St.

Anthony Shrine
Tel. 617-542-6440 Website: http://www.StAnthonyShrine.org The Good Word Tel. 617-542-0502 Prayer Request Line Tel. 617-542-6826

100 Arch Street, Boston, MA 02110

& Ministry Center

Sunday, June 30 Saturday, July 6, 2013

JUNE

WHATS HAPPENING THIS WEEK

30 Sunday

Welcome to St. Anthony Shrine & Ministry Center. Remember All Are Welcome here and none are excluded.

Prison Ministry, SCHC, 8:15 to 11:30 a.m.

Fasting Cholesterol check, Blood pressure & Blood Sugar check, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wellness Center.

JULY

The Damietta Project, core team meeting, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (See ad for details.)

Our weekly bulletin is an up-to-date presentation of all the offerings of the Shrine for the coming week. Please take one home with you. We are glad you chose to worship here with us today. Fr. Jim Kelly, OFM Guardian and Executive Director

01 Monday

02 Tuesday

Blood pressure & Blood Sugar screening, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wellness Center Blood pressure & Blood Sugar screening, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wellness Center

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Monday:

03 Wednesday

Fellowship & Fiesta, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Note change in date. (See ad for details.)

Blood pressure & Blood Sugar screening, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wellness Center

Saturday: Sunday:

Friday:

04 Thursday 06 Saturday

Seniors Mass 10:00 a.m., Exercise 10:30 a.m., Movie 1776 11 a.m., lunch noon
Monday Tuesday

Gn 18:16-33; Ps 103:1b-4, 8-11; Mt 8:18-22 Gn 19:15-29; Ps 26:2-3, 9-12; Mt 8:23-27 Eph 2:19-22; Ps 117:1bc-2; Jn 20:24-29 Gn 22:1b-19; Ps 115:1-6, 8-9; Mt 9:1-8; or, for Independence Day, any readings from the Mass For Public Needs, nos. 882889, or For Peace and Justice, nos. 887891 Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67; Ps 106:1b-5; Mt 9:9-13 Gn 27:1-5, 15-29; Ps 135:1b-6; Mt 9:14-17 Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 [10:1-9]

Independence Day legal holiday Shrine closes at 11 a.m.

REGULAR EVENTS

Centering Prayer Group, Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Saturday: 2

Sunday: Monday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday:

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Blessed Junpero Serra; Canada Day St. Thomas Independence Day St. Elizabeth of Portugal; St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria; First Friday St. Maria Goretti; Blessed Virgin Mary; First Saturday

A.A. Step Meeting 5:45 p.m. Seniors Crafts Group 10:30 a.m. A.A. Open Meeting Noon Mens Cursillo Reunion 5:15 p.m. Wednesday Remembrance Day for Deceased (3rd Wed.) All Masses Womens Spiritual Refl. Group (2nd & 4th Wed) 12:30 p.m. Seniors Computer Lab 1:30 p.m. Grupo Hispano de Oracin 4:15 p.m. A.A. Open Meeting 5:45 p.m. Bread on the Common (2nd & 4th Wed.) 5:45 p.m. Anointing of the Sick Mass (2nd Wed.) TBA Thursday S.L.A.A. Meeting Noon Mens Spirituality Group (2nd & 4th Thurs.) 5:00 p.m. A.A. Big Book Meeting 5:45 p.m. Saturday Vietnamese Secular Franciscans (2nd Sat.) 9:30 a.m. Secular Franciscans (2nd Sat.) 10:50 a.m. Centering Prayer Group (1st & 3rd Sat.) Noon Sunday 20/30 Boston Young Adults Coffee (4th Sun.) 10:30 a.m. alt. Wine & Cheese Social (odd 4th Sun.) 4:30 p.m. Pieta Ministry Coffee (1st Sun.) 11:00 a.m. Healing Service (2nd Sun.) 1:00 p.m. Separated and Divorced Catholics 1:30 p.m. Hispanic Secular Franciscans (1st Sun.) 3:00 p.m.

Saint Anthony Shrine The Church on Arch Street

Events This Week

The Damietta Project Catholics & Muslims working together for the Common Good

Upcoming Events Pieta Ministry Serving the Spiritual

Sunday, July 7, 2013 Join us at our 10 a.m. Mass Followed by a Coffee with other grieving parents. [Or, if you prefer, join us for the Coffee Social only]

Core team planning meeting

Sunday, June 30. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. St. Anthony Shrine Francis room

Monthly Mass and Coffee Social

Needs of Grieving Parents

Note: Our interfaith group grew out of the recently completed Just Matters study module In the Spirit of St. Francis and the Sultan that began last Fall. More information will appear in upcoming Bulletins about community-wide events and our work-inprogress on projects in food sustainability and food waste management.
St. Anthony Shrine Just Matters Group Peace & Social Justice & Peace Islands Institute/Turkish Cultural Center

Join other parents in a warm and comforting place for a short Scripture reading, discussion, fellowship, and refreshments. All are Welcome! Contact: Fr. Jim Czerwinski, OFM, 617-542-6440, ext. 215.

A time for small group discussion, Bible study, reflection and fellowship in a relaxed setting. Potluck supper - food will be provided courtesy of participants. IMPORTANT: Please pre-register by Monday, July 1 Noon at the latest for the purposes of food planning and security escort. Contact Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext. 143 or email SAS.Evang@gmail.com. Leave your name & telephone no. and (optional) what food/ dessert/beverage items, if any, you plan on bringing.
Offered by Evangelization

Tuesday, July 2, 2013. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 4th floor Clare Room Please wait in the Wellness Center for security escort to the 4th floor. Pre-registration required.

Fellowship & Fiesta!!

Tonys Travelers Day Trips With A Purpose Join Us for A Day of Great Shopping, Classical Music & More!
8 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, August 4, 2013 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

All of this for only $75. per person. Limited Seats Available Get Your Registration in Early!! Please leave form available in the Shrine lobby at the front desk of the Shrine or mail to: Fr. Barry Langley, ofm St. Anthony Shrine, 100 Arch St., Boston, MA 02110. Call Fr. Barry at 617-5426440, ext 241 with any questions.

7:30-8 p.m.

Leave for Prime Outlets in Lee 2 hours of Shopping Brunch Buffet at Zucchinis Restaurant Leave for Tanglewood BSO Concert Yo-Yo Ma Leave for Shrine with Stop for Ice Cream at Friendlys Arrive at Shrine

Cover Art: Raising the flag on the Sea of Galilee, May 10, 2013, photo by Sue Gormley, a Holy Land Pilgrim. In honor of Independence Day holiday - 4th of July. 100 Arch Street Boston, Massachusetts 02110 617.542.6440

Pray for Peace in the Middle East!

3

The Canticle

Franciscana

Volume 32 No. 7 July 2013 a monthly publication of St. Anthony Shrine

It was another time and another war. But in too many ways it was the same. The blood that watered the ground was just as wet and just as red. And humanity then just as now clashed with weapons shaped for killing. Noted also was the gateway to the field of battle. The pages of Franciscan history and todays news agencies both point to the country of Syria as a reminder of the dangers of war. And yet, in the annals of Franciscan storytelling, Syria also holds a positive, prominent place. It stands as a reminder of one of the first successful missionary efforts beyond the borders of Italy.

This Martyred Land

had sought to make a name for himself as a knight. The romantic notion of a crusade to the Holy Land would have moved him profoundly. Therefore, it took little time for him to respond to the siren calls of the Middle East. And yet, his previous disasters at pursuing knighthood had not been lessons taken in vain. Instead of moving with military might, he sought to battle unbelievers with the good example of the friars and with their preaching. This evangelical momentum moved through its first stage almost immediately. In 1215 he sent one of his early followers, Brother Giles, to the kingdom of what was then Syria, to the port city of Acre. Acre formed the gateway to the Holy Land. Ships that once came and went for trading purposes began preparing to receive the movement of troops. By 1217 armies of the Fifth Crusade were beginning to arrive.

This Council influenced the Franciscan Order in various ways. The friars formed the newest of the Religious communities at that time. Their own Rule and life style were still being hammered out in the shadow of that Council. As a young man their Founder
4

The Patriarchs words struck a chord. Proposals resulting from the bishops deliberations concluded a need for a crusade. Its aim should comprise a two-pronged attack: heretics at home and Saracens abroad. The Council instructed Christian nations to begin assembling armies to initiate a campaign to take back the Holy Land once and for all. Their task would be to push those already there into other lands or speed their way into eternity.

In 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council took place. Among its speakers, the Patriarch of Jerusalem appealed to those gathered for help in the Holy Land. It was becoming a place more and more dangerous for pilgrims. Over the last few centuries, interest in the land of Jesus had become more intense. The humanity of Christ and the distribution of relics from the place of his birth and death had become popular expressions of Christian spirituality. But pilgrims visiting those shores were falling more and more prey to the hands of bandits. The Knights Templar had been recently formed to guide and guard such visitors. But of late, the Saracens had made access to the holy places increasingly restricted.

The ill-prepared missionary effort of the 1217 Chapter resulted in a disaster. The sincerity of the friars hardly readied them for what awaited. One exception to this series of disappointments was the mission to Syria. The genius of Elias became quickly evident. Francis himself finally fulfilled a personal dream by traveling to the Holy Land in 1220. During that stay he pursued his own crusade by visiting the Sultan. That trip implied landing at Acre and only then making his way to Egypt where the war was raging around the city of Damietta. Upon his miraculous return from the court of the Sultan, friars urged him to return to Italy because things had not gone well while he was away. Again he returned to Acre to find transportation back. Among his companion in this return journey was Elias. The singular success of the mission at Acre made Francis realize the need for someone with Elias set of skills to resolve some of the problems awaiting the Founder on his return.

One can only guess how much this date and its events influenced the calling of a General Chapter of the Franciscan Order of 1217. All friars were asked to attend. There and then a first great missionary effort was proposed. In a spirit of great faith and enthusiasm, Francis sent friars to various places in Europe. He also sent friars to Acre where Giles had already gathered a number of men who wished to follow this leader from Assisi. Over the group as its leader, he delegated the dark and mysterious figure of Elias of Cortona. Elias came to the scene as a flawed but gifted organizer and administrator.

In 1221, another General Chapter gathered and again another missionary effort launched out into unfamiliar territory. This time the hand of Elias can be seen playing a leading role in organizing it. This time
Saint Anthony Shrine The Church on Arch Street

the results stood in stark contrast to the 1217 debacle. Letters were sent out to bishops to expect friars. Friars chosen as leaders spoke the language of the country to which they were sent. The Syrian experiment had produced much fruit as a mission model. Its application achieved an equal amount of success. Provinces eventually arose in such places as Germany, England, France and Spain. The friars remained in Acre, tending to the crusaders, pilgrims, and merchants who came and went. They pursued this ministry until the Crusades ended in 1291. At that time the city of Acre fell. It became overrun by Saracens. The friars withdrew to a new Middle Eastern base in Cyrus. Fourteen remained. They were executed, as were the Poor Clare nuns.

Reports from friars in modern day Syria are also dark and dangerous. In place of a crusade the country now tears itself apart through a civil war. Few descriptions of the lives of the friars remaining have found their way back to our central house in Rome. The following is one of the few emails received, this one from last October: All the friars here in Syria are well. The situation in Aleppo is increasingly difficult. On August 31 a howitzer hit our friary in Ram. . . . Another howitzer attack struck our property in front of the church and friary in Azizieh. . . . Our village is full of people who have escaped Aleppo after the massacres. The road between Kaneohe and Jisser has become very dangerous. Mines explode daily.

This message had been sent on the Feast of St. Francis. The friar writing the email shows the paradox of the moment as he shares a mood mixed with both of joy and sadness: Today is the feast of our seraphic Father Saint Francis. I send you our sincerest best wishes from this martyred land. From this martyred land.

Why do we feel more comfortable with war than with peace? War identifies enemies while peace often confuses friends. We fear the other in everybody and we feel obliged to entertain negative thoughts as required protection. Allies suppress differences not always happily and only by necessity. There is a fundamental distrust in all of us for the Other, whether Creator or creature, which can only be overcome by grace, the grace of knowing that we are loved. 100 Arch Street Boston, Massachusetts 02110 617.542.6440

Response

Is there a solution to this problem? Can we ever really be at peace with Others? Will we ever realize that life is a many-faceted mountain, with each person climbing up his or her particular facet, while attempting to define the whole mountain by narrow experience? Must we be martyrs for a particular cause, or may we give witness to the many sides of the one truth by refraining from dropping the curtain on the drama just as the plot seems to support our cause? God knows. May he teach us all!

The tragedy of Syria and the whole Near and Middle East is that political strategy almost always compromises the nobodies of the world. Power, whether absolute or shared, cannot but corrupt, since the will of some must always be exercised against the will of others to the detriment of all. No one seems willing to empathize with potential adversaries, everyone seems willing to shed blood that the political project may succeed. One grows to appreciate an enemy just because the enemy provides justification for war and, of course, eventual victory. The email quoted by Fr. Emeric illustrates some consequences of conflict among powers. Leaders are always willing to put some people in harms way.

Francis of Assisi was a genuinely religious Crusader. He wanted the Sultan and his people to know (and surely follow) Christ. He respected the Saracens and was treated respectfully by the Sultan. He failed to convert him to Christianity, but he never sought to subject him to Christendom. Indeed he was appalled to discover that many of the official Crusaders were self-serving adventurers ready to absorb whatever wealth they could purloin.

The Crusades are to a great degree an unfortunate chapter in the history of Christendom, that largely political institution that so often envelopes the Christian Church as it progresses toward the Second Coming. Christendom is built on the assumption that men and women as political animals need the political structure with which they are most familiar, or which best addresses the perceived human condition, in order to survive. The human condition is not perceived as having outgrown traditional experience, but rather is presumed to have simply made better use of that experience. King Clovis of the Franks decreed that all in his kingdom should accept baptism because he did; after the Reformation broke the back of Christendom, Europe was divided according to the principle cuius regio eius religio: the religion of the king was the religion of the people. The Crusades, while seeking to open up the Holy Land to devout Christian pilgrims also sought, and not accidentally, to preserve and protect Christendom from the unexpected growth in the power of the Moslem forces. How could Infidels have become so influential?

SAINT ANTHONY SHRINE & MINISTRY CENTER ~ All Are Welcome ~

Masses The Arch Street Band
SATURDAY AFTERNOON VIGIL MASSES ** Music

Second Floor Chapel 6:00 a.m. 7:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Following Masses ** Music 10:00 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 12:30 Noon 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. Second Floor Chapel
LEGAL HOLIDAY MASSES

4:00 p.m. ** 5:30 p.m. **

Second Floor Chapel

First Floor Chapel

4:15 p.m.

SUNDAY MASSES

6:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. 1:15 p.m. 5:15 p.m. Second WednesdayAnointing Mass: time to be announced Third WednesdayDay of Remembrance Tuesdays: St. Anthony Devotions Wednesdays: Spanish Mass - 5:15 p.m. Thursdays: St. Jude Devotions MISA EN ESPAOL Cada mircoles a las 5:15 de la tarde
SATURDAY MASSES

Celebrated in Second Floor Chapel

WEEKDAY MASSES

Celebrated in First Floor Chapel Weekdays: 6:30 to 8:00 a.m.; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday: 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Seasonal Communal Penance Service: (to be announced) Sunday: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Legal Holiday: 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. CONTACT US: Phone: 1-617-542-6440 Fax: 1-617-542-4225 Website: http://www.StAnthonyShrine.org Address: 100 Arch Street Downtown Crossing Boston, MA 02110

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

8:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

Celebrated in Second Floor Chapel 8:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 Noon Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (First Floor Chapel) Weekdays at 1:45 p.m. Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. Sundays at 1:00 p.m. Benediction (First Floor Chapel) Weekdays: 5:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays: 3:30 p.m. Vespers Sundays: 3:15 p.m.
EXECUTIVE STAFF

Holy Rosary of Mary Sundays: 2:45 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy Sundays: 3:00 p.m.

Fr. James Patrick Kelly, OFM, PhD Guardian and Executive Director Fr. Brian Cullinane, OFM Assistant Executive Director of Ministries

MINISTRIES OF SAINT ANTHONY SHRINE WORSHIP/YOUR SPIRITUAL HOME RECONCILIATION MUSIC LAZARUS PROGRAM WELLNESS CENTER SAINT ANTHONY BREAD FOR THE POOR BREAD ON THE COMMON FRANCISCAN SPIRITUAL COMPANIONSHIP MINISTRY THE KIDS PROGRAM SENIORS ON ARCH STREET MYCHAL JUDGE CENTER FOR RECOVERY FRANCISCAN FOOD CENTER EVANGELIZATION GOOD WORD: (617) 542-0502 HISPANIC MINISTRY FRANCISCAN ADULT SCHOOL PIETA MINISTRY COME HOME PROGRAM PRISON MINISTRY
6 Saint Anthony Shrine The Church on Arch Street

Spirituality of the Readings

13th Sunday of Ordinary Time C Reading I: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21 Responsorial Psalm: 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11 Reading II: Galatians 5:1, 13-18 Gospel: Luke 9:51-62

Spirituality of the Readings

Toward Jerusalem

Jesus is on the march and will not be turned back. He is fierce in Sundays Gospel, and sometimes startles us with what he says. He rebukes the disciples. He shouts let the dead bury the dead. Jesus is moving fast, and his mood is intense.

The Greek word Luke uses for go up is the same one used in the Second Book of Kings for the prophet Elijahs ascent into heaven. A flaming chariot and flaming horses came . . . and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Jesus going up will not be in a fiery chariot. His ascent will finish in a plunge downwards into humiliation and death. For the next ten chapters the Gospel of Luke will trace Jesus deeds skillfully as parts of this urgent trip to Jerusalem.

It was not always this way. Do you remember when Jesus began his public ministry? We heard about it, in our liturgical cycle, before Lent and Easter. He came back from the desert filled with the Holy Spirit and headed straight to his home town, Nazareth. He greatly desired to preach his mission but his own towns people rejected him. And it was a blunt rejection. They tried to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:14ff)!

Do you or I want to go along with this man on his journey? What if we hear him say, The Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head [and neither will you]? Or, No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God? Very harsh. Wouldnt you or I and turn on our heel and walk away?

Now we see why Jesus was so severe with people in the Gospel for today: he was going up ruggedly to Jerusalem but they wanted to delay.

Think about that phrase. The going up part is literal. Jerusalem is built upon a hill or rise, and you have to climb to get up to it. But Luke wanted the metaphorical sense too. Jesus had set his face to go up to the height of the cross.

Now a new section of Luke begins, called the Journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:28).* Now it is the people in Samaritan towns who turn him away. He had sent messengers ahead to warm up the audience, so to speak, but the villages he went by would not let him come in. Why? Jews and Samaritans were hostile to each other, and surely that is a main part of the reason. But Luke says the real reason is that they knew he was going up to Jerusalem.

Scholars call this first portion of Lukes Gospel the Galilean Ministry(Luke 3:1-9:50), and it has been the subject of our scripture readings until this Sunday (except for the abovementioned insertion of Lent and Easter).

Yes, but think about it. Luke is saying that Christianity is a challenge, not just a warm blanket. Jesus values God more than safe sleep, than family funerals, even more than courtesy to relatives and friends. These receive their worth at the very core of themselves from love. Love of God above all, love of our neighbor as ourselves, no matter what.

It is up to us to decide whether to join Jesus in his urgency. Do you fight against such an idea? Or do you thirst for it? Or both?

_______________ *I have set much of Luke's Gospel to music, with libretto by Michael Dennis Browne. Music for Toward Jerusalem is one of the numbers in this musical drama. As a River of Light is the name of the overall work, which I love. Maybe you would like to share it. You can find it readily available on CD from OCP.

Artwork: Jesus said, No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God. (Gospel) Van Gogh, Enclosed Field with Ploughman, detail. October 1899

You are invited to write a note to the author of this reflection: Fr. John Foley, S. J. (johnbfoley@yahoo.com)

Fr. John Foley, S. J. Copyright 2013, The Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

100 Arch Street Boston, Massachusetts 02110 617.542.6440

Raffle Winner Congr atulations to the Winner of the Lucky 13 Raffle! June 13$6,500.00 James Ruth, Boston, MA more Upcoming Events
For more information, please contact sas20s30s@stanthonyshrine.org. Note: Following events are for 20s/30s only.

Castle Island Book Club: The Dovekeepers novel by Alice Hoffman

available at Amazon.com (paperback $12.27, Kindle $7.99) Note: Paperback is 528 pages. Since the novel is long I suggest getting it now and start reading. The book will be even more meaningful if you have had the opportunity to visit Masada and are familiar with its history. To meet on a Saturday or Sunday in August, date TBA, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Book discussion and picnic Castle Island, So. Boston Food may be purchased at Sullivans or bring your own lunch and a beach chair or blanket.

20s/30s Boston Young Adults

Boston Harbor Islands Trip

Wine & Cheese Social

Saturday, July 20. Boat ticket $15. Sunday, July 28 after the 4 & 5:30 p.m. Masses. (2nd fl. classroom)

date to be rescheduled TBA Mass at 4:00 p.m. in second floor church followed by potluck supper in auditorium & showing of the Pilgrimage DVD in the Assisi room.

Holy Land May 2013 Pilgrims Reunion

Offered by the Franciscan Adult School Holy Land Pilgrimages

The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secretsabout who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.

Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffmans novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yaels mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village bakers wife, watched the murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed. Aziza is a warriors daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power.

The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffmans most ambitious and mesmerizing novel, a tour de force of research and imagination.

Contact Dr. Jackie Stewart at 617-542-6440, ext. 143 or email SAS.Evang@gmail.com.

Offered by the Franciscan Adult School