ST. ANTHONY,
Our Inspiration of Stewardship
By Len Hizon
“There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.” (Lk 16:1)
Every year — the Feast of St. Anthony has always been a special time for our Parish — a celebration of the spirituality and charism of our Patron Saint.
As we prepare ourselves to celebrate the Feast of St. Anthony during this time of quarantine and self-isolation — we are invited to focus on the theme of Stewardship — and how it translates to living a more purposeful and meaningful life.
What, then, is stewardship? Stewardship is taking guardianship or management of what belongs to someone else. The most common image would be of money or financial assets. It is but it is not the whole of it. It goes much deeper than that. It is not merely an activity or a practice, it is a way of life.
Stewardship is an understanding that everything we have — everything we are — comes from God and God alone. It is respect and gratitude for the abundance that God presents to us. We are merely stewards. As stewards, we have been entrusted by Him to make sure we take care of all He has given us; that we do not destroy or waste resources or talents; that we put them to use responsibly for ourselves and others; and return what we have tenfold.
From June 4 to 12, as we prepare to celebrate the Feast of our beloved St. Anthony, we will be celebrating Novena Masses with the theme of Stewardship in relation to the following:
June 4 –Environment
June 5- Life
June 6- Faith
June 7- Hope
June 8- Charity
June 9- Time
June 10- Talent
June 11- Treasure
June 12- Profession (Vocation)
In lieu of the homilies, 9 parishioners will share their experience and reflection on those themes. The Masses will be live-streamed daily at 6pm on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
For further inquiries, please contact Dennis Montecillo at 0917-620-0690 or Len Hizon at 0927-239-7123.
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Hearts from Home
by Alex Altamira
Sixty-four days – that’s how long it’s been since I set foot beyond the gates of our condo compound. March 18th was the only day I went anywhere — since the ECQ started — and it was to buy groceries.
Just six days before that, I had movers in my BGC apartment wrapping my clothes, shoes, books, and furniture in sheets of paper and bubble wrap, and putting them in boxes. Post packing, my plan was to spend a few days with one sister in Quezon City and then spend another few days with my other sister in BGC. Then it was “Au revoir!” and off to Paris, where I was going to start a new corporate job.
Me going back to full-time work caught many of my family and friends by surprise. It surprised me too. I was perfectly happy writing children’s stories, doing volunteer work on children’s education, doing some consultancy, seeing family and friends often, and being active in the Parish.
A full-time job wasn’t in my plan, but I suppose, it was in God’s. I thought it didn’t make sense — if I considered things only at face value – but then none of the detours and happy accidents of the last six months would have made sense, either.
The bottom line is — I trust God — because I know He has it all figured out. I just have to do my part.
I didn’t make it to Paris before the borders were shut. Today, I am quarantined in my sister Janie’s place. She was generous enough to share her space and set up a mobile office in her bedroom. This has allowed me to work remotely. I love the new job and got back to “corporate mode” in no time.
But I did feel restless in the first few days of the ECQ. Because I equated service and community work with being hands-on, in person, and out of home, I felt like the ability to help was taken away from me. But I soon realized that being at home doesn’t mean I can’t serve.
I do believe that God calls us to do different things at different times. He reminded me of this — amidst the restlessness — so I responded in the little ways I know and learned how. Today, I serve by staying home — by alerting friends and relatives of fake news that cause anxiety or a false sense of security, by supporting small local businesses, by sharing a lot of what I earn with the poor and the front liners — and more importantly, I serve by praying more.
I also tried to serve by sending — back in March — a letter to the DOH on recommendations for a more effective COVID-19 communication campaign for people without Internet access. I am a market researcher, after all. The DOH representative said, “thanks and noted,” and nothing else. At least I tried. 🙂
For more interesting articles,
read from this week’s Parish Bulletin
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San Antonio Fiesta 2020
Celebrate with us the Feast of San Antonio with these online activities:
Pls. Support the Aeta’s Food Production Livelihood Program
New Live Stream Schedule of Masses and Prayers
Click this to watch when we are LIVE
For Uploaded Videos of our Masses/Prayers,
go to our Youtube channel SSA Parish
For Mass requests, pls download and fill up this request form and submit by 12 noon for mass the following day or future dates.
Thank you, Donors, for your continued support!
Everything You Need
to Prepare your Household for Home Care
EVERY SUNDAY AT 10:30am
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SSAP Pre-Cana
REGISTER HERE FOR THE NEXT SCHEDULED SEMINAR
Santuario de San Antonio Parish Pre-Cana program, conducted by its Ministry of Family and Life are scheduled every 1st Saturday of the month. Register online, here, or with Jasmine at the Parish Office, 8843-8830 to 31 #4 and provide your preferred schedule, individual full names, nicknames, contact numbers and email addresses. If your wedding is not going to be held at SSAP, pls. seek permission from the parish of your wedding venue before signing up for SSAP Pre-Cana.
Read an article from one of the engaged couples>>>>>
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OVERSEAS INQUIRIES/RESERVATIONS:
Please read through the information provided in our Parish Services page before sending your inquiries to the following individuals:
WEDDING: Fe Fernandez – beguirmaria20@gmail.com
CRYPT c/o Ma. Belen R. Salano: belen.salano@yahoo.com
FUNERAL CHAPEL & PARISH CENTER: Alice Loto – adjosh911@yahoo.com.ph
BAPTISM services & MASS CARDS: Edna Limpiada – ednalynanesco@gmail.com
Parish Bulletin Ads: Rachelle Wenger – ssappb@yahoo.com
Or call us at:
(02)8843-8830,
(02)8843-8831
(02)8843-8832
Cellphone numbers:
(0998)481-2585
(0926)715-1054
(0915)260-2309
SSAP Foundation Office: (02)8240-1546
