St. Anthony Fraternity
Secular Franciscan Order
65 Bartholdi Avenue
Butler N.J. 07405
Welcome
Peace to All who Enter here!
Mission Statement
The Saint Anthony Fraternity is the local unit of the worldwide Secular
Franciscan Order, following the Rule promulgated in 1978 by Pope Paul
VI and the General Constitutions of 2000. In life-giving union with
other fraternities of Our Lady of Angels Regional Fraternity, and the
National Fraternity of the United States, our members are men and
women, married or single, who "seek
to encounter the living and active person of Christ in their brothers
and sisters, in Sacred Scripture, in the Church, and in liturgical
activity" (Rule 2:5). Our lives are centered on the Eucharist,
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the radical and on-going
conversion (metanoia) demanded by the Gospel.
By our profession of the Rule, we seek, first and foremost, to build a
strong sense of Community among our members, in union with the entire
Franciscan Family, in our home and work situations, in our service to
the Roman Catholic Church, and in the public arena. We strive to
promote simplicity of lifestyle, peace and justice for the entire human
family, and "respect for all creatures which bear the imprint of the Most High" (Rule 2:18). Emulating our Seraphic Father Francis, we pledge ourselves "through our Baptism and Profession to proclaiming the 'Good News' by our life and words" (Constitution Ch II, Art. 17), going constantly "from Gospel to life and life to Gospel" (Rule 2:2).
We promote and encourage the development and spiritual growth of our
members by providing the opportunity to come together at our monthly
gatherings for liturgical prayer in common, Franciscan and Scriptural
meditation or reflection, on-going formation, works of apostolate, and
social interaction.
We provide opportunities for fostering and encouraging new vocations
through "open house" programs, publicity releases and personal
recruitment.
We endorse, confirm, and seek to implement all judgments, decisions and
programs of the Regional Fraternity, the National Fraternity of the
SFO-USA, and the International Fraternity in Rome.
Dedication
This website is dedicate in loving memory to our brother and former
minister, Page Taylor who greeted Sister Death on September 12, 2004.
Page's love for the SFO and his selfless dedication to all the Brothers
and Sisters of St. Anthony's Fraternity will be missed and never
forgotten.
Our Fraternity
The Sisters and Brothers of St. Anthony's Fraternity welcome you to our website!
Fraternal Gathering
Our monthly gathering is held every first Tuesday at 7:15 P.M. at the
church's parish office, 65 Bartholdi Avenue in Butler, New Jersey.
We extend to you, our brothers and sisters, our cordial invitation to join us.
Our Council
James Brennan SFO, Minister
Andrew Klutkowski SFO, Vice Minister (e-mail: Andrew.Klutkowski@thomson.com)
Trudy O'Keefe SFO, Formation Director
Sunny Brennan SFO, Treasurer
David Engelhaupt SFO, Secretary
Fr. Tom Hartle OFM, Spiritual Assistant
Our Group Apostolates
- Homeless Shelter - We
provide meals and opportunities for fellowship in January, May and
September of each year in conjunction with the Interfaith Hospitality
Network and our local parish.
- Placemats/wall hangings for convalescent home residents - In
1999, our members "recycled" thousands of old greeting cards into 120
placemat or decorative wall-hangings for the residents of a
convalescent facility in neighboring Bloomingdale, N.J.
- New Parishioner Welcoming Package
- In 2004, our members created a welcoming package for all newly
registered parishioners. The package consisted of a welcoming booklet,
tote bag and other various Franciscan symbols.
- Birthday and Anniversary remembrances for our resident friars
- Many of our brothers and sisters send greetings to the nearly 30
friars in residence at the Saint Anthony Friary in Butler, most of whom
are ill and/or retired from active ministry.
- Peace and Justice - In
July 2000 in support of the Peace and Justice Commission, the entire
Fraternity became members of Franciscans International, an NGO at the
United Nations. Inspired by the presentation given by Sr. Michelle
Balek, OSF in Northern New Jersey on June 10, many of those present
from our fraternity pledged to help form a core group for a local
chapter of FI.
- CFCA - sponsorship of a child in Uganda
Some Individual Apostolates
Some of the ways in which our members "seek the living and active person of Christ" in their brothers and sisters:
- Eucharistic Ministers
- Lectors
- Hospital Visitation and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
- Long-term care for elderly and infirm
- Telephone Prayer Chain
- Monthly Prayer Intentions mailed to homebound
- Eva's Village volunteers (Paterson, N.J.)
- Saint Francis Inn volunteers (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Homebound visitation
- Nursing home visitation
- Shopping and errand services for seniors and convalescents
- Parish Stewardship Committee (previously Refounding Core Team)
- Anointing Mass Committee (Spring and Fall)
- CCD Instruction
- Mission Committee
- Pro-life Apostolates
- Cenacles of Prayer
- Member, parish Liturgy Committee
Recent Fraternity Events
Kevin Corbett, SFO Leadership Award
On October 2, 2005, Page Taylor, SFO,
was posthumously awarded the Kevin Corbett, SFO Leadership Award by the
Our Lady of the Angels Regional Fraternity. Accepting for Page was his
wife Alberta Taylor, SFO.
Alberta Taylor, SFO and Regional Minister Marcia Stamboulian, SFO.
Welcoming Mass
As part of our community outreach efforts, on October 2, 2005, our
fraternity hosted a welcoming Mass for new parishioners. Over 20
parishioners who joined St. Anthony's in the previous years joined us
in celebrating Mass. Afterwards, we conducted a brief tour of the
church and hosted a luncheon to welcome the newest members of the
St. Anthony's community.
Fraternity Day of Reflection
At a recent fraternity gathering, Fr. Jude Murphy, OFM was given a
surprise gift from the fraternity, an autographed CD by Mary Travers,
of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. A long-time fan of Peter, Paul
and Mary, Fr. Jude was delighted to receive the CD. He featured
Mary Traver's music as part of a Day of Reflection that he
recently hosted for our fraternity. Many thanks to Fr. Jude for
all his hard work and dedication to the SFO!
Jim Brennan, SFO and Fr. Jude Murphy, OFM
Council Elections
On June 1, 2004, St. Anthony Fraternity held elections for our
fraternity council. Presiding over the elections were Marcia
Stamboulian SFO and Emmet Murphy OFM. Our new officers are Jim Brennan
SFO (Minister), Andy Klutkowski (Vice-Minister), Trudy O'Keefe
(Formation Director), Sunny Brennan (Treasurer) and David Engelhaupt
SFO (Secretary). Congratulations to our newly elected council!
Rite of Profession
On
May 11, 2004, St. Anthony Fraternity held the Rite of Profession for
David Engelhaupt, Amy Ricupero and Paul Wenzel. Congratulations to our
newly Professed brothers and sister!
David Engelhaupt, SFO, Amy Ricupero, SFO and Paul Wenzel, SFO
Annual Christmas Gathering
In December 2004, St. Anthony Fraternity held our 10th Annual Christmas
Gathering. We were joined by some of our brother OFM's from the St.
Anthony Friary.
Franciscan Links
Interested in Franciscanism? These links will help you in your search
to discover Franciscan spirituality. Note: All links are external to
the St. Anthony SFO site. We are not responsible for their content
Lives of St. Francis and St. Clare
Life of St. Francis
Life of St. Clare
Secular Franciscan Order
International Fraternity - CIOFS
National Fraternity - NAFRA
SFO Fraternities
St. Francis Fraternity - Hackensack, N.J.
Vico Necchi Fraternity - New York, N.Y.
Franciscan Parishes
St. Anthony Parish - Butler, N.J. Our home parish, ministered by the Friars of Holy Name Province
Franciscan Friars
Order of Friars Minor - General Curia, Rome
The Capuchins - OFM Capuchin Homepage
The Conventuals - OFM Conventual Homepage
Holy Name Province - OFM Holy Name Province
Communities of Franciscan Sisters
Poor Clare Nuns at St. Anthony Shrine - Boston, Mass.
Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration - Canton, OH
Other Franciscan Resources
The Vatican - The Holy See
Mass Times - Find out when and where Mass is being celebrated anywhere in the US!
Liturgy of the Hours - Morning and Evening Prayer On-Line
Franciscan Crown Rosary - Learn to pray the Crown Rosary, from EWTN
The Franciscan Archive - a WWW resource on St. Francis and Franciscanism
The Franciscan Experience - Cybercourse from Malta
Franciscans International - An NGO at the United Nations
Franciscans International North America - FI North Amercia Homepage
Please return frequently! Pages are under construction and will be updated shortly.
Pax et Bonum!
Site maintained by Ed Wojciechowski, SFO
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