Church of Saint Ann
From the Pastor's Desk
As the Year of the Priest comes to an end, I’d like to conclude this series of reflections on the priesthood with a word about priesthood in a religious order. As Franciscans, Fr. Jordan and I have a twofold identity. We are Franciscan priests of the Third Order Regular (hence TOR) currently serving in Baltimore, but not priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. We serve here at the pleasure of the archbishop and with the permission of the superior of our TOR Province. The same was true when our parishes staffed by Redemptorists. Diocesan priests make a permanent commitment to a particular local church under the authority of their bishop, while religious priests serve in the special ministries of their communities in many different locations.
I said in last week’s reflection that the title I’m most proud of is “father.” I need to modify that. As Franciscans we are all brothers before some of us become fathers, and we don’t cease to be brothers once we are ordained. Within the fraternity we are equal as friars, without distinctions based on ordination. Our Rule makes clear that our life in common comes first and our ministry flows from that.
We are four friars of our Order in Baltimore: Father Robert and Brother Ed reside at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish and Fr. Jordan and I live at St. Wenceslaus. All of us have served in many different places, including schools, parishes and foreign missions. We come together every day at one of our houses for prayer and dinner (which we take turns cooking.) We share life and ministry here in Baltimore and with our regional community based in Washington, DC (where the young friars live who volunteer in our parish) and we attend community gatherings at our province headquarters in Loretto, PA. I should add that Fr. Nelson, a member the Sons of Mary, a Nigerian religious community, lives with us and shares our fraternity, while ministering at Spring Grove State Hospital.
Both diocesan and religious priests face many of the same challenges, with declining numbers and an aging population. We continue to pray that the Lord will find new ways to provide for the priestly and pastoral care of his people..
-Fr. Peter
Our Mission
We, the parish community of St. Ann's Church, are called by God to be a family of believers united in faith and love, to teach and to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ, to celebrate the Word of God, to witness to the presence of God in our community, and to manifest the Kingdom of God in word and work.
TEACH
In our efforts to teach the Gospel message we offer religious education classes for all ages. Through discussion, formal instruction and study, the tenets of our Catholic faith are passed on.
PROCLAIM
In word and in action we strive to proclaim the message of Christ to all. We believe that by our example others can come to know Jesus Christ. We endeavor to build a vibrant community so others are touched by what they see and experience.
CELEBRATE
In our attempts to celebrate the word of God we seek to create a lively, worshipping community. The Eucharist is our central celebration to which all our hopes lead, and from which all of our strength comes. From this celebration all meaningful parish activities flow. We recognize that the celebrations of the sacraments are great occasions of joy and new life in our parish. The prayer life of our parish sustains us in our journey of faith.
WITNESS
In our witness of the presence of God in our world we reach out to those who are oppressed in any way or who are victims of injustice. By using the gifts of our members we create programs that will bring about peace, justice and harmony in our community.
MANIFEST
In our service to others we try to follow the example of Jesus Christ who was present to others who needed healing, forgiveness and restoration. We value the individual and the communal efforts of our parish to recognize and respond to the needs of our community.
We perceive our mission as both gift and challenge. We believe that God will use us as His instruments manifesting His Kingdom on this earth. We rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us in being faithful to this parish Mission Statement.
Upcoming Events
Sun., June 27 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Reconnecting Our Family” forms returned today!Church Envelopes for the new fiscal year distributed
Sat., July 3 SP Treasure Hunt, St. Frances cademy Center, 11 am-3 pm
Sun., July 4 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Happy 4th of July!
Mon., July 5 4th of July holiday,
Church office closed.
Wed., July 7 Jubilee Women meet, 9 am, Anchorage
Thurs., July 8 No evening Mass & Bible Study
Fri., July 9- Youth Conference/Retreat at the Sun., July 11 Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio
Sat. July 10 KPC Ladies Auxiliary meeting,
10 am, Anchorage
Thurs., July 15 No evening Mass and Bible Study
Sat., July 17- St. Ann’s Novena
Sun., July 25 Details to follow
Sun., July 25 St. Ann’s Feast Day
10 am Mass
Thurs., July 29 No evening Mass & Bible Study
Saint Ann Birthdays
JUNE BIRHDAYS
1 HARRY WHEELER
1 SHEILA GOODIN
7 REGINALD DRUMMOND
11 ELOISE JACKSON
15 ANNETTE MARCH-GRIER
16 VICTOR MARCH SR.
17 ELIZABETH M. LUTZ
19 DEBORAH FENTRESS
22 ANN JONES
27 JANET BUTTS
29 SARAH RANDOLPH
African Proverb
AFRICAN PROVERB:::::::: :The butterfly that flies among thorns will tear its wings....... (IBO)(LIBERIA)