Tony’s Tidbits

After nearly 18 months of planning, construction of an expansion to St. Anthony's commenced on July 15, 1963. The "New Wing", as we frequently refer to it, was built to relieve overcrowding in the original building. The lowest level, now the Solanus Center, was designed to be the new and much larger chapel, while the upper two floors provided additional housing and lounge areas for the staff and clerics. The Capuchins, with special permission from Rome, held an open house for Marathon City residents on the Feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1964 to celebrate completion of the project. The following day, the house was open to any who wanted to tour the building and grounds. Over the two days, more than 11,000 visitors came to satisfy their curiosity. It was one of the few times during its life as a House of Studies that women were allowed inside the cloister of St. Anthony's.

Happy Independence Day to all! As we celebrate our freedoms this 4th of July, we hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend. St. Anthony's will be closed Thursday, July 4th through Sunday, July 7th. We will be back at work next Monday, July 8!

Retreats have long been a part of the fabric here at St. Anthony's. This photo of a group of men from Montello was taken at the end of their retreat, June 26, 1927. The first retreat (for men only in those days) was held in August 1923. Each summer until 1934, retreats were conducted during the summer months. Knights of Columbus were frequent guests on those retreats. Between 1923 and 1934, St. Anthony's sponsored 38 retreats for men with 2,571 men attending, and 6 retreats for boys with 676 youth attending. In 1935, the Capuchins' retreat ministry shifted to newly-opened Monte Alverno Retreat Center in Appleton. Once the decision was made in 1970 to close St. Anthony's as a house of studies for Capuchins, the move to restart the retreat ministry here was a natural one.

Welcome to the longest day of the year! Today is the Summer Solstice and the beginning of Volunteer Week here at St. Anthony's. Longer daylight hours, the beauty of the flowers and trees as they thrive in the sunshine, and all of the bright smiling faces of our generous volunteers make this a special time for us. We have much to be grateful for. Deo Gratias! You can follow all the Volunteer Week activity on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/SaintAnthonySpiritualityCenter.

Happy Father's Day to all fathers and father-figures! Thank you for all you do, and God bless! "Listen to your father, who gave you life . . . The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him." - Proverbs 23:22, 24

Today is the feast day of our patron, St. Anthony of Padua. This building was named in his honor as Anthony was the first lector of the Franciscan Order and well known as a excellent preacher. He taught that the bread of Scripture and bread of the Eucharist may not be separated from the bread of the hungry and poor. All are expressions of God's love for all. The second reason the name Anthony was chosen was in honor of Fr. Anthony Rottensteiner, a beloved member of the Capuchins and of this Province, also renowned as a lector and educator. Happy Feast Day to all the friends and supporters of St. Anthony's!

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. A Eucharistic procession is sometimes part of that celebration. This photo from 1923 shows the front entry decorated and waiting for the arrival of the Eucharist. The procession would begin at St. Mary's Church in town and end at the entry to St. Anthony's where an altar was placed on the front steps to receive the Eucharist. The Centennial Book (pg. 13) recounts how these annual processions were emblematic of the close relationship between the Village of Marathon and the Capuchins at St. Anthony's, with as many as 1,000 people participating.

Happy Memorial Day! As you celebrate this weekend, take the time to pause to remember all those who gave their lives so we can continue to enjoy our freedom. St. Anthony's is closed for the holiday from Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and mother figures!  Thank you for all you do, and God bless you!

April is National Volunteer Month. As the month draws to a close, it seems appropriate that we acknowledge and thank all of our volunteers. We are so grateful for the gifts freely shared by our hosts, reflection writers, retreat presenters, groundskeepers, all those who tend to our flower gardens and veggie garden, housekeepers, kitchen help, those who help in the office and bookstore, prepare mailings, serve on the Board of Directors and committees, and those who help us with maintenance and repair. We love each and every one of you and could not do what we do without you. Deo Gratias!

We often remind folks that we welcome all to St. Anthony's. Being Franciscan, that welcome extends to all of God's creatures. Earlier this week, this river otter took us up on our hospitality and enjoyed a leisurely swim in our pond. He seemed as surprised to attract the attention of the photographer as the photographer was surprised to see him.

In celebration of Earth Day, JustBob and a crew of twelve volunteers planted trees at the Center on Saturday. JustBob was able to use the mild winter to clean up a large area of the woods east of the Solanus Center in preparation for this reforestation project. Many thanks to JustBob for heading up the project, to Jerome, Steven, Kathy, Jeanne, Kevin, Erica, Dean L., Jackie F, Mary, Reni, Ryan and Lois for all their work getting the trees planted, to Marlene and her son, Dean, for getting lunch ready for the crew, and to Jackie K. for the photos. More photos can be found on our FaceBook page, https://www.facebook.com/SaintAnthonySpiritualityCenter.