ANNUNCIATION PARISH CLIFTON, CINCINNATI, OHIO

To Help You Prepare For Next Sunday: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6;

1 Corinthians 1:1-3;

John 1:29-34

Your Prayers Are Requested

Please remember to keep in your prayers those of our Parish Community who are unable to be with us at our Sunday Eucha-

rist: Tracie Boney, Freddie Domineack, Bertie Domineack Har-

per, Joseph Chaky, Jim San Filippo, Mary Thomas, Cheryl

Walz, Vince Frasher, David Koenig, Anna Heuck, Pam Martini, Molly Minihan, JoJo, and Tom Vonderahe. If you

know of someone else who should be included in this list,

please call the Rectory. Also, your prayers are requested for the safety, and safe return, of all the men and women serving

our country in the armed forces.

Annunciation School Faith Formation News

The NCEA/ACRE Assessment from the National Catholic Ed-ucation Association will be administered to 5th and 8th grade

students in our school this week.

Our weekly celebration of Morning Prayer with students and faculty, preschool-8th grade is Thursday, January 16th at 9:30

a.m. in church. All ar e welcome to join us for pr ayer!

For more information about Faith Formation at Annunciation

School, please contact our Director of Faith Formation, Dr.

Sandi Chakeres at 861-1295.

Pray for Persecuted Christians!

Please remember to pray everyday for our Brothers and Sisters

who experience hardship, suffering, and

persecution for our Christian faith. Please pray for those Christians who will give

their lives this day in faithful witness to

Jesus Christ. And pray for the grace to qui-

etly and courageously give witness in our own lives to the faithfulness of God. Visit

the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help,

located to the left of the altar.

Join Us For Easter 2020! The Sacred Paschal Triduum, the

highpoint of our entire Church Year,

will be celebrated sundown Thursday,

April 9 to sundown Sunday, April 12. As a parish community, it is im-

portant that we celebrate the Trid-

uum together. Mark your calen-

dars and plan your schedules now,

so that all family members can join

us for the great liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter

Vigil, and Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord!

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord The last major feast of the Christmas Season, in fact - the last day of the Christmas Season, is the Feast of the Bap-

tism of the Lord. As we celebrate today’s Feast of the

Baptism of the Lord, and the conclusion of this year’s

Christmas Season, we remember in a special way those Annunciation parishioners who were baptized during

2019:

Andrew Mateo Miller 4-27-19

Yago Romo-Osorio 9-18-19

Vera Quinn Martin 9-15-19

Noelle Anastasia James 9-21-19

Elina Grace Hoelle Provancher 10-27-19

Dina Catherine Jawish 12-22-19

Interested in Becoming Catholic? If you or someone you know has no church home, or is attending Annunciation but is not Catholic, consider ex-

tending an invitation to this individual to give some

thought to becoming Catholic. If you or someone you

know is interested in finding out more about the pos-

sibility of becoming Catholic, please contact Father

Grogan or Dr. Sandi Chakeres at the Parish Office,

861-1295.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18-25, 2020 January 18-25, 2019 is the annual ob-

servance of the Week of Prayer for Chris-

tian Unity. The theme chosen for 2020 is

“They Showed Us Unusual Kindness.”

(cf. Acts 28:2) Begun in 1908, these days

have been set aside each year so that Chris-

tians the world over may share the prayer of Jesus: "that all may be one... that the

world may believe" (John 17:21). Throughout 2020, join

Christians everywhere in praying "that they may all be one" joining our prayer with that of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For more information go to: www.geii.org.

Additional Christmas Flower Donations In addition to those listed in our December 22nd Sunday Bulletin, Christmas flowers were donated

in honor of Marcia Hendrick.

Coming Soon… Annunciation Catholic

School Open House Please join us for our Annuncia-

tion Catholic School Open House from 11:00 a.m.-2:00

p.m. on Sunday, January 26 as

we kick-off Catholic Schools Week! Make sure to pass this

information along to all you know who have children

entering preschool-8th grade in 2020-2021!

During Catholic Schools Week, we celebrate the distin-

guished history and excellence of our Catholic schools. Schools are planning many events in recognition of this

week. Bishop Binzer will celebrate Catholic Schools

Week Mass in Cincinnati on Tuesday, January 28 at St.

Peter in Chains Cathedral. Representatives from all Cin-cinnati-area Catholic schools will be present. The Mass

begins at 10:00 a.m. Archbishop Schnurr will celebrate

Mass in Dayton on Wednesday, January 29 at St. Luke Church in Beavercreek. The Mass begins at 10:00 a.m.

The Northern Area Catholic School Mass is at Lehman

High School on Tuesday, February 11. Mass will begin at

10:00 a.m. If interested in attending any of these Masses, please contact the Catholic Schools Office at

513.263.3456.

Congratulations! Congratulations to Geronimo Feria and

Laura Atehortua who were mar r ied at

Parroquia San Felipe Apostol in Sabaneta, Antioquia, Columbia on Saturday, Decem-

ber 28. May they know the Lord’s presence, strength and

blessing in their life together! May we all support Geron-

imo and Laura by our prayers and our joyful witness to fidelity.

2020 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) It is time to kick off the 2020 Catholic Ministries

Appeal throughout the archdiocese! The CMA is our

opportunity each year to support the work of six vi-

tal ministries all of which operate right here in our

archdiocese.

Also, if we exceed our parish goal for the CMA,

50% of our overage comes back to the parish to be

used toward a parish ministry that we have selected:

Mary Garden Improvements.

Please prayerfully consider supporting this year’s

CMA. Your help is needed as we stand Together for

the Faith of the Gospel for thousands of people

served throughout our archdiocese. For more infor-

mation or to donate online, please visit CatholicAp-

peal.info. Thank you!

Masses for the Week

Monday, January 13th – Weekday in Ordinal Time

8:00 a.m. Adeline Kuchenbecker; Joe & Virginia Gubasta

Tuesday, January 14th - Weekday in Ordinal Time

8:00 a.m. Celebrant’s Intention

Wednesday, January 15th - Weekday in Ordinal Time

8:00 a.m. Celebrant’s Intention

Thursday, January 16th - Weekday in Ordinal Time

8:00 a.m. Celebrant’s Intention

Friday, January 17th - Saint Anthony, Abbot

8:00 a.m. Persecuted Christians

Saturday, January 18th - Vigil, 2nd Sunday in Ordinal Time

5:00 p.m. Pro Populo, For the People of the Parish

Sunday, January 19th - 2nd Sunday in Ordinal Time

10:00 a.m. Special Intention; Hausterman Family

When Mass Intentions are listed, the first name given is the person

being remembered by the priest celebrant at that Mass; the second

name is the person requesting the intention. Mass Intentions are

always welcomed. Please call the Rectory.

Next Week’s Ministers

Saturday, January 18th - 5:00 p.m.

Servers: Felicia Domineack, Nate Miller , Jennifer Ridle

Readers: Mary Douglas & Char les Matthews

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

Kathy Chabot & Melissa Booth

Gift Bearers: Kathy Chabot & Cheryl Walz

Sunday, January 19th - 10:00 a.m.

Servers: Ciara Bentle, Grant Bolton, Gabr ielle Hopkins Readers: Pam Rosfeld & Mary Pat Raupach

Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion:

Beth Brichler, Leslie Clark, Gus Giglio, Joe Kemper,

Terrie Kemper

Gift Bearers: Clair & Matt Boyle

Financial Stewardship

Sunday, December 22nd (42 Envelopes)…..........................4,368.00

Wednesday, December 25 (63 Envelopes).………….…...22,191.00

Sunday, December 29th (33 Envelopes) ..............................2,350.00

Wednesday, January 1st (27 Envelopes)………….....……1,045.00

Sunday, January 5th (55 Envelopes)….................................6,818.00

St. Vincent de Paul………………………………………....5,853.00

Previously reported contributions to the Christmas Collection of

14,550.00, result in a total Christmas Collection of 36,741.00.

Thank You! Total December Contributions to the Sunday Collec-

tion (excluding the Christmas Collection) were 24,482.00. Thank

You! Total Contributions to the Flowers & Greenery Collection

was 1,780.00. Thank You! A TUITION ASSISTANCE GIFT of

15,000.00 was received the week of December 22nd. Thank You!

Thank you for your continued support of Annunciation Parish and

School!!!

Please remember Annunciation Parish in your will!

BAPTISM OF THE LORD JANUARY 12, 2020

ANNUNCIATION PARISH CLIFTON, CINCINNATI, OHIO

Saint Anthony, Abbot - January 17 If you are ever playing a game of trivia and you are asked questions such as “Who is the founder of Christian

Monasticism?” or “Who is the patron saint of bacon?” you can respond to both questions with the same answer –

Saint Anthony, Abbot! Saint Anthony, whose feast day, an

obligatory Memorial, is celebrated on January 17, is also re-

ferred to as Saint Anthony of Egypt and Saint Anthony the

Great.

Saint Anthony was born in Egypt in the year 250. He came

from a wealthy family who were Christian. Anthony enjoyed

Christian worship and prayer. By the time Anthony was

twenty years old, both his parents had died. One day at wor-

ship he heard the Scripture passage about the rich young man

(Matthew 19:16-26), which today is the Gospel passage as-

signed to Saint Anthony’s feast day. He was very struck by

this passage, especially verse 21 wherein Jesus told the rich

young man that if he wanted to be perfect he needed to sell

all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and then

follow Jesus. Anthony meditated on this passage and took it

to heart. He gave his land to those in his village for their aid,

and sold all his other possessions and distributed the proceeds

to the poor.

After dispensing of his worldly goods, Anthony headed to the

Egyptian desert to seek perfecting the Gospel virtues. This

was his one (mono) purpose – seeking God and living Gospel

values. Anthony became a hermit, living a life of fasting and

of prayer. He first lived in a tomb and later on a mountain.

When someone seeks to solely live for God, the devil is not

happy. There are various stories of Anthony being repeatedly

tempted by Satan over a number of years. These temptations were often the subject of art, especially in the Mid-

dle Ages. Anthony warded off all these temptations through strenuous prayer and fasting. It is said that once he

even came across a heap of gold, which he believed to be a temptation by the devil – an allure of worldly goods.

Christians who were being persecuted for their faith sought consolation from Anthony, and it is said that he of-

fered up much of his resistance against many temptations for the souls of those Christians who had been killed in

the persecutions. His prayer and intercession were also considered to have healing power for the sick and suffer-

ing.

Anthony’s asceticism and virtuous lifestyle attracted many who came out to the desert to live like Anthony did.

This way of life - living for one (mono) purpose/goal of seeking evangelical perfection and living for God alone –

is called monasticism. Sometimes monks live alone as hermits and other times they live a community life in mon-

asteries. Anthony is called the “Patriarch (or Father) of Monks” and is heralded as the early Founder of Christian

Monasticism.

Another hermit of the time was St. Paul the Hermit. Once Anthony undertook a long and perilous journey to visit

Paul and learn from him. Legend says that a raven brought one loaf of bread each for Paul and Anthony as their

food. On a second journey to visit the hermit Paul, Anthony arrived to find that Paul had died. Now, as a hermit

lives a life of solitude, no one else was nearby to discover or bury Paul’s body. As there was no shovel or other

similar tool available, legend says that lions helped Anthony bury Paul’s body in the Egyptian desert. It is from

this legend that Anthony is hailed as the patron saint of gravediggers.

A contemporary of Saint Anthony was Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. These two Egyptian holy men knew each

other. Saint Anthony even assisted Saint Athanasius in his battle against the Arian heresy. (This was a heresy, or

false teaching, which claimed Jesus Christ was not equal to God.)

Saint Anthony (detail);

artist: Piero di Cosimo; 1480-1490;

National Art Gallery – Washington D.C.

Saint Anthony lived a very long life, dying in 356 at the age of 105 years. Shortly after his death, Saint Athana-

sius wrote a biography of Anthony, “The Life of Saint Antony.” You can still read this to-

day. This biography of Anthony was very influential in the spread of monasticism and

monasteries throughout the Christian world.

In the 11th century, the relics of Saint Anthony were moved to Saint-Antoine de Viennois

in France. In the Middle Ages there was a terrible skin disease which was referred to as

“Saint Anthony’s Fire.” Saint Anthony was often invoked in prayer for healing from this

painful disease, and there are many stories of the resulting miraculous cures.

Saint Anthony is the patron of the Order Hospitallers of St. Anthony, a monastic order

founded in the Middle Ages who treated diseases of the poor, including “Saint Anthony’s

Fire.” The members of this order wore a black habit. It is said they raised pigs for their

support, and that the pigs roamed freely throughout the land with bells around their necks.

The pigs were later butchered for their meat. In art and iconography, Saint Anthony is of-

ten pictured wearing a black monastic habit with a pig near him. Saint Anthony is the pa-

tron saint of pork butchers (all butchers, really), livestock, animals, and yes – even bacon!

Whether it is due to the Hospitallers and their pigs, or stories and legends which arose

about Saint Anthony living in the desert as a hermit with pigs and other animals, Saint An-

thony is considered a great patron of animals, livestock, and herders, etc. One legend even

says that late at night on the eve of Anthony’s January 17 feast day the animals in stables

begin to speak! In many countries of the world, Saint Anthony’s feast day is heralded with

animal blessings, blessings of livestock owners and herdsmen, parades, processions, large

bonfires called “Bonfires of Saint Anthony”, music and special foods. Some animal owners decorate their animals

with flowers and ribbons and even hats for the blessing of animals on the feast of Saint Anthony, and many times

the animals are part of a big parade prior to the blessing. In areas of Spain, horses are even ridden through large

bonfires to celebrate this feast day!

Another attribute of Saint Anthony in art is the Tau cross, sometimes referred to as the Cross of Saint Anthony.

Based on the Greek letter, Т, “tau” is also the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and an ancient symbol for the cen-

ter of the world. The staffs monks carry are often in the shape of the “tau.”

Celebrate Saint Anthony, Abbot’s January 17 feast day in style! Perhaps there is an animal blessing in your lo-

cale. If so, attend it. If not, if you are an animal owner, bless your own pets and/or livestock. Have an outdoor

bonfire, or light a fire in your fireplace. Have bacon for breakfast and/or a nice roast pork dinner! Visit the sick.

Pray for those who are ill or suffering. Go to Mass. Reflect on Matthew 19:16-26 as part of your prayer this day.

Read Saint Athanasius’s “The Life of Saint Antony.” And most of all, ask Saint Anthony to intercede that we, like

him, might strive to follow Jesus single heartedly, heeding Jesus’ advice to the rich young man in the Gospel pas-

sage by which Anthony lived his life.

Text ©2013 by Sandra A. Chakeres, Cincinnati, Ohio. All rights reserved.

BAPTISM OF THE LORD JANUARY 12, 2020

St. Anthony the Great

(Coptic, 18th century).

Museum of Coptic Art,

Old Cairo

Celebrate Saint Anthony's Feast Day with Children/Students

Bake animal shaped cookies and let children decorate the cookies with flowers, bells, decorative hats, etc.

Plan a blessing of neighborhood animals/pets.

Have children make Saint Anthony Feast Day Cards. Draw pictures of Saint Anthony with a Tau cross and a

pig on the front, and inside write well wishes and prayers for those who are sick and/or shut in. You could

even deliver the cards to a local nursing home, and don’t forget to bring along some of your animal cookies.

Invite students to learn more about monks and monasticism.

Create an icon of Saint Anthony, Abbot, which includes an image of the saint surrounded by symbols and

scenes from his life.

ANNUNCIATION PARISH CLIFTON, CINCINNATI, OHIO

BAPTISM OF THE LORD JANUARY 12, 2020