Service & Stewardship
We believe that within the parish community and beyond that everything is a gift from God. We are called to receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord. Doing so in relationships, we find ourselves and our supreme calling becomes clear (USCBC & St. John Paul II). In addition to the giving of time, stewardship focuses on talents as well and monetary donations. View the pages below to learn about opportunities to grow in faith and get involved in our parish community.
Serve at Mass
Liturgical ministry is an excellent opportunity to fulfill your baptismal call of service to one another. Whether participation is through “behind the scenes” preparation and planning or through a public role of service within the Mass, parishioner contributions help our liturgies to be truly life-giving celebrations.
Lectors proclaim the Scripture during Liturgy. Open to high school students and adults. Training is provided
Contact: Steve Cosentino [email protected]
Servers are part of the ministry for service at the altar. Their role consists of assisting the priest and other ministers at Mass. Open to parish youth in grades 3 and older. Training provided.
Contact: Gail Shinkle, [email protected]
St. Anthony has an Adult Choir and a Children's Choir
- Adult Choir leads the music during the school year and for Christmas and Holy Week and some Masses except when there is Children’s choir. Rehearsals are on Thursday nights from 7:30-9 pm. Many styles of music are used and singers of all abilities and ages are welcome to join. No audition is required.
- Children’s Choir is made up of young people in grades 3-8 who help lead the music at the 10:30 am Mass on the fourth Sunday of the month during the months of October, November, January, February, Easter Vigil, April, and May). Rehearsals are 30-40 minutes and determined by the availability of the students and parents.
Contact: Agnieszka Kosmecka, [email protected]
Cantors proclaim the Psalms at Mass and lead congregational singing. Strong vocal music skills are necessary, especially to sing solo and sometimes unaccompanied. Cantors meet regularly (monthly or bi-monthly) with the Director of Liturgy and Music for training in their ministry. Cantor auditions are scheduled with the director. Vocalists young and old are encouraged to answer the call to this ministry.
Contact: Agnieszka Kosmecka, [email protected]
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Ushers greet and seat parishioners at weekend liturgies, circulate collection baskets, distribute worship aids, assist parishioners with mobility issues, and respond to medical, safety or security incidents. Open to adults, high school age youth, and children (with parental supervision). If you're interested in signing up, and have never ushered before, complete this quick form to get started!
Contact: Gail Shinkle, [email protected]
Serve Others
Listed below are a few opportunities to serve others in our parish community and beyond. These opportunities are designated as parish-led ministries and groups or community partners. The ministries and groups are directly run by the parish. The community partners are organizations we support with volunteers or financial resources.
The Human Concerns Committee meets monthly to facilitate the outreach ministries of the parish by addressing social justice issues and increasing charity and stewardship awareness through support of emergency shelters, pro-life non-profits, and others as designated. HCC also organizes the Christmas Giving Tree and Easter Food Baskets.
Designation: Parish-led
Contact: Nancy Schroeder, [email protected]
The Pastoral Council Council is a vehicle for parish members to share in the pastoral mission of Jesus Christ and the Church in a specific location in the Archdiocese. It does this by developing Catholic identity, promoting evangelization, and fostering stewardship.
The Council strives to build a community of disciples who recognize their baptismal calls to lives of holiness, witness and service.
The Council engages in a continual process of pastoral planning, which takes into account the needs and priorities of its parishioners, the Archdiocese, the broader community, and the world.
Pastoral Council meetings are held on a regular basis, no fewer than six times each year. Parishioners may submit agenda items for consideration to the Executive Committee. The Council meetings are open to members of the parish who are welcome to attend as observers. Meeting dates are listed on the parish event calendar.
More information about the structure and purpose of Pastoral Councils can be found on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website.
Contact: Don Lawinger, Pastoral Council Chair (414) 617-8031
The Parish Finance Council, in concert with the Director of Administrative Services, provides advice and guidance to the Pastor regarding the administration of parish assets, preparation of the budget, reviewing financial statements, financial resources, and capital improvements.
Designation: Parish-led
Contact: Steve Cosentino, [email protected]
St. Anthony's Respect Life Committee are parishioners committed to upholding the fundamental right to life and the Catholic teaching on the dignity of life from conception to natural death. Our mission calls us to prayerfully discern an active means of building the culture of life within our parish and the various communities we impact through prayer, education, service, and political action. You are invited to take an active role in promoting the mission of St. Anthony's Respect Life Committee. There is a Respect Life table in the gathering space. Please join us for a meeting the second Tuesday of every month at 6:15 p.m. in the St. Therese Formation Center (St. Joseph Chapel building).
Designation: Parish-led
Co-Chairs:
Mary Gilpin, (414) 795-8934, [email protected]
Mary Kieckbusch, (262) 781-1496, [email protected].
Grief Support Ministry volunteers are greeters during funeral visitations held in our church. Volunteers also send cards at time of funerals and Christmas and assist with the All Souls Day Mass of Remembrance. A social gathering/support group for the St. Anthony & St. Mary parish community is held on the third Wednesday of each month, from 11:30 am until 1 pm in the St. Therese Formation Center.
Designation: Parishioner-led
Contact: Audrey Neu, [email protected]
Ongoing contributions of non-perishable food and household supplies can be dropped off weekly. Parish members also may volunteer to distribute food at the Pantry during designated days and times. Time commitment is two hours (12 -2 p.m. or 5 -7 p.m..) on a Tuesday or Thursday. Open to adults and youth (7th grade and older).
Designation: Community Partner
Contact: Sara, [email protected]
St. Anthony Serves collects pre-made lunches from parishioners once a month to support the StreetLife and FreshStart programs in Milwaukee. They also collect other items as requested.
Contact: Jenell Krause, [email protected]
- Building & Grounds Ministry needs active or retired tradespersons and craftsmen willing to step forward and share their hands-on gifts to help maintain our campus facilities. Time commitment is flexible. Open to qualified adults.
- Church Decorating: Decorators work closely with parish staff to order and coordinate the decorations of the church and gathering space for different liturgical seasons. A lead decorator is needed for each season. Bulletin notices put out a call for additional volunteer help to decorate and take down decorations for Christmas and Easter.
- Church Cleaning: Volunteers clean the church on a rotating basis two Fridays a month after the 8 am Mass. The time commitment is about 30-45 minutes. Duties include: dusting liturgical items such as altars, statues, etc., and cleaning and refilling the holy water fonts. Once during the summer we also wipe down and vacuum pews. Cleaning supplies are provided.
- Garden Club: The Garden Club consists of parish members that work on their own time to help maintain the beauty of our parish grounds. After meeting with maintenance staff, volunteers can “adopt” an area to maintain from Spring through Fall. This is a great opportunity for a family to help out with just a small amount of time each week or so.
- Office small project help: We have a small office staff to serve the needs of our parish. Volunteers help us meet these needs through assisting administratively in a variety of ways, including: one-time special projects, event planning , bulk mailings, bulletin stuffing, and more.
- Collections: Join one of 6 teams that help with preparing Mass collections for deposit. (A background check is required for money-handling tasks).
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, contact Gail Shinkle, [email protected]
Support the Parish
If we see everything as a gift from God that is given to us on loan, then we must care for this gift so it can be passed on in good condition. Obviously caring for the earth and its resources flows from being a good steward. The same logic applies when we look at our parish, its school, its programs, and its resources as gifts from God. Most of us today did not build this parish; we inherited it from our parents and those who have gone before us. Even our founding members did not build this parish alone. Many generations have built upon the work of their predecessors.
Stewardship teaches us that we have been given a gift in this community and we need to not only use that gift but to care for it so that future generations of our parish will benefit from what we leave behind.
