My dear friends,
May the Lord give you peace!
Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert in honor of whom our beloved patron, Saint Anthony of Padua, was given his religious name when he entered the Order of Friars Minor begun by Saint Francis of Assisi.
It is both with great joy and humility that I write you today to seek your prayers and beg your assistance in a worthy cause.
I am sure you have heard that I am leading a small band of pilgrims to World Youth Day 2008 to be celebrated in Sydney, Australia with our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI this July.
Our pilgrims include: [Names here witheld for privacy. The group includes myself, ten youth and two adults].
We are embarking on this pilgrimage to join up to one million young people from across the world and up to two thousand priests and bishops to reflect on the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives with the Bishop of Rome as our leader and guide.
It is a great distance that we hope to travel for this holy endeavor and it will be costly. Airfare and lodging alone will cost nearly $4,500 per pilgrim. St. Anthony of Padua parish, as part of its Sesquicentennial celebrations, will provide $1,000 to each pilgrim and each pilgrim will pay $1,000 in addition to their costs for food and other incidentals. The remaining $2,500 we hope to receive through fund raising efforts and good old-fashioned begging; if it was good enough for Saint Francis and Saint Anthony, it is good enough for us.
Our fund raising efforts have already begun and have been rather successful, raising nearly $5,500. This is a good start but we have a long way to go. Through our fund raising and begging, we hope to make this pilgrimage as inexpensive as possible for each pilgrim. Whatever monies we receive above and beyond our fund raising goal will be put toward the cost of food for the pilgrimage.
In just a few week’s time we enter into the season of Lent when Mother Church calls us to increased prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Of each of these Lenten practices almsgiving is perhaps the one most ignored, but it is a powerful form of prayer and charity. We know that “almsgiving frees one from death, and keeps one from going into the dark abode” (Tobit 4:40). We also know that “it is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin” (Tobit 12:8-9). If you are looking for a way to give alms during this coming penitential season, I beg you to consider our group of pilgrims.
As you do so, I ask to bear in mind this advice given by Tobit to his son Tobias: “give alms in proportion to what you own. If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to give alms; you will be storing up a goodly treasure for yourself against the day of adversity… Alms are a worthy offering in the sight of the Most High for all who give them” (Tobit 4:8-9, 11).
As we make our way through the land “down under,” we will celebrate the Holy Mass each day and pray each morning and evening together. Please be assured that you and your generosity will be remembered in our prayers as we implore the Lord to bless you for your kindness.
I thank you for considering our request and look forward to hearing from you. As always, if I can ever be of service to you, you need only ask.Peace and Joy,
The Rev. Daren J. Zehnle
Parochial Vicar
If you wish to make a donation (checks to St. Anthony of Padua parish), either for me personally or for the group as a whole, it may be sent to the following address:
Fr. Daren Zehnle
St. Anthony of Padua Parish
P.O. Box 764
Effingham, Illinois 62401
If you would like to donate by credit card, that will be possible (I think) but will have to wait until I return from Rome.
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