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Mass

Mass at St. Anthony

We will start celebrating public Masses again on Monday, June 22nd.  Masses at St. Anthony will be on the normal schedule:  Saturday at 4:00 PM, Sunday at 10:30 AM, Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 AM. 

The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still lifted for the foreseeable future.

In the interest of keeping one another safe, please observe the following rules:

  • For Sunday Mass (whether on Saturday night or Sunday Morning), I ask that you only attend once every two weeks.  Those with last names beginning with A-L may attend on 27-28 June, those with last names beginning M-Z may attend on 4-5 July.  After this we will alternate back-and-forth.  A schedule will be provided at Mass for you to put on your refrigerator, and at the north entrance of the Parish hall with the prayer booklets, and is included at the end of this post.
  • For anyone who is able to attend Mass during the week, I encourage you to do so instead of Sunday Mass.  While it is not quite the same, this will help to avoid overcrowding on Sundays.  Because the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is still lifted, this would also be a good way for you to attend Mass if you are still worried about your own health in bigger crowds. Please enter through the main entrance of the Church.
  • I ask that you wear some sort of face covering when attending Mass. 
  • Seating will be every third row, with six feet between families.  When those seats are filled, please seat yourselves in the hall.
  • When presenting yourself for the Eucharist, please space yourselves out by at least six feet in line between households.

For all of these things, I will do my best to keep you up-to-date with any changes.

-Rev Kev

Sunday Mass Schedule through September

Last names A-L:
  • 27-28 June
  • 11-12 July
  • 25-26 July
  • 8-9 August
  • 22-23 August
  • 5-6 September
  • 19-20 September
Last Names M-Z
  • 4-5 July
  • 18-19 July
  • 1-2 August
  • 15-16 August
  • 29-30 August
  • 12-13 September
  • 26-27 September
Mass

Important News!

We will be returning to Mass at Sacred Heart and St. Anthony on the normal schedule as of June 22, however during Mass everyone must wear face protection.  

Seating will be limited to every third pew and horizontally six feet apart from other households in order to maintain safe distancing.  Distancing should also be maintained while gathering, during the Communion procession, and following Mass.  

Singing is omitted for the time being to reduce airborne pathogens.

If possible, please attend daily Mass in lieu of Sunday in order to keep the number of attendees down on weekends.

The Sunday Mass obligation has been lifted until there is a working vaccine available for COVID-19.

For the time being, we will only be able to allow half of our parishioners into the church for weekend Masses. We are requesting last names beginning A-L attend on June 27/28, and last names M-Z attend weekend Mass on July 4/5. Please plan to only attend weekend Masses every other weekend for the immediate future.

Mass

Mass, July 11 & 12, 2020

Parishioners with last names beginning with the letters A through L are invited to join us at Mass at St. Anthony this weekend, either on Saturday the 11th at 4 p.m. or Sunday the 12th at 10:30 a.m.

Mass will be live streamed on our Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 11th.

Uncategorized

Weekly Reflection from Father Kevin, July 12, 2020

We have all been created as male and female.  While the differences between us may sometimes cause confusion or frustration between us, our differences also complement each other.  We all know that differences beyond our sexes are much the same way, but nothing is more universal than the struggle to understand another of the opposite sex.  


To face this honestly, we have to get past even the most light-hearted jokes.  We have to do this so that we can honestly look at the gifts of femininity and masculinity with all the humility we can muster.  If we do not, we will never give the honor which is due to one another.


I knew a couple when I was in college who embodied this very well, and were so vocal about it that I was able to see exactly why I admired them.  Almost every time I spoke with one of them one-on-one, they would talk about each other.  All I ever heard them say about one another was positive. Beyond that, they would often compliment the other for talents which they didn’t personally possess.  


While not all of these things were directly connected to their masculinity or femininity, their compliments about each other always had to do with how well they complemented each other.  As a couple, they were more well-rounded than either could hope to be as an individual.  As parents, they were better than most because they allowed their differences to shine, and give all their children authentic models of womanhood and manhood.  I will always be inspired by their model, and I’m sure their children have benefited greatly.


While both were saintly on their own, they were always better together, and always recognized it.  When I remember them in my prayers, I  always feel challenged to recognize the talents of others which I don’t possess.  It is one thing to admire those who are better at something than us, it is quite another to truly admire someone who is wholly different.  Whether we aren’t interested in those talents, or we are jealous, or we simply don’t understand the value of another’s talents, we must always be humble before others.  If we are different from someone for any reason, we should always consider the possibility that they have something to bring to the table which we can’t.

Rev Kev
reflections

Father Kevin’s Weekly Reflection, July 5, 2020

Donkeys appear in the Bible quite a bit.  Sometimes this is because they were very common in the ancient world, and sometimes because they are an important symbol.  For someone thousands of years ago, seeing someone riding a horse would have been a clear signal that they were wealthy and powerful.  For someone to ride a donkey or have a donkey pulling their cart would have been very common, and hardly anyone would take notice of them.


This is what we see in Zechariah’s prophecy about Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem (our first reading today), riding on a young donkey.  Of course, we hear much later that Christ did this and was welcomed with great joy.  He was seen by the people as one of them, in a way, because He didn’t come riding in on a big war horse to conquer Jerusalem.  In fact, He came meekly and humbly, because he came to conquer sin, not us.
This use of a donkey as a symbol of something humble or common is one that we see repeated over and over in ancient texts of all kinds.  In scripture, my favorite one is the story of Balaam and his donkey, because it shows us a lot about how people would have overlooked a humble donkey at this time, and never given it a second thought.  In the story (Numbers chapter 22), Balaam isn’t doing what God wants, so He sends an Angel to block the path.  The donkey sees the Angel and tries to turn aside three times, and each time Balaam beats her for trying to turn off the path.  God then allows the donkey to speak, and only then, after his donkey has a conversation with him, Balaam is able to finally see God’s plan for him.


No one is very different than Balaam, at least not as much as we like to think.  This is why Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.  God sent us many great and powerful leaders, many of whom probably rode in on great steeds, and we wanted another one.  But God gave us His Son, humble and vulnerable to be sacrificed for us.  Most people missed it at the time, just like Balaam missed the point.  We will always do the same unless we open our eyes to the signs in front of us.  Most of them won’t be announced by thunder and lightning, so we must find those common ways God is trying to get our attention.  Especially since most of us don’t have donkeys.

Rev Kev
reflections

Father’s Kevin’s Weekly Reflection, June 28, 2020

In our first reading today, Elisha’s interaction with the woman in Shunem seems to make sense.  At first reading, the only thing that really stands out is the fact that Elisha has such great power to bring something about (the birth of her child), but he certainly didn’t bring this about, he simply prophesied that it would happen.  What is really remarkable, once we get down to the core of it, is that the friendship between Elisha and this unnamed woman seems so normal to us.


A woman does something nice for someone out of appreciation (inviting Elisha to stay with her family), and this continues on for some time. She and her husband even go to a bit of effort to make a comfortable place for Elisha to stay, even though they don’t have enough room.  Elisha is a gracious guest, and eventually wonders what he might do to show his appreciation, which brings about the prophecy of her child being born.

So what is strange about this?  Nothing, and you shouldn’t think so.  You should be inspired by it, but it should make perfect sense to you.  But let us remember that this passage is showing us a principle that is quite common, and sadly taken for granted.  The very idea that the woman would want to show Elisha appreciation is remarkable, and Elisha certainly has the same instinct to show his appreciation to her as well.


It will always mean more to show, to demonstrate, to illustrate an idea to someone.  It is why we always want an example to be sure we understand what someone means.  And it is why a gift means so much more than words.  There is something written on our souls, part of God’s image imprinted on us, that will always crave this demonstration to one another of all our ideas and emotions.  We will always crave the expression of something above all.


Our God does this unceasingly in our lives.  He does this because He knows what we need, knows our hearts.  All God wants in return is for us to live out this expression of love in our own lives.  Then we might understand the gift we have received: our lives, created in God’s image, meant to be returned as our gift back to God.

~Rev Kev
Uncategorized

Weekly Reflection From Father Kevin, June 21, 2020

“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”

John Wayne said it best, but he was quoting William Penn, who was repeating an idea that seems to have been expressed by almost every culture at some point.  Given the fact that the idea pops up so often in writing, it must be something that needs to be said again and again.  So let’s simply remind ourselves once more – right and wrong exist, and being right doesn’t have anything to do with the volume of the message, nor the number of people saying it.

In our readings today, we see examples from Jeremiah and Psalm 69 of the feelings we can have when we are right, though we are surrounded by others who disagree.  We first have to truly consider whether or not we are in the right, but even when we are, this likely won’t mean that we are popular for it.  When this happens, we can often have feelings of isolation, fear of others’ intentions, dejection at the loss of friendship, etc.  All of these things are addressed in Scripture over and over, and the solution is always the same. 

Jeremiah and the Psalmist and Job and Jesus Christ Himself all turn to the Father, confident that God not only hears our prayers, but also answers them according to His Will.  In these moments, when we feel (or are made to feel) alone, why would we do anything else?  Why wouldn’t we simply reach out in that moment with the same confidence in God’s presence and love?  It is because sometimes we believe the lie, sometimes we believe that we are alone.

The pressure to be a part of the group is quite powerful, and can make us panic into giving up on our principles. Furthermore, the feeling of being part of something can be quite intoxicating.  To say that this is simply not rocking the boat is too simple, and cheapens the fact that we are deeply affected by relationships in our lives.  It really hurts when we are opposed to one another, and it can feel very fulfilling when we are all together.  But these feelings, through no fault of our own, may be leading us away from the Truth.

We cannot control our feelings, but we are responsible to do what is right, whether  it fills our hearts or breaks them.  These are the moments when we need the guidance that only God can provide.  To trust in God enough that we can stand apart will also help us to know when to stand with others.  This is easier said than done, because we aren’t just talking about “others,” we are talking about our friends, neighbors, coworkers, parents, siblings, and children.  We are talking about standing with or against the people we love. 

But we must finally ask ourselves this: who do I trust so much, love so much, that I couldn’t possibly stand against them?  The answer must be God alone.

Rev Kev
Faith Formation

All Aboard for Family VBS with the Rocky Railway!

On this faith-filled adventure, families discover that trusting Jesus pulls them through life’s ups and downs. Due to continued social distancing, this year’s VBS program will be held via Zoom video conferencing. All needed supplies and step-by-step directions for participation will be provided. The program will be held on July 6, 14, 22, 30, and August 3 from 6-8 PM.

Here’s our VBS information page for more details.

If your family would like to participate, contact Laura Hollinrake by June 29.