Church #6 - St. Anthony, North Providence

St. Anthony's is on Mineral Spring Ave. in North Providence. I have to admit, I think the interior of this church is kind of ugly - the artwork is strange, and I don't really feel like I'm inside a church. I'm sure there are people who like it, but I guess I'm not one of them.

On a much happier note, this parish runs its own large food pantry, which I think is extremely impressive. It makes you think about every other parish - if the parishioners cared enough, why couldn't they all do something big like that? The parish also seems to have a lot going on besides the food pantry. I like the exterior of the church a lot - there's a nice little compound with a courtyard behind the main church with a parish hall and rectory. 

I'd also heard great things about the priest at this parish, and I wasn't disappointed. The guy manages three parishes, so he must be really good at what he does to get that much responsibility. It was a bit uncomfortable when I went to Mass here, since they were conducting a campaign to increase church revenue, and it's almost impossible to ask for money in a dignified way. I hope the campaign went well - from what I've seen, the parish clearly deserves the support. 

A few facts about St. Anthony: he was not the first monk, but he was possibly the first one to go out and live in the desert. He was hugely influential in the rise of monasticism in the Church. According to the earliest biography of him, he was illiterate. The stories of his life as a hermit and the temptations of the devil that came with it are awesome. Among other things, he is said to have lived in a tomb and an abandoned Roman fort. He tried to go out of his way to become a martyr, which I find somewhat troubling. 

This quote is attributed to him: "The books of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, commands us every day, but we do not heed what they tell us, and we turn our backs on them." The more things change, the more they stay the same. Another great story: Saint Anthony had a vision where the whole world was full of snares and traps. He cried to the Lord, "Oh good Lord, who may escape from these snares?" A voice replied, "Humility shall escape them without more." Pride is the root of all other sins, and easily the hardest to escape.

And speaking of monks, I loved this video:

http://www.aleteia.org/en/arts-entertainment/article/video-this-music-by-the-monks-of-nurcia-will-lift-you-to-the-heavens-5778486283206656