Parishioners at Inaugural VOICE Public Action Oct. 5, 2008

275 parishioners attended the Inaugural VOICE Public Action Sunday, Oct. 5th at First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries. There was wonderful entertainment (a great choir from First Mount Zion), drama (political leaders being asked to commit specifically to work on social justice issues of concern to our community), and fellowship (over 2,000 members of 40 other churches, synagogues, and mosques attended). Parish Nurse Georgine Redmond was a featured speaker. For more information (and pictures) about the Action and VOICE see the parish's social justice blog!

Photos thanks to Scott Engdahl.

Trick or Treat!

The monthly Senior Health-Spot Luncheon was held last Friday, October 3rd. The theme was Halloween -- with a special sweet treat for each attendee. The health topic was "Maintaining a Healthy Back as We Age" presented by our Parish Nurse, Georgine Redmond. We even had our own "devil" (a good one, of course) visiting. The next Senior Health-Spot Luncheon will be Friday, November 7th following the 12 noon Mass. All are invited!

Parish Picnic 2008

The Knights of Columbus sponsored the first annual Parish Picnic on Sunday, Sept. 21st. The Picnic was a wonderful reason to sit outside on the last full day of summer under the spreading tree in front of the school, enjoy delicious food (chorizos, hotdogs, hamburgers, corn, chips, sodas, cakes, and snowcones), and meet and talk with fellow parishioners. They even had carry-out for those who had soccer games, family activities, or just watching the Redskins. The Knights were assisted by our talented youth from the Squires and Roses.

Thanks to the Knights for a wonderful Parish community activity!

Legion of Mary at Saint Anthony of Padua

Some of the youth who participated in the recent Junior Legion of Mary picnic. The soccer player in the picture on the left is our own Fr. Jorge; on the right, that's our Coordinator of Youth Ministries, Maria Calacan with two future members. Also, Our Lady of Atonement Praesidium of the Legion of Mary is holding a Fiftieth Anniversary Mass on Saturday, October 4th at 10:00 am. A reception will follow the Mass. All are invited.

The Priests of Saint Anthony of Padua

Thanks to Scott Engdahl, Chair of the Pastoral Council, we have a wonderful photograph of all of our priests. From left to right, Fr. Jean Vanes Nicolas, Fr. Andrew Heintz, Parochial Vicar; Fr. Horace H. (Tuck) Grinnell, Pastor; Fr. Jorge Acho; and Fr. Augustine Owusu-Sekyere. Give a big welcome to our two newest priests in the parish, Fr. Heintz and Fr. Augustine.

Youth from St. Anthony of Padua's Ghana Community

Congratulations to the Saint Anthony of Padua Ghanaian Youth Dance group who preformed last Saturday September 13th at the International Children's Festival held at Wolf Trap Farm Park!

Parish Nurse Ministry Senior Health & Resource Fair

Many thanks to all the participants in the Senior Health and Resource Fair last Friday, September 5th, organized by Georgine Redmond and the Parish Nurse Ministry. We had 23 different agencies offering information about the services they provide for seniors as well as opportunities for individual nutrition and medication counseling as well as free massages. Three expert presentations also covered managing finances for seniors, elder law, and osteoporosis prevention. 90 individuals took advantage of the information and services.





Thanks to the many volunteers who helped to set-up, serve lunch, provide clinical services as well as provide other kinds of support. Special thanks to Millie Garcia, a parishioner, who donated wonderful canvas bags in which our seniors could put their materials and give-aways. Also, it was great to have help from the students from Corpus Christi School; they gained a lot of praise from both seniors and the staff from the agencies for their helpfulness and politeness. It was a great way to celebrate Healthy Aging Month!