CONFESSIONS SCHEDULE

No Confessions on Thursday, November 26 because of Thanksgiving Day

BABYSITTING FOR THE 9:30AM MASS,

SUNDAY, November 29

Adult Volunteers: Janet Grady Lenora Wright

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

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Today’s second reading reminds us that the sacrifice of Christ frees us from sin and makes us a royal nation of priests in the service of God. How am I using my gifts to serve God and others?

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Dear Parishioners,

The Vision Statement concludes: "I see a day when Saint Antoninus parish dares to be what it is called to be - the Body of Christ in the world to the glory of God the Father." Chapter 14, "Teaching Religion in a Culture Where Truth is Relative," in Catholic from the Inside Out, seems to express well the statement's challenge. That chapter contrasts the "world's" vision [wv]and the Catholic Vision [CV]: wv: Subjectivism: What I think is true, is true for me; CV: Truth is what is real; wv: Pelagianism: I do not need God; CV "Without Me you can do nothing (Jn. 15:5);" wv: Psychologism: Always follow feelings; CV: Do what your know is right; wv: License: Freedom is, "do what you want to do;" CV: True freedom is "Do what is right;" wv: Hedonism: Joy and pleasure are just the same; CV: True joy is self-giving; wv: Individualism: I want mine: CV: "Love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 19:19)." That is a very quick sketch of the world and the gospel but I think it helps to summarize the challenges of living out our faith in real time, here and now. There are already so many signs of glory from the grace of the sacraments to practical concern for our neighbor's welfare. Yet, today's Solemnity of Christ the King reminds us that the best is yet to come, when all creation "bends its knee at the Name of Jesus," to the glory of God the Father.

Fr. Christopher R. Armstrong

PLEASE PICK UP YOUR DIRECTORY THIS WEEKEND

If you had your picture taken, your directory will be ready for pick up in the gathering room after each Mass this weekend. Thanks for participating.

LESSONS IN CAROLS will be in church on Monday, December 21, at 7PM. Open your heart to the coming of Christ in a celebration of Lessons in Carols. Join us in reflecting upon the true meaning of Christmas during this special evening of music and prayer. Music will be offered by the Giving Glory Contemporary Music Group, directed by Peg Delaney.

Parish Council Meeting on Monday, November 23rd, at 7:30 p.m. in the school conference room. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Thank you to Dennis and Ellen Smith Family who took the Traveling Chalice into their home for one week to help pray for vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. If you would like the Traveling Chalice for one week, please call Debbie at 922-2414.

ADULT SOCIAL GROUP.

December- We will have our usual Christmas $5 gift exchange at the luncheon on Monday, December 14.

Future trip- an overnight in Amish country.

Dear Parishioners,

Most of us are familiar with the first line of Charles Dickens’ book A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times …” How true that statement can be in any time period. What we focus on usually determines how we feel about the time we are living in.

A student may feel oppressed because his “mean” parents will not let him have a friend over because chores and/or homework are not finished. At such a moment, how easily the student forgets he has a warm place to sleep, loving parents, and the freedom to go to school. Not all children have these. We can all find the good or the bad in any given moment. As Thanksgiving approaches, let us all conscientiously use this time to count our blessings.

Our parish and our school are full of blessings we may take for granted. The volunteers who do so much make our parish and school truly wonderful. Our parents who take time to assist their students improve the whole school by helping their own child. Our parish and school staffs, our priests and faculty work very diligently for the good of the parish. Each parish child, whether at St. Antoninus School or not, is a blessing to our parish.

We should always remember to be thankful for what Christ did for all of us. It will always be the best of times and the worst of times. Where do we want to focus our attention?

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

Plan now to attend the Thanksgiving Day Mass at 8 AM on Thursday, November 26. At the Offertory you will be invited to bring forward your gift of food or cash. Both are sorely needed at this time. The food will be delivered to the food bank at the SVdP headquarters on Bank Street. The recommended food list includes: canned vegetables, soup, pasta, dried beans or rice, tuna, macaroni and cheese, and brownie or cake mix. Blue SVdP bags for your food contribution can be found in the Greeting Room. Please take one home fill it, and bring it to the Thanksgiving Mass.

Weekly Neighborhood Rosary Groups for Life regularly meets to pray the rosary together. If you are able to participate, or want info call Dave Willig 451-6192, or Joanie Loebker 922-0348.

FROM OUR SEMINARIAN INTERN, MATTHEW J. ROBBEN

ST. ANTONINUS PARISH SCHOOL TUITION RAFFLE CHANCES are available in school or at the parish office. 1 Chance for $50, 3 chances for $100. A year’s tuition for St. Antoninus Parish School will be raffled off at the Gala on February 13, 2010.

HOLY SPIRIT PRAYER GROUP

The prayer group is so fortunate to have Craig Johnson of Our Lady of Victory parish to lead us in songs of praise every week. His ability to select music that draws us into worship is truly Spirit-led. (And his guitar keeps us on key!) For Thanksgiving, we have elected to spend the evening in worship as we pray, offering our praise to God for all His blessings. It is important for us always to be grateful in acknowledging God’s care for us. So often, we turn to Him only for help and healing. St Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4:4 tell us, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” That is our intention on Tuesday. In Chapel 7:30 PM. Please join us to add your voice.

Lay Missionary Pat Duffy will visit St. Antoninus on Saturday, November 28, at the 4:30 Mass. After Mass, meet Pat and his wife Damarys in the undercroft for dinner and entertainment by the Mercy High Choral Group. RSVP to Joe and Mary Beth Nolan at 451-7435 or Carol Pieper at 598-8355.

THE MAIN-A-VENT gift gathering event is going on now. See the Sweetheart Ranch Gifting Post in the greeting room to help us lasso-in gifts for our major church fundraiser. The gift-gathering committee is looking for vacation homes, get-away packages or weekend packages for the live auction. To discuss details, please call Mark Baker at 451-0982.

Feast of All Souls 2009

We had a wonderful crowd gathered to pray for our loved ones who have died. Fr. Armstrong offered an insightful homily, including an explanation of purgatory, and how desperately the souls there need to be prayed for. The mass was full of hope in the promise of the resurrection, and Peg Delaney, Ron Wittich and Pat Edmiston added beautiful musical accompaniment.

We are all reminded of our rich legacy of souls buried from St. Antoninus, as we walk around the interior of our church and read the names of those who passed since its beginning in 1943. These names will be displayed for the rest of the month. Stop in and peruse the lists; one can almost feel the presence of all these saints as they pray for all of us.

While the grief of those families whose loved ones died in the past 12 months is still so painfully raw, I know they were assured of our continued prayers and support. If you missed the Mass, but would like to hear the sermon, call the Rogers’ @ 451-1382. Thanks to everyone who helped make this Feast of All Souls exceptionally prayerful. May God bless us all with a little more time to pray for those who have died, and for those who are grieving.

Funeral Liturgy Cd’s & Tapes

The Bereavement Ministry has a number of CD’s & Tapes from past funerals. If your family had a loved one’s funeral at St. Antoninus, and did not receive an expected audio copy of the Mass, please call Larry or Jackie @ 451-1382.

BABYSITTING NIGHT

The 8th grade Girl Scouts will host a babysitting night on December 11th, 6PM to 10PM in the undercroft. This is a fundraiser, donations gratefully accepted. Drop off your children (must be potty trained) for a fun evening of activities. To RSVP e-mail pattyobob@aol.com with name and age of child.

ARCHDIOCESE OF CINCINNATI STATEMENT ON THE CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Every year, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development makes uniquely positive impacts on communities throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and around the country. This year, our contributions are funding 18 projects throughout the Archdiocese’s 19-counties that are empowering low-income people to pull themselves out of poverty. While these organizations are not direct affiliates of the Catholic Church itself, nearly all of them include our priests, religious and/or parish communities as members. We find them worthwhile to fund because they train the poor to overcome various causes of poverty like few other organizations can.

Faithful to Catholic Teaching

Be assured that there are strict guidelines in this Archdiocese to ensure that all organizations thru receive funding are not involved in any activities that are contrary to Church principles. We require all funded organizations to sign a statement, “Basic Principles of Catholic Mission for CCHD,” which obliges them not to promote abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, or any other affront to human life and dignity. Should the Archdiocesan staff, members of our local CCHD Committee, or an outside organization raise concerns about any funded agency being in violation of these policies, we would immediately investigate. If proven true, we would stop funding and demand repayment of past funds. We want to ensure that none of our dollars are being used in an inappropriate manner. In fact, instead of just responding to the Church’s call to fight poverty, some of our organizations also are helping us protect the sanctity of life in the womb. This year, for instance, the two organizations that we have funded to work on healthcare-related issues have also advocated for pro-life amendments to be included in federal healthcare reform legislation, just as our bishops have called for. Nationally, at times, legitimate concerns are raised by faithful Catholics about CCHD’s funding decisions, since a portion of every diocese’s collection is sent to the national CCHD offices for redistribution in grants to groups all across the country. This was the case recently. I’d like to share with you the enclosed memo from Bishop Roger Morin, chair of the U.S. bishops’ committee overseeing CCHD, to his fellow bishops. The bishop’s statement explains that national CCHD also has a strict policy of only funding groups that adhere to the teachings of our Church. In instances where violations have surfaced, action was taken immediately to defund those organizations. In addition, we understand that not all accusations mentioned in some recent media reports have been proven true.

The Impact in Your Communities

To offer some examples of the efforts we are supporting, CCHD makes possible the work of Working In Neighborhoods, which has helped hundreds of households in Cincinnati pull themselves back from the brink of foreclosure. A number of our parishes throughout the area are also partnering with this agency to host “Foreclosure Forums” that are reaching out to even more families in need. In Dayton, the Wesley Community Center is equipping men to triumph over substance abuse, addiction, entanglement with the criminal justice system and unemployment.

Thank you.

Tony Stieritz

Director, Catholic Social Action, Archdiocese of Cincinnati 100 East 8th St. , Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513-421-3131, ext. 2660

csa@catholiccincinnati.org