We could get an electonic number board and mount it there, where you suggest. There are several advantages to this: The numbers can be very large if we want (I have seen boards with 12 inch digits!); a lighted board is easier to see, even from a distance; the musicians would no longer need to climb a ladder to change the numbers; any changes to the music could be registered immediately; we could also post the page number in the missalette for the Scripture readings, responses, etc.

The counter-arguments: It affects the aesthetics of the sanctuary, making it more "artificial" and "electronic"; we lose the concrete symbolism of the wooden board; someone has to be trained to control the board; it is one more electronic thing that can go haywire.

Price is not an argument. Electronic hymn boards are actually CHEAPER than old fashioned wooden ones.

In the coming weeks, we'll discuss this more. If you have any opinions - for, against, or neutral - please do let us know! You can comment here, send a note to pastoralcouncil@stanthonyangola.com, or just mention something to Marilee Roederer or Fr. Bob.

Praise the Lord with music!

friar Bob Showers OFM Conv.

There will be some changes in our Sunday evening Mass schedule.

St. Anthony's parish introduced Sunday evening Masses in January of 2018. At the time, we said that after a year or so, we would evaluate the reception of the new schedule. Now it is time to do that evaluation!

The parish pastoral council, the parish staff and the Conventual Franciscans have all contributed to the evaluation. Fr. Bob has also asked some of the groups involved.

The consensus is that the Sunday evening Masses are a mixed success. Here is our decision, pending more thought and discernment:

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MASS - first Sunday of the month. This Mass will be stopped. The original idea was to have an evening Mass that ties in with our Sunday evening youth group meetings. Now that the high school group meets on Sunday morning, an evening Mass makes no sense.

NEWMAN MASS - second Sunday of the month. This Mass is a moderate "success". When there was a Mass for Trine University students during the week, an average of 6 students participated. On Sunday evening, the average is twelve. We will continue this Mass, although between now and December we will reevaluate the time.

SPANISH MASS - third Sunday of the month. This change was also popular. When the monthly Misa Hispana was on a weeknight, the average attendance was 30. Now on Sunday evening, we average 50 people. This Mass will continue. Again - between now and Christmas, we'll discuss whether 7:30 is the best time or not.

MASS FOR THE SICK - fourth Sunday of the month. This Votive Mass for the Sick with celebration of the sacrament of the sick never caught on. There are usually only 4-6 people present. Effective immediately, we will discontinue this Mass.

HOWEVER - instead, the priests want to emphasize that you may ask the priest AFTER ANY MASS ON ANY DAY for the sacrament of the sick, and the priest will happily anoint you with the sacramental oil.

To summarize:

• 1st Sunday: no more high school youth Mass.
• 2nd Sunday: Newman Mass at 7:30 p.m. Time night change later.
• 3rd Sunday: Spanish Mass at 7:30 p.m. Time night change later.
• 4th Sunday: no more votive Mass for the sick.

Fr. Bob
22 September 2019

"In every age, Christians have suffered for their faith, from the Roman Coliseum to the recent beheadings perpetrated by ISIS. Brave women and men, embracing the cross of Jesus, have gone to their deaths rather than deny their faith, and the blood of these martyrs serves as the 'seed of Christians', enlivening faith in others. Today, the witness of martyrs continues in an especially intense way in the Middle East, where priests are murdered for offering Mass and families are driven from their homes for displaying a cross.

"With this Marian Prayer Program, we honor the martyrs over the centuries as we call particular attention to the suffering of today's Christians ... Featuring the newly commissioned icon of Our Lady Help of Persecuted Christians, the prayer program is the latest in a series of efforts undertaken by the Knights of Columbus to aid those who suffer for their faith. ..."

- from the introduction to the the prayer booklet used that evening

PRAY EVERY DAY is the third button, with a little calendar symbol. This shows a short (one or two sentence) prayer for each day. The purpose of this is to give you a concrete intention for when you pray "Let us say an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be for the Pope's intentions ..." The idea is that a group or an individual can now look this up and pray it out loud as an introduction.

So far all of this has been available on the Apostolate of Prayer website for several years now (although the app seems easier to use than the graphics heavy website). The next button is a great new addition: PRAY WITH THE NETWORK. This is where you can add your own personal intention. Then the Pope and millions of people all over the world will pray for you. What a wonderful ability! This shows the potential power for good of modern electronics.

The fifth button is called DONATE. All these marvelous electronic capabilities cost money, so you are asked for support. The app's online giving system seems secure and reliable.

The Vatican began publishing phone and tablet apps during the time of Pope Benedict XVI. ClickToPray joins the existing Vatican app line-up:

Vatican App - offical Church documents available online (a portal for www.vatican.va)
The Pope App - papal texts and live-streams of papal events
Vatican News - from the Vatican News Service, with text, pictures, video and audio
Vatican Audio - just replays of stuff from Vatican Radio (a very buggy app still in beta)

Do you know this blog? Check it out! Most of the articles are by "guest moms" from all across North America - just ordinary moms trying to be Catholic in a fast and exciting world, raising children in love. CATHOLIC MOMS GROUP INTERNATIONAL BLOG

Our parish Catholic Moms Group meets every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in the Parish Center. Children are very welcome! Come share your experiences with other Catholic mothers and be inspired! For more information, contact our Youth & Young Adult Minister, Cara Molyet, at cara@stanthonyangola.com, 260-316-9636.

Here's a sample blog: How to manage your toddler at Mass, from December of 2017.

Since Women's Care Center of Northeast Indiana in Auburn is presently expecting a little over 200 babies, the clothing needs for the children is on going. These pjs are especially significant, because, as one of the center's moms put it, "pajamas are usually the last thing I'd spend money on." The Crib Club at WCC-Auburn makes that very doable for clients using coupons they earn when attending parenting classes at the center.

Each year at Advent, the church offers us the opportunity to listen to the prophets of the Old Testament whose promise of a Messiah filled the people with hope at times of hopelessness. The Old Testament promise was fulfilled at the first coming of Christ into our world whose birth we are preparing to celebrate at Christmas.
 
Advent also invites us to make ready for His second coming, and to make room in our hearts for His arrival here and now--the Third Coming of Christ. It is with deep trust in God’s unconditional love for us that we acknowledge our failings in the presence of each other and seek his forgiveness.
 
John the Baptist is the great prophet of the New Testament who calls us to ready our hearts. John is the Prophet of Joy and the Forerunner of the Messiah.
 
God of mercy and compassion, as we come together to prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, may the truth of His word bring love and hope to the darkness in our lives. Help us to bring down the hills and fill up the valleys, to straighten the crooked and to smooth out the rough until a highway runs right to our hearts, where Christ will make His home, for He lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.
 

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, chapter three, verses one and following.
 
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
 
 The Word of God comes to us in the concrete realities of life — even as we go about our daily work, as we raise our families and build our societies, and sometimes when we find ourselves in the wilderness. Hearing the Word of God requires that we listen. So I ask myself:

• Do I pray every day?
•  Do I go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation?
•  Are there things in my life that get in the way of God’s word for me?

 
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
 
God has given us the holy sacraments as vehicles of His grace — we hear the Word of God in the celebration of the sacraments.

• How long has it been since my last confession?
• Do I prepare myself to receive communion?
• Do I ever think about or let myself be inspired by the promises of my baptism and confirmation?
• Do I keep the vows of my marriage or ordination?
• Do I visit the sick?

 
John said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruits as evidence of your repentance; and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”

• God has given me the gift of faith. Do I take it for granted?
• Do I look down on people of other religions, or on those who have no religion?
• Do I think I’m better than anyone else?

 
And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
 
Sometimes I need God’s guidance. Do I ask for it? Do I listen?

John said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
 

• Do I have a tendency to hoard and possess what is not necessary and still yearn to have more?
• What brings me contentment and security?
• Am I generous with my money and contribute whenever I can to charities which help to alleviate poverty?
• Do I make time in my schedule for other people?
• Do I reach out to the lonely?

 
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.

We long for the salvation of God. We long to understand the meaning of our existence, to see an end to our problems, to receive God’s help in our suffering. We long to know that we are loved.
 

• Do I dare to hope in God?
  
• Do I trust God in my weakness? And come to God in my strength?
• Do I show love?
  

John answered them all, saying: “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.”
 
Sometimes we have other gods besides the one true God. Sometimes we take it into our heads that salvation comes from our own will power and discipline, from some political party or program or some political messiah, from some philosophy or from wealth, comfort, food or entertainment.

• Who or what is my god?
• Am I humble before the Lord?
• Do I long to receive the baptism of God’s fire?

 
Exhorting them in many other ways, John preached good news to the people.

• What is my attitude towards the most vulnerable in the community?
• How compassionate am I towards those who have personal struggles?
• As an employer, do I treat my employees with respect and equality? As a parent? As a teacher? As a person of influence?
• As an employee, am I trustworthy and honest? As a son or daugher? As a student? As a citizen?
• In my relationships, am I self-centred?
• Am I more concerned with satisfying my personal needs than putting the needs of others first?

 
Now Herod the tetrarch, who had been censured by John because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil deeds Herod had committed, added still another crime to his list by putting John in prison.

John the Baptist was a messenger of God, a prophet preparing the way for the coming of the Saviour by encouraging the people to repent. Prophets are often ridiculed, persecuted or simply ignored. As we strive to witness to the values of the Gospel in today’s society, we too, are likely to meet ridicule and ignorance.
 
We will be challenged by the prophets of our times, and tempted, in our turn, to ignore them, ridicule them or cheer their persecution.

• How do I react to such experiences?
• Do I easily ‘give in’ and compromise my values by finding ways to avoid the challenges?
• Do I resent it when some members of the Church call upon me to change my attitudes or preconceptions?
• Who and what helps me during the difficult moments of my life?

 

John the Baptist was the herald of the Messiah and made him known when at last he came. In his love Christ has filled us with joy as we prepare to celebrate his birth, so that when he comes he may find us watching in prayer, our hearts filled with wonder and praise.
 
Amen.