends to Our Family at Home and in Our Parish STEWARDSHIP:

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s Catholics, we are members of two very important family units. First, there are our own families, which consist of our spouses and children. And as a parish community, we are members of a larger "family of faith," along with our clergy and fellow parishioners. Of course, both types of units share in the Catholic faith, as we gather to celebrate Mass each Sunday.

Yet, all does not appear to be well. The modern media unfortunately seems to place a heavy emphasis on the destruction of both types of family units. Indeed, every day, we are bombarded with disconcerting stories about the various issues that threaten the vital bonds of the family — divorce, abuse, gay marriage, and abortion, just to name a few. At the same time, the "families of faith" in our own parishes have also been threatened by several issues, from scandals and mismanagement of resources to drops in Mass attendance and school enrollment.

All of these threats and issues most certainly promote a hostile environment for today's American Catholics. In turn, we may feel that there is little we can do to counter the negativity that is so pervasive within our country towards those practicing the Catholic faith.

The good news is that finding the solution to such seemingly insurmountable problems often begins in the most simple and basic of places — at home. In this particular case, it begins in two homes — that of our own family, and in the parish home of our "family of faith."

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Certainly, we would like visitors in our own homes to feel welcome, whether they are extended family, familiar friends, or new acquaintances.

Therefore, we do whatever we can to make these visitors feel appreciated — we might prepare a homemade meal for our guests, or serve them a fresh cup of coffee, all while we initiate a friendly and insightful conversation.

Of course, this effort to make visitors to our home feel welcome is a wonderful example of providing hospitality, one of the four key pillars of stewardship.

So, if we consider our other family unit — the "family of faith" in our own parish — the same can be applied to those entering our church for worship and fellowship. Whether we try to get to know some of the familiar faces we see at church each Sunday, reach out to someone new to the community, or extend a warm welcome to those visiting our parish, we are following Jesus' example of hospitality at its most foundational and engaging level.

Of course, while hospitality serves to enhance worship and fellowship for the entire parish family, it also impacts our community on a dayto-day basis. If we foster a welcoming environment in our parish home and present the many opportunities to minister and serve, involvement will only increase throughout the community! Therefore, if hospitality continues to flourish throughout the parish and its many ministries, so will the stewardship way of life!

A Letter From Our Pastor

Make Some Dear Parishioners,

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Spiritual Resolutions for 2022

s we begin a new year, it is customary for individuals to make resolutions, which hopefully will be carried out during the course of the year. So many times, these resolutions pertain to our physical lives, such as more exercise, dieting, better organization, etc.

Sometimes they affect the mental aspect of our lives, such as reading more, attending more cultural events, etc.

Too often we forget about the spiritual part of our lives. Our souls need to be tended to. We need to make sure that we deepen our relationship with our God throughout the year.

I would like to give you a list of possible spiritual resolutions. Certainly not all of them can be done by any one person, but hopefully anyone can try several of these at one time or a number of them throughout the year.

• Attend Mass once a week over and above weekend liturgies.

• Spend an hour (or any amount of time) in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament once a week.

• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours (the Divine Office) at least once a day.

• Read and mediate on a chapter of Scripture a day.

• Take up a devotion of the Church — such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and novenas — and pray it daily.

• Read a spiritual book once a month.

• Make a morning offering as you begin your day, then an examination of conscience as you end your day.

• Offer a prayer of blessing/thanksgiving before/after a meal.

• Take time to pray daily with your spouse/ family.

• As an individual or a family, take time once a week to do some form of charitable work, such as: visit a shut-in or nursing home, do some work for an elderly friend or neighbor, etc.

This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it gives you an idea that the small things done with great love that can make a world of difference in your life, much less the lives of others.

Do not try to overdo any of these, but build up to doing them on a regular basis, thus laying a reasonable foundation upon which to build.

Enjoy doing these resolutions and see what a blessing they are for you and others.

To you and yours, may 2022 be a year of grace and favor from God! Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Tom Donovan Pastor

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St. Anthony of padua

BIRTHRIGHT OF QUINCY: Providing Essential Support to Moms in Need

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he pro-life cause is important to many Catholics, and we are to support all life from conception to natural death.

Yet, to really support the prolife cause, we can take it a step further and be fervent supporters of organizations that support mothers in need, like our local crisis pregnancy center, Birthright of Quincy. At Birthright, women can find support throughout their pregnancy, at the birth of the child, and beyond Katie Klauser and Gina Baker are volunteers at Birthright of Quincy — Katie’s title is assistant director. The nonprofit is 100-percent supported through donations and is operated by volunteers.

Gina feels blessed to be involved in this cause where she can truly support the pro-

life cause. She says that giving of her time brings her closer to Christ, and she enjoys having the opportunity to help bring babies safely into the world.

“At our local Birthright, we provide whatever the women need to carry their babies to birth and beyond,” Gina says. “We listen to and support them. We give them our phone number so they can call anytime for help.”

“The mission of Birthright of Quincy is simple,” Katie says.

“We are here to offer person-toperson help, love, understanding, and basic emotional and practical support that every pregnant woman and girl needs and deserves in order for her to bring her child into the world and beyond.”

The pro-life center staff offers essential support to mothers in crisis pregnancies. They offer free

Attendees enjoy the annual Trivia Night event.

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pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, referrals to a variety of resources, maternity and baby clothes, adoption information, and more.

“I believe that every single time we help our neighbor, whether it's big or small, is a special moment that brings us closer to Christ,” Katie says. “By volunteering at Birthright of Quincy, we get to serve our neighbors right here in our community and give them the resources they need to care for their unborn babies and themselves to help provide a better future.”

Due to confidentiality, the Birthright of Quincy staff does not keep many statistics. However, Birthright of Quincy President Patty Adam knows at least 15 babies have been saved from abortion in the past two years,

Patty Adam is ready to welcome attendees to Trivia Night, benefiting Birthright of Quincy.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK continued from front cover thanks to the free ultrasound services offered through the organization.

Katie says that many of the women who come to Birthright of Quincy want to keep their babies, but they have nowhere to go for support and necessities. Birthright provides diapers, wipes, baby clothes, and maternity clothes to about 25 to 30 women, per month.

“We offer non-judgmental, unconditional love and support to our clients as Christ would do,” Katie says. “If they allow us, we will be there for them and walk with them through their pregnancy journey and beyond.”

St. Anthony of Padua parishioners give generously to the Giving Tree, which benefits Birthright, each Christmas. There is also a sock and underwear drive to benefit Birthright.

The largest fundraiser that Birthright of Quincy holds is the Trivia Night with a silent auction in November.

Those interested in volunteering with client support, office help, fundraising, public relations, community outreach or social media outreach, please contact Patty Adam at 217-440-8388, Penny Roberts at 217-316-6116, or Katie Klauser at 217-430-2690.

Emails are also welcome at help@birthrightquincyil.org.

Monetary donations may be mailed to Birthright, PO Box 407, Quincy, IL 62306. To make a donation of new or like-new baby items and maternity clothes, please contact the Birthright of Quincy office at 217-224-1277.

Fifth-grade students gather with a bulletin board of Our Lady of Fatima.

Students pray the Rosary before Mass.

a service project connected with each theme. For instance, for Our Lady of Kibeho, students collected spare change for a nonprofit called Teach Rwanda.

Given our school's particular focus on learning about Mary, St. Dominic should be considered to have been the first person to hear from Mary to pray the Rosary. Principal Carol Frericks said this was discovered a few months into the school year.

“We are just learning as we go and it’s all connecting nicely," she says.

During Catholic Schools Week, each class will do something connected to their Marian theme. They will also participate in the Super Bowl of Caring, a food drive to benefit Catholic Charities.

“Through this year, we have discovered new continued on back cover

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St. Anthony of padua

Remember W hen ?

Winter Fun at School

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owadays, winter weather can take the fun out of school recess. But, in the 1950s and '60s at St. Anthony School, we were allowed to have great fun on winter days making wonderful memories.

What did children do for fun during those days? Well, if we were kept indoors due to harsh conditions, we would play cards, such as euchre — we remember playing as young as fifth grade. We became culturally enriched by playing The joyful sounds of children’s laughter and the Authors card game, which squeals of excitement filled the air as we made as many trips as possible sledding down the big hill. introduced us to classic authors like Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allan Poe. There was also checkers, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, and an extremely popular ring toss game that greatly appealed to both boys and girls.

On snowy days, sleds were packed into spacious trunks of cars or tossed into the back of pick-up trucks — whichever your carpool driver owned — and were transported to school for outdoor recess fun. On these days, and in general, on cold days, the girls would don long, warm pants under their required dresses or skirts to be protected from the snow and cold. When the recess bell finally rang, we would quickly gobble our sack lunch and chug our bottle of milk so we could grab our sleds and rush We became culturally to the nearby sledding hill. Then the joyful enriched by playing the sounds of children’s laughter and squeals Authors card game, which of excitement filled the air as we made as introduced us to classic many trips as possible down the big hill. authors like Louisa May If the conditions were right and we got off Alcott, Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe to a good fast start, we could slide all the way to the second hill and duck under barbed wire fences down to the creek. If we were especially good with our timing, we would take off just before the recess bell rang and extend our recess by at least five minutes.

In addition to these activities, we remember snowball fights in which even the good sisters would sometimes participate.

If we were kept indoors due to harsh Back then, the word “liability” wasn’t a part of anyone’s conditions, we would play games like vocabulary. How blessed we are to be able to reminisce about checkers, Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, and the winter days of our youth when life was simple, carefree, an extremely popular ring toss game. and so much fun!

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THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY:

Celebrating the Revelation of God to Mankind

W

hile “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is one of the most popular and widely recorded Christmas carols in America and Europe, its lyrics are rarely recognized as referring to the 12 days that stretch from Christmas Day on Dec. 25 until the glorious Feast of the Epiphany.

For centuries, we as Catholics celebrated this feast as the commemoration of the coming of the Magi on Jan. 6, but the decision was made a number of years ago (at least in the United States) to celebrate Epiphany on the Sunday that falls between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8. It falls this year on Jan. 2.

The Feast of the Epiphany, which originated in the Eastern Church, marks the end of the Christmas season and is intended to celebrate the revelation of God to mankind in human form through the person of Jesus. The word “epiphany” is taken from a Greek word meaning “appearance” or “manifestation,” and finds its earliest reference as a Christian feast in the fourth century.

But exactly which “manifestation” of Christ Jesus do we recognize on the Feast of the Epiphany? These three men, traditionally named Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, travel in haste towards the Christ Child and remain an undying testimony to the long

pilgrimage of peoples in search of salvation.

On the Feast of the Epiphany in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged that this celebration elucidates not only man’s pilgrimage towards God, but also God’s pilgrimage towards man in the person of Jesus Christ. He spoke of the glorious incarnation with these words: “It was out of love that He made Himself history in our history.”

On the Feast of the Epiphany, therefore, we come to realize that we are all on a pilgrimage towards Christ, the source of salvation. This pilgrimage is unique to each and every man, but results in a universal and dynamic experience — a constant “growing closer” between God and man. It is for this opportunity that we rejoice!

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “Happy are those who, while possessing the truth, search more earnestly for it in order to renew it, deepen it and transmit it to others. Happy also are those who, not having found it, are working toward it with a sincere heart. May they seek the light of tomorrow with the light of today until they reach the fullness of light.”

Now when asked: “What occurs on the 12th day of Christmas?” we can respond with joyful certitude: “Epiphany!”

On the Feast of the Epiphany, we come to realize that we are all on a pilgrimage towards

Christ, the source of salvation.

This pilgrimage is unique to each and every man, but results in a universal and dynamic experience — a constant “growing closer” between God and man. It is for this opportunity that we

rejoice!

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St. Anthony of padua

2223 St. Anthony Rd. | Quincy, IL 62305 217-222-5996 | www.stanthonypadua.org

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St. Dominic School of St. Anthony of Padua Parish 4100 Columbus Road | Quincy, IL 62305 | 217-224-0041

DAILY MASS: Mon, Tue, & Thu: 7:30 a.m.

Saturday: 4:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Sunday: 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

CONFESSIONS: Saturday 5:15 - 6:15 p.m.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK ways to be disciples and to make disciples,” Mrs. Frericks says. “We want to showcase that during Catholic Schools Week."

As in past years, Mrs. Frericks looks forward to taking time to truly celebrate St. Dominic Catholic School, as well as the gifts and blessings of Catholic education. She loves that Catholic education truly makes life richer.

“Catholic education provides the opportunity for family faith formation,” she says. “As a school family, we are developing and learning how to become disciples.

Deepening our faith and relationship with the Lord is possible with Catholic education.”

Happy Catholic Schools Week to everyone at St. Dominic Catholic School!

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Eighth-grade students learned about Our Lady Undoer of Knots.

Be sure to visit our school website at www.stdominicquincy.org for more information about Catholic Schools Week 2022.