St. Anthony of Padua Catholic ChurchAngola, Indiana

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MARY STEWART'S PRAYER

9/7/2019

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A Collect for Clubwomen:
General Federation of Women’s Clubs

 
Keep us, O God, from all pettiness.
Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding
and leave off all self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense
and meet each other face to face,
without self pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgement,
and always be generous.
Let us always take time for all things
and make us grow calm, serene and gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses,
to be straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize that
it is the little things of life that create differences,
that in the big things of life, we are as one.
And, O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind!
Amen.


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In the reconciliation room at St. Anthony's, we have a number of small prayer books to give to penitents. One of them, A Treasury of Prayers (Liturgical Press) contains the beautiful text above, entitled "Mary Stewart's Prayer".

Mary Stewart was the principal of Longmont High School in Colorado and an active member of a women'c club. She wrote this prayer in 1904 as a collect (opening prayer) for her women's club meetings. In 1920, the General Federation of Women's Clubs for the U.S. and Canada published it. From 1949, it was used as a closing prayer for sessions of the United States Senate.

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CATHOLIC MOMS WHO BLOG

1/21/2019

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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.

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On Bad Priests and Judas Iscariot

9/13/2018

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Nota bene: this op-ed first appeared as Fr. Bob's "Letter from the Pastor" in the SEptember 2018 issue of Catholic 101: A Magazine for Catholics in Steuben County, published by St. Anthony od Padua parish incl. St. Paul's Catholic Chapel. The opinions expressed herein are Fr. Bob's.

In recent weeks, we as Catholics have experienced pain, shame, anger and confusion as a grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania revealed how a number of bishops mishandled accusations of abuse by clergy and other employees of the Church. Such news calls forth all sorts of reactions.

 
Let me say, first of all, that most of these reactions are legitimate. You feel what you feel. You are supposed to get angry at injustice. You are supposed to feel hurt when your family messes up. Sure, of course there are other families that mess up too. But this is my family, and we messed up. It hurts.
 
In my years as a Franciscan friar and as a Roman Catholic priest, I have known and spoken with both abusive priests and victims of abuse. I have worked closely with bishops who took the painful but necessary steps to protect the innocent; and I have had to work with bishops who tried to act like there was no problem. I do not expect perfection. I do expect a minimum of decency.
 
In the midst of this, there are moments of hope. I hope that these news stories, for example, will help parishioners and others understand why we at St. Anthony’s enforce the safe environment rules so strictly. I hope that, if the Roman Catholic Church gets beaten up in the public media, this just might help all of society start to deal more realistically with some big problems that are hurting people everywhere – both in the church and elsewhere. And I hope that it will help me to love appropriately.
 
St. Francis of Assisi said, if you see someone whose life choices you cannot agree with, do not look down upon that person, but look rather into your own heart and examine your own sinfulness, and then ask yourself, how can I love this person more?
 
Jesus loved his apostles, even though he knew that one would betray him, one would deny him, and most of the rest would run away when he needed them most. He chose to love them anyway, and he chose to build his church upon them in all their imperfection and weakness. Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter were both apostles.
 
I pray for those who were hurt. I pray for those whose lives were ruined. And I pray that the People of God – who are the Church – will learn how to care for one another in charity and with patience. “You are God’s chosen ones. Put on, then, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in the Lord.” (Col. 3:12-13)
 
 
Peace and all good,
friar Bob Showers OFM Conv.


_________________________
Postscript:

You can read more about the parish's Safe Environment Program here. To report suspicion of sexual abuse at the church, here is contact information. The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has recently upgraded its Safe Environment Program, and we at the parish have followed suit. As a pastor, I am well aware that these efforts can be a hardship for our volunteer religion teachers and other parishioners. Some may even feel that we are doubting them or casting suspicion upon them. That is not our intention, of course. Our goal is to nurture a safe environment for all families, children, youth and vulnerable adults, so that everyone can feel welcome, withour fear. Thank you to all the parishioners who help us strive for that safe environment.

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FOR IT WAS PREPARATION DAY ...

4/8/2018

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On the 5th Sunday of Lent - March 18, 2018 - the Parish of St. Anthony of Padua held a "Whole Parish / Whole Family Workshop & Retreat Day in Preparation for Easter". The inspiration was taken from the challenge given by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the parishes to celebrate multi-generational catechism days "that make Easter and Christmas come alive".
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Professor Kate Mahon from the University of Notre Dame's Liturgical Theology Department came and helped us along the way. Prof. Mahon provided theological guidance as well as holding a talk for the whole parish and workshops for small groups.

The theme of the day was the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter. The different groups of liturgical ministers - from extraordinary communion ministers to ushers and greeters - held different workshops to prepare themselves to help at the many liturgies of Holy Week and Easter. Other workshops dealt with different aspects of Catholic life in the contemporary world.
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A special part of the day was the children's program, organized by Cathy Bryan and our catechists. There were also workshops in Spanish, and different workshops for youth and young adults.

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After the workshops, we watched the animated movie "Prince of Egypt." The day ended with a celebration of the Solemn Vespers of the Fifth Sunday of Advent.

Fr. Bob and the parish staff thank everyone who made the day a wonderful experience, "making Easter come alive for the whole family".
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Putting the church to bed after a long an succesful day:
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IT'S THE VERY LAST WEEK OF ADVENT ...

12/19/2017

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a blog by Marilyn Karpinski
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"Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

-  Luke 21:36
Advent is all about being vigilant...waiting. I've never been good at waiting. I am an impulse shopper. The strategy of putting candy bars in the check-out lanes was developed just for people like me. A friend once said that I bought and sold two houses in the time it took him to make the decision to list his. Waiting has never been my strong suit. Yet I find when it comes to spiritual matters like Advent and Lent the waiting gives me time to ponder and prepare; to come to a fuller understanding of the true meaning of the season. It focuses my attention on the significance of the past and the hope of the future.

Waiting heightens the joy when the prize is attained. Our daughter and her family are extremely health conscious and snacks and fast food are not a part of their diet but exceptions are sometimes made for special occasions. Last Christmas, in preparation for our visit, our daughter Katy purchased a few unhealthy snacks. When her son Will came home from school and went to the pantry to select an after-school snack his shriek could be heard throughout the house: "Mama, there's a Christmas Miracle in our pantry!" He found the bag of cheddar and sour cream potato chips.

The Gospel reading above mentions being prepared to "stand before the Son of Man." The lyrics of a song entitled "I Can Only Imagine" poses the same question: "Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine."

While I can only imagine that day, I do know that I want to be as prepared as humanly possible. So I pray my waiting and preparing this Advent will produce a response as joyous as Will's when I discover the true Christmas Miracle, the birth of Jesus Christ.
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WHAT'S IN A NAME? AND WHY CATHOLIC ANYWAY?

12/5/2017

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by Anne Ferguson
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This fall, about 150 participants continued their journey in the Why Catholic? program. This section is called Celebrate: The Sacraments.

Why Catholic is one of the offerings from Renew International for adult Catholic faith development. It is used throughout the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

Like previous years, the program is built around small faith sharing communities. Our parish had twelve groups, and St. Paul's Chapel had one larger group. There are two groups meeting in Spanish, using the Arise program, (Levantete), also from Renew International. The faith sharing groups gathered in the mornings, or afternoons, or evenings; they met at parishioners' homes or in parish classrooms or in the daily Mass chapel or in the old church - wherever and whenever convenient to accomodate working parents, retired people, and many part-time residents (our beloved "snowbirds"!). Some groups were newly formed, some have been meeting as a group for five years now.
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This year we asked each small group to choose a name for themselves.
  • There were St. Anthony's Angels, because as a group they coordinate the parish Angel Tree each year at Christmastime.
  • Why Catholic? Why NOT? decided one group, and that became their name.
  • The Faithful Spirits support and pray for each other during jooy and sadness.
  • Jesus' 13 Rebels took their name because they see Jesus as a rebel.
  • The Faithful Hearts enjoy a weekly social hour together and a prayer session as well as thier faith sharing sessions.

More than 150 parishioners continued their faith journey in this year's Why Catholic program.
Some small faith sharing communities have not taken on any special name, but they do have a special identity, every one of them. One small group descibes how they enjoy taking turns being the facilitator, while other groups have chosen one or two permanent facilitators. One group meets on Sunday morning between Masses while the children have catechism - this group especially enjoy's Friar Joe's regular presence and wisdom.

One community met six weeks in a row in the fall and will meet six times in the spring. Another group is meeting just once a month pretty much all year. Each group chooses a schedule that works for them!
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The Why Catholic small communities show a lot of imagination in meeting each other's needs and supporting each other in the faith. The members become part of each other's lives, building up not only each other but the parish and the entire Catholic Church as well.

If you want to become part of next spring's Why Catholic program, you can always jump in! Contact Anne Furgeson at renew@stanthonyangola.com

Anne Ferguson is the parish coordinator of the Renew Inernational programs at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Angola, IN. She has partipated in Renew, Arise and Why Catholic.
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ME PERDONO, ME PERDONAS Y TE PERDONO

10/25/2017

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Aquí un articulo de "William y Andrea" del sito "Por Tu Matrimonio" (portumatrimonio.org), un ministerio de la Conferencia de Obispos Catolicos de los Estados Unidos.

Here is a blog article from "William and Andrea" from the website "Por Tu Matrimonio", a ministry of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.


El Evangelio de Mateo nos trae la gran respuesta que Jesús le dio a Pedro cuando éste le pregunta cuántas veces se debe perdonar al hermano, ya que la ley de los judíos daba una cantidad limitada de tres veces.  Pedro, queriendo ser mucho más generoso, lo multiplicó por dos y le agregó uno más, creyendo que la respuesta de siete veces iba a ser la misma del Maestro. Cuál sería la sorpresa de Pedro al escuchar de Jesús que debemos de perdonar hasta setenta veces siete, es decir: SIEMPRE. Por ello le cuenta la parábola del Rey que ajustó cuentas con sus empleados, perdonando a uno de ellos todo lo que le debía; pero éste al no hacer lo mismo con uno de sus compañeros fue llamado nuevamente por el Rey para ser recriminado por lo que no hizo: PERDONAR, y fue llevado  a la cárcel para que pagara todo lo que debía. (Leer Mateo 18: 21-35)

Padres, la manera de enseñar a la familia el tema del perdón es a través de nuestro ejemplo; es decir, por medio del testimonio que nosotros demos  interna (me perdono) y externamente (me perdonas y te perdono) en el hogar. Estas tres maneras  de perdonar van de  la mano, puesto que uno da de acuerdo lo que tiene en el corazón. Para ello,  los invitamos que analicen su vida personal a través de una serie de preguntas que les ayudarán a evaluar su relación con el perdón:Me perdono: Haz cometido errores en tu vida? Cuáles? Sigues repitiendo esos errores? Quisieras cambiar esos errores por oportunidades? Quieres perdonarte? Te comprometes a no volverlos hacer?

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Me perdonas: Haz ofendido a alguien con tu actitud o con tus acciones? Le has pedido perdón? Quisieras pedirle perdón nuevamente o por primera vez a él o ella? Te comprometes a cambiar esa actitud o manera de ser que no te deja crecer como persona?

Te perdono: Te han pedido perdón? Cuál fue tu reacción? Perdonaste de verdad? Quieres perdonarlo de verdad? Estas dispuesto a decirle a él o ella que los perdonaste de corazón?
Padres, éstas tres maneras de trabajar el perdón, pueden ayudarnos a crear fuertes lazos de amistad en la comunidad y amor en la familia. Recuerden que el perdón no solamente se enseña sino que también se practica, y que mejor que desde el hogar.

Lo interesante del perdón es que es setenta veces siete, es decir: SIEMPRE; no siete veces como supuso Pedro o tres como creían los judíos. Todavía estamos a tiempo, comencemos ya!

William y Andrea

Texto original:
http://portumatrimonio.blogspot.com/2016/07/me-perdono-me-perdonas-y-te-perdono.html
Para mas informacio, visite: Iglesias Domesticas  
Publicado por
@williamyandrea

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What Day Were You Baptized?

6/20/2017

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Do you know the date of your Baptism?

We know and celebrate our physical birth. Why not our spiritual birth, the day we became a child of God and co-heir to his eternal kingdom?

I challenge you to find the date of your baptism and celebrate it.

If you are a godparent, perhaps you could send a card or gift to your godchild on the anniversary of his/her baptism to remind them of their special day and how important it is.

Marilyn Karpinksi

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Need a baptism certificate?

If you were baptized at St. Anthony of Padua Cathoic Church in Angola or at St. Paul's Catholic Chapel at Clear Lake, you can always request a baptism certificate or other sacramental certificate by contacting the parish office at office@stanthonyangola.com.

Read more about baptism preparation and celebration at
http://www.stanthonyangola.com/baptism.html
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A Word about "Thirteen Reasons Why"

5/14/2017

5 Comments

 
Dear parents, catechists and parishioners,

The series "Thirteen Reasons Why" has become the most watched show produced by Netflix - not without controversy. I take this opportunity to share with you some thoughts and reactions.

This series is based on a 2007 novel by Jay Asher. In the book, a young teenage girl named Hannah Baker is raped, then bullied. She commits suicide. But first, she makes 13 tapes giving 13 reasons why she is killing herself. More precisely, she singles out 13 individuals or groups whom she blames for her death.

My purpose here is neither to condemn nor to recommend the show. I simply want want to provide you with some resources to help you talk with our young people. If you follow our parish teenagers' Twitter feeds, Facebook pages or Instagram accounts at all, you know that they are already watching and discussing this! I have been impressed by many of their comments so far.

Both Catholic and secular groups have written warnings about the show. In short, the consensus is that for strong youth not in danger of suicide, this show can help them resolve to be better friends to people, to take the suffering of others seriously, and never to bully. For vulnerable youth - that is, those who already have suicidal thoughts - the show can lead them precisely to carry out the act. In any case, doctors and clergy alike strongly recommend that parents and teachers TALK about this show with their children.

The people who made the show are serious people. The executive producer is Selena Gomez, a serious artist - although her involvement might make some young people think that there is a certain "Walt Disney air of approval" over the series. Gomez herself has a passionate desire to PREVENT suicide by getting people to talk about things like school rape, school bullying, and the like. She has dealt with her own psychological problems and suicidal episodes. The problem is that the show "13 Reasons Why" never deals with psychological issues - it only blames other people. In the end, I believe that Gomez missed the mark. (But please do check out Project Semicolon.)

Our Sunday Visitor had an excellent review of the Netflix series. Read it here.

National Public Radio aired discussions of the original novel back in 2007, and has followed up with several good shows about the new Netflix adaptation. Here is the link to one of their better discussion, as a podcast, featuring several doctors. And here is their link to a summary article.

Over at catholicmom.com, Lisa Hendey has gathered some very good resources. I especially recommend the discussion by the cast and crew of the actual series (a half hour Youtube program), as well as the two medical articles. By the way, if you do not already know and read www.catholicmom.com, for Heaven's sakes take a look at it. It is an excellent resource!

As teachers, parents and religious, we will be expected to give some guidance. I hope that these resources can help.

Peace and all good,
friar Bob
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Angola, Indiana 46703
Phone: 260-665-2259
Fax: 260-665-2268
Email: office@stanthonyangola.com