Thank You!

Dear Parishioners,

Merry Christmas and happy new year!  As I look back on 2017, I have much to be thankful for.

This year is one that has been dominated by our church building project, a project that has continued to amaze and inspire me. With the guidance of our Design Committee and Finance Committee, what was going to be a simple building with mostly reused items has now become a design of true noble simplicity and beauty. The capacity to make this happen is due to the faith and amazing generosity of parishioners and friends of St. Anne’s.  We set many goals that most of us doubted could become reality.  Yet, we now stand with over $4 million in pledges and donations. Some of our basic or simple ideas have blossomed into things we didn’t think were possible.  I am talking about the addition of a daily Mass chapel, bathrooms which meet code and ADA standards, a new statue of Mary which matches the St. Joseph statue, a new image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, beautiful doors throughout, new padded pews, a new altar and ambo, carpet and tile throughout the major parts of the building, confessionals, a children’s cry room, and… wait for it… stained glass windows!

Besides the financial and physical aspects of the building project, it is fair to say that most everyone involved have gotten to know more people in our parish. Having Mass in the Sky Room has brought us closer together. We have been more focused on that which is most important. For me, Mass and preaching have been so much more rich. Being so close to everyone at Mass has brought an intimacy that is akin to our mission churches. Sharing the Eucharist in our smaller space has brought a focus about the most important things and a detachment about those things that are less so.

I am thankful for all that God has been doing in our midst. It is beyond my full comprehension, but I am so glad to be part of this community at this time in our history. I pray that you and yours have experienced joy amidst the changes ongoing in our parish this year. Thank you for all you have and continue to do to make St. Anne Church what she is!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Groundbreaking Scheduled

Dear Parishioners,

Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ who continues to inspire and work in our Church.  As of this writing, the church building is now completely gone.  The dirt underneath the foundation will soon be removed down to the bedrock, and a new two foot layer of rock will follow.  From that point, the site will be fenced off for safety, and the hole that remains will be off limits.  We will be applying for construction permits, and wait until mid September for more activity.  

Mark your calendars for September 17th when Bishop Peter smith will come for our 11 AM Mass followed by a groundbreaking ceremony. This project needs all of our prayers: prayers for safety, prayers for healing, prayers for those who have been away and are coming back of curiosity, prayers for the continued work of the committees stewarding the project along, andprayers that we will be the welcoming people our mission calls us to be.

If you are involved in social media such as Facebook or Twitter, you may have realized that updates on our project are frequently posted there.  They are, in fact, the most rapid and up-to-date means to maintain clear and transparent communication with people. I will, of course, keep us up-to-date via our bulletin or “pulpit announcements” at Mass as needed. We will continue to do so as a way to help us all journey together and pray together for this work that God is doing in our community of faith.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Honoring Our Past, Part 4

Dear Parishioners,

Another way to honor our past, is to simply share your memories of events in the current church as well as those when we were located on 7th Street. I have loved hearing how things were built, rebuilt, renovated, fixed, etc. I love to hear about the various ministries, movements, and events that have taken place here at St. Anne in the past.  I know some basics about how the Charismatic Renewal took root in our parish, how our youth program hosted a national gathering of REACH youth ministers, how the school was created and fostered, the difficulties encountered with unexpected underground springs during the construction of the extra wing for the school, how funds were raised in the “Two-by-Two” capital campaign for the Parish Center and how it was built, and the colorful stories of our former priests and on and on. If you have any photos you would like to share, it would be wonderful to make a collage for people to see.

Conceptual Elevation Rendering of St. Anne, July 31, 1956

A few weeks ago, I went looking through our collection of old drawings and plans that dated just before 1960.  What I found was quite surprising.  Below are two renderings of a potential church building and campus that was dated to July 31, 1956.  It is a mission style structure with a very ambitious master plan including classrooms for a school, a rectory, and convent. Clearly, Fr. Kelly had some big ideas for the future.  I wonder if anyone today was ever shown these drawings and if so, I wonder if they are still alive today.  Let me know if you ever saw this plan before, as I would be curious to hear why it was scrapped. 

Master Plan renderings of conceptual new church, July 31, 1956

While this plan never moved beyond conceptual drawings, it reminds me of the myriad of conceptual drawings our current Core Building Committee reviewed from S & B James Construction.  In the end, as with our current plan, dreams had to come down to reality and something more modest was chosen, something that was affordable and functional.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Church Project Update

Dear Parishioners,

Here’s the latest on the new church building project.  Not too long ago we informed the community that the plan to build a church where the offices are located was beyond our capacity to fund.  So, we went back to an earlier (~3 yrs old) and less expensive design which placed the new church in the same spot as our current building, albeit with a more cruciform design and other complexities in order to meet a wish list of ideas for the church.  So, last month, we got estimates on the various versions of this church structure, a layout the Core Building Committee unanimously liked.  However, due to economic changes from three years ago, the cost for the various versions of this build had risen beyond our ability to fund as well.

Image of St. Franics Rebuilding the Church

So where does that leave us?  Honestly, prior to last Sunday, I thought it left us with the only option of a remodel of the current church building without any major augmentation to structure.  This, while the least expensive, meets only two criterion for the new church: moving all the pews to face West and placing the Sanctuary on the West side accordingly.  However, after the Core Building Committee met last Sunday, we discerned that we still needed more research into different ways we could afford the new building.  In general, the solution may lie in a building of much smaller scale.  So, we now will be reflecting and imagining something much more simple, yet beautiful, letting go of many of our bigger ideas.  

This process of discernment has continued to move and change, all the while done in a spirit of hope and desire to do the best we can within our means.  I continue to be impressed with the members of our Core Building Committee as well as that of our Administrative Council who have demonstrated a steward’s response to all the various obstacles and challenges we have faced thus far.  I am constantly being surprised and delighted in this process which has shown the best of our parish community, something which warms my heart and gives me continued confidence that the Holy Spirit is in charge.  I ask all of you to join me in continued prayer for this process, slow as it is, so that we will continue to move in the direction that God wants us to go.  As always, if you have any questions, feel free to talk to me or Stephen Voehl, our Business Manager for details or just to kick around ideas.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

A Year of Gratefulness

Dear Parishioners,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! With all the bad news in the world that covers our headlines, it is important not just to be nostalgic, but to once again, root ourselves in those things that are truly good, beautiful, and true (cf. Philippians 4:7- 9). For in these things are true joy and peace. For in these things we encounter the Good News who is Jesus Christ.

This year, for me, I look back and I am thankful for the work of all our pastoral ministers who have tirelessly worked in the vineyard with equally passionate volunteers. Events such as Joe’s Camp to Summer Bible School to the events surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe show how much God had been working in the lives of our people. For a second year in a row, those who entered the Church through the Easter Vigil celebration, made up a group so large that the room where their classes where held was moved to a much larger one in the Parish Center. This year our sacristan crew (those who help prepare for Mass), more than tripled in size! I am so humbled to see their selfless dedication to this important task each week.

I am grateful that the Lord has blessed our school with a large increase in students which has allowed us to spread the Good News to more children and their families. The school community continued to grow in vibrancy. I am also so grateful for our wonderful teaching and administrative staff at the school. The sense of camaraderie and morale is inspiring.

I am excited about the work and direction our Core Building Committee who have taken a year to explore all the options for a new church building. Please note that I did not say renovation. In the course of our explorations, it turned out not be a significant cost difference to rebuild versus renovate the existing structure. So, early on after making that decision, we explored almost every location and arrangement of a proposed new church. In the Spring, we will have a feasibility study done in order to determine what financial potential there is in this project. I am so pleased with the discernment that has been so seriously undertaken in this task. I believe you will love what will come out of it all.

Finally, I am so very thankful for all the people who have newly come to worship here at St. Anne’s. They have helped us have new people helping with ministries. They have brought fresh eyes and ears to help us with our mission. I hope that we continue to be that church where Jesus is prophetically preached, hearts are healed, and the Mass becomes ever-more the center of our faith, for it is there that we encounter the sacrificed and risen Lord, Jesus Christ. In all, there is much for which to be grateful. May all these things give glory to God!

May God bless you all!

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor