Spring Brings News

Podcasting Issues

This past week I realized that my newest podcast, The Pilgrim Cast was incorrectly linking the episodes so that people who tried to go to iTunes to listen to any episodes would have been given errors. Yikes! This issue also plagued some of the Mysteries of the Mass Podcast. But, thankfully after some sleuthing around, I fixed the issue. I won't get into the details other than to say that it was all my fault. But, now, it is fixed.

This past week, we experienced a series of amazingly warm and beautiful days. It is just the beginning of a summer of sunshine. That also means that I will be more out and about and not spending so much time on my computer, my web pages, and my podcasts. But, have no fear. I will continue. Just know that there is a real possibility that they won't be coming out at the first half of the week every single time. This will be especially true when I am on vacation.

Staff News

I meant to blog this earlier (duh! like in the beginning of May) when I hired our new Administrative Assistant, but I have been slacking off in my blogging responsibilities. Nonetheless, I want to let everyone know that we have hired a new Administrative Assistant. Her name is Michelle Tunnell and she comes to us with an enormous amount of skills. First of all, she is trilingual. She speaks English, Spanish, and French. The first two languages are critical here at the parish. 1/3 of our community speaks Spanish. While there are no native French speakers in our community, one never knows if we might be surprised by an invasion from Quebec, Canada. She is high spirited and a faithful Christian. Michelle has fit right in and has been dealing well with the high learning curve of the parish office environment. She is a delight to work with and reports that she is enjoying her new position at St. Anthony's. If you ever call or come by the office, make sure to welcome her.

Congratulations are in store for David Palacios, our Coordinator of Music Ministry, as he graduated from Pacific University. He has also been accepted into Medical School for Naturopathic Medicine somewhere in Portland. David will continue in his current capacity until he begins classes again. After that, we will have to see how he can juggle his time.

School Building News

It has been a long and arduous road, but we have successfully rented out the south half of our school building to Vermont Hills Family Life Center who will be offering a pre-school and after-school care center. The school has been providing services to children since 1979 and has tied with many Catholic grade schools. Their philosophy is "to provide families with education, development and support, through childcare and other family services." I believe they will be a wonderful new presence on our campus. If things go well, they hope to expand into the remainder of the building. Time will tell. In the meantime, welcome VHFLC to St. Anthony's. Thank you all for your prayers and financial support during this year in order to keep the unexpected vacancy from tanking our working budget.

As things begin to wind down for the fiscal year, I must say that it has been a great year. God is so good! I look forward to this coming new fiscal year (begins July 1) with joy and hope. Again, thank you all!

Catholic New Media Celebration

As of this writing, the first ever Catholic New Media Celebration will take place in Atlanta Georgia (June 22). Held the day after the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Eucharistic Congress (conducted June 20-21), the Catholic New Media Celebration is a day to learn, share, and explore how religious and laypersons can use New Media technology to help spread the Gospel and knowledge of the Catholic faith. From podcasting to blogging and old media to new media, experts in all fields of Catholic media will be on hand to present the latest technologies and grow communities devoted to reaching others in the New Evangelization. Admission is free and attendees are encouraged to register now and view a full speakers schedule and guest list at http://celebration.sqpn.com. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go due to prior commitments, however, if you are in any way interested in spreading the Gospel using new media forms, this is the event for you. Learn more by clicking on the link above or watching the You Tube video below. To register, click this link.

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor