Welcome to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Dudley, MA.  We are a vibrant Catholic community consisting of roughly 540 households. Whether you are a parishoner, visitor, or just searching for a faith community, you are always
welcome here! 

Rectory: 508-943-0470
Fax: 508-943-5663
Office: 508-949-0335
stanthonypaduadudley@gmail.com

Office Hours:
Monday- Friday 8:00 am-1:00 pm 

Dear parishioners of Saint Anthony of Padua:

I would like to wish all of you a happy and blessed 2021 new year.

I am writing to express to you how thankful I am for all the good works and projects we have fulfilled so far. These would not have been possible without the efforts and the help you provided with your talents and your generosity. 

The parking lot was nicely and promptly fixed and finished by Amorello’s Company, and the rectory’s and church’s surroundings were fixed thanks to a group of volunteers who worked tirelessly.  We are also almost done with the renovation of the sound system and the installation of the streaming system by Revelation Company from Worcester. These upgrades were able to be executed thanks to the generosity of Mark Devlin. Furthermore, these improvements will help to provide a better sound and video quality for the streaming of the Eucharist as we continue to have limited gathering due to the pandemic. 

Please, do not let the evil spirits of relativism and indifference make you walk away from your faith and from that personal relationship we have established with Jesus Christ in the sacrament of Baptism. These are sensitive times, times in which the devil will use any means to obscure the Light of Christ, to make us feel abandoned by Him, and even to feel superstitious or uninformed in our beliefs. 

If technology has been used for evil, we can transform that reality and demonstrate to society that not everything has to be demonized; rather, everything can be used for good purposes and reason for our spiritual, social and individual growth. 

Once again, thank you for all you do to support the maintenance and the running of the parish. I am completely aware of the financial, spiritual, social and personal challenges and struggles  you are facing. You have demonstrated, however, that these are not obstacles for staying connected with the parish community. 

Hopefully, all these projects will help us all to remain working together as a community of faith and to keep strengthening the bonds of love and charity between us, the diocese, the town and the country. 

Right now, we have three projects on the table:

1. The installation of new speakers in the church, the upgrades  to the microphones and sound system.
2. Partners in Charity
3. Diocesan Capital Campaign (Legacy of Hope)

Allow me to briefly address the last two items:

The diocese has decided to work on these two campaigns as they are necessary for its maintenance and operation. These forms of aid are common at the parish, diocesan (local) or worldwide (inter-diocesan) level. An example of these three are the bazaars, bingo halls, held in churches, and other programs  are for parish support; capital campaigns help the diocese; and finally, the collection that is made worldwide on Good Friday, known as the Saint Peter's Ovolo, is for the support and maintenance of the churches in the Holy Land.

Let's do a mental exercise. Let us imagine the universal Church as a body, having the Vatican as the heart. It is from there that we Catholic Christians have the centrality of the Church, and from this all dioceses and archdioceses (local churches) emerge, which in turn are determined by certain territories, parishes and inhabitants of these areas (whether Catholic or not). We, the members of this body, are the ones who keep our hearts beating as we put our talents, ministries and donations made at Mass to maintain a fluid and permanent operation of our local and universal churches.

We well know that many times there have been regrettable events of abuse of power and administration and of misuse of the generosity of the people. This is something that the Church has been trying to heal and clarify during these last decades and thus show that there are more pastors and good laity who continuously try keep alive and healthy the body that is the Church.

In my years of experience in the Diocese of Worcester, I can say with complete assurance and without hesitation, that our pastor Robert J. McManus has been a caring, prudent and honest person who seeks and works for the common good and does what is right. This is why, my dear brethren, that I would like us to work with great care and effort to carry out two campaigns.  One is Partners in Charity and the other is Legacy of Hope. Both of these campaigns are activities of effort and dedication that will enrich us in community work (even facing the vicissitudes  of the pandemic) and will also deepen us in a deeper understanding of what it is to be part of a particular community (Saint Anthony of Padua) and of our stewardship.

As we come together, we are demonstrating that we have received the teachings of those communities of the early church who put everything they had in common for the well-being of all. These capital campaigns are all encompassing efforts.  As I mentioned before, these efforts go to the heart of the Church and vitalize the rest of the organs and parts of the body. 

We need each other to keep up with the works of charity. Let us expand our charitable works, once again, to the diocesan level, and help our pastor, the Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, to solve some financial difficulties that the diocese is facing, and at the same time, we will be able to collect some financial support for our parish. If we reach our goal, or exceed it, we will get back 60% of whatever we collect, and the diocese will get 40 % of the total amount collected. On the other hand, if we do not reach our goal, the diocese will get 60 % of the amount collected, and we will get 40 % back. 

Either way, we will be working for our local community parish of Saint Anthony and the Diocese of Worcester. It would be very beneficial and profitable, however, if we reach or exceed the amount of money requested. Thus, we would be able to invest that monetary support in future projects and programs that would help our parish to survive and to operate in whatever situation we may be. A great example is the last capital campaign held by the diocese. As it was stated last year in the financial report, the parish provided for all, we are still using that money for the support and the renewal of the Religious Ed Program and other investments we have made over the years. 

Thank you all for your attention. Thank you for all you do for the community parish and for the Universal Church. I want to thank you all on behalf of the Bishop too, who is always attentive to our needs and our well-being. 

God bless you and please, stay safe and healthy until we finish battling this pandemic.

Yours in Christ

Fr. Daniel Moreno