EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Every Friday after the 8AM Mass

ROSARY

7:00 PM Fatima Prayer Group on Monday

After the 6:45 AM and 8 AM Masses Monday thru Friday and after the 8 AM Mass on Saturday.

THE PARISH LIBRARY is open every Sunday morning in the Holy Family Room of the undercroft.

CONFESSIONS SCHEDULE

Thursday, August 13, 7:30PM – Fr. Armstrong

Saturday, August 15, 3:00PM – Fr. Armstrong

BABYSITTING FOR THE 9:30AM MASS,

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16

Adult Volunteers: Mary Ann Catanzaro, Gretchen Wrolstad

Students: Brian H., Karly H., Megan N.

See the Catholic Telegraph’s new website www.thecatholictelegraph.com for additional international news stories and other local information.

RECTORY OFFICE SUMMER BUSINESS HOURS will be Monday thru Thursday from 8AM to 3PM and Fridays from 8AM to 12noon.

Please keep in your prayers Sam Fazio, Harry Hater, Jr. and their families.

Designate a gift to Saint Antoninus Church in your will and give witness to your faith. 

FROM OUR PASTOR

     After Mass last Sunday, one parishioner asked me to publish my homily on St. John Vianney.  The first part of the homily on his life was not written down.  However, in the sacristy after that same Mass another parishioner told me that when she was in the eighth grade, her teacher, a religious sister, read the biography of St. John Vianney to her class throughout the school year.  Subsequently, I have decided to publish the life of St John Vianney as it is found in Butler's Lives of the Saints in installments over this Year of the Priest.  This bulletin contains "The Catechism on the Priesthood" contained in The Little Catechism of Cure of Ars,   which I did read at that Mass. Please continue to pray for all priests, especially for the souls of priests in purgatory

- Rev. Christopher R. Armstrong

FROM THE LITTLE CATECHISM OF THE OF THE CURE’ D’ARS, ST. JOHN VIANNEY

      My children, we have come to the Sacrament of Orders.  It is a Sacrament which seems to relate to no one among you, and which yet relates to everyone.  This Sacrament raises man up to God.  What is a priest!  A man who holds the place of God – a man who is invested with all the powers of God.  “Go,” said Our Lord to the priest; “as My Father sent Me, I send you.  All power has been given Me in Heaven and on earth.  Go then, teach all nations… He who listens to you, listens to Me; he who despises you despises Me.”  When the priest remits sins, he does not say, “God pardons you”; he says, “I absolve you.”  At the Consecration, he does not say, “This is the Body of Our Lord;” he says, “This is My Body.”

      St. Bernard tells us that everything has come to us through Mary; and we may also say that everything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts.  If we had not the Sacrament of Orders, we should not have Our Lord.  Who placed Him there, in that tabernacle?  It was the priest.  Who was it that received your soul, on its entrance into life?  The priest, who nourishes it, to give it strength to make its pilgrimage?  The priest.  Who will prepare it to appear before God, by washing that soul, for the last time, in the blood of Jesus Christ?  The priest – always the priest.  And if that soul comes to the point of death, who will raise it up, who will restore it to calmness and peace?  Again the priest.  You cannot recall one single blessing from God without finding, side by side with this recollection, the image of the priest.

      Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you?  No.  Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No.  The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host.  You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you.   A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, “Go in peace; I pardon you.”  Oh, how great is a priest!  The priest will not understand the greatness of his office till he is in Heaven.  If he understood it on earth, he would die, not of fear, but of love.  The other benefits of God would be of no avail to us without the priest.  What would be the use of a house full of gold, if you had nobody to open you the door!  The priest has the key of the heavenly treasures; it is he who opens the door; he is the steward of the good God, the distributor of His wealth. Without the priest, the Death and Passion of Our Lord would be of no avail.  Look at the heathens: what has it availed them that Our Lord has died?  Alas! They can have no share in the blessings of Redemption, while they have no priests to apply His Blood to their souls!

      The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give him absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself.  He is not for himself, he is for you.  After God, the priest is everything.  Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If the missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, “What can we do in this church?  There is no Mass; our Lord is no longer there:  we may as well pray at home.”  When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion. 

      When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, “Where are you going?” you might answer, “I am going to feed my soul.”  If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, “What is that golden door?”  “That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept.”  “Who has the key?  Who lays in the provisions”, Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?”  “The priest.” “And what is the Food?”  “The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord.”  O God! O God! How Thou hast loved us! See the power of the priest; out of a piece of bread the word of a priest makes a God.  It is more than creating the world… Someone said, “Does St. Philomena, then, obey the Cure’ of Ars?” Indeed, she may well obey him, since God obeys him.

      If I were to meet a priest and an angel, I should salute the priest before I saluted the angel.  The latter is the friend of God; but the priest holds His place.  St. Teresa kissed the ground where a priest had passed.  When you see a priest, you should say, “There is he who made me a child of God, and opened Heaven to me by holy Baptism; he who purified me after I had sinned; who gives nourishment to my soul.”  At the sight of a church tower, you may say, “What is there in that place?”  “The Body of Our Lord.”  “Why is He there?” “Because a priest has been there, and has said holy Mass.”

            What joy did the Apostles feel after the Resurrection of Our Lord, at seeing the Master whom they had loved so much!  The priest must feel the same joy, at seeing Our Lord whom he holds in his hands.  Great value is attached to objects which have been laid in the drinking cup of the Blessed Virgin and of the Child Jesus, at Loretto.  But the fingers of the priest, that have touched the adorable Flesh of Jesus Christ, that have been plunged into the chalice which contained His Blood, into the pyx where His Body has lain, are they not still more precious?  The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.  When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

RCIA TO BEGIN ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

   The sessions of the RCIA begin on Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Holy Family Room of the undercroft.  If you are not Catholic but have considered becoming Catholic or just want to find out more about the Catholic faith, you are welcome!  If you are a Catholic who would like to deepen your understanding of the Catholic faith, you are welcome as well!  If you plan to attend or if you know someone who would like to receive an invitation to RCIA, please call Deacon Bob Schroeder at 922-4759.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED- FALL CLEANUP DAY on Saturday, August 15, at 8am.  Please bring rakes, tree trimmers, hedge clippers, etc. to help with landscaping the grounds.  Everyone’s help is greatly appreciated.  Meet in the school parking lot.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LUNCH

   St. Antoninus provides lunch for the Habitat for Humanity construction volunteers on the third Saturday of the month.  Our next date is August 15.  If you would like to help, please call Julie Heil at 922-3848 in the evening.

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

HOME CONSTRUCTION ON FYFFE AVE.

     From 8:00am to 3:00pm or any hours you can help, on August 15, September 19, October 17, and November 21.   

     If you would like to help, call Deacon Bob Schroeder at 922-4759 or send e-mail to: w8cro@arrl.net.

Biggs and Kroger Gift Cards are available during rectory office hours of Monday-Thursday 8AM to 3PM and Friday from 8AM to noon and after all weekend Masses.

FAITH & FINANCES

St. Antoninus will be offering Our Sunday Visitor’s parish program “7 Steps to Becoming Financially Free”, a fully Catholic, small-group study on managing your money. This six-session program (starting August 26) aims to help you make the most of God’s gifts through group discussion and peer support. The program follows the book and work-book of the same name. For more info or to sign up, call the parish office at 922-5400. Space is strictly limited.

BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR!

For all St. Antoninus Parish School-Age, Home-schoolers and PREP students On Sunday, August 16, from 10:15 to 11:30AM in the driveway in front of school (undercroft if raining). Any questions leave a message at 922-3848 for Julie Heil.

TWIN PARISH

School begins at St. Frances Seraph on Tuesday, August 18. The staff relies on our help in their school cafeteria each year. If you can help for two hours one day per month please call Carolyn Rolfes at 347-0622. Please consider being a volunteer!

VOLUNTEER “HOUSE-SITTERS” NEEDED DURING FUNERALS

Volunteers are needed who would be willing to “house-sit” during funerals at the home of the family of deceased parishioners. This service of the parish is a comfort to the family and many families avail themselves of it. If you are interested in helping or need more info, please call Betty Bauer at 922-7511.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

Our help to the needy is for them "manna from heaven." Your gift in the poor box makes it possible for this shower of manna to continue.

HOLY SPIRIT PRAYER GROUP

You heard the expression “have a heart.” In this case it refers to Ben Klaene’s teaching on Tuesday night. To date we’ve had two teachings concerning the beatitudes, numbers 1and 3 and 2 and 8. This time Ben will teach on 4, 5, 6, and 7. He explains that another name for the beatitudes is the “new law” as defined in Pope Benedict’s book, “Jesus of Nazareth”. The purpose of living the beatitudes is to draw us closer to God, and the organ for seeing Him is the heart, thus the title “Have a Heart.” We are fortunate to have so many teachings that were recently given at the Bible Institute. If you could not attend, then take the opportunity now to learn more about Jesus’ teachings. In Chapel, 7:30 PM.

PTO is looking for families willing to be part of a welcoming committee for “new” school families for the 2009/2010 school year. The welcome committee will help make the transition to a new school easier for the new families. We need at least 20 volunteer families for this project. Call Susan Kock by August 15th, at 922-8755 or e-mail susankock@yahoo.com.

See the Catholic Telegraph’s new website www.thecatholictelegraph.com for additional international news stories and other local information.

OUR LADY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CENTER

Rosary and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesday, August 26, starting at 6:30PM.

ADULT SOCIAL GROUP

August- No meetings in August, instead, we will have an informal gathering at the Golden Corral, Monday, August 10, at 1PM. If you plan to attend, call Bob at 451-4842.

Friday, September 4 - Steering Committee meeting at 1PM in the Holy Family Room of the undercroft. Please come if you would like to join the steering committee.

Monday, September 14- Communion Service at 12:30PM, followed by lunch and a presentation on Antique Cars by Scott Bittner. Time and weather permitting, Mr. Bittner will offer some rides in his Model T. Cost is $9 per person. Get your reservations in by Monday, September 7.

December 1-3 – Trip to “Our Lady of the Snows Shrine” to see the Christmas Displays and “Way of Lights.” Leave Tues, Dec. 1st, return Thur. Dec. 3rd. Stay 2 nights at the Shrine hotel. Tour will also include a sightseeing trip to the St. Louis Arch: Noon Mass at the Basilica: and a tour of the Anheuser Bush Brewery. Cost $175 per person, deposit $75 per person due now, full amount by November 1st. Includes transportation, lodging and continental breakfasts. Additional food, fees and souvenirs are at your own expense. Tour limited to 44 people. Get your name in early.

Novena to Our Lady of Knock

Our Lady, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist, along with an altar and the Lamb, appeared to a small group of people at the south gable of the Church of St. John the Baptist in County Mayo Ireland on August 21, 1879. At the time, this apparition was a certain sign of God’s love to a people in need.

On August 14-24, 2009, St. Patrick Shrine, Taylor Mill, KY, will be having a Novena to Our Lady of Knock. People who attend are encouraged to bring special intentions to offer. We will pray together and also have the opportunity to learn more about this beautiful apparition. FYI, Fr. Don McCarthy will be our guest celebrant on August 18th.

For directions and copy of the schedule, call Jeanne Clephane 859/261-6553, or E Mail her at ljclephane@fuse.net; or contact Jackie Rogers JRBereavement@aol.com, or 451-1382.

SAINT WILLIAM PARISH FESTIVAL on Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22, from 6-11PM, and Sunday, August 23, from 5 to 10PM.

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

In all my years serving in pro life I have never witnessed such a sweeping attempt to undermine the sanctity of human life and to alter the landscape of our beautiful nation from a land of the free…to a land of the controlled. Under the guise of Health ‘Care’, massive changes in the very structure of our democracy are on foot. Every voter in this nation needs to let their voice be heard…now…this month, as the House and the Senate recess until September.

The “Health” bill should be scrapped altogether: It is riveted with moral, physical and ethical threats to the unborn, the elderly, the infirm. It imposes the “are you wanted” mentality on the less-than-perfect among us, it makes attacks on the rights of conscience for our Catholic hospitals and medical personnel (Cardinal George) … all these loom larger each passing day.

You and I want to DO something to stop this Horrific Health Bill. Please call your representative’s and U.S. Senators’ district offices and ask when and where they will be holding town hall meetings. Express your opposition to any form of this bill. Attend the meetings. Write to our local papers. It’s our country and the future of our children and grandchildren…and ourselves as we grow into our golden years. Resources:

• Please follow this link for the National Right to Life Committee’s analysis of H.R. 3200 - http://capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/alert/?alertid=13157881

• Phyllis Schlafly: “Reading the Fine Print in the Health Care Bill” http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2009/july09/09-07-31.html

• In Cincinnati: contact www.RighttoLifeofCincinnati 513-728-7870 ext 207

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) 202.224.2315

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) 202.224.3353 www.senate.gov

Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH) (202) 225-2216 www.house.gov

“We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between the culture of death and the culture of life. We find ourselves in the midst of this conflict. We are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro life” Pope JP II “The Gospel of Life”. God is good! Jane Hoffman St. Antoninus Pro life Pro Family Committee

“CARITAS IN VERITATE” – Pope Benedict’s third encyclical. If you are interested in a study group meeting at Holy Family Church, please call paul Schneider at 251-6536 or Pschneider_9332@fuse.net. Meeting night(s) and times to be determined by participants.

A “LIFE IN THE SPIRIT" Seminar will be held on six consecutive Wednesday evenings starting Sept. 23 - Oct. 28, 2009 from 7 to 9 PM -- St. Ignatius Church in Hilvert Hall. Listen to dynamic teachings that will help you to encounter Jesus personally and experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For info or to register, call Rose at (513) 385-8930 or Lighthouse Community at 513-471-LITE(5483). Suggested donation: $5.00. Sponsored by Lighthouse Renewal Center.

HUGE used BOOK SALE at the St. Ignatius Festival! We have over 12,000 used books, music CDs, and movies priced to sell. Festival hours are Friday, August 21, 6PM-midnight; Saturday, August 22, 4PM- midnight and Sunday, August 23, 4-11PM. There will be Sunday Specials of ½ off books from 4-8 and a $3.00 bag sale from 8-11 p.m. The festival also has a Main Award of $10,000, a Straw Market, rides and lots of food.