Dear Parishioners of St Anthony:
I hope everyone had a truly wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday with your family, friends, and loved ones. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is behind us and a new liturgical year with the start of Advent is upon us.
As you have been reading my letters this past few weeks, I have been expressing my thanks to my staff, to Fr John Ohner (who helps me out so much!!) I have shared with you the great news about our attendance numbers. Last week, I shared the strong financial shape we are in as parish. There is truly so much we have to be grateful for. God has and continues to bless us generously and lavishly. I want to take this opportunity on this Thanksgiving weekend to thank an incredibly important and special group of people: YOU the amazing, wonderful people of St Anthony.
You have heard me thank you repeatedly for your generous financial giving to the parish. And that continues to amaze and humble me. I thank you for the giving of your time and talent to the various ministries and organizations of the parish. Without that, there would be no parish.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the love, affection, support, encouragement, and affirmation I have received from each of you personally ever since my arrival here over two years ago. Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t stop and say to me, “Father, we are blessed to have you.” Or something similar along those lines. I am truly humbled and blessed to have you as the flock I shepherd. And I want you to know the feeling is mutual. You spoil me here! I am truly blessed to be your pastor and your priest. Loving you is easy because you shower your love on me so lavishly every day. I cannot begin to tell you what that means to me. You open your hearts and lives to me every day and that is such a huge gift. Please know I pray for you all every day. All I ask is that you continue to pray for me that I may be the best shepherd and priest I can be with the help of God’s grace. Ask the Blessed Mother, the Queen of Clerics, to intercede for me that I may be pleasing to her Son.
As we give thanks to God for His blessings, we are reminded that these blessings are signs and tokens of His endless love for us. Your love for me is a tangible reminder of God’s love for me. And I hope and pray my love for you helps you to understand God’s love and care for you as well. Thank you all again for being the amazing people of God that you are.
God bless,
Fr. Dennis