Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time-February 7, 2021 St. Anthony of Padua 3009 High Ridge Blvd. High Ridge, MO 63049 Business Hours Monday - Thursday 7:30 A.M. - 12:30 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. Mass Schedule Daily Monday - Friday 8:00 A.M Sunday Saturday 4:30 P.M. (indoors) Sunday 10:00 A.M. (indoors) Confessions Saturday 4:00-4:20 P.M. By appointment anytime Marriages: Make arrangements with Rectory Office Religious Instruction Priest or Deacon of your choice no less Father John Reiker Parish School of Religion than six months prior to proposed Pastor ext. 102 Phone (636) 677-4868 ext 118 Grades (pre-K through 8) wedding date. [email protected] Mrs. Kathy Joslin [email protected] Parish Help Line: St. Vincent de Paul Deacon Jim G’Sell Society, 1-877-238-3228, ext. 3329 [email protected] 314-484-2055 Adults - RCIA New Parishioners: Welcome! Please contact: Please register by contacting the rectory Mrs. Rusalyne Ahlemeyer Fr. John Reiker Office Manager, ext. 104 during business hours @ 677-4868 ext. 100 [email protected] Secretary, ext. 100 Baptism Preparation Meeting: Infant Change of Address or Telephone: Paula Mari Willenbrink Baptisms require parental attendance Please call the rectory during business [email protected] at a meeting prior to baptism,with the hours. 677-4868 ext. 100 Pastor in the rectory. Call rectory office Cafeteria for information 636-677-4868, ext. 100. Parish website: Ext. 212 stanthonyhr.org Bulletin Deadline Archdiocese of St .Louis Website: For submissions to our Facebook NO LATER than Monday 9:00 AM the www.archstl.org page, Website, or our Parish App please email Monica Becker at week you need it to be published in the Catholic Elementary School: [email protected] Please bulletin. Notices must be submitted in All of our parish children who wish to allow several days for submission to writing: email text to attend a catholic elementary school may be approved and posted. Thank You [email protected] do so at the school of their choice and still remain parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua. Call rectory. St. Anthony of Padua, High Ridge, MO Pastor’s Column Recorded Mass continues after Saturday Mass on our web- page:www.stanthonyhr.org and Facebook Saint of the Week Prayer of the Week Sr. Dorothy Stang Martyr of the Amazon (1931-2005) Pope’s Prayer for the Month On the morning of February 12, 2005, Sr. Dorothy Stang, and American born nun who had spent forty years in Brazil, set off Remember, O Most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that for a meeting of landless farmers. Along the muddy trail her anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. way was blocked by two hired gunman who asked whether she carried any weapon. In reply she produced her Bible and be- Mary, in these lines, we find strength in the knowledge that your love gan to read the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in knows no limits and your intercession is tireless in its advocacy for your spirit...Blessed are the peacemakers.” And then they shot her. children. Dear Mother, we pray you intercede, this month, on behalf of Sr. Dorothy, born in Dayton, Ohio, joined the Sisters of Notre the women in our world who are suffering from violence. We pray for Dame de Namur out of high school and volunteered in 1966 to recourse from their affliction, healing from the trauma that they bear, work in Brazil. Eventually she was drawn to the remote regions and lasting peace. of the Amazon and the cause of poor farmers who were ex- ploited and robbed by rich loggers and cattle barons. She had Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, our come to see the connections between defending the rights of Mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. the poor and protecting the ecological balance of the rain forest itself. Mary, when we hear the far-too-many stories of sexual assault, domes- Well into her seventies, she trudged through mud and thick tic violence, and harassment, give us the courage to better intervene as modeled by your Son, and the compassion to better accompany survi- forests to attend prayer services and labor meetings. Her ef- vors in their journey toward healing. forts on behalf of the farmers and the imperiled rain forest marked her as an enemy by those who hired her assassins. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your Her death aroused the government of Brazil and the whole mercy, hear and answer us. world to the cause of ecology and justice for which she offered her life. Amen. “I light a candle and look at Jesus on the cross and ask for the Prayer by Raymond Moylan. strength to carry the suffering of the people. Don’t worry about my safety. The safety of the people is what’s important.” —Sr. Dorothy Stang Joke of the Week MOSES AND THE RED SEA Marriage Blessing Nine-year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Renewal of Vows and Blessing for all our married mem- Sunday School. “Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses bers— at Mass, Valentine’s Weekend: February 13th & 14th. behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt..When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed head- quarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.” “Now, Joey, is that what your teacher taught you?” his Mother asked. “Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it.” Spread the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus and His St. Anthony Family A HOLY COMMUNITY THROUGH HOLY COMMUNION! Your brother in Jesus, February 7, 2021 “We can do better, we can do both” for Pro-Life and Racism Issues Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This week we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday (Jan. 18), and the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on Friday (Jan. 22). I join those who raise their voices in protest against abortion. I thank those who extend aid to pregnant mothers and children in need so that a better option is within reach. I reach out to those who have had abortions, to offer the mercy and healing of Jesus. I challenge those who think abortion is OK: we can do better for women, for children and for society. I also want to articulate a connection that’s available — perhaps even obvious — to those who think in the categories of Catholic Social Teaching, but seems to escape those who think only in political terms. According to the logic of American politics, pro-life issues and race issues are divided: one is the concern of Republicans, and the other is the concern of Democrats. According to the logic of Catholic Social Teaching, however, pro-life issues and race is- sues are united under one banner: the dignity of the human person. Lest I be misunderstood, let me be clear: I am not making a “seamless garment” argument, as though there were no distinctions between racism and abortion. Moral theologians are right when they warn us against the fallacy of moral equivalence. The direct taking of a million lives in the womb every year and the long-standing undermining of human dignity by systemic racism are both wrong; but the wrongness of each involves important moral distinctions. But let me also be clear about this: If abortion is wrong because human dignity must be upheld, and if the lives of the vulnerable should be protected in law, in practice, in policy and through services, then those same protections should be extended to those whose lives are vulnerable because of their race. By the very same logic, it is impossible to hold that racism is a violation of human dignity (which it is!) and that abortion is good. If the dignity of each person must be upheld (and it must!), and if systems should change to uphold that dignity (and they should!), that applies both to issues of race and issues of the unborn. As long as American law and American practice can take an entire class of people — whether Black or immigrant or unborn — and say “these lives don’t matter,” we can’t be surprised when another class of people are treated the same way. The issues stand or fall together. Missouri is known as one of the top pro-life states in the nation. I’m deeply grateful to those who have worked to make it so. We have achieved and maintained that recognition because of our combined approach to abortion legis- lation and generous service to vulnerable mothers and children. When it comes to life issues, Missouri has shown the nation: we can do better, we can do both! There’s no reason why we can’t bring that same approach to lives that are vulnerable because of race and sys- temic racism.