Job Openings

Dear Parishioners,

This week, Julie, our Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (CYM), approached me and discerned that she needed to leave and pursue other opportunities in her life. She will be missed by us all. She has been an enthusiastic presence in our parish which was a delight for us all. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors back home. She has agreed to stay on until August or until we find her replacement, which ever comes first. I ask that you keep her in your prayers as she strikes out in a new direction.

In the meantime, I have posted ads for a new CYM on our web site as well as other local and national locations. Please pray that in the course of our search, we will be able to find the right person for our community. I am not worried, but hope-filled that we will reap the fruits of being faithful as we were when we hired Julie. If you know of someone interested in this position, please direct them to our web site for full details. It is very late in the year to be seeking out a new CYM. Many candidates have already taken their perspective jobs. I am also not going to rush this process if it means just filling the position. We need to have the right person more than we need to have a warm body doing the work.

As you also may know, our school has two position openings as well. One is that of a Pre-K teacher and the other is for a teacher for our 3/4 grade class. Information about these openings has been on our web site for a month. Those searches are well underway.

This season of year is always a time for change and renewal. May God be with us and our former employees moving on. May we all be open to His promptings and follow our Lord where ever He leads us.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Dear Parishioners,

Thank You

Merry Christmas! Yes! It is still the season of Christmas and will be until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord (Jan. 9). So, you don’t have to be in a rush to take down those beautiful lights and decorations until then. In the meantime, I want to express my gratefulness to the small army of volunteers who worked so hard to make our Church so beautiful for our Christmas celebrations. Thank you all! It is a wonderful sign of involvement and life in our parish. As part of a wonderful outreach to the needy, I want to thank Julie Mercier, Phil Hunkler, and their small army of volunteers who put together and organized the Christmas Basket program. It is humbling to see the variety of parishioners, young and older, who came forward to help make it happen. Thank you all! These activities are a wonderful sign of involvement and life in our parish. I am so proud of you all.

New Year

So, now is the time for many to make some resolutions for the new year. What will yours be? Might I suggest one? Might it be a plan for renewal in your faith and community in faith? And if so, might I further suggest reflecting seriously about how you can work in a time for prayer, spiritual reading, and a balance between work and recreation? Giving your time and talent to the good of the community will not only bring you joy, but can seriously impact the welfare of others.

May this new year bring you an increase in faith and love. May you find and experience a renewal in your relationship with our Lord. May you find an abiding peace and have a blessed new year.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor

Merry Christmas! Good News!

Dear Parishioners,

Merry Christmas! This week's edition of the bulletin is what I like to call our “Good News Bulletin.” In it you will not only find the common informational items, but also a special reflection from each of our staff members. Describing the good news that has happened in this past year at our Church.


In my purview, I note many things. Financially, I look back and thank God for helping the parish and the school end the fiscal year (ended June 30th) in the black. I am further thankful that we expect that to occur again this fiscal year. Donations are up, not tracking with the economy, which I hope is a reflection of our greater effort at special accounting, communication and transparency. At risk of counting the sheep, I have noticed a renewal of younger families attending Mass. I am very excited to see an increase of volunteers and the resurrection of our Liturgy Committee and a creation of a new Environment Committee who is responsible for the amazing decorations in the Church for Christmastime. I am thankful for the assistance of Frs. Fister and Ezurike, who have done much to help lift our spirits and encourage our faith. When Fr. Paschal was reas- signed, I noticed a deeper care and responsibility for our homebound and sick, relieving me of some of the stress and time that this important ministry requires. Hiring Julie Mercier as our new Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry was also a highlight after months of searching and interviews.


There are many other signs of renewal coming in 2011. I plan on continuing our Catholicism 101 series into the new year. Soon you will find information about our Welcome Home Catholics program which has seen much success in years past. I have hope to see our new parochial vicar, Fr. Dominic, arrive in late January.


In all, there is much for which to be thankful. Ultimately, I give our Lord all the praise and glory. I am thankful to the Father for sending his Son to us whose beginnings in a stable should move us all. I thank God for giving us wisdom and inspiration to follow more faithfully as stewards. May God bless you and your family. May this “Good News Bulletin” inspire you and remind you that God is definitely at work in our midst.


Merry Christmas!


Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

New Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministry Found

Dear Parishioners,

I am glad to announce that our search for someone to carry on the min

istry that Hans Mueller has been doing for the past three years has come to a happy end. After five

months of prayer, preparation, advertising, reviewing resumes, and many, many interviews, we end our journey with Julie Mercier.

Julie will begin in early July as the Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministry. She just recently graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. She earned a degree in theology and catechetics with a concentration in youth ministry. She has experienced leading retreats and chaperoning at youth conferences. Julie was with us several weekends ago when Archbishop Vlazny was here for our confirmations. She traveled from New York for an in-depth interview (her third interview with us), and introduction to the parish and surrounding area, and concluded by leading our Sunday youth night. Needless to say, she knocked our socks off. Her love for Christ, her passion for youth, and her humility were qualities that one cannot teach. After her whirl wind trip West, she returned home with an offer for our job. After several

days of prayer and discernment, she agreed to take the position. Our

search committee and myself, as well as those who met her when she visited all praised God for her acceptance.

When she arrives, please introduce yourself to her. More importantly, she will need your help in continuing the work begun by Hans. Please pray for her and especially for courage, as it will most certainly be difficult to move so far away from her home. Let her know how friendly we are here at St. Anne. Offer your time and labor to help her build upon the foundation already here in our youth program. It takes a Church to raise our children. Let us help Julie lead our teens and young adults to grow in their Catholic faith.

Congratulations, Julie! I am so proud and honored to have you on board our pastoral staff. I pray that St. Anne will be a place where your gifts can shine and our young people will catch on fire for our Lord.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor