Dear Friends of St. Anthony, September 2020
I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your prayers and support over these last five months or so! We have fielded so many prayer requests over the last few months that is it obviously the Lord’s work that we stay united in prayer more than ever! As you pray for us, please know that we have been praying for you and your families through this difficult time. If not directly affecting your health, we know that many of you are being affected by this pandemic in terms of finances, job security, and also the sadness of not being able to visit loved ones who are in health facilities themselves. Please remember that the Lord is always close to the broken hearted and that He knows intimately the sorrows you are experiencing.
Grace upon grace has been present for us at the Shrine to keep our ministry open and to be successful at every phase. Our daily and Sunday Masses have been very well attended and our Live Streamed Masses are routinely being watched by over 1,000 people! Our grounds constantly have pilgrims seeking a quiet place to pray, and we have started welcoming groups back in for retreats. It is such a joy to have people worshipping here again. These walls were made for prayer, and now they are getting back to their purpose!
We are excited to have our Chapel back open for prayer as well! Due to the size of our Chapel and its unique layout, we are unable to hold public Masses inside on a consistent basis. However, on Saturdays, the Chapel is open for Eucharistic Adoration from 10:00am to Noon! Also, starting Monday, September 21st, all Outdoor Masses will be moving back to our normal Noon Mass schedule! All in all, normalcy is returning to the Shrine thanks in large part to your prayers and support! We still have a long road ahead of us as a nation and world, but if the Lord is with us, then who can be against us!
Peace and All Good,
Joseph White, Director