Our parish now provides "Online Giving"
When you participate, your gift will be securely transferred directly into the parish bank account.
Every Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
From Bishop Gregory Parkes...
"I hereby announce that the general dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days for Catholics in the Diocese of St. Petersburg will expire on the Vigil of Pentecost, Saturday, May 22, 2021. Instead, I will issue some particular dispensations for the faithful who may find themselves in specific circumstances."
PARTICULAR DISPENSATION INFORMATION
The general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation (including the Vigil Mass at 4:00 pm or later on the previous day) is to be reinstated in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, effective Saturday, May 22, 2021.
Considering the necessity of being physically present with our brothers and sisters at Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation for the Eucharist, Bishop Gregory Parkes asks Catholics to make a sincere judgment about whether or not these circumstances apply. If there is doubt or confusion, consult your parish pastor for clarity.
While the general dispensation is removed, there are specific instances where the dispensation will continue. One does not have an obligation to attend Mass on Sunday in the following circumstances:
1. You are ill, or your health condition would be significantly compromised if you were to contract an infectious illness (i.e., you have underlying conditions or are in a high-risk category). Please use the dispensation and do not attend Mass.
2. You exhibit flu-like symptoms. Please use the dispensation and do not attend Mass.
3. You have good reason to think you might be asymptomatic of a contagious illness (e.g., you were in recent contact with someone who tested positive for a contagious illness such as COVID or influenza). Please use the dispensation and do not attend Mass.
4. You care for the sick, homebound, or infirmed.
5. You are pregnant.
6. Those 65 years of age or older (per the CDC's recommendation of high-risk individuals).
7. You cannot attend Mass through no fault of your own (e.g., no Mass is offered, you are infirmed, or, while
wanting to go, you are prevented for some reason you cannot control (e.g., your ride did not show up, the church was at capacity).
8. If you have significant and reasonable fear or anxiety of becoming ill by being at Mass.
These categories will be reviewed in due course and revised as needed.
Those who do not attend Mass must still observe the Lord’s Day and are encouraged to spend time in prayer on Sunday, meditating on the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection; an excellent way to do this is through participating in a broadcast/live stream of the Sunday Mass.
For more information or to view Bishop Parkes announcement, go to https://www.dosp.org/bishop-gregory-parkes-announces-catholic-mass-obligation-to-resume-may-22nd/
JMJ
My Dear Friends in Christ,
RESURREXIT SICUT DIXIT!
He Is Risen, Just As He Said ~ Alleluia!
Relevant Radio is a Catholic radio network with stations across the United States. Every weekday afternoon they have a two-hour program during which listeners can email or call in and have their questions about the spiritual life answered by a priest who is an experienced spiritual director. Several years ago, a women sent an email in which she shared an experience instead of asking a question.
She explained that 2 years earlier, she had attended a parish mission. One of the evenings the topic was forgiveness. At the beginning of this evening, each person attending was given a beautiful rock. At the end of the evening, everyone had a chance to walk up to the front of the church and place their rock in a basket. It was a way to signify that they were forgiving everything and everyone that had negatively affected their life.
Well, this woman couldn't do that that evening. Instead, she kept that rock in her desk drawer at work, every day, for the next year and a half. She was struggling to forgive herself for one of her past sins. She had gone to confession and spoken to her priest, but she just kept beating herself up. She couldn't understand how she could have committed this sin. She kept wondering how God could really forgive her. Through all these months she kept praying and praying and trying to trust God.
Finally, one Friday afternoon she was sitting at her desk praying yet again, when a voice in her head said "go to confession again tomorrow." So she did: she poured everything out, received some comforting words from the priest, and for some inexplicable reason emerged from the confessional feeling like a new person. The power of the Risen Lord was at work. The moment of grace had arrived. She got in her car, drove to the nearby beautiful riverfront, took that rock out of her purse, and threw it as far as she could into the river. Finally, after 18 months of spiritual battle, she had received the grace to let go of her guilt and fully accept God's mercy and forgiveness. Transformation in Christ takes time.
We are all like St. Paul, full of rough edges that God is gradually polishing down. If we become impatient, we will only get in His way, and we may even give up on Him altogether. But being patient doesn't mean we just sit around and twiddle our thumbs. Jesus makes it clear in today's Gospel that we have to do our part in order for our lives to bear the fruit He wants them to bear. And one key way to do that is prayer.
Prayer is a great privilege. The Lord of the universe, our Creator and Redeemer, is online 24/7, always watching over us and listening for when we call out to Him. Whenever we send Him a message, He reads it right away and answers by sending an attachment of grace into our hearts. Daily, personal prayer is the bridge that turns our Catholic talk into a powerful Catholic walk. Daily, personal prayer is the heart of our relationship with Christ, a bridge that links our knowledge of Jesus with our day-to-day actions.
Jesus passionately wants us to become mature men and women of prayer. This is really what He means when He says in today's Gospel: "I am the vine and you are the branches... Remain in Me... because without Me you can do nothing."
Today, let's ask ourselves what we can do to improve our prayer life this week: Maybe it's taking a few minutes to pray a decade or two of the Rosary while we're driving to work. Maybe it's getting up ten minutes earlier so as to be able to spend some quiet time alone with God before the hustle and bustle sweeps us away. Maybe it is making a visit to the Adoration Chapel to spend time with the Real Presence of Christ. Jesus, the vine, will renew His commitment to transform our lives, as He transformed St. Paul's. When He does, let's renew our commitment to be faithful branches, by making prayer a real priority.
The Lord is Risen! Alleluia Alleluia!
He is Truly Risen! Alleluia Alleluia!
Fr. Pecchie
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Dear St. Anthony The Abbot Parishioner,
In an effort to keep us all spiritually close while we are physically apart, we are livestreaming Mass with Fr. Pecchie from St. Anthony The Abbot, daily at 8:00 a.m. EDT, and every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. EDT.
Please visit our Facebook events page to RSVP to upcoming livestream Masses.
For those in need...
St. Vincent de Paul
352-797-4898
Leave a message and someone will contact you.
Looking for the perfect place to host a special event?
Call our office for more information
352-796-2096
Subject: With a Father's Heart (Apostolic Letter on St. Joseph)
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Subject: Christifideles Laici...On Christ's Faithful...St.John Paul II
How do you deepen your relationship with Jesus? By spending time studying God's word in Scripture.
Content: Books of James...1st, 2nd Peter...1st, 2nd, 3rd John...Jude
The Bible is our Soul's GPS to lead us to God in a deeper relationship and the roadmap to heaven. WARNING: Bible usage can be habit forming. Regular scripture reading can cause loss of anxiety and fear, and possible loss of appetite for impatience and anger. Symptoms include: increased love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If SYMPTOMS PERSIST, just "PRAISE THE LORD!"
If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the Catholic faith and what it means to be Catholic, please call Michele in the parish office, Tuesday - Thursday
Classes for grades K-6 in Heffernan HallThe next in-person K-6 Faith Formation class
will be ___________________, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. in the Hall
Please bring your workbook!
(Snacks available for K-6 students)
(balance of the month is home study)
(Pizza available for purchase at 6:00 pm)
Gathered around the fire for fellowship & Fr. Pecchie's teachings (07/16/20)
Fr. Pecchie helping us better understand our faith
Faith and fellowship (08/13/20)
Learn more about your faith in a comfortable atmosphere
Did you know that Bishop Gregory Parkes is on YouTube, he has a radio show, and he records a Sunday Gospel reflection each week? Through media, he shares the hope of Christ with thousands of people each week. You can hear uplifting information about our Catholic community and also learn more about what our faith teaches on relevant topics. Take some time to connect more with your faith by connecting with Bishop Parkes.
EVERY TUESDAYDoors open at 8:30 AM
Early Bird starts at 10:30 AM
BINGO follows
Born 05-03-1991 --- Died 10/12/2006 (leukemia)
1. "The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life."
2. “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.”
3. “By standing before the Eucharistic Christ, we become holy.”
4. “There are people who suffer much more than me.”
5. “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”
6. “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”
7. “Jerusalem is right on our doorstep.”
8. "All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies”
9. "To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan”.
10. “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”
11. “Not me, but God.”
12. “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven".
13. “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”
14. “Our soul is like a hot air balloon. If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again. . . It is important to go to confession often.”
15. “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.”
16. “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”
17. “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”
