St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Angola, Indiana

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FOUR DAYS OF CHRISTMAS and A DAY OF COMMUNION

12/7/2020

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Four days of Christmas? Not twelve?

Four days celebrating the Mass of Christmas Day!

A brief survey suggests that many people hope to come to Mass at St. Anthony's and at St. Paul's Chapel this Christmas. How wonderful! Happy news!

Practical problem: we still have limited seating capacity. Therefore:

We will continue to celebrate Christmas Mass during the weekend after Christmas, to give people more options and, hopefully, to spread things out a little. Here is the complete schedule:

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020
  • 5:00 P.M. - Mass of Christmas Eve - St. Anthony's
  • 8:00 P.M. - Mass of Christmas Night - St. Paul's Chapel
  • 10:00 P.M. - Mass of Christmas Night - St. Anthony's

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2020
  • 9:00 A.M. - Mass of Christmas Morning - St. Paul's Chapel
  • 10:00 aA.M. - Mass of Christmas Morning - St. Anthony's

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2020
  • 5:00 P.M. - Mass of Christmas Day - St. Anthony's

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2020
  • 7:30 A.M. - Mass of Christmas Day - St. Anthony's
  • 9:00 A.M. - Mass of Christmas Day - St. Paul's Chapel
  • 10:00 A.M. - Mass of Christmas Day - St. Anthony's

As you can see, that gives you nine Masses to choose from!

IN ADDITION -

On Sunday, December 27, Friar Bob will remain in the nave of St. Anthony's from Noon until 6:00 p.m. to distribute communion quietly. If you still should not attend Mass with crowds but desire communion, you may receive privately in this way. No reservations or anything, just come - although I do ask you to respect other people's privacy and to avoid creating a crowd. I believe that this is a more appropriate alternative than a drive-by communion service.

Is all this allowed? Yes. Actually, we have done this every year. In past years, we celebrated Christmas Masses at Northern Lakes and Lakeland (now Aperion) nursing homes and at Cameron Woods Senior Living Community some time between December 20 and December 29, as those home's schedule allowed. This year, sadly, the parish will not be able to celebrate Christmas Masses outside our actual church buildings - but we still have latitude to offer more Masses.

The survey suggests that the three Masses of Decemberr 24 will be the most crowded. If you are worried about crowds, please consider coming to one of the other six Christmas Masses. Thank you and God bless you. May the Lord of Life keep us all safe!

Fr. Bob


NOTES:
  • Our posted capacities in keeping with covid-19 safety protocols are 215 people at St. Anthony's and 100 at St. Paul's.
  • Bishop Kevin Rhoades has extended the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass for an indefinite time ("until further notice"). Christmas is truly a holy day, a holiday, a happy day - but is not a day of obligation this year.
  • You are, of course, free to come to as many of these Masses as you choose! If you come to a mass on December 24/25, you are very welcome at any Mass on December 26/27. We are hoping that attendance will spread itself out naturally so we never have to turn anybody away. Hopefully.
  • This decision entails that we will not celebrate the Mass of the Holy Family this year.
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PUBLIC MASSES RESUME ON SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

5/8/2020

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For the Feast of Christ's Ascension, our parish - together with the entire diocese - will resume public Masses. There will be restrictions. I will update this blog post regularly as things change and develop.

NEW MASS SCHEDULE:

Saturday at 5:00 p.m., Sunday at 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 a.m.
Weekday Masses resume on Monday, June 1, in the main church.
Spanish Mass resumes on Sunday, June 21.
Mass at Manapogo Campground still to be determined.

The new Sunday schedule allows proper time for cleaning and disinfecting between Masses. The schedule will be reevaluted after August 16.

Here is a short summary of the mandatory safety measures.

  • There will be a maximum of 200 people per Mass.
  • EVERYONE must wear a mask.
  • Every other pew will be blocked off.
  • In the pews that are open, maintain 6 feet between families.
  • Handshaking and hand holding are suspended.
  • Communion will be the host only, and only in the hand.
  • There will be no choir.
  • There will be no offertory.
  • The collection will be taken up by different means.
  • The church will be disinfected after every Mass, and fumigated weekly.

That sounds like a lot! This will definitely be a different experience of Mass. Who knows? Maybe we will learn something and grow from this!

Those who are particularly vulnerable - the elderly, those with underlying conditions, infants and small children - should consider not attending Sunday Mass just yet. Remember - the bishop continues to dispense you from any obligation to attend Mass. You might even consider attending a weekday Mass as your weekly Mass.

May the Lord continue to guide us.
friar Bob, pastor
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POPE FRANCIS HOME ALONE, by friar Wayne Hellmann

4/13/2020

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Wayne Hellmann OFM Conv. is the minister provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Consolation of the Order if Friars Minor Conventual, with its headquarters in Southern Indiana. Our friars here in Angola belong to this province. Friar Wayne sent the following letter to friends of the Order:

Dearest Friends of the Friars:
 
In the most unusual way, probably for the first time in our Catholic history, we celebrate the holiest and most ancient days of our Easter Triduum by abstaining from gathering together as the People of God. Yet, this is the central feast of our faith: He is risen! Current global circumstances dampen the Alleluia of our Easter cry.
 
I personally remember with fondness and joy the several times I was privileged to participate in a celebration of the Easter Triduum in Rome, even the Easter Vigil Liturgy in St. Peter’s. And then came the excitement of Easter morning: thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s square for the Easter Urbi et Orbi Blessing. It was a wonderful witness of love for our rich tradition and love for festive celebration!

This Easter, however, both the spaces at St. Peter’s, inside and out, will be empty, shrouded in eerie silence. Heartbreaking!
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Amidst steady rain, Pope Francis delivered his “Urbi et orbi” blessing to an empty St. Peter's Square during the coronavirus pandemic.


I mention St. Peter’s as a symbol for what is now the case in nearly every Catholic/Christian community on the globe. Yet, if we pause and think a little deeper, this situation for many of our fellow Catholic brothers and sisters is not new.

I think of Catholics in Japan who persevered and lived their Catholic faith for nearly 200 years without the Eucharist and without any public celebration. Or, in more contemporary realities, I think of Catholics in Amazonia who are deprived not only of celebrations of the Liturgy but also more and more deprived of their homeland and natural environment.
 
This impoverished reality includes so many others: for example, those who are aged and sick, but also Catholics of the Eastern Churches in Syria and the Middle East who continue to suffer incredible devastation. The list goes on.

Maybe this year we are called to be in solidarity with them. The majority of Catholics across the globe, even without a pandemic, are deprived of regular access to Easter liturgy. Are they thereby less Catholic?
 
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Remnants of an Armenian Catholic church in Syria, 2018. Millions of Christians in the world are denied access to the Mass all year round.


The reality is that our liturgies and celebrations are vitally helpful for nourishing and sharing our faith, but we know God’s grace is not limited to sacraments. St. Peter’s is empty but nevertheless, even alone in the square, our principal pastor, Pope Francis, is there. He encourages us. He calls us to actualize the reality of our “domestic churches” within our homes. We can still open our hearts to enter into deeper communion within the whole Body of Christ.

During the Triduum this year, he encourages us that carrying " ... His cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time.” This accomplishes ultimately what our liturgical celebrations intend, namely, to open our hearts and “make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring.” By that Spirit, “we uncover our common belonging, … our belonging as brothers and sisters."
 
Precisely therein is new life of fullness, joy of Easter sending us together on the way to Emmaus. I find solace in the pope’s example and in his words, especially for this Easter. For the first time in my memory, I am to be deprived of full assembly for the Easter Triduum. In case you may have missed Pope Francis’ prayer and encouragement, I have attached links to both. You may find them helpful. I did.


“If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus

from the dead dwells in you…(Rom 8:11)


Prayerfully,
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friar Wayne
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AN ELECTRONIC HYMN BOARD FOR ST. ANTHONY'S?

11/5/2019

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This blog entry is part of a series of follow-up articles to the questions and suggestions submitted at the Parish Town Hall Meeting of September 29, 2019. They are mostly written by Fr. Bob.
 

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Church of St. Nicolas in Schroeding, Bavaria (Germany)
SUGGESTION:

"Move the song board to the column by the flowers, closer to the altar. Everyone would be able to see it better."


An excellent suggestion! We've begun talking about this with the musicians, parish staff, pastoral council, etc. We think we have an even better suggestion:
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.
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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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Angola Blessing Box on national webpage

10/2/2018

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The Blessing Box Facebook page wrote:

St. Anthony's Catholic Church parking lot at 700 West Maumee St., Angola. Indiana is the home for their new BLESSING BOX!!! Glory to God!!

Thank you Eric Anthony for sharing about the BLESSING BOX. Some of the things he shared was:

"On a sunny but cold and windy Palm Sunday, the traditional start of Holy Week for Catholics and some Protestants, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Angola along with representatives from St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Angola got together after 6 months of planning to erect the first >Blessing Box< in Angola. So what is a Blessing Box? It's a place where people can donate items that they think that others, especially those in need, might find good use for. And, subsequently, those in need, or who simply need something, can drive or walk up to it and take what is needed any time of day or night, any day of the week. No questions asked. All of the wood, nails and shingles were recycled from the priest's previous residence that was located at St. Anthony's and torn down when the new church was built."

Beautiful with alot of preparation!! Thank you for stepping out in Faith!!

-Blessing Box Community, Crystal Rock Cathedral, Ardmore OK


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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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OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE - PICTURES FROM THE FEAST

12/20/2017

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Picturas de nuestra fiesta el 12 dec. 2017 - Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

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Photographer: Ani Romero
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Of Strollers and Walkers

9/14/2017

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A Culture of Life Blog from the USCCB website

by Mary McCluskey

The parents of a 3-month-old recently wrote to The Washington Post food critic’s online chat to ask about dining etiquette in a city where many restaurants are inaccessible to strollers. The critic responded by complaining about “strollers the size of Zipcars,” but then admitted he wasn’t the parent of an infant and invited readers to discuss the topic. Reader comments varied and expanded the topic to include people who use walkers. The chat provided much food for thought on the many ways that we can welcome those whom others might consider burdensome while we are out and about at restaurants, churches, parks, on transportation, and in public. Our loving welcome may help others soften their hearts and change attitudes toward families with young or elderly members.
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The first commenter suggested that parents eat at off-peak hours to avoid “consternation” from fellow diners. As hard enough as it is to raise children in a city, are we now asking parents to eat dinner out with children only from 2 to 5:00 p.m.? Perhaps as fellow diners we could be patient and under-standing and help when we see a parent struggling with a stroller or a temperamental child. Or suggest that a restaurant have a secure place to stow strollers and walkers.

Recall God’s creation of each of us “in his image”(Gen 1:27), meaning that every one of us is made to be in loving relationship with others. Even the smallest community of love, sometimes as small as two people, mirrors the divine Trinity. Members of a loving community patiently accommodate one another’s needs. My parish during high school displayed this loving acceptance each week as everyone kindly greeted my grandmother making her slow but steady way into church with her walker. On the other hand, I’ve been present at Mass when a priest stopped during a homily and asked a parent to take a slightly noisy child out of the church.
 
"Members of a loving community patiently accomodate one another's needs."
 
How we treat the defenseless and vulnerable among us not only impacts our salvation but also sends a powerful message to those around us. Our acceptance of others can bear witness to their very existence as God’s gift. By our attentiveness and loving assistance, we proclaim that the person in front of us, no matter how young, frailor in need of assistance, is an unrepeatable and precious creation from God. And in turn, we grow in character and virtue each time we choose to sacrifice for another. So, ask yourself, how accessible is my parish to strollers and wheelchairs? Could we install a wheelchair ramp or elevator to be more welcoming to the elderly or disabled? Is there a place to safely stow walkers or canes? Are there diaper changing tables in women’s and men’s restrooms? Or accommodations for parents to participate in the Mass as much as possible if their children become distracting? Perhaps I could smile understandingly when I see a mother and her crying child walking down the airplane aisle toward me, instead of silently praying that they’re not seated next to me. Or learn to be more grateful for the gift of children and families being present in our celebration of the Eucharist.
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Through better accommodations, but more importantly, through open hearts and loving attitudes, we can build up a culture that truly welcomes every life in all situations—even a situation as seemingly insignificant as accommodating stroller storage in a crowded restaurant.

Mary McClusky is assistant director for Project Rachel Ministry Development at the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, US Conference of Catholic Bishops. For confidential help after abortion, visit www.hopeafterabortion.com or www.esperanzaposaborto.com.
How well does our own parish welcome and accomodate older people, parents with infants, the hard of hearing, the seeing impaired, those who do not walk well, people with social difficulties?
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700 West Maumee Street
Angola, Indiana 46703
Phone: 260-665-2259
Fax: 260-665-2268
Email: office@stanthonyangola.com