St. Anthony Parish-Davenport’s Hispanic community organizes the a Kermes/Carnival fundraiser each year in late summer. This year it has been renamed the St. Anthony Festival..
By John Cooper
Guest Column
This summer marks the fifth anniversary of the merger of St. Mary and St. Anthony parishes in Davenport, which has worked so well because no one is asking “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me).
People are viewing new faces and cultures from the perspective of something added rather than something lost, resulting in a refreshing vision of how the present and future can flourish when we see one another as gifts.
St. Mary parishioners brought to St. Anthony their annual Kermes (Mexican Carnival), celebrated the first Sunday of September. St. Anthony’s August Parish Picnic merged into Kermes, even though most English speakers, including me, butchered the pronunciation of Kermes. This year, Father Rudolph Juarez, our pastor, suggested calling it the St. Anthony’s Festival.
Centering on Mexican food (with a hamburger and hot dog booth also available) and lively entertainment, our celebration brings us together for three main reasons:
- To honor a culturally rich people who have given so much to our parish, our community, our state and our country. One Hispanic woman, looking out at the large crowd watching Quad City Ballet Folklorico dancers last year, said, “My late grandmother would have been amazed to see her culture celebrated like this in the middle of Main Street.”
- To recognize that diversity makes our faith live up to the meaning of “catholic” (universal). As far back as the prophet Isaiah, we hear, “I come to gather nations of every language … as an offering to the Lord.” Like an artist using many colors to bring forth a painting’s fullness, God increased the beauty of St. Anthony Parish in this merger, shining his light on what is the best in all of us.
- To further the work of McAnthony Window, which offers food, clothing, transportation, and self-empowerment classes. This ministry reminds us why God has brought us together. All proceeds from our parish festival support this $340,000 labor of love for those in need across the Quad Cities. Every $1.82 spent at the festival provides one person with a meal. This year, the Window is on pace to serve 35,000 meals, supply pantry food to 1,704 households, distribute 13,000 bus tokens, donate hundreds of bicycles, and offer countless clothing items. The ministry also provides self-improvement classes to hundreds of participants.
Many people throughout the Quad Cities make McAnthony Window possible. We invite all of you to join us for this year’s festival, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Main Street in front of the church, with plenty of street parking available. La Kebradora, a popular band from Chicago, will perform. In addition to the food items mentioned, guests will enjoy elotes, pambazos, tacos and enchiladas. Kids can enjoy games and face painting.
The St. Anthony Festival is more than food, entertainment and fun; it is a joyful celebration of our unity as one parish. In a world that yearns for hope, our gathering serves as a small yet powerful means of building up the kingdom of God. Join us as we come together in faith, enriched by our diverse cultures and renewed in our commitment to serve others.
(John Cooper is the business manager and pastoral associate at St. Anthony Parish in Davenport.)
