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.

May 17, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

We are moving forward with our roof and church air conditioning replacement. The new roofing materials have arrived and all permissions have been secured. Schedule of work is complicated as we do not want work going on when we have Masses in the church. We will do our best to keep you informed of any accommodations that may need to e made in the daily Mass schedule. We hope for all work to be completed around mid-July.

Registered parishioners received a mailing last week asking for contributions to help cover the cost for this project. Total cost of the project is about $1,000,000. This includes repair to the church ceiling as well as the main work replacing the roof and air conditioning. Already parishioners have donated more than $104,000. Our goal is to raise $500,000 for this project. We will use othetr parish funds to cover the other half of the expenses. So, we are still hoping to raise another $400,000 for the project. Please help if you are able. At the end of this letter is a copy of the form you can use to make a donation along with a QR code. Interestingly, of the 90 or so donations we have received so far, more than 1/3 have been made using WeShare or the QR code. If you make a contribution using WeShare or the QR code, there is no need to fill in the donation card. We receive all the information electronically. Thank you for your continued support and I will keep you informed of the progress we make toward the $500,000 goal.

JUNE 6: FR. STEVE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRIESTHOOD

On Saturday, June 6 at the 5:00PM Mass, Fr. Steve will celebrate 25 years as a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Fr. Steve has served as a priest on Long Island in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties. He celebrates this milestone anniversary with his classmate Fr. Pat Riegger who served at our parish as a newly ordained priest. 25 years as a priest is both a time to look back with gratitude at the gift of priesthood in a man’s life. It is also a time to look forward with anticipation to ministering in the Lord’s name as the priesthood journey continues. With Fr. Steve we are grateful for these past 25 years and ask the Lord’s continued grace and blessing as he continues his ministry at St. Anne’s.

Interestingly, 2026 marks a year of “5’s” for each of the parish priests. As Father Steve marks his 25th anniversary on June 9, Msgr. Ned celebrates 55 years as a priest on May 29; Fr. Joe observes his 5 year anniversary on June 19; and I mark 35 years as a priest on May 25. Collectively that adds up to 120 years of priestly service from your parish priests! Let’s pray and hope that the Lord will bring forth vocations to the priesthood from our parish.

END OF SCHOOL YEAR

The conclusion of the 2025-26 school year is fast approaching. College students are returning home. High school seniors are anticipating their milestone graduation from high school. Several hundred of our young parishioners that attend a dozen or so local public and Catholic high schools are anticipating the freedom of summer. Our own parish school students at St. Anne’s School are drawing close to the completion of a terrific school year with all sorts of year end activities: class trips, field days, Masses, concerts, stepping ups, and graduations. Our school building will remain active with Camp St. Anne and our new Summer Literacy Enrichment Program.

Let’s pray that our school year concludes safely and with good health for all our students!

Sincerely,

Fr. Tom

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