Centennial Plaque Dedicated

On Sunday September 27, 2009, St. Anthony of Padua in Fitchburg dedicated a Centennial Plaque to donors on the Centennial Capital campaign. Fr. Robert Bruso, assisted by Deacon Sal Tantillo, said a blessing to the crowd of parishioners. The names on the plaque represent donors that contributed to a capital campaign in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the church. The campaign raised over $200,000. Following the ceremony a reception was held in the church hall.
More photos on the website

Pastoral Planning for Fitchburg Continues

Representatives of all eight parishes in Fitchburg met again on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at St. Bernard’s CC High School to discuss our individual plans to reconfigure and consolidate parishes in Fitchburg. The goal is to take all of the eight plans and find one plan that everyone can agree on. It seems easier said than done, but we have made a great deal of progress and there is a high level of agreement.

Indeed, there is almost unanimous agreement on six of the eight parishes. For two of the parishes, there has yet to be a consensus. Our task for this month is to reflect on all of the plans presented and see how we can come to agreement on all eight parishes.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 PM.

Keep this important work for the future of the Church in Fitchburg in your daily prayers.

Thanks, Fr. Bob

PARISH HISTORY/PHOTO BOOK HAS ARRIVED!

The Centennial Parish History/Photo Book arrived several days earlier than anticipated! All parishioners who had their picture taken or submitted one to us can pick up their copy of the book at the office this week, August 31st – September 4th during the regular work days of Monday – Friday (NO TUESDAY) from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM as well as after all Masses next weekend, September 5th & 6th in the church hall. Those of you that ordered a book or additional copies may also pick yours up at these times. We need to make sure that everyone receives their books so please help us by only coming at the specified times. Your names have to be checked off a master list of all those who should receive a copy of the book and this can only be done at the times noted above. We will add more distribution dates if needed and keep you informed.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

St. Anthony Parish to be a recipient in the United Way 14th Annual Day of Caring Event

For the first time, St. Anthony Parish will be the recipient of community volunteers during the United Way 14^th Annual Day of Caring Event which takes place on Thursday, September 10^th from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. We have two projects listed under the descriptions of: Brush Clean-Up on Sloping Land & General Indoor Fall Clean Up.

Do you have four hours to help us OR the more than thirty non-profit organizations that need your help? Please click Community Builders to be directed to the United Way website which contains full listings and descriptions of all help needed for their Annual Day of Caring (listed under the EVENT box) or the many ongoing volunteer opportunities listed under the CALENDAR box. You will notice many familiar names of organizations that are in need of help. Any questions you many have are answered on this site as well as sign-up information and contact information for the United Way if clarification is needed. You must sign-up through this site only. The Day of Caring is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the community for those of you that can’t make an ongoing commitment. Most businesses allow one day off for community service. Check with your company and consider joining with the thousands of volunteers around the country as they try to make a difference one day at a time.

Second year of Madonna Della Cava feast a success

The St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Fitchburg celebrated the Feast of the Madonna Della Cava on Sunday, August 16, 2009. This annual event, traditionally celebrated by Sicilians living in Fitchburg and Boston's North End, includes a procession through the streets with a banner featuring the embroidered image of the Virgin Mary. Led by two boys dressed as angels, the banner is processed to the church where parishioners pin money on the streamers in honor of the Madonna Della Cava. In Fitchburg, the processions of the banner stopped in the mid-1970's. In 2008, a faithful group of St. Anthony parishioners restored the original banner and revived the procession with a full marching band. In its second year, the procession was followed by a Mass and a lunch served in the church hall. Additional photos on the website.

2nd Annual Cookout draws 140 parishioners

The Second Annual Parish Cookout was held Saturday July 25th at the church hall and grounds. Over 140 attended the event held by the hospitality committee. The event followed the 4pm Mass and was free to all. Many parishioners contributed by bringing side dishes and deserts. The hospitality committee works hard to create an atmosphere of community and inclusion for all of the parish, and this event was another example of their good work. See photos of the event on the church web site http://www.stanthonyfitchburg.net/Photos/PhotoMain.cfm .

Pastoral Planning Update

The Pastoral Planning Group for the Fitchburg parishes met on Wednesday, July 15, at St. Bernard’s Central Catholic High School library. Five priests as well as two lay representatives from each parish met with members of the Diocesan Pastoral Planning Committee.

We continued to discuss what our goals are for the Church in the entire City of Fitchburg, not just each parish. Although at times it might have seemed tedious, at the end of the second meeting we began to see the direction we were heading in and how well thought out the process has been.

Over the past six months or so, several proposals have been submitted with suggestions for the reconfiguration of the parishes. Of course, every parish’s plan includes themselves as a future parish center. How to get beyond our natural instinct of self-preservation?

Our assignment for this month is for each parish’s Focus Group to meet and develop a plan for Fitchburg as if our own parish never existed! In other words, we focus on everyone else’s good points, and let others look for ours. This removes the Focus Group’s concern for our own parishes and focus on the larger picture.

Our Focus Group will meet on Wednesday, August 5, at 7:00 PM in the Church Hall. That gives us two weeks to think about plans before the meeting and another two weeks to refine our plan until the next citywide meeting, which is August 19.

Our Focus Group members are: Jim Adams, Linda Allaire, Kevin & Kristine Caravella, John & Kathy Cullinan, Ellen DePatie, Debbie & Tony Mercadante, Cyndi & Pete Merrill, Rosalyn Piro and John & Vicky Zarrella, with Father Bob and Deacon Sal.