St. Anthony’s Church
110 Anchor Ave.
Oceanside, NY 11572 Happy New Year and may God shower
his blessings on all of you in this new
year of grace, 2018.
We are blessed with a wonderful parish
family here at St Anthony’s and this Al-
manac shows the details of how all this
comes about. Our staff, parishioners and
volunteers contribute so much in our
many ministries which you can sample
here in our third Almanac. And what you
read about here is only a portion of the
good work done here in God’s name.
Through our parish and community
functions our volunteers are able to con-
tribute to a better life for so many people.
We have women and men visiting and
bringing communion to the homebound
and those in the hospital. Our outreach
program cares for over 6000 people in
need. Our youth ministry is one of the
largest and most active in the diocese.
Our Religious Education program is
truly a marvel serving about 1400 stu-
dents with 120 volunteer catechists. Our
Accion Catolica committee coordinates all
the activities of our Hispanic parishioners
and, over the course of more than twenty
years , has helped those parishioners inte-
grate more and more into the life of St An-
thony’s.
Our preschool, begun in 1990, continues to
offer an outstanding formation and prepara-
tion to local youngsters.
Our Fathers’ Club, founded in recent
years, has evolved into a dynamic force sup-
porting all the endeavors of the parish.
There are many more, which I hope you
will read about in this Almanac.
We have many wonderful ministries and I
ask you to open yourself to the way the Lord
may be calling you to serve in one of them.
As always, I thank you for all you do, for
your continuing support, and encourage you
to learn more about St Anthony’s in our al-
manac, our bulletin, our website, Facebook
page and our parish app. There is so much
that makes our parish the special place it is.
God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Fr . Don Gannon, SJ
Sacramental Life of the Parish
The sacraments
are alive and well
at St. Anthony’s!
This chart shows
how our parish has
ministered to the
community over
the last 5 years.
Faith Direct 2
Catholic Ministries
Appeal
2
5 Year Parish
Financial Report
3
Income and Expense
Summaries
4
5 Year Financial
Highlights
5
Parish Ministry
Articles
6
A Brief History of St.
Anthony’s Parish
15
Tell Us What You
Think
16
Amazing Parish
Prayer
16
Almanac Sponsors 17
Inside this issue:
From Our Administrator
St. Anthony’s Almanac
January 2018 Issue 3
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Baptism 156 196 162 149 134
Confirmation 176 178 162 171 164
First Communion 190 202 216 196 189
RCIA 6 9 1 7 2
First Reconciliation 190 202 217 203 191
Weddings 20 22 29 24 23
Anointing of the Sick 63 77 70 49 111
Funerals 114 129 122 85 119
Faith Direct is an easy and convenient
way to automate your contributions to
St. Anthony's. This secure program
works directly with your bank, credit,
or debit card in the same way as other
electronic funds transfer payments
you may already conduct (such as util-
ity bills or your mortgage payment).
All transactions are processed elec-
tronically, debiting your bank account
or charging your credit\debit card
automatically for the amounts and
collections you designate.
Faith Direct replaces envelopes
and helps support St. Anthony’s
throughout the year with a steady,
predictable cash flow to support
the works that are important to
you.
Some other benefits of Faith Di-
rect:
Do you have a rewards-earning
credit card? Let your contribu-
tions to St. Anthony’s help you
collect points, miles, or dollars
faster!
St. Anthony’s saves the costs of
printing and mailing envelopes –
which is also good for the environ-
ment!
Peace of mind, because you'll be
able to support St. Anthony’s
every week. Whether you're out
of town, unable to attend church
due to weather, illness or a family
emergency, your gifts will always
be received.
Contribute to any collection of-
fered by St. Anthony’s. Schedule
weekly or monthly recurring gifts
or make a one-time gift at any
time.
Enjoy the efficiency and conven-
ience of having an annual state-
ment that details your generosity,
and simplifies your taxes.
The user-friendly online system
lets you manage all aspects of
your account so you are always in
control of your donations.
Customer Service that is avail-
able to respond to your needs by
email, phone, and online chat.
Why not join the many parishioners
who already take advantage of the
benefits of Faith Direct? Signing up
is easy. For more information and/or
to enroll go to:
www.faithdirect.net
and enter our parish code:
NY581.
Thank you for helping to keep St. An-
thony's a vibrant parish!
certain services and ministries for
which the larger Church has to take
responsibility.
100% of all money raised supports the
Appeal and its essential programs and
services across Long Island, touching
each of our 133 parishes and more
than 600,000 people. Together, pa-
rishioners on Long Island reach many
more people than one parish could
The Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA)
is the annual appeal for the ministries
of our Diocese of Rockville Centre and
the Parish of St. Anthony. Your gifts
provide support for the many pro-
grams and services that help further
the mission of Jesus Christ here on
Long Island and here at St. An-
thony’s. Many people faithfully sup-
port their local parishes, essential for
the parish community, but there are
ever do on its own. Some of the areas
that are assisted through the CMA
include:
Religious education for hundreds
of thousands of students
Affordable and safe housing for
seniors and mentally and physi-
cally disabled adults
Faith Direct: Helping You Help St. Anthony’s
Catholic Ministries Appeal
Page 2 St. Anthony’s Almanac
Priests’, Deacons’ and lay leaders’
education and formation
Faith Formation, including bap-
tismal, pre-Cana and RCIA pro-
grams
Hospital ministry to those who
are ill and their families
Prison Ministry
Chemical dependence services
and day treatment programs
Parish sharing: of parish monies
received, 20% up to goal, and 80%
above goal, are returned to the
parish
Each year our goal is determined on a
formula based on offertory figures
from a prior year. Parishes that meet
their Appeal goal receive rebates that
can be used at their discretion. Our parishioners have been generous and
our Parish has always met and sur-
passed its Appeal goal. These rebates
have helped our parish with day-to-
day operation expenses and much
needed maintenance over the years.
This CMA Appeal is the SECOND
LARGEST FUND RAISER for our
parish, bringing in an average of
$58,000 per year over the last 19
years. The gifts were small and large:
58% of the gifts received were
$100 or less
34% were from $101 to $500
8% were from gifts over $500
Participation makes the difference
and “No gift is too small”.
Two (2) co-chairs presently administer
this Parish Sharing program under
the direction of the Pastor. Other vol-
unteers help with planning for the
year, designing posters and flyers,
and speaking at all Masses. New vol-
unteers are most welcome and are
urgently needed.
dropped a small amount, there was
still an approximately $40,000 short-
fall which was covered by our slowly
decreasing cash reserves. The data
show that we have entered the post-
Increased Offertory campaign period,
as a downward general collections
trend has developed. A very difficult
decision to raise the cost of religious
education tuition was made to help
offset the decline in collections. This
will require careful monitoring going
forward.
In 2016-17, we continued to make pro-
gress in paying down the $275,000
In an effort to be more transparent
and to provide parishioners with more
insight into parish operations, on the
following pages you will find a 5-year
historical parish financial report.
It is through your continued support
and generosity, and through diligent
managing of costs and expenses, that
the parish has maintained relatively
good financial health, despite running
an overall budget deficit for 4 of the
last 5 years.
Operationally, in the 2016-17 fiscal
year while overall revenue was up
fractionally and overall expenses
roof loan via your contributions to the
St. Anthony Project, whose monies
are excluded from the operating
budget as an approved campaign by
the Diocese. Due to the aging nature
of our parish buildings, we continue to
experience large maintenance and
repair costs. The boiler in the chapel
failed, causing the chapel to be closed
last winter. It has since been re-
paired, and that large expense will be
felt in the 2017-18 fiscal year.
Please contact Deacon John O’Connor,
Parish Operations Manager, for more
information.
Catholic Ministries Appeal (cont’d.)
5-Year Parish Financial Report
Issue 3 Page 3
5-Year Financial Highlights:
Note: The spike in costs/expenses in 2014 is due to the replacement of the roof on the Parish Center.
Page 5 Issue 3
Like the parable of the mustard seed,
the ten parishioners who attended the
first Mass in Spanish have grown to
an average attendance of over 250
people every Sunday. ACH ensures
that the Hispanic community gets
involved in the life of the Church as a
community of faith. ACH was created
in 1994 to coordinate and collaborate
in the activities of the various groups
working in our parish and also serve
as a link between these groups and
the office of the Pastor.
ACH were pioneers of "Living with
Christ" in Spanish. This program was
designed by the Center for Spiritual
Formation of the Jesuits in Boston,
and we are proud to be the first of two
parishes on Long Island who offer this
for the Latino community.
During the year, ACH coordinates
various liturgical, educational and
recreational activities, including:
Providing coffee after Sunday
mass
Sponsoring the Spanish Delight
booth for the Feast
Sponsoring a yearly raffle fund-
raiser
Developing close communications
with local families and supporting
their spiritual needs
Praying the Rosary during the
months of May and October
Praying the Stations of the Cross
every Friday in the Chapel during
Lent
Organizing two yearly retreats for
the liturgical seasons of Advent
and Lent
The Christmas Posadas - a won-
derful way to share and celebrate
Christian faith and heritage
This year ACH started a St. Ignacio
Spiritual School.
Hispanic Ministries – ACH (Accion Catolica Hispana)
We obtain food from donations of our
parishioners and from LI Cares and
LI Harvest. The members purchase
additional protein sources (meat, eggs,
fish) to provide a better selection of
grocery items and allow our neighbors
in need to have healthy choice. In
addition, our parishioners as-
sist us financially by supporting
the Poor Box, utilizing monthly
envelopes and donating to our
largest annual fund raiser (The
Walk for the Poor).
Housing, heat and utilities
needs are assessed on the find-
ings that our members obtain
from home visits. Through
these and other efforts, our con-
ference has provided assistance
with mortgage or rent, utilities
payments, and healthcare
needs and met numerous re-
quests for furniture and bed-
ding.
The Society of St. Vincent de
Paul is solidly rooted in the bib-
lical tradition of listening to the
neighbor in need and assisting
through personal contact.
For further information, visit St. An-
thony’s website or contact Denise
Clarke, President, through Parish
Outreach.
Inspired by Gospel values, the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
a Catholic lay ministry, leads
women and men to join to-
gether to grow spiritually by
offering Person to Person ser-
vice to our neighbors in need
and suffering. We work in the
tradition of our founder,
Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
and patron, St. Vincent de
Paul.
The St. Anthony Conference
became an official conference
on November 11, 1969. We
presently have 17 active
members who meet every
other Tuesday in the Parish
Center. We provide a food
pantry and clothing room
through which we serve over
6,000 families annually. Ad-
ditional help may include pay-
ment for rent, utilities, medical needs,
furniture and other needs that may
arise. Through the good efforts of our
members and the generosity of our
parishioners, in the last fiscal year we
provided food for 1345 family mem-
bers, of which 685 were seniors, 3278
adults, and 2043 children.
Saint Anthony’s Conference of St. Vincent de Paul
Page 6 St. Anthony’s Almanac
St. Anthony’s Men’s Spirituality
Group has been meeting for about 14
years. Meetings are usually held on
the first Saturday of the month, from
8:30 - 10:00 AM at the Knights of Co-
lumbus Hall in Oceanside. Bagels and
coffee are available.
This is an informal meeting for men of
all ages. Often we prayerfully read
and discuss the Sunday Readings. At
times we offer programs for Bible
Study and book discussions, and rec-
ommend movies. Annually we host a
Lenten Speaker Series. Here we in-
vite speakers to join us for 4 Satur-
days during Lent with a general
theme in mind.
Our hope is to provide a forum for
men to encounter their spiritual life in
Christ and His Church. We strive to
discern the "Life Application" of the
Christian Life. Through fellowship,
study and discussion, we hopefully
experience the transformative values
of the Christian Life!
Many of those that attend are in-
volved in many other aspects and
ministries of the parish and commu-
nity. We keep informed of many other
events that are taking place in the
parish, community and Knights of
Columbus and pass along that infor-
mation. We operate booths at the par-
ish feast and work closely with the
St. Anthony’s Fathers’ Club.
We always welcome new members
into the group! We invite you to at-
tend! For more information please
contact Angelo Marchica at angelo-
[email protected] or 516-678-
7908 (or just show up one
Saturday).
Men’s Spirituality Group
Prayer Connection Ministry
our program with a total of 24 chil-
dren, 12 in the 4 year old group and
12 in the 3 year old group that came
to school for either 2 or 3 half days.
Fast forward to 2016 and we
now run programs for well
over 100 2, 3, and 4 year olds
that attend 5 days per week
both mornings and afternoons!
Who would have thought?!?
The preschool occupies 4 class-
rooms in the Parish Center as
well as an education office we share
with the Faith Formation program.
We have 2 part time secretaries that
share in the responsibilities of Reli-
gious Education and Preschool.
As we begin our 26th year here at St.
Anthony's we are proud to have 5 cer-
tified teachers and 5 assistants on our
staff that have dedicated their time to
be nurtur-
ing, caring
employees.
They have
been a huge
part of the
development of so many children in
our St. Anthony's family.
We have been truly blessed in so
many ways!
St. Anthony's Preschool began in the
fall of 1990. The school was the brain
child of Fr. V. Sullivan (pastor at the
time) as well as a number of parish-
ioners highly motivated
in the field of education.
Rose Caracciolo was se-
lected to head the 4 year
old classes and Ellie
Grubb took leadership of
the 3 year old classes.
Our most dedicated Miss
"Rose" retired a number of years ago
and Ellie has been blessed to be the
Director of St. Anthony's Preschool
since Rose’s retirement. We started
Preschool
St. Anthony’s
Preschool is in its
27th year of
operation
Issue 3 Page 7
“Exploring the Sunday Readings.”
The volunteers end their meeting by
praying and reading each petition to
be sent to the prayer connection min-
isters.
The Prayer Connection Ministry is
made up of over 80 people who have
committed themselves to pray for
those who have placed petitions in the
box at the rear of the church.
A volunteer types the petitions over
the period of a month. A group of vol-
unteers meets at the end of the month
to prepare the mailing, which includes
a letter, the petitions, and a copy of
Did you know that St. Anthony’s
Youth Ministry is one of the largest
Youth Ministry programs in the Dio-
cese of Rockville Centre?
High School: Each year over 60
teens gather every Sunday after the
5:00 Youth Mass under the leadership
and guidance of our Parish Youth
Minister Kathy Spataro to talk about
issues they face as Catholic teenagers.
They also enjoy a great meal with the
help of their parents who have been
very generous in the preparation of
our weekly meal.
The teen members of Youth Ministry:
Donate leftover food to a needy
family
Have assisted with the clean-up
and maintenance of the church
Helped the Father’s Club during
the year
Waited tables during St. An-
thony’s “Taste of the Town” fund-
raiser
Helped with the collection and
stocking of the St. Vincent DePaul
Pantry during Lent
Presented the Silhouette Stations
of the Cross during Lent, an event
that the entire parish looks for-
ward to.
On Good Friday, the teens present
the Cross during the Veneration
A few of the teens work as Cate-
chists for the religion classes.
Raised funds for their ministry
through car washes, Breakfast
with Santa and the Polar Express
Helped out in the Zeppole Booth
and other Booths at the St. An-
thony’s Feast
In addition to the above activities,
each year the teens participate in a
weekend long Faith building retreat.
On that retreat the teens learn about
different forms of prayer, community
building participate in the Sacrament
of Reconciliation, discuss important
issues they face as Christians growing
up in today’s society and culminate
the weekend by celebrating the
Eucharist. The “Be Weekend” retreat
has been an annual event for the past
26 years in our Parish. As a tribute to
the success of the program many of
the former teen members have come
back as young adults after college to
assist running the program. For more
information contact Kathy Spataro at
516-764-0048.
Middle School: Bridges Café is a
community service group for 7th &
8th graders which meets Fridays from
7-9pm in the St. Anthony’s Cafeteria.
It is a social gathering to help the “in
between” group stay connected to
their faith and sense of service to oth-
ers, and to deepen their relationship
with the St. Anthony’s faith commu-
nity. The group plans and partici-
pates in service projects and events
while they meet and socialize.
Bridges helps numerous organizations
such as the AHRC, Food Pantry, In-
terfaith Thanksgiving Dinner, Ronald
McDonald House and many more each
year. Bridges also produces family
fun events such as “Cup Cake Wars”
and their signature event "Elf Tag".
All events help to build the members
and teach them the real meaning of
being children of God.
booklet is prepared for use at the
mass, which includes scripture read-
ings, hymns and the names of family
participants. During the mass, our
volunteers assist the priest by inviting
family members for the scripture
readings, announcing gift bearers to
present the bread and wine and serv-
The Ministry of Consolation is com-
prised of caring volunteers who assist
families dealing with the loss of a
loved one. Our members meet with
relatives of the deceased to express
our parish’s condolences and plan the
funeral liturgy. Based on the infor-
mation gathered at this meeting, a
ing as Eucharistic ministers. We ex-
tend a sign of peace to family mem-
bers during the mass and take leave
of all in attendance at the exit with
the offer of tissues.
Youth Ministry
Consolation Ministry
Page 8 St. Anthony’s Almanac
St. Anthony’s Marriage Preparation
programs are led by Deacon Mike &
Doreen Monahan together with co-
facilitating couples, Stanley & Laura
Conroy and Phil & Joanne Savarese.
Our program includes Pre-Cana and
FOCCUS (Facilitate Open, Caring
Communication, Understanding and
Study) both of which are required to
marry in the Diocese of Rockville
Centre. Since its reinvigoration in the
Fall of 2013, approximately 65 en-
gaged couples have experienced this
in-home faith journey!
Our ministry is thriving and we now
offer three sessions per year begin-
ning with our Sunday Pre-Cana Mass
and luncheon, and continuing for
three consecutive Monday evenings
where couples gather to pray and
share our faith and life experiences.
FOCCUS appointments are scheduled
with each individual couple at a mu-
tually convenient date and time to
continue the conversation.
We have enjoyed the experience of not
only facilitating the sessions for the
engaged couples but Deacon Mike has
been invited to preside at some of
their weddings and to baptize the
children of a few couples from the ear-
lier sessions! We are honored to re-
main a part of their lives!
tion and a part of our commu-
nity of faith.
The Baptism Ministry is
made up of lay volunteers. It
is a ministry of welcome to
parents who have made the
decision to bring their child
into the Catholic faith.
It is comprised of three as-
pects:
1) the preparation of a wel-
Each year the parish of St.
Anthony is happy and
privileged to welcome over
200 children into our
Catholic Christian commu-
nity through the sacra-
ment of Baptism. Baptism
is a sacrament of initia-
tion, of acceptance, of wel-
come. Through water and
the Holy Spirit, the chil-
dren become a new crea-
come packet, which includes a hand-
made needlepoint cross, a booklet on
the stresses of parenthood, and a par-
ents’ prayer
2) the provision of hospitality at the
monthly Baptism class
3) the offering of welcome to the fami-
lies and guests on the day of Baptism,
as well as assistance to the presider
during the Baptism ritual.
Pre-Cana / Marriage Preparation Program
Baptism Ministry
chists. This past year we prepared
over 200 children for the sacrament of
First Eucharist and, 85 students for
the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Through the generosity of our families
we continue our tradition of present-
ing a gift from our First Eucharist and
Confirmation class to be used in our
liturgies. We raised over $6,000 in
donations which provided our parish
with new altar banners for the liturgi-
cal seasons of Advent and Easter.
Our grade level masses at the 9:30
Family Mass, followed by Coffee
Hour, continues to grow stronger each
year. By providing a welcoming envi-
ronment families come together as a
faith community and find mutual sup-
port in trying to raise their children
with the catholic morals and values
we represent as St. Anthony’s Parish.
The goal of our parish religious educa-
tion program is to help young people
develop morally, grow in their knowl-
edge of the Catholic faith and partici-
pate in the sacramental life of the
Church.
Our elementary/middle school pro-
gram involves classroom learning ses-
sions, communal prayer and worship
experiences, service opportunities and
sacramental preparation.
We currently have 1,250 students in
our program and 120 volunteer cate-
Religious Education
1,250 Students
120 Volunteer Catechists
Issue 3 Page 9
Page 10 St. Anthony’s Almanac
Fathers Club
The Music Ministry is a diverse group
of people who come together to wor-
ship in song and to help others in the
congregation worship and pray. Pro-
fessional musicians are
joined by the adult choir,
children’s choir, youth
rock Mass group, and
Spanish choir to enhance
our worship together.
The volunteer members
come from many back-
grounds, both with and
without previous instruc-
tion or experience, but
all have a desire to share their love of
music with others. Additionally, they
help with organizing and distributing
sheet music, organizing and setting
up for liturgies and planning social
events.
The Adult Choir typically practices
once a week on Thursdays at 7:30 PM
and sings at the 11:00 AM
Mass on Sundays
(September to June), on
holy days, during the
Easter Triduum, and at
other special liturgies.
They also participate in the
Oceanside Interfaith
Thanksgiving Service and
perform a Christmas Con-
cert, usually in the week
between Christmas and New Year’s.
Their music ranges from ancient
chants to contemporary liturgical mu-
sic, including pieces from the Oregon
Catholic Press, the Gregorian Insti-
tute of America, the St. Louis Jesuits
and Weston Priory.
The Children’s Choir sings at least
twice a month at the 9:30 AM Family
Mass. Many members also participate
in the annual Christmas Pageant and
Christmas Tree Lighting.
The Youth Rock Mass features instru-
mentalists and singers, ages 14-18,
who sing each week at the Sunday 5
PM Youth Mass.
The Spanish Choir, a part of the His-
panic Community, sings at the Span-
ish Mass, held at 12:45 in the Sacred
Heart Chapel. For information, or to
join, please speak to the members af-
ter the 12:45 Mass.
Music Ministry
panded areas throughout the church
grounds. Not all of the club’s service
projects are related to the parish land-
scape. The Fathers Club took on the
repair of the gym window cages allow-
ing for easily opening the windows
when the weather gets hot, or quickly
closing them when the weather turns
inclement. They also conducted the
first ever parish Christmas tree light-
ing, purchasing & decorating the tree,
as well as organizing the event. In
addition, the Fathers Club stepped up
over the past 3-4 years providing se-
curity assistance at the Feast & other
events, barbequing at the parish out-
door mass & serving beer & wine at
the parish’s Taste of the Town events.
The second part of the Fathers Club’s
mission is social – providing opportu-
nities for the dads to socialize to-
gether as they plan the various events
designed to bring fathers & families
closer together. The group holds
meetings approximately once a month
during the school year. Larger group
social events organized by the Fathers
Club have included barbecue outings
to Long Island Ducks & the Brooklyn
Cyclones games, outdoor movie nights
in the spring, & a comedy club outing
for parish adults in winter.
All dads (or granddads) in the parish
are welcome to join the Fathers Club.
It is an inclusive organization that
welcomes any level of participation
from those interested in its service &
social mission (or dads just looking to
have fun). For more information on
the Fathers Club, contact StAn-
The St. Anthony’s Fathers Club is a
relatively new organization in the par-
ish. It was started in 2014 when a
group of dads were waiting for their
wives to stop talking after the 9:30
family mass. As they commiserated
with each other as to how often
women in the community managed to
get together & talk, an idea was born:
a group of fathers that would provide
both service to St. Anthony’s & a so-
cial avenue for fathers in the parish to
meet & get to know other fathers in
the parish.
The Fathers Club’s first event oc-
curred in Spring of 2014 & was a com-
bination flower planting project to
beautify the Church grounds, a
whiffle ball game & a barbecue. More
than 50 people came out for this inau-
gural event, & the dads knew they
were onto something. The Fathers
Club reprised their initial gardening
efforts by conducting ongoing plant-
ings in the fall with bulbs & again in
the spring to brighten up the grounds
for First Communion . We have con-
ducted plantings in the spring & fall
of both 2016 & 2017 to included ex-
Issue 3 Page 11
While the Knights of Columbus is not
what you would usually think of as a
ministry, it is a worldwide fellowship
of Catholic men supporting the church
and its parishes. With 1.8 million
members worldwide, we provide multi
-millions of dollars and millions of
man-hours of work to further the prin-
ciples of Catholic philosophy, and in
particular, charity.
Father O’Connell Council calls St.
Anthony’s its home parish. Our mem-
bers are ushers, Father’s Club mem-
bers, Finance Council members, and
many other ministry volunteers. Last
year our Wednesday night Bingo
games raised over $35,000 for chari-
ties, over half of which went to St.
Anthony’s roof fund, Feast expenses,
and general funds. At the annual
Feast, our members man most of the
food, wine, and beer booths, and help
set up, break down, and clean up. We
provide over 200 coats for kids each
year to those in need. We also provide
three $1,000 stipends annually to
three seminarians, three Catholic
high school scholarships each year to
members’ children or grandchildren,
and much more.
Membership is open to all practicing
Catholic men aged 18 and over. Our
Ladies Auxiliary is open to all practic-
ing Catholic women aged 18 and over.
Our Youth Program is open to Catho-
lic boys aged 10 to 17.
Join us! Enrich your life and the lives
of others! Call Tom Knag at 516-477-
2664 or email [email protected].
Father Joseph O’Connell Council – Knights of Columbus
“Faith and Fitness” with Deacon Mike
The program is open to all
fitness and skill levels from
the child new to exercise and
basketball to the child seek-
ing to improve upon and
bring their skills to the next
level to the child simply
wanting extra practice for
competitive school or CYO
sports. There is no cost to
attend and all participants
receive a free T-shirt! We
have had approximately 100
participants over the years
and we welcome you to join
Deacon Mike, Coach Kevin
and Coach Sarah so that we might
together bear witness to the impact
we can have when we give ourselves
for the greater glory of God and do so
completely in mind, body and spirit!
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
The Faith & Fitness pro-
gram with Deacon Mike is
a true Christian expres-
sion of our need to be
committed to taking care
of ourselves and each other
in mind, body and spirit.
The program is
designed for children in
Grades 1-8 and integrates
a physical fitness experi-
ence with prayer
and discussion about the
Gospel.
Since its Spring 2013 in-
ception, the program has created a
community of faith that emphasizes
friendship and discipleship through
kindness and respect for ourselves
and for one another.
Each session the children reflect on
the messages of the Gospel as they
learn lessons about
themselves and their ability to work
together as a team using cardio work-
outs and basketball drills.
The Pastoral Council is a representa-
tive body of St. Anthony’s parishion-
ers and staff who come together
monthly to advise and work together
in close consultation with the Pastor
to prayerfully discern and to carry
out, the needs and concerns of the
parish now and into the future.
The Pastoral Council generally meets
the third Monday night of every
month.
Recently the Council has presented
Financial Peace University by well
know NY Times Best Seller author
and radio show talk show host, Dave
Ramsey. This is a nine-week class
that teaches people to be responsible
with their money so they can retire
with dignity and give generously to
others. Also presented this year was
the Lenten Movie Series, which
viewed four spiritual Christian movies
during the Lenten season. These
movies portrayed Christian values
and finding God’s Living Word in eve-
ryday life. This series culminated
with the Passion of Christ. A very
painfully moving and thought stirring
experience. This was an extremely
successful event and we will be pre-
senting three new movies again next
year during Lent. The Council joined
together with other Ministries to par-
ticipate in the “Welcome Back Masses
celebrated in the courtyard during
September.
The Pastoral Council has created a
Ministry List and Register, which
helped identify the Ministry Leaders,
which provided needed information
about the Ministries and the people
who are charged with their operation.
A Ministry Fair was presented which
brought together many ministries,
leaders/volunteers with our Parishion-
ers to visualize Ministries, Leaders
and their functions of the individual
Ministries. The Pastoral Council pre-
sented an evening of the “Stations of
the Cross” which proved to be a very
holy, reflective and moving experi-
ence.
On September 17, 2017, St. Anthony’s
celebrated its third annual “Welcome
Home Sunday”. This event calls the
parish together after the summer va-
cation period. The day began with an
outdoor mass between the church and
the chapel, and was followed by a bar-
beque. This event was made possible
through the combined efforts of St.
Anthony’s staff & ministry volunteers.
Pastoral (Parish) Council
Welcome Home Sunday
Page 12 St. Anthony’s Almanac
St. Anthony’s Feast
Save the Date! This year the 49th an-
nual St. Anthony’s Feast will be held
from Thursday June 7th to Sunday
June 10th, The Feast is our parish’s
largest fundraiser and a true celebra-
tion of our great faith community. The
highlight of the Feast is the Mass in
honor of our patron Saint, St. An-
thony. Celebrated at the 12:30 Mass
on Sunday, June 10th where we
gather in prayer to honor our great
Patron Saint. Every night we will
have big rides, petting zoo, live enter-
tainment and of course all our great
food…. Zeppole, Sausage and Peppers,
Gyro’s, Italian Ices, Pizza, Hamburg-
ers, Franks, Soda and more! Each
year we do our best to keep prices as
family friendly as possible. Unlike
most Feasts and Festivals we do not
use outside concessions for our food
booths. Over 500 volunteers give of
their time, talent and effort to make
this tremendous undertaking a suc-
cess for our parish. New volunteers
are always welcome. So please volun-
teer a few hours of your time, stop by
with the family and enjoy some free
entertainment and experience Fun,
Friendship and Faith in action!
Page 14 St. Anthony’s Almanac
St. Anthony’s Parish Outreach
In 1962, one of the first Societies
started in the Parish of St. Anthony’s
was the Rosary Altar Society. The
rules for the Society was to encourage
the recitation of the Rosary, visit the
sick and care for the altars. It brought
together like-minded women for sup-
port and service.
Then and now, the Society meets each
month from September through June.
Each meeting is begun with the reci-
tation of the Rosary.
Events and devotions during the year
include:
Mass and Living Rosary in Octo-
ber
Enactment of “Stations of the
Cross through Mary’s Eyes in
Lent
Mass for the installation of our
new members followed by our
“May crowning of the Blessed Mother”
Mass and installation of officers in
June
Guest speakers and programs at our
monthly meetings
Fellowship and refreshments are an integral
part of every meeting.
In addition, when a member dies,
members attend her wake and recite
the Rosary for her. If a member’s
spouse passes away, we assemble at
the funeral home and recite one dec-
ade of the Rosary for him. We also
form an honor guard in the church on
the occasion of a member’s funeral
Mass.
Maintenance of the altar linens used
for Masses and other celebrations.
Members pick up these linens at their
assigned time, launder them and re-
turn them for future use.
Responsibility to raise funds for the
parish through activities during the
year, such as an Annual Cake Sale,
monthly raffles, and annual dues.
The Society also donates canned foods
to Parish Outreach, and supports
other charities.
Monthly meetings are announced in
the Parish Bulletin on the weekend
before each meeting, and all women of
the parish are always welcome to join
us for any meeting.
Please join us and become a mem-
ber of the Rosary Altar Society!
Rosary Altar Society
Each year we have a Giving Tree
drive to collect gift cards for the holi-
days on behalf of the clients we serve.
The Giving Tree drive for 2016 was a
resounding success. We collected
Christmas gift cards totaling over
$10,000, which enabled us to give
each family that we assist
(approximately 408 individuals, con-
sisting of 51 seniors, 256 adults, and
101 children) a gift of $25 per person.
Our clients are most grateful for the
generosity of our parishioners.
For the fiscal year October 2016-
September 2017, Parish Outreach
received 1,962 client visits which
served 5,595 family members (705
seniors, 3,081 adults and 1,809 chil-
dren). In November of 2017 alone, we
provided clothing to over 90 clients.
The pantry is stocked by deliveries
from Long Island Cares, Island Har-
vest, the Oceanside Community Cen-
ter, Trader Joe’s, fundraising efforts
of the youth in our community and
the generosity of our parishioners. In
addition, The Society of St. Vincent de
Paul pays for any fees and purchases
additional items needed by the food
pantry.
To serve the needs of families in the
Oceanside Community, St Anthony’s
Parish Outreach was established in
1991.
With the invaluable assistance of ap-
proximately 18 volunteers and 2 staff
members, the Outreach Center inter-
views prospective clients to assess
their need for food, clothing and finan-
cial assistance.
Food is distributed to eligible families
and clothing is available for perusal.
When financial support is required,
referrals are given to St. Anthony’s
Conference of the Society of St. Vin-
cent de Paul members who make
home visits in pairs to more thor-
oughly assess needs and provide fi-
nancial assistance when needed. Cli-
ents are also given Department of So-
cial Service agency referrals to follow-
up on programs for which they may be
eligible.
From Oct.2016 to
Sep.2017, there were
1,962 client visits which
served 5,595 family
members: 705 seniors,
3,081 adults and 1,809
children
The Parish was founded by Father
Robert Barrett, an Irish immigrant
under the auspices of Bishop Thomas
Molloy. Oceanside had 30 Catholic
families at that time. The first ever
Mass was held on May 15, 1927, in a
private home, with 7 parishioners.
Subsequent Masses and services were
held at Sala-
mander Fire-
house on Fox-
hurst Road.
The initial prop-
erty was do-
nated by a real-
estate company.
In 1929 the
"Underground
Church” opened.
This was located
in the parking
lot across the street from our current
Church property. Over the next sev-
eral years, the grounds expanded to
its current size of approximately 6
acres. There were 3 chapels built: the
Sacred Heart Chapel (our current
chapel), the Miraculous Medal Chapel
(our current Church; the original Mi-
raculous Medals can still be seen on
the rear walls), and the Mother
Cabrini Chapel (alongside the Under-
ground Church). The Mother Cabrini
Chapel was lost in the same fire that
claimed the Underground Church.
Thousands of people came here on
pilgrimages each week. The attention
to detail of gardens, animals, statues,
and the shrine itself were known na-
tionally. The parish continued to
grow and flourish.
In the early 1930’s, the Ku Klux Klan
burned a cross on the property, which
was denounced heavily
by all of the local pastors and preach-
ers, who expressed their support for
St. Anthony's. This incident led to the
formation of the Oceanside Interfaith
Council, which is still in operation
today.
After the Underground Church
burned on March 25, 1960, the conver-
sion of the Miraculous Medal Chapel
began. The School and Convent were
built, opening in September 1961. If
you walk the grounds, you can still
see some of the spigots on the pipes
around the perimeter, where pilgrims
bottled holy water from an under-
ground spring. In the lobby of the
Parish Center, we have some artifacts
and photos that have survived. These
include a piece of the "Blarney Stone",
which was originally housed between
the Church and the Chapel, and open
on Sundays for people to kiss. This
was preserved by the Ford Family.
We also have a statue that survived
the fire. It was believed to be on the
side of the Altar. This was preserved
by the Spataro Family. There is a
small building behind the Chapel,
currently used for storage, which at
one time contained public restrooms.
The Stine that adorns the Altar of the
Church, and some of
the exterior, is
"Manhattan Schist",
a form of shale. This
was excavated from
the tunnels dug for
the subways. The
material was free for
the taking, thereby
being a perfect choice
for our building. We
currently have 6
buildings on the
property
and several original statues; the most
impressive is on the north side of the
Chapel. One of the original mosaic
stations of the cross that surrounded
the property was discovered intact,
under bushes and shrubs. For his
Eagle Project, one of our Boy Scouts
cleared the area, cleaned the station,
and built a small garden to highlight
it.
Please feel free to stop in and ask to
see our display or to be shown some of
the things on the property, as we are
always eager to show our historical
treasure. We are also always looking
for people to help as historians or to
assist as curators for our display.
A Brief History of St. Anthony’s
Issue 3 Page 15
Page 16 St. Anthony’s Almanac
110 Anchor Avenue
Oceanside, NY
11572
Heavenly Father,
You have gathered us together as a parish to be Your
visible life in our world. Here we unite in worship,
proclaim Your word, celebrate the Eucharist, and are
sent forth to share Your love and make disciples.
Lord, we take your Great Commission seriously and
long for our parish to be so on-fire that we draw
people to You. Help us in that endeavor, as we strive
to work together—ordained, religious and laity.
Please make our parish amazing, through
Your power and Your grace.
Amen.
Phone: 516-764-0048
Fax: 516-282-2525
Amazing Parish Prayer
St. Anthony’s Church is a special place and a lov-ing faith community. Each member of the church contributes to that continuous formation of the "People of God" here in Oceanside. We recognize that the very "center and core" of our being is Je-sus Christ as found in the Gospel and as ex-pressed through the Eucharist. We walk with a desire to talk and to pray and a willingness to sacrifice and to share.
St. Anthony’s Church has a wide variety of pro-grams for each person and every age group. We are about building a "community of faith".
We are a Catholic community of faith in the Jesuit tradition gathered around Jesus Christ and cen-tered in the Eucharist. In a diverse and changing world we grow in our relationship with God and with one another. Through our worship, our ministries and our promotion of peace and justice, we walk with Jesus of the Gospel who reveals God’s love for all.
St. Anthony’s Church
We’re on the web:
www.stanthonyoceanside.org
Please visit our official Parish Facebook
page. The page can be accessed even by
those without a personal Facebook account.
“Follow” us for parish updates!
www.facebook.com/stanthonyoceanside
Tell us what you think...
This is our third annual parish almanac. We would love to
hear what you think. Did you find it informative? What
could we do differently or better next time?
We would also like to know what you think of our parish and
its various ministries. Do you feel the faith needs of the
community are being met? How can the parish better serve
the community as a whole? What would you like to see more
of? Less of? Do you have any suggestions, comments, or con-
cerns?
Are you interested in
joining a ministry, or
perhaps helping the par-
ish community in some
other way?
We would love to hear
from you!
Please contact us at
Issue 3 Page 23
69 Atlantic Avenue
Oceanside, NY 11572
(516) 678-3535
Monday, Wednesday - Sunday, 8 AM - 6 PM
Page 24 St. Anthony’s Almanac
PARTIES LEAGUES FUNDRAISERS
PRO SHOP TOURNAMENTS SPECIALS
LESSONS COSMIC BOWLING
YOUTH PROGRAMS
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Issue 3 Page 25
Please thank our
generous sponsors
with your
patronage...tell
them you saw their
ad in the St.
Anthony’s Almanac!
Issue 3 Page 29
Oceanside Civic Association Let Your Voice Be Heard
OceansideCivicAssociation.org
Raymond Pagano, President
P.O. Box 353
80 Atlantic Ave
Oceanside, NY 11572