A New Direction St. Anthony Parish Plans Children’s Ministry Program Expansion
We are excited to announce that our Parish has plans to provide additional support and resources for our families with young children.
We want to better partner with our parents to instill Christian character, values and beliefs in our youngest parishioners. We believe if we provide a Christ-centered environment and programs, together we can inspire our children to explore, create and play as they develop both a love for Jesus Christ and a love for learning.
If you are a parent or grandparent of children ages 1 to 9 or have an interest in volunteering in our Children’s Ministry programs we would like you to stop by the pre-school immediately following the Saturday 5 p.m. Mass on March 8th or the Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass on March 9th. The meeting will be brief. We will share our plans, answer questions and learn your level of interest. Children are of course welcome. If we receive a strong response we will move to the next step in expanding our commitment to serving our young families.
Weekend Programs Being Considered
Our current plans are to offer 3 programs for ages 1-9 during the Saturday 5:00 pm Mass and the Sunday 11:00 am Mass. These programs will provide children the opportunity to have their own age-appropriate church experience, while providing our young parents the opportunity to attend and fully participate in Mass.
The Play Station will be the new name of our current Nursery Ministry. We will upgrade this program by simply placing our 1 to 3 year olds in a more inviting, safe and nurturing environment of our new pre-school building. Here they will develop social skills as they play with their new church friends.
First Church will be a new program for children ages 4 to 6 in our new pre-school building. “First Church” will provide our children their “first” structured church experience with a fun and interactive curriculum of Bible stories, songs and activities.
Gospel Alive is an upgrade of our current Liturgy of the Word. It will be for children ages 7 to 9. As the new name suggests, “Gospel Alive” will provide a more visual and interactive curriculum of the Gospel, music and activities. It will be held in the Social Hall during the first part of the weekend Mass and the children will rejoin their families for the Eucharist and the conclusion of the Mass.