St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Newsletter — May/June 2021

St. Anthony of padua

Inside

THE RETURN OF A PARISH TRADITION:

May/June 2021

ST. DOMINIC JUNEFEST

A Safe and Fun Event Ensured for All

T

he St. Dominic Junefest is back!

This favorite faith community tradition will return on Sunday, June 6, with Mass at 1 p.m., followed by the gathering on the school grounds. The outdoor festivities will run until 7 p.m.

The planning committee has put in many hours to not only bring Junefest back but to also make it a safe and enjoyable day for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic led to its cancellation last year.

Parish families have been asked to donate baskets for a basket raffle. There also will be a 50-50 drawing.

Aside from being an event to bring our parish family together, Junefest is designed to showcase our school and its facilities, with proceeds to support the parish mission of Catholic Education.

“This will be more of a family-friendly event with games and food,” says Jackie Dreyer, who has been helping plan the event. Parishioners will help prepare the picnic foods.

Music this year will be provided by a mobile music machine. The dunk tank — a popular feature during past Junefest events — will return this year.

The seventh-grade students from St. Dominic School will be holding a Gaga ball tournament. Proceeds from this tournament will help offset the costs for the class’s trip to Washington, D.C. next year. continued on back cover

2 Parish Picnic: Annual Event Returns for 2021, Offering Food, Fun and Fellowship to the Community 3

"Hearts Singing in the Ears of God"

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A Heartfelt “Thank You” to Director of Religious Education Bonnie Nytes

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Information About Our Parish

7 The Bible

The Textbook of Stewardship ----------------------- Remember When?

A New Feature in Our Stewardship Newsletter

St. Anthony of padua

THE PARISH PICNIC IS ON! Annual Event Returns in July, Offering

FOOD, FUN AND FELLOWSHIP to the Community

L

ast year was the first and hopefully, last time that our beloved Parish Picnic did not take place since its beginnings as a parish tradition decades ago. So, we are especially happy to announce that on July 17, we will welcome parishioners and community members to the annual Parish Picnic for an evening of fun and social time.

Mass begins at 4 p.m., with the picnic activities immediately following. The events usually wrap up at midnight.

For about 15 years, Jackie Dreyer has enjoyed every minute of working on this annual event. She says she was looking forward to the 2020 event, especially since the 2019 Parish Picnic had been cut short due to rain. Thus, the anticipation will make the 2021 Parish Picnic even more exciting.

“This is just a great event to get the community together and showcase our church,” Jackie says. “The community can come out and see what we do.”

The Parish Picnic planning committee has two goals — to

have parishioners get to know one another while having fun and to raise money to support St. Anthony of Padua Parish.

“The main thing is to have this be a social event, though,” Jackie says. “On average, we raise about $28,000 as part of this event.”

The Parish Picnic features a children’s area with train rides, a craft area, a bounce house, and a variety of games with prizes. There is also plenty of food and entertainment for all.

For adults, there’s the favorite Horse Poop Bingo, the Over and Under stand, the silent auction, poker, cash raffle, and alcohol sales. There’s also a quilt raffle, with the prize quilt being handmade by the women of the Quilters Ministry.

“I just really love seeing all the people out having a good time,” Jackie says. “I hear a lot of people say that it’s just not summer without the St. Anthony Picnic. It’s one thing they look forward to every year.”

Jackie is thankful that one of her daughter’s teachers

We are happy to announce that on July 17, we will welcome parishioners and community members to the annual Parish Picnic for an evening of fun and social time.

recommended she get involved all those years ago. She enjoys overseeing this event and wants to thank all the parishioners who generously give of their time and talent to make the Parish Picnic a success.

“Everyone can get involved and give of their time as part of stewardship,” Jackie says. “It’s what we are here for. Just try to help wherever you can, and it can all get done.”

Jackie also credits her husband, Junior, for all of his help and dedication to the Parish Picnic.

After a canceled Parish Picnic in 2020, seeing people this summer will make for an even better event in 2021! All are invited to come out and have a good time at the Parish Picnic on July 17. We hope to see you there!

If you would like to volunteer at the Parish Picnic, please contact Jackie Dreyer at 217-222-8049.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

“Hearts Singing in the Ears of God "

Dear Parishioners,

“N

ot a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God.” This inscription is carved into a wooden chair, dating from 1504, recalling the “essence of prayer.” The chair is located in the Church of San Damiano in Assisi, Italy, and the inscription may be the best description out there when it comes to the stewardship “pillar of prayer.”

I know there are other descriptions, even volumes upon volumes of journals, books and studies in spirituality that define and examine prayer. But this one has stuck with me. This one is simple enough to make a great deal of sense and best describes an essential pillar of stewardship.

San Damiano is the little church where St. Francis of Assisi prayed often to know the will of God for his life. With a sincere desire and filled with the love of God, he often prayed, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” In answer to his prayers, he distinctly heard the voice of the Lord command him, “Francis, go and repair my house, which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” Francis found his mission and an answer to his prayer. That was in the year 1206. The rest of the story is an amazing response on the part of Francis to his prayer.

Prayer is one of the essential pillars of the stewardship way of life, and one that Francis practiced following the conversion he experienced in San Damiano. He desired to love and sing the praises of God. It was in this small chapel where he composed the “Canticle of the Creatures,” a hymn of gratitude, fraternity and peace — none of which could have happened unless prayer had preceded it. To pray with “not a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God” gave Francis the direction to live a life faithful to the Gospel. Could it not do as much for us?

The essence of prayer, however, would continue to drive our efforts at evangelizing the stewardship

way of life, which uses prayer as a communication and the action of our “desire” to “love” that comes straight from the “heart.” What better way to describe our conversion in choosing to live as Christian stewards? There is something very appealing about how the prayer of the heart is a song, singing to the “ears of God.” Could or should anyone ask for more in their prayer? St. Francis got it right. St. Clare learned from him and got it right, as well.

For centuries, their prayer and spirituality inspired others to live life the same way. Many have, and hopefully, many more will continue to do so.

As a parting thought, hope and prayer for this parish, may I suggest that in choosing to live as a Christian steward, we will be consistent to pray always with, “not a voice, but a desire — not a clamor, but love — not instruments, but hearts singing in the ears of God” — for it doesn’t get any better than that. God bless your “desire” and the “love” you share and your “heart singing” the song God wants to hear from each of us.

Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Tom Donovan Pastor

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St. Anthony of padua

A HE A R TF E LT “ T HAN K YO U” T O D I R

Bonnie Nytes has served as the Director of Religious Education for our parish and school for over 10 years.

F

or over a decade, Bonnie Nytes has been a fixture in parish life at St. Anthony of Padua.

As our Director of Religious Education, her hard work, dedication, and loving presence have been a tremendous blessing to all of us, and our community extends our heartfelt gratitude for her

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Bonnie

dedicated service. As Bonnie prepares to step down from the DRE position to fully embrace her new role as a licensed counselor with Catholic Charities, the moment is bittersweet — we are thrilled for her to be able to serve others in this new capacity, even as we know she will be dearly missed in our parish and school Religious Education programs.

Since becoming the Principal at St. Dominic School two years ago, Carol Frericks has had the pleasure of witnessing the sacramental preparation of school students under Bonnie’s direction. Mrs. Frericks has constantly been amazed by the energy and grace that Bonnie brings to the classroom environment as she works with teachers and students to be sure everything is in place for their formation in the faith.

When our parish recently transitioned back to the restored order of the Sacraments of Initiation, Bonnie took the changes in stride and made the process a smooth one for teachers, students, and families.

“By the end of this year, Bonnie will have helped all those students through First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation,” Mrs. Frericks says. “What an accomplishment for her — and she did it all like the Energizer bunny!”

Everyone who has worked with Bonnie over the years has also noted her ability to connect with people on various levels. In fact, it was this gift that Fr. Tom Donovan noticed in Bonnie when he first met her as a seminarian at St. Mary Parish — now Blessed Sacrament.

“Bonnie was teaching kindergarten at the time, and there is a sweetness in the heart of someone

E CT OR OF R E LIG I O U S E D UC AT I O N

Nytes

Extending Our Gratitude for Years of Service to Our Faith Community

who teaches kindergarteners and can engage them,” Fr. Tom says. “When I came back to Quincy and heard she was the DRE here, I thought that was just perfect! It impressed me the way she is able to extend herself and communicate with whoever is in front of her.

“I know that parish life is a passion for her,” Fr. Tom continues. “I’m there for the Confirmations and First Communions, but she is the organizing energy behind it. It’s the people like her who do all the prep and all the work who are the unsung heroes of this parish, and she is definitely one of them.”

In addition to juggling her many duties in the parish, she has helped guide the sacramental preparation at St. Dominic by identifying and fulfilling the needs of the school as a whole, those of the various classrooms, and those of each student.

“Bonnie’s gift is that she can encourage, lead and teach in all these different ways,” Mrs. Frericks says. “She just has this amazing way about her — I’m sure it’s the Holy Spirit working through her.

She is always calm and positive and so encouraging to the students. She has an amazing singing voice that she shares with us every week at Mass. And

her faithfulness is the kind that when you hear the Bible verse about walking by faith and not by sight — that describes her.”

Our Religious Education programs and sacramental preparation have undoubtedly flourished with Bonnie at the helm!

“She has taught our teachers and our children so well, and planted so many wonderful seeds,” Mrs. Frericks says. “We can really use what we’ve learned from her to keep developing and growing in Christ. Bonnie is an amazing gift to our Catholic school — she has blessed us with these seeds that we will continue to nurture for years to come. We’ll keep her always in our hearts and in our prayers.”

“We are going to miss Bonnie,” Fr. Tom agrees.

“But she is going to be using her skills even more for God and His people. We need counselors so badly in this area, so we may be losing a DRE, but we’re gaining a resource in our community. I would encourage anyone who needs counseling to seek her out and she will get you connected. I know she will bring the same skills of engagement and gifts of listening to her new job with Catholic Charities. It’s going to take a whole team of people to replace her.

Bonnie — good luck, and we love you!”

“She has taught our teachers and our children so well, and planted so many wonderful seeds. We can really use what we’ve learned from her to keep developing and growing in Christ. Bonnie is an amazing gift to our Catholic school — she has blessed us with these seeds that we will continue to nurture for years to come. We’ll keep her always in our hearts and in our prayers.”

— MRS. CAROL FRERICKS, PRINCIPAL, ST. DOMINIC SCHOOL

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St. Anthony of padua

Parish History In the summer of 1859, a meeting took place at St. Boniface, the only Catholic Church in Quincy at the time. Fr. Herman Joseph Schaefermeyer announced a plan to build a new church, school and rectory at Melrose Township, southeast of Quincy.

The pastor told the people at the meeting, “Begin very small at the start and end up with grandeur. If you cannot build a frame church, then make one out of logs.”

The first St. Anthony’s was 36 feet long, 24 feet wide with a square sanctuary, 12 feet by 12 feet. The first Mass was held on a bitter cold Dec. 6, 1859.

Hardly had the parishioners become attached to their new church, when it proved too small. The year 1867 saw St. Anthony’s first church drive. The parish pledged $4500.00. The Franciscan Brother Adrian Wewer, O.F.M., drew the plans for the simply lined, pure gothic brick structure. In the summer of 1868, the parish broke ground. On June 13, 1870, the feast of St. Anthony, Reverend Bishop of Alton, Peter Joseph Baltes, consecrated the church.

May 22, 1983, the Feast of Pentecost, was the last Mass celebrated in the church which had served the parish for 113 years. On June 12, 1983, ground was broken for the new church.

One year later, on June 19, 1984, Fr. Edwin Albers celebrated the Eucharist with the parish family for the first time in our new church.

As of 2007, St. Anthony of Padua Parish and St. Dominic Parish have merged as St. Anthony of Padua Parish. Our parish school is St. Dominic School, located at 4100 Columbus Road, Quincy.

Email: Father Tom Donovan: pastor@stanthonypadua.org Deacon Harry Cramer: deacon@stanthonypadua.org Stewardship Committee: stewardship@stanthonypadua.org Secretaries: secretary@stanthonypadua.org Website: www.stanthonypadua.org 6

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PARISH Parish Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Parish Staff: Rev. Thomas Donovan, Pastor Deacon Harry Cramer

Fr. Tom Donovan

Deacon Harry Cramer

Parish Office: Mrs. Pat Holbrook,

Mrs. Tawny Benz, Mrs. Janet Bick

Pat Holbrook

Tawny Benz

Janet Bick

The secretaries are here to provide support for the parish and the needs of the parishioners.

Office hours are 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday - Friday Summer office hours are 8 a.m. - noon, Monday - Friday, Jun. 1 - Aug. 13 Office phone: 217-222-5996 Office email: secretary@stanthonypadua.org Bulletin information deadline is Monday by noon and should be submitted by email: bulletin@stanthonypadua.org

THE BIBLE

The Textbook of Stewardship W

ritten by anointed prophets and sages, the Bible is full of testimonials that express the blessings that come from true discipleship, conveyed through lives of stewardship.

Stewardship is not a new concept. The Bible gives proof to this claim through passages such as the 26th chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy. We read Moses’ words, as he tells the Israelites to offer the choicest portions of their harvest to God: “When you have come into the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you as a heritage, and have taken possession and settled in it, you shall take some first fruits of the various products of the soil which you harvest from the land the LORD, your God, is giving you; put them in a basket and go to the place which the LORD, your God, will choose as the dwelling place for his name… 'Now, therefore, I have brought the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, LORD, have given me.' You shall set them before the LORD, your God, and you shall bow down before the LORD, your God" (Dt 26:1-2, 10).

St. Paul briefly touches on the essence of

stewardship when he said, “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).

Again, in St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, we read about living a life of Christian stewardship: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:6-7).

While this is well and good, what does it mean for the present-day Christian? It ties the message of stewardship to the role of a Christian disciple. It offers encouragement to us, that stewardship is in fact a foundational component of the Christian life.

Reading and meditating upon God’s Word is always a fruitful exercise. Those who regularly delve into Scripture often develop a deeper understanding of Who God is, how and why He loves us, and how we can show Him our love in return.

REMEMBER WHEN?

A New Feature in Our Stewardship Newsletter

A

new feature of the Stewardship Newsletter is sharing the rich history of St. Anthony Parish and School and St. Dominic Parish and School. We are considering many topics that would be of interest to the readers.

We have adequate knowledge of the history of St. Anthony’s — but we would greatly appreciate input such as firsthand knowledge and/or pictures on the history of St. Dominic Parish and School.

In the July newsletter we will feature past items of interest on St. Anthony Picnic.

The purpose of these newsletter articles can be explained no better than by quoting from Chapter One of the 1919 St. Anthony’s Parish 60th Anniversary booklet. As stated, it is "to remind the present and future generations of St. Anthony’s Parish of the sterling faith of their forefathers."

Hopefully, our reflections will bring to light the hard work ethic, deep faith and unselfish cooperation, along with the good times enjoyed by our predecessors, as well as current parishioners.

If you would like to contribute to this feature, please contact: Bernice (Huber) Neisen — 217-242-4468 or Sharon (Grawe) Terwelp — 217-653-8319 7

St. Anthony of padua

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

Return Service Requested

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.

ST. DOMINIC JUNEFEST

continued from front cover

We all missed having the opportunity to gather for community events like Junefest last year, and the chance to come together this year is certainly a very special one for our entire parish family.

“We can’t wait to get all the parish back together,” Jackie says. “Junefest is a time when we can come together in fellowship. I hope everyone comes to have a good time. We can also make Junefest a time of stewardship, especially if you are asked to help out during the day. You can give of your time and talent to make Junefest a success!”

There is always a need for volunteers, whether for event setup, helping on the day of the event, or for the cleanup. Anyone who is interested in volunteering may contact Jackie Dreyer at 217-222-8049.