A prophetic, Franciscan, Catholic community welcoming all people through prayer and outreach.

We extend a special welcome to everyone visiting the Shrine for the first time.

Saturday, January 20 – Friday, January 26

Duccio di Buoninsegna, Sienese, The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew, 1308-1311.

Telephone: 617-542-6440
Prayer Request Line: 617-553-4100
The Good Word: 617-542-0502
Text-to-Give text “DONATE” to: 617-712-2233
Sunday, February 21, 2018
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

It’s not usual for people to be perplexed or even angered by the Catholic position on social justice issues. At
a theoretical level, it’s actually quite simple. The Church is always going to be in favor of helping the most
vulnerable person in any given situation. Our faith tells us that every single person has worth and value, and
is cherished in the eyes of God. From Isaiah 43:4, “Because you are precious in my eyes and glorious, and
because I love you.”
Flowing from that model, the Church’s position on abortion and immigration make perfect sense. The rights
and privileges of the relatively powerful parents of a fetus take a back seat to the (very vulnerable) fetus’s
right to a life. The Church will always side with the fetus.
My own ancestors came to the United States during the potato famine in Ireland. Human beings have a
basic right to housing, food, and security. The church usually takes the position in favor of the immigrant
because they are simply more vulnerable than people who have established homes in safe, well-defended
countries. Typically, immigrants are leaving a home country which is a place of tremendous violence,
poverty or political strife. The Church takes the position that any given country’s legitimate right to control
its borders should be balanced with an appreciation that every human being is worthy of dignity and respect,
regardless of whether the person is carrying the correct paperwork. Our dignity derives from our
humanness, from being born in the image of God, not simply from having been born in a prosperous
country.
The model of protecting the vulnerable is an amazingly well-researched and long-established model from
which the Church tries to work. The model has plenty of support in Holy Scripture and in Tradition of the
Church.
Finally, I rather purposely took one issue from “the right” and one issue from “the left” to demonstrate that
matters of Jesus and Church don’t fall neatly or simplistically into the manner in which we organize our
modern day U.S. political parties. There is simply more at stake here than political party triumphalism.

Fr. Thomas Conway, OFM

Executive Director

Last weekend's Grief Ministry Support Group Winter / Spring – 2018

collection for the St. Anthony Shrine offers a six-week support group to those grieving someone they have loved who has
Propagation of the died. It is important to have a safe and reassuring environment to express feelings of pain, emptiness,
Faith was $14,143. loneliness and hurt. The Shrine can be that sacred place to express the various emotions so often
Thank you for associated with grieving.
your generosity. Dates for the Winter/Spring 2018 Session
Tuesdays: January 30, February 6, 13, 20, 27, and March 6 when a Mass of Remembrance will be
celebrated in your loved one’s memory.
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
th
Clare Room – 4 Floor
Limited enrollment and pre-registration is required.
Please direct all inquiries to Fr. Joe Quinn, OFM, Director of Grief Ministries at:
jquinn@stanthonyshrine.org
 The Year of the Franciscan Heart

The heart is a meeting place with God - a place where we listen and talk to Jesus. It is in the heart that
hope comes to life, where people find peace and healing. Everything we do at St. Anthony Shrine is
done with love from a Franciscan heart. Please join us on a journey of the heart, the Franciscan Heart,
this Lent.

Ash Wednesday Schedule

Wednesday, February 14th
Ashes will be distributed in the 1st floor church from 5:45am until 6:30pm.

Masses at:
6am, 7am 10am*, 11:45am*, 12:30pm*, 4:30pm, 5:15pm in Spanish (upstairs),
5:15pm in English (downstairs) and 6pm
*music by The Arch Street Band
Confessions from 6:30am - 8am; 10am - 2pm; and 4pm - 5:30pm
*A full schedule of Lenten programming will become available in the coming weeks. Check back weekly
here and on the web during Lent for a reflection from a Friar on the meaning of The Franciscan Heart.

INTRODUCTION TO CENTERING PRAYER

Saturday, January 27th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Love is our deepest nature, and consciously or unconsciously, each of us searches for that love.
For Christians, God is the ultimate object of our longing. Centering Prayer provides a simple “how to” method of prayer for
achieving intimacy with God- our deepest longing. Centering Prayer is a way of bringing the contemplative teachings of the
spiritual masters of the Christian tradition into contemporary times.
Centering Prayer does not seek anything for itself or involve judging how one is doing. It does not require concentration,
mind control, or efforts to make the mind blank. It calls for a most gentle letting go of everything, including our thoughts
and emotions, in order to be present to God. It is a total giving of oneself to God in silence without asking for anything back.
The openness of our being, in response to God’s invitation to seek him, allows time and space for God’s presence to manifest
and for intimacy to develop. This intimacy fosters a continual loving submission of the self to God’s will and personal
transformation in Christ.
Centering Prayer is both a method and a prayer at the same time. The prayer is consenting to God’s presence and action
within. “Be it done unto me according to Thy will”. Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon
on the Mount: “…but when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your
Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” (MT 6:6)

Anyone interested in learning about centering prayer with no previous knowledge or experience or has an interest in going
deeper is cordially invited to join in a presentation and prayer session on Saturday, January 27th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
(meet in the Shrine lobby). No charge and all are welcome. For more information, please contact: Nancy Nichols Kearns at
nkearns@stanthonyshrine.org
Regular Schedule of Mass and Confession Times at
St. Anthony Shrine
Mass Schedule
Saturday Mass: 12 PM
Saturday Vigil Masses: 4 PMn (4:15 PM 1st Fl. Church), 5:30 PMn
Sunday Masses: 6 AM, 7:30 AM, 9 AM, 10 AMn, 11:15 AMn,
12:00 PMn (Spanish Mass-1st Fl. Church), 12:30 PMn, 4 PMn, 5:30 PMn
Weekday Masses: 6 AM, 7 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:15 PM
Additional Wednesday Mass: 10 AM
Please note: The 5:15 PM Mass on Wednesday is in Spanish.
Holy Day Mass Schedule:
St. PM
Vigil: 4:15 PM, 5:15 Anthony Shrine
Holy Day: 6 AM, 7 AM, 8 AM, 11:45 AM,
100 Arch Street, Boston, MAPM
12:30 PM, 4:15 PM, 5:15 02110
Legal Holiday Mass Schedule: 8 AM, 10 AM (nMusic Masses)
617-542-6440 www.stanthonyshrine.org
Confession Schedule
Weekday Confessions (Except Wednesday): 10 AM–2 PM, 4–5:30 PM
Wednesday Confessions: 6:30–8 AM, 10 AM–2 PM, 4–5:30 PM
Saturday Confessions: 10 AM–4 PM
Sunday Confessions: 1:30–3 PM
Holy Day Confession Schedule: Follows schedule above.
Legal Holiday Confession Schedule: 8:30–10 AM
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UPCOMING EVENTS FOR
YOUNG ADULTS
THIS Sunday, January 21st, We will have a coffee and donut social after the
11:15 AM Mass in the second floor classroom. If you cannot come to the 11:15
Mass, the social will begin at noon on this day.
Wednesday, January 24th from 6:15-7 PM in the 2nd floor classroom Rosary
Group. Please join us as we say the rosary as a young adult community. A
rosary and rosary guide will be available for you. No experience necessary - we
will do a tutorial at the beginning of the meeting.
Sunday, January 28th at 1:45 PM Volunteer at the Cambridge Rehabilitation
and Nursing Center (8 Dana Street, Central Sq. T Stop in Cambridge). We are
scheduled to help set up Mass for the seniors and then socialize with the seniors
after Mass. You must rsvp to participate.
Wednesday, February 7th from 6-7 PM in the 2nd floor classroom The
Spirituality of Knitting, a tutorial with Br. Paul Bourque, OFM. Please join us for
Knitting 1010 and enjoy the meditative benefits of knitting. Please bring your
own materials. Don’t know what to bring? Email us at:
sas20s30s@stanthonyshrine.org
Sunday, February 11th at 11:15 AM Mass, followed by BYO Jazz Brunch at The
Merchant. Space is limited and reservation required, so reserve your spot today.
Sunday, February 18th at 11 AM – 12:30 PM “Brunch n Bible Study” at UDG
(next door to the Shrine). We’ll discuss the 2/18 Gospel over BYO brunch.
Please rsvp for the above at: SAS20s30s@stanthonyshrine.org

REGULAR EVENTS
Monday The Second Collection on January 27th & 28th
Open OA Meeting, Auditorium Classroom 12:15 p.m.
A.A. 12 Step Meeting/12 Traditions Meeting (Closed) 5:45 p.m.
will go to support The Spiritual Companionship Ministry.
Tuesday
A.A. Discussion Meeting (Open Meeting) Noon

Wednesday
Remembrance Day for Deceased (3rd Wed.) All Masses
Anointing of the Sick - Mass (2nd Wed.) See web
SA Meeting (Open Meeting), Auditorium Foyer 7:00 a.m.
Seniors Program 10:30 a.m. The Emmaus Ministry
Women’s Spiritual Refl. Group (2nd & 4th Wed) 12:30 p.m.
Grupo Hispano de Oracion 4:00 p.m. Serving the Spiritual Needs of Grieving Parents Whose Children Of Any
Mass in Spanish 5:15 p.m. Age Have Died By Any Cause, No Matter How Long Ago
LGBTQ Spirituality (3rd Wed.) 5:30 p.m.
A.A. Discussion Meeting (Closed Meeting) 5:45 p.m. One-Hour Retreat
Bread on The Common (2nd & 4th Wed.) 5:45 p.m. 1st Sunday of the Month
Thursday Shrine Auditorium Classroom after the 10am Mass.
St. Augustine Group (S.L.A.A.) Meeting Noon FOR MORE INFORMATION, please visit: www.emfgp.org
Rosary Prayer Group 12:30p.m.
Men’s Cursillo Reunion Group (1st and 3rd Thursday) 1:00 p.m. Or call Diane, Paul’s Mother, at 617-542-8057.
Men’s Spirituality Group (2nd and 4th Thursday) 5:00 p.m.
Lectura y reflexión del evangelio 5:30 p.m.
A.A Big Book Meeting (Closed Meeting) 5:45 p.m.

Friday SENIORS PROGRAM - FEBRUARY

SA 12 Step Meeting, Auditorium Foyer
Open OA Meeting, Auditorium Classroom
7:00 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
Wednesday February 7th and 21st
Saturday 10:00 am Mass
Secular Franciscans Formation (2nd Sat.) 10:30 a.m. 10:30 am Light refreshments/coffee
Centering Prayer Group (1st & 4th Sat.) Noon
Vietnamese Secular Franciscans (2nd Sat.) 1:00 p.m. 11:00 am Presentation
Secular Franciscans Fraternity Meeting (2nd Sat.) 1:00 p.m.
Rosary Prayer Group 3:30p.m.
12:00 Noon Lunch
Sunday February 7: Alexander Hill, Registered
Emmaus Ministry Prayer/Discussion (1st Sun.) 11:00 a.m. Dietician/Nutritionist
Healing Service (2nd Sun.) 1:30 p.m.
Nurses In Need of Healing Ministry (1st Sun.) 2:30 p.m.
Rosary, Vespers, Benediction 2:55 p.m. February 21: Exercise and Presentation by Patti D’Angelo
Hispanic Secular Franciscans (1st Sun.) 3:00 p.m. Certified Personal Trainer, Senior Fitness

100 Arch Street, Boston, MA 02110

www.stanthonyshrine.org
Telephone: 617-542-6440 Prayer Request Line: 617-553-4100 The Good Word: 617-542-0502 Text GIVE to: 617-712-2233