Fr. Tom’s Letters

Each week Fr. Tom writes a letter to parishioners in our bulletin. Every letter is comprehensive, including current information about the Parish, an explanation of Scripture for that Sunday, and an invitation to become more engaged in the life of the parish.

June 21, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

Happy Father’s Day! Today we celebrate the great vocation of Fathers. Along with moms, dads shape the souls, form the minds, and develop the character of their sons and daughters. Today is a day of gratitude and honor for those who share in this great vocation. So it’s a good day to pray for dads. Dads report we might pray for them for their patience, strength, and continued growth in the virtues needed by a dad. We are also invited to pray for our deceased fathers who are in eternal life. Congratulations and gratitude to all our fathers.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

In two weeks we will have our Independence Day celebration on the weekend of July 4-5. Our nation is celebrating 250 years of Independence. As a parish we will share in the celebration at each of the Masses. Before each Mass, we will have a recorded reading of the Declaration of Independence. The complete reading will begin about 15 minutes before each Mass. So, if you wish to hear the complete reading of the Declaration of Independence as our nation celebrates its 250 anniversary, come to church about 15 minutes before the scheduled time for Mass and you will hear this historical document proclaimed in its entirety. So, for example, for the 10:00AM Mass, the reading of the Declaration of Independence will begin at 9:45AM. There is a brief introduction to the reading.

SUMMER

St. Anne’s Parish School concludes the school year this Tuesday. We enjoyed a great year and look forward to next year when we anticipate an enrollment increase of 10-20 students. With the leadership of our principal and assistant principal, the commitment of our teachers and staff, the cheerful spirit of our students, the volunteer generosity of our parents and the support and enthusiasm of the whole parish for our school, St. Anne’s School remains vibrant, strong, has a bright future and remains one of the strongest parish elementary schools in the entire New York metropolitan area. Parents make a great choice in sending their children here. They do so with a commitment of financial sacrifice. A Catholic parish elementary school is a gift to kids and families.

As the school year ends, in the upcoming days we will begin our kids summer camp and our new summer literacy program. These programs have been open to all students in the parish and registration is strong for both. The summer camp has been operating for many years. The summer literacy program has been totally funded by a very generous parishioner donation. Again, we should note that our parish ministry and service to children extends well beyond our school and faith formation program and we now have a full 12 month year long ministry and service to our parish children and families.

ROOF AND A/C PROJECT

We are moving toward completion of our replacement roof and air conditioning project for the church. One of the new A/C units is in place and operating. You will feel it in church today. The second unit will be put in place by crane this Tuesday and all should be operating for next weekend. Once the air conditioning units are in place, the roof replacement can be completed. Painting of the ceiling should be done this summer.

Thank you for your generous support of the roof and air conditioning project. The funds raised covered about 65% of the cost of the project. Funds from parish savings will be used to complete payment for the project. Additional contributions are most welcome and these donations will help us pay for the summer painting of the ceiling. Thank you for your generosity.

SUMMER WEEKDAY MASSES

Beginning Monday, June 29 the only weekday Mass from Monday to Friday will be at 9:00AM. It will be celebrated in the Church. The Saturday morning Mass continues at 8:30AM. There is no change in the Sunday Mass schedule. Because of summer vacations and the absence of priests during the summer vacation weeks, at times there will be only one priest present during these summer days. The priest will celebrate the 9:00 Mass, preside over any funerals and be responsible for the other priestly duties these days. This is why we are suspending the 7:30AM Mass and having only the 9:00AM Mass. The 7:30 Mass will return at some point before the end of the summer when the priests of the parish are all gathered again. We apologize for any inconvenience. Still, we are blessed that Mass is available every day in our parish. For many parishes, that is no longer the case. Not only do we need to pray for vocations to the priesthood, we need to encourage them.

Enjoy a blessed week!

Fr. Tom

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