pastor’s column · 12/16/2018 · pastor father john reiker parish mission statement our mission...
TRANSCRIPT
Daily Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M
Rectory Office Father John Reiker
Pastor ext. 102 [email protected]
Deacon Richard L. Stevens
Deacon Jim G’Sell [email protected]
314-484-2055
Mrs. Rusalyne Ahlemeyer Business Manager, ext. 104
Mrs. Jackie Dostal Secretary, ext. 100 [email protected]
Cafeteria Ext. 212
For submissions to our facebook page, the website, or our parish app please email Mike at [email protected]. Please allow several days for submission to be approved and posted. Thank You
Religious Instruction Parish School of Religion
Phone (636) 677-4868 ext 118 Grades (pre-K through 8)
Mrs. Kathy Joslin [email protected]
Adults - RCIA Please contact:
The Rectory Office 636-677-4868 ext. 100
Sacramental Preparation Baptism Preparation Meeting: Infant Baptisms require parental attendance at a meeting prior to baptism. Meetings will be held with the Pastor in the rectory. Call rectory office for information 636-677-4868, ext. 100. Baptisms: After 10:15 AM Mass on a Sunday of mutual arrangement. Call rectory office to schedule 636-677-4868, ext. 100.
Bulletin Deadline Monday 9:00 a.m. the week you need it to be published in the bulletin. Notices must be submitted in writing: email text to [email protected].
Marriages: Make arrangements with Priest or Deacon of your choice no less than six months prior to proposed wedding date.
Parish Help Line: St. Vincent de Paul Society, 1-877-238-3228, ext. 3329
New Parishioners: Welcome! Please register by contacting the rectory during business hours @ 677-4868 ext. 100
Change of Address or Telephone: Please call the rectory during business hours. 677-4868 ext. 100
Archdiocese of St .Louis Website: www.archstl.org
Catholic Elementary School: All of our parish children who wish to attend a catholic elementary school may do so at the school of their choice and still remain parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua. Call rectory for details.
Third Sunday of Advent - Year C December 16, 2018
Mass Schedule
Confessions Saturday 4:20-4:50 P.M.
By appointment anytime
Holy Days 8:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
RECTORY CLOSED ON ALL HOLY DAYS
Sunday Saturday 5:00 P.M.
Sunday 8:30 A.M., 10:15 A.M.
St. Anthony of Padua 3009 High Ridge Blvd. High Ridge, MO 63049
Business Hours Monday - Friday
7:30 A.M. - 2:30 P.M. Phone (636) 677-4868
Fax (636) 677-2781 Website www.stanthonyhr.org
Pastor Father John Reiker
Parish Mission Statement Our mission is to be on fire with the love of Jesus Christ,
and with the help of the Holy Spirit, to celebrate our community of faith in the Eucharist
and to share God’s love and mercy with our neighbors through our ministries and evangelization.
Pastor’s Column
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Spread the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus and His St. Anthony Family. A HOLY COMMUNITY THROUGH HOLY COMMUNION! Your brother in Jesus,
Christmas Eve - Candlelight Masses 4:00 PM & 12 Midnight
(Music one half hour before 4:00 & Midnight Masses) Christmas morning 8:30 AM & 10:15 AM
ADVENT: Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving others with God’s own love and concern.—St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Just as the Virgin Mother pondered in her heart on the Word made flesh, so every individual soul and the entire Church are called during their earthly pil-grimage to wait for Christ who comes-and to wel-come Him with faith and love ever new.—Pope Benedict XVI “You have been enlightened by Christ. Walk always as children of the light and keep the flame of faith alive in your hearts.”—Roman rite “Lift up the eyes of your heart to the sacred light, watch closely to see the glory and majesty of the Lord.” - St. Elizabeth of Schonau
Prayer for Joy of the Gospel Mary, Virgin and Mother. . .
Filled with Christ’s presence, You brought joy to John the Baptist,
making him exalt in the womb of his mother. Brimming over with joy,
You sang of the great things done by God. Standing at the foot of the cross
with unyielding faith, You received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,
and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit so that the evangelizing Church might be born. …
Star of the New Evangelization, help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith, justice and love of the poor, that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth, Illuminating even the fringes of our world,
Mother of te living Gospel. wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,
pray for us. Amen. Alleluia!
From Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) Pope Francis
Gaudete / Rejoice! Sunday The third week of Ad-vent begins with Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete, mean-ing “Rejoice,” is the first word of the opening anti-phon for the Mass on this day; Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always). The joy of Gaudete Sunday shows in the use of rose as the liturgical color—for example, on the Advent wreath. The Gospel readings for this Sunday reveal to us the reason for our joy: the coming of Jesus. He is the Word made flesh, the Christ, the Son of the liv-ing God. Lord, I rejoice at the Good news of Your Coming. Make my heart ready.
Third Week of Advent Wreath Prayer Our hope is in the coming of the Lord. (two purple and one pink candle are lit) Let us pray that we may grow in love for each other as the Lord comes to us. (pause for silent prayer) Renew us in Your love, Lord, for with You we have nothing to fear. You provide light for our darkness and warmth in the cold winter air. We sing Your praises for all You have done for us. May we approach this holy Christmas season with a true spirit of gratitude. Amen.
An Advent Reflection Expectation was high for the Messiah’s coming; in fact, many asked John the Baptist whether he was the Messiah. But as he ex-plained to the crowds who gathered, his water was no match for the fire of the Holy Spirit to come. John issued a warning, however: “every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (v. 3). This prompted the worried listen-ers to ask, “What then should we do?” In your Ad-vent prayer, ask yourself, “What then should I do?” When you act with the intention of preparing for the Christ, the possibilities for the fruit that you might bear are endless. With God, nothing is impossible! Advent Prayer of the Week Thank You, God, for all of Your blessings, especially for the people in my life. Please help me to stay on the Advent path, and keep my heart focused on Jesus Christ in all that I say and do as I prepare for His holy birth at Christ-mas. Share with family or someone why I rejoice today: Jesus moments.
December 16, 2018
Saint of the Week Thomas Merton
Trappist Monk (1915-1968) Fifty years ago Dec. 10, 1968, the Trappist monk Thomas Merton died in Bangkok at a conference on monasticism. In setting forth on this Asian journey he had written, “May I not come back without having settled the great affair. And found also the great compassion…. I am going home, to the home where I have never been in this body.” On this trip he met with Buddhist and Christian monks, con-versed with the Dalai Lama, and experienced an epiphany in the presence of an enormous statue of the dying Buddha. Exclaiming that this was the pur-pose of his trip, he wrote, “Everything is emptiness and everything is compassion. “ He died later that week from an accidental electrocution. By strange coincidence, this date, December 10, is also the anniversary of his original entry into the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1941, an event memorial-ized in his famous memoir, The Seven Storey Mountain. At that time he had seen this as the cul-mination of his spiritual search. But in his life as a monk he was constantly challenged to go deeper into the heart of his vocation. This involved at one point a mystical breakthrough in downtown Louis-ville when he seemed to awaken from “a dream of separateness.” It was a kind of rebirth: :”Now the pain and struggle of fighting my way out into some-thing new and much bigger. I must see and em-brace God in the world.” Traveling onward toward his true home, he would become a guide and com-panion for many other spiritual explorers on the road. “There are no strangers! . . . The gate of heaven is everywhere. — Thomas Merton
Pastor’s Column, continued
Jokes of the Week Ever wonder about those people who spend $2 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? (try spelling Evian backwards: naïve)
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
Share Your Blessings
and God’s Love through St. Anthony’s Church Family
In the Future
CHARITABLE IRA GIFTS Those 70 and one half and older can transfer up to $100,000 per year while supporting our mission work and enjoy significant tax savings. Consider making St. Anthony’s the beneficiary of a retirement plan for a future gift. GIFTS OF ANNUITIES Give now and create a source of income for the re-mainder of your life or the life of a loved one. De-ferred gift annuities provide future income. GIFTS OF SECURITIES Make a difference in the lives of the poor with a gift of securities. Receive a fixed income by donating appreciated securities to fund a charitable gift annu-ity. LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY in Your Will A Will ensures that your loved ones are provided for in the future. Including St. Anthony’s in your will se-cures your commitment to helping the poor and sharing God’s love continues around the world. Please contact our office or Fr. John or our website.
Welcome To all our Guests, Fr. John Reiker, Deacon Dick Stevens and Deacon Jim G’Sell and All your sisters and brothers at St. Anthony’s Parish Family wel-come you and hope that your time with us may be a moment of spiritual experience. You are always welcome here and if you would like to become a member of this parish or are thinking to become a Catholic, contact the Rectory of-fice. Our phone is 636-677-4868 ext. 100.
Donna Schumann Margie Krupinski
Donald Moore Bob Townsend
James Cooseman Erwin Nickels
Connie Struckhoff George T. Ruzicka
Marjorie Korn Freeman Fouts
Mary Fouts Julie Marlinghaus Mary Ellen Miller Shirley Caggiano
Gerri Barbeau Carol Bardon Rick Byerly
Jim Kreienkamp Brad Hook
Ryan Heard John McCarthy
Lainey Bartleson Betty Street
Deacon Bill Casseau
Tim Lohman Rosalie Cooseman
Bob Kilper Brycen Kalesh– McMunn
Matthew Carley Earl Challans Tom Conboy
Mason Lohman Sue Barton Kathy Ryals
Joe Hunt Terry Hunt Adam Petry Bob Hook
Nancy Kalkbrenner Dean Stegmann Robert Beougher Richard Siebert
Judy Brouk Marcus Utama Clara Gansner Janet Parker
Justin Schnieders
Please Pray for the Sick
Names of the sick will remain on the list above for a month. You may contact the office to have a name added to the list for an additional month at a time. New additions will appear at the top of the list as they are received.
NOTE: Due to privacy laws, hospitals no longer no-tify us when parishioners are patients. If you wish a visit from the parish staff please notify the office. Thank you.
This Week with our St. Anthony Parish Family
Monday, December 17 Late Advent Weekday 8:00 A.M. Rosalia Roques Tuesday, December 18 Late Advent Weekday 8:00 A.M. Tony Michaels Wednesday, December 19 Late Advent Weekday 8:00 A.M. Margaret Espe Thursday, December 20 Late Advent Weekday 8:00 A.M. Debbie Finder Friday, December 21 St. Peter Canisius 8:00 A.M. All Souls in Purgatory Saturday, December 22 Day of Advent 5:00 P.M. Charlie Bilka Sunday, December 23 Fourth Sunday of Advent 8:30 A.M. Parishioners of St. Anthony 10:15 A.M. Living & Dec’d Members of Knights of Columbus Council 8588
Mass Intentions
Readings for the Week
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Monday: Gn 49:2, 8-10; Ps 72:1-4ab, 7-8, 17; Mt 1:1-17 Tuesday: Jer 23:5-8; Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19; Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a; Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17; Lk 1:5-25 Thursday: Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-6; Lk 1:26-38 Friday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a; Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21; Lk 1:39-45 Saturday: 1 Sm 1:24-28; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8abcd; Lk 1:46-56 Sunday: Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45
THANK YOU!
The Lohman Family would like to thank The Ladies Sodality and all those who helped, for the funeral luncheon for Dan Lohman. Sincerely, The Lohman Family
December 16, 2018 - December 23, 2018
SUNDAY - December 16 Children’s Liturgy of the Word 10:15 Mass PSR Classes 11:30 AM - 112:45 PM MONDAY - December 17 Patriotic Rosary 7:00 PM TUESDAY - December 18 Quilters 9:00 AM RCIA 7:00 PM (Rectory) Choir 6:45 PM Practice for Sunday Masses; Christmas practices to begin immediately after (approx. 7:10); Adults and children (12 and older) welcome Cub Scouts 6:30 (aud) WEDNESDAY - December 19 Youth Group 6:00 PM Men’s Faith Group 6:30 PM (café) 4th Degree Knights of Columbus 7:00 PM THURSDAY - December 20 Knights of Columbus 7:30 PM Women’s ACTS (café) FRIDAY - December 21 Clean Church after 8:00 AM Mass Decorate Church after 8:00 AM Mass– ALL Welcome - Needed! SATURDAY - December 22 SUNDAY - December 23 Children’s Liturgy of the Word 10:15 Mass
Activities This Week
Upcoming Events
St. Vincent de Paul Giving Tree with ornament tags will be in the Church vestibule thru Dec. 15th. When returning your gifts please be sure the tags are taped securely to the package with the numbers and items showing. Gifts need to be returned no later than Sunday, Dec. 16th. to the Church vestibule or church office.
For questions, contact Deacon Dick.
May God bless your family this
Advent season!
Giving Tree 2018 Take a tag...buy and wrap a gift.
Give someone’s Christmas a special lift.
Monday, December 24 Christmas Eve CANDLE-LIGHT Masses 4:00 PM and 12 midnight with mu-sic Praise at 3:30 & 11:30 PM Tuesday, December 25 Christmas Day Masses 830 & 10:15 AM
December 16, 2018
We Need You!
CHURCH DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS
Please join us in decorating church on Friday, De-cember 21st after 8:00 AM Mass. Many hands make light work!
ATTENTION ALL SERVERS!
Whether or not you are serving the Mass and you are attending on Christmas Eve or Christmas, you are invited to join in the entrance procession for Mass.
Upcoming Bulletin EARLY Deadlines
Please keep in mind we have early submission deadlines for articles, etc. that you may wish to have published in the weekly bulletins during the upcoming holidays. Submissions for the December 30, 2018 bulletin are due in the Rectory office by Monday, December 17, 2018 by 9:00 AM. As well, submissions for the January 6, 2019 bulletin are due in the Rectory office by Monday, December 17, 2018 by 9:00 AM. Please indicate which bulletin date/s your submis-sion is intended for.
Thanks for your attention to this matter.
As we prepare a new schedule for the minis-tries, we ask that you inform us of any dates you are unable to serve for the months of Feb-ruary, March, and April 2019. Please contact Jackie at [email protected] or phone the rec-tory at 636-677-4868 ext. 100.
Deadline is Thursday, December 27, 2018 at 9:00 AM.
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Calendars/Schedules 2019
Attention Please:
To ALL groups and organizations of the Parish, please submit your calendar of events and meet-ings ASAP. Please indicate meeting/event times, dates, and day of the week. Even if you are following the same times and days of the month/week from the previous year, please forward all information. We want and need to be as current as possible.
This information is necessary to maintain a
functional calendar.
Please email: [email protected] or by mail at:
St. Anthony of Padua 3009 High Ridge Blvd.
High Ridge, MO 63049 Attn: Jackie
Knights of Columbus Sunday Mass
12-30-18
All Knights of Columbus are welcome to all attend the 10:15 AM Mass together on December 30,
2018.
The STAY high school youth group is now meeting weekly. Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM for social time and meeting starts at 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. To receive our emails, please send your name and e-mail address to Rachel at [email protected] to be added to the list.
Follow us on Facebook Saint Anthony of Padua
High Ridge
Jonah Prayer Ministry
Our Parish’s Jonah Prayer Ministers have a prayer box mounted on the inner wall of the vesti-
bule. You will find it on the right-hand side (near the candle stand) as you enter church. This box is for written prayer requests. All petitions are kept
confidential by your Jonah Prayer Ministers.
A SILENT CHRISTMAS? Christmas was coming But what would it bring? A church filled with people With no one to sing? What of the Carols So sweet and so mild That tell of the birth Of the Heavenly Child? Will there be Tuesdays Where Nancy’s surprised To see new choir members Before tired eyes? O come ye, on Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. is fine. Help us make Midnight Mass A Holy Night, Divine! Please join us on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. for prac-tice. If you wish to join us on Sundays, as well as Mid-night Mass and Christmas morning, we will begin practice for those at 6:45. We will be going over Christmas music choices after Mass practice on Nov. 6th. Nancy Struckhoff Choir Director (636 253-6115) Tuesday - Choir 6:45 PM for Sunday Masses Christmas practices to begin immediately after (approx. 7:10) Adults and children (12 and older) welcome Thanks, Nancy Struckhoff
December 16, 2018
2019 Church Calendars
Church calendars are available in the vestibule. Please do thank our calendar sponsor,
Fielder Electrical Services for their kind donation to the Parish.
Thank you!
We clean Church every Friday after the 8:00 AM Mass. Our Heavenly Dusters are in need of help! If you can offer any time, it would be deeply appreciated. Thank you!
We would like to thank
Realty Executives for advertising in our parish bulletin. Because of their generosity we do not pay for our bulletins to be printed. Please patronize our advertisers and thank them for supporting our parish.
Blood Drive on November 25, 2018
Thank You to those who gave for “Jamie Schmidt”
On behalf of “Mississippi Valley Blood Center” and Clarence Surmeier, thank you to the twenty-three people who came to give their blood in Jamie’s honor to save other lives. It was one way we could honor Jamie’s life here on earth. Because of your donations up to 92 lives will be saved. May our Lord and savior “Jesus Christ” continue to bless you al-ways and especially take loving care of Jamie. The next blood drive is March 24th and will be back in the Mobile unit in front of School because of Fish Fries and Lent.
For more information, please visit our website: www.stanthonyhr.org
Collections for December 2018: Weekly Contributions (general fund)
Building Fund Christmas Flowers
Immaculate Conception Seminary Christmas
Parish Financial Report
Thank You for Your Gifts to God & Your Parish Family
God bless you for your generous contributions.
We all appreciate your sacrifices and love of our St. Anthony Family!
COLLECTION December 9, 2018
Contribution Collection 4,099.73 Online Giving 1,375.00 Loose 297.00 Immaculate Conception 480.00 Christmas flowers 200.00 Christmas Offering 30.00 Building Fund 110.00 Total for Parish 6,591.73
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
IRA Charitable Rollover
Did you know if you are age 70.5 or older, you can distribute up to $100,000 tax-free each year from your IRA account to benefit St. Anthony of Padua? For details on contributing to St. Anthony of Padua with an IRA Charitable Rollover, please contact the planned giving experts at the Roman Catholic Foun-dation. 314.918.2893 | [email protected]
Ministry Schedule
December 16, 2018
St. Anthony PSR News
For information contact Kathy Joslin at [email protected] or call 636-677-4868 ext. 118 or 636-677-1567.
The PSR Parent Handbook can be viewed on our parish website at www.stanthonyhr.org.
December Prayers & Lists ~1st grade – Holy Family ~2nd grade – Holy Family, Grace Before Meals ~3rd grade – Grace Before Meals ~4th grade – Holy Family, Great Commandment, Angelus ~5th grade – Angelus, Liturgical Cycle & Colors ~6th grade – Angelus, Liturgical Cycle & Colors ~7th grade – Saint Michael Prayer, Glorious Mysteries ~8th grade – Fatima Prayer
December 16 – Third Sunday of Advent
December 23 – Fourth Sunday of Advent No classes – Christmas Holiday “The magic of Christmas is not in the presents – but in His presence.” Author Unknown
1st grade
2nd grade 3rd grade 4th grade 5th grade 6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
Quiz ch. 4
Quiz ch. 3
Quiz ch. 12
Quiz ch.10
Gospel Con-nections
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Christmas lesson
Decision Point
White House Retreat
All men of the parish are invited to join us on our annual retreat at White House. This will be a silent, guided retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It’s a peaceful break from the chaos and confusion of everyday life. It’s like a 3 day vacation with Christ on their beautiful 80—acre cam-pus high on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. All meals and private lodging are provided. Our retreat begins the evening of Thursday, February 28, 2019 and concludes Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 2:00 PM. There is no set fee to attend a retreat at White House! White House operates on a free will offering basis, asking those in attendance to simply give what they feel they can at the con-clusion of the retreat. To register call: Bob Hook 636-677-2262 or Matt Frank 636-677-0552 or visit www.whretreat.org to find additional dates. PLEASE RSVP BY JANUARY 28, 2019.
St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO
Are you looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Why not memorialize a loved one or friend (living or deceased) with a memorial paver?!!!
Activities Outside The Parish
MEET YOUR SPONSORED FRIEND Now’s your chance to make the blessing of spon-sorship real to you and your sponsored friend. Join an Unbound awareness trip in 2019 and experience a new culture, the ins and outs of our program, and best of all, the excitement of meeting your spon-sored friend face to face. More informat ion can be found at www.unbound.org/trips or by contacting a trip coor-dinator at [email protected] or 800-875-6564. We can’t wait to travel with you!
The Young Catholic Musicians The 41st Annual Christmas Concert of The Young Catholic Musicians will be performed at Seven Holy Founders Church in Affton on Thursday, December 27 and Friday, December 28, from 7:30 PM-9 PM. You are invited to attend the beautiful and inspira-tional proclamation of the Christmas Story pre-sented by the 50-member orchestra and choir of talented young people.
White House Retreat
White House Retreat in South County will be host-ing a 2-day retreat for Young Adults this winter. De-signed for young adults age 18-35, this co-ed re-treat will feature talks that inform the spiritual lives of young professionals. Conferences will explore Ignatian principles for discerning relationships and career, cultivating silence in a hyper-connected cul-ture, balancing work and leisure, and developing one’s personal and communal relationship with Christ. Silence will be kept for the first 24 hours. There will be additional opportunities for silent prayer, spiritual direction, and confession. Saturday evening will in-clude a social. The presenter will be Fr. Anthony Wieck, S.J. Check in is from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday Dec 28th. Departure is at approximately 1:00 pm on Sunday December 30th following lunch. The cost to attend is $100 per person due at the time of reg-istration and this includes private lodging and all meals. Space is limited. For more info or to register visit whretreat.org/amdg or call 314-416-6400.
December 16, 2018
March for Life 2019 – Registration Now Open
MISSOURI LIFE CARAVAN is now accepting registra-tions for our bus trip to the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Thursday- Saturday, Jan. 17- 19, 2019. Join us and thousands of others from across the U.S. for this huge pro-life gathering in our nation’s capi-tal. This trip is open to anyone ages 7 and up (chaperones not provided). We depart from several loca-tions in the St. Louis area and we do not stay in hotels as we sleep on the buses. The cost if received by Dec. 21 is $205. The cost after Dec. 21 is $220. Registration deadline is Jan. 2, 2019. For registration and bus infor-mation contact us at: 314-434-4900 or [email protected]. You can also download our registration form at www.easternregionmrl.org. If you have any questions/concerns, please e-mail or call 314-434-4900
Children Celebrating Faith