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.

September 27, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

As you are probably aware, we made the decision to postpone Spirit Day from this past Saturday to Saturday, October 10. Our primary reason for postponing was the forecasts, 11 forecasts that I was following, all called for increasing possibilities of rain and increased wind gusts. Safety is our primary concern; persons would not want to come out in a nor’easter storm, nor would they like to be in the parking lot under such conditions.

So, Spirit Day will be celebrated Saturday, October 10, part of the Columbus Day weekend. During October– November, we have five Saturday weddings. The open weekends were Columbus Day weekend, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Obviously, Columbus Day weekend is the best available Saturday. As was the case this coming weekend, many parish families may be away for athletic events, college visits, etc.

On the other hand, as we continue our 250th anniversary as a nation, a Columbus Day parish gathering for Spirit Day will be very festive. We will enjoy patriotic songs on our new church bells throughout the day. We are making arrangements with vendors, the supplier of the inflatable rides for the kids for Saturday, October 10. Everyone is being very cooperative despite the inconvenience and change of date. All are in agreement about the concern for safety.

So yes, it is disappointing to have postponed but we can look forward to Saturday, October 10. Raffle tickets are still available. We have sold just over 600 tickets and anticipated selling the remaining tickets on Spirit Day. Hopefully we can achieve that goal in the next two weeks. Those who pre-purchased bracelets for children can get a refund if they are not able to attend on October 10.

I am very grateful to parishioner Danny O’Keefe for his leadership and cooperation as we pivot for this new date. Postponements are never easy and they bring complications.

Thank you for your understanding and looking forward to being with you on Saturday, October 10.

POST SPIRIT DAY

After Spirit Day we will continue to begin again many ministries of the parish. Our Faith Formation program and CYO program together bring more than 2000 young people together for learning about the faith and playing on St. Anne’s teams. We welcome all the children back and all the many volunteers who give so much generous time to these important ministries and activities.

Already this coming week we will be meeting with second grade First Holy Communion students to prepare for this very special and happy year. Our Respite ministry begins in earnest next week with Friday evening Respite on Friday, October 2 and the first Respite Mass on Saturday, October 3. All Faith Formation families are invited to the 10:00AM Mass on Sunday, October 4 with classes beginning the following day, Monday, October 5. Mrs. Flood and her team have been organizing classes and catechists for our increasing number of Faith Formation students. It is a large and complex task. We look forward to opening day of Faith Formation.

Soon, we will begin to give attention to how we celebrate our 100th Centennial Anniversary year of 2029. We will celebrate from January 1—December 31, 2029. We will need volunteers to help plan the year and coordinate the events. In an upcoming bulletin, I will invite parishioners who wish to help plan and volunteer their efforts during this very special time in the life of our parish. Stay tuned!

Enjoy a peaceful week!

Fr. Tom

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