Year of Faith

Dear Parishioners,

In light of this Year of Faith I would like to recommend that we all make some conscious effort to do something new in order to more deeply grow in our faith.  Three such opportunities of which I would like you make you aware are upcoming retreats, Catholicism 101, and our series of movie showings.

Regarding a retreat,  our community has the opportunity to participate in Cursillo and ACTS retreats.  Both of them are similar in structure and have the intent of building up and deepening one’s faith.  Please watch the bulletin for the dates for these two retreats. I believe it to be the case that going on a retreat is a profound way to deepen one’s faith.  I know that is the case for me, for my annual retreat is an essential part of my spiritual growth.  Again, see the bulletin for details about these retreats.

Some of you may already know that I have been offering a monthly series called “Catholicism 101.”  Coincidentally, many parishes have encouraged to show Robert Barron’s “Catholicism” DVD series which we have been already doing.  I have been offering this once a month in the Parish Center between the 8 AM Mass and 11 AM Mass.  The actual dates vary due to my rotation in the liturgy schedule.  But we do our best to make sure that is advertised appropriately in the bulletin and in our online calendar.  I find these videos to be excellent.  In fact, I cannot think of a better video series, yet published, that presents the Catholic Faith in such a holistic way.

The third area that I would like to recommend is our showing of movies of faith.  The first movie will be “For Greater Glory.”  This feature film illustrates the historical struggle of religious freedom in Mexico via the Cristero War.  Mostly downplayed in history textbooks, the events of the movie reflect the sacrifice of some 90,000 people against the anticlerical Mexican government of the time.  Pope John Paul II canonized over two dozen saints and martyrs of the cause.  More recently, Pope Benedict XVI beatified  José Luis Sanchez de Rio who is characterized in the movie.  Make sure to see the bulletin for details on dates and showings.  Make sure, also, that you recognize the language in which the movie will be shown, for there will be English and Spanish showings of the movie.  Also keep in mind that this movie is geared for adults.  Any children or teenagers who wish to be present must be accompanied by their parent/guardian or express permission must be given by such guardian for the minor to be present.  Other future movies may not have such a caution attached to them, and will be more oriented towards younger people.  Ultimately, our hope is that families will be able to attend as a group.  As it turns out, many of our teenagers have already seen the movie, and the story of Blessed Luis Sanchez de Rio has also been discussed at youth nights.  As such, our teens desire to help promote this movie.  So, do not be surprised to see some of our teens wearing black T-shirts with an image of child Blessed José and the acclamation, “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” which means “Long live Christ the King!”  They will be selling them as a fundraiser for youth activities.  If you have any suggestions regarding possible movies to show, please talk to Jessica Bubien, our Pastoral Associate.

May this Year of Faith encourage you to seek out opportunities to grow in your faith.  May it help you to proclaim the Gospel with your life.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Stewardship & Evangelization

Dear Parishioners,

Today we all make our commitments of Stewardship (Time, Talent, Treasure, and Tradition) during Mass. Thank you for your generosity to the community of St. Anne's.  I hope the brochure that was sent to you was helpful in your discernment process.  Next week, we will repeat this process, but in an abbreviated form for those who were gone this weekend or were not yet ready to make a commitment this weekend.

I have noticed an amazing outpouring of parishioners getting involved in many aspects of the parish which warms my heart.  The time and talent that people have given over the years has been truly inspirational.  I sure love being your pastor and hope that I will be able to grow even more with you in the years to come.  

In my homily last week, I felt that I didn't explain as much as I had hoped regarding our sharing of our Traditions. The homily was long enough, eh?  So, if I could encourage you to ponder on this, please consider sharing the greatest tradition we have been given: our Mass!  Maybe you know someone who is Catholic and has been away for a while.  A recent study done by the Pew Research Center (pewforum.org) has shown a decrease in people who affiliate with church (-5% in Protestant Churches and -1% in Catholic Churches) and and large (+4.3%) increase to make up 20% of our population of people who believe in God, but not in any religion.  These are called "unaffiliated."  I wonder how many of these "unaffiliated" were Catholics at one time.  While the percentage of Catholics have seen a smaller down-turn than other traditions since 2007, -1% is actually a large number of people, and I'll bet you know a few yourself.  

So, we have to be aware of the issue that there are a lot of fallen away Catholics who have possibly disassociated themselves from any church connection.  This is a problem that we need to take seriously.  This year, Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed a Year of Faith where we need to concentrate on what is called a "New Evangelization."  Evangelization is something that we Catholics have a hard time with, no?  But, if we don't proclaim our faith in the public square or share our faith with the people closest to us, then we should not be too surprised to see how secular or unchurched we have become as a society.  Evangelization doesn't need to be hard.  But, it must begin with ourselves.  What do we believe and how does our life and words show it?  What example do we make in our work?  

St. Anne's, as I mentioned earlier, is an amazing community with a wealth of faith and love.  We have something great to share and proclaim.  Do not be afraid.  Seek out someone you know who has been away from Mass or church in general.  Let them know of the Good News of Jesus found here at St. Anne's.  Encourage them to connect with a Bible Study, or Welcome Home Catholics program, or simply to join you at Mass the next time you go.  It doesn't have to be difficult.  Remember that we have all been called to go out and proclaim the Good News of Jesus!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Some Liturgical Changes

Dear Parishioners,

In the past several weeks, Fr. Manuel, Jessica, and I have been pondering upon and experimenting with some ideas and ways to adjust our liturgy.  Beginning this weekend, we will be implementing two changes, one for Sunday celebrations and Holy Days of Obligation and one for daily Mass.

On Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, we decided to change the way the vessels will be purified after Communion.  Going forward, the cup ministers will return their chalices to the Credence Table while the host ministers will continue to return their bowls to the Altar.  The vessels will still be purified by the priest or deacon, but in two different locations, expediting the clearing of the Altar.  To do this, the servers are being retrained to make sure that the Credence Table is mostly free of other items used earlier in the Mass such as the lavabo (the bowl for the priest to wash his hands) and other items used in preparation for the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Also, the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are being trained to follow this new process.  This will also allow the sacristans to clean or prepare the vessels for the next Mass if they wish.  The clearing of the Altar is not a separate Rite in the Mass but a procedure in a transitional phase from the Communion Rite to the Concluding Rite.  However, due to the number of vessels, this procedure has been taking so much time so as to appear as a formal rite in and of itself.  This change will clarify and simplify this part of the Mass.  The General Instructions to the Roman Missal directs that the purification of the vessels can be done at their location. (GIRM 163).

On weekdays, we have decided to emphasize a greater unity with the Universal Church and increase awareness of the principle of Progressive Solemnity.  This term, Progressive Solemnity, is the principle where by the Mass ebbs and flows according to the state or “level” of celebration in the Mass.  When Mass is being offered on a day in Ordinary Time and there is no saint of whom we memorialize nor is there any feast or solemnity, the Mass should take on a very basic form.  This kind of day is called a “ferial celebration” or “ferial day”  The term comes from the Latin, feria, meaning “free day.”  On these weekday Masses, we will forego singing at the beginning and end of Mass and, instead, replace the entrance song with the universal antiphon which the Church is expressing all through the globe.  This is called the Entrance Antiphon.  The procession of the priest leaving the Sanctuary will be done in silence.  This small change will let us experience the change of a seasons via memorials, feasts, or solemnities in contrast to those days where none of these are prescribed.  So on ferial days, the Mass will be much simpler.  When a saint is to be memorialized, singing at the entrance and recessional of the Mass will return.  On feast days, as the Church prescribes, the Gloria will be said or sung.  On Solemnities, the Creed will be added.  So, depending on the kind of day the Mass lands, there will be more or less things happening.  We hope that this very small shift will allow our daily Mass goers to experience more the variations or the progressiveness of the sacrifice of the Mass while also bringing more harmony with the Masses offered throughout the world.

Are these important or critical changes, no.  But, I do believe that these small changes will aid us in more clarity and intelligibility of the actions, meanings, and sense of progression within the celebration of the Mass.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Called to Protect

Dear Parishioners,

As I write this bulletin letter, I am on vacation. By now you come to hear or read about the alleged sexual assault of a young boy by Fr. Angel Perez who was once stationed here at St. Anne's as a seminarian. The news is most certainly disturbing. Yet, I would caution us all to resist judgement upon any person in this situation since we have little information and the reports that have been circulating are untrustworthy. So what should be our response? How are we to react?

First, I must share that I personally struggle with mixed feelings of anger, sadness, mistrust, a desire for the truth to be made clear, and healing. It cannot be understated that our children are precious and must be protected. It, once again, convinces me that we must be ever vigilant to create and maintain systems that create a safe environment for our young ones even if they are inconvenient. Sometimes, I have received flack from our own parishioners about being paranoid or creating hoops to jump through when it comes to volunteers' background checks and safety training. I can assure you, we do our best to keep our children safe, and have, on occasions, not allowed some people to volunteer with our children to the anger of said potential volunteers. But, in light of these events, I hope people will understand why we are so stringent in this regard. We simply cannot risk the safety of our children in favor of the desire of an adult to do ministry. Ministry is a privilege while safety is a right which trumps all others. The "Called to Protect" program that the Archdiocese demands of us to implement is good and works. Problems occur when it is not followed. Whether Fr. Angel is innocent or guilty of abuse, it appears that the rules for safety were not being followed. Consequently, at multiple levels, the whole Catholic community, ours included, has been hurt.

I know Fr. Angel and consider him a friend. So, I write this letter in a state of shock and sadness. I am very aware of humanity's propensity to sin. I pray that the allegations are false or mistaken. Without knowing the real facts of the events, we need still pray for justice and healing. If you have access to the Internet, I would encourage you to read Fr. Mike's blog with whom I share his feelings: http://shepherdcatholic.com/?page_id=74

Finally, we must continue to commit ourselves to the safety of our children. Please pray for the boy and his family who must be going through a most difficult time, for Fr. Angel and the turmoil in which he now lives, for us priests who live with the collective accusatory stares that come upon us, and for all of us Catholics who have been shaken by these events.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Jesus, Fill Our Hearts

Dear Parishioners,

It's great to be back from vacation.  Apparently, Fr.  Manuel invited you to come visit me, but I must have somehow missed you since I saw no parishioners the whole time.  Darn!  We could have had so much fun. Even though you didn't join me, I can report that I had a great time doing what I love the most: camping.  I began by spending a couple days as Crane Prairie Reservoir, followed by five days at Beverly Beach just North of Newport, and then returned to Central Oregon for a couple days at Hosmer Lake (a kayaker's paradise).  In all, I am so appreciative of God's amazing creation here in Oregon.  

While I was gone, I prayed for our parish and missions and thanked Him for all the amazing things happening at our communities. Specifically at St. Anne's, I was so appreciative of all those inspired to give of their time and talent to make Vacation Bible School the great success it was. Specifically, I want to thank Nancy Trahern and her army of volunteers.  Thank you!  You inspired me.  While I was gone, Natalie Scott took a band of adults and teens to Steubenville NW at Gonzaga University.  While away, she texted me with reports of the amazing things God was doing.  One word: Wow!  If you are fortunate enough to attend the right Mass where a teen was able to offer their testimony this weekend, you will know exactly what I'm talking about.  Thank you to all who made this event a possibility for our teens!

Two weeks ago, after a very involved process, we selected out new Pastoral Associate, however we are running into many road blocks with the process of immigration since she is a native of Canada.  I've never been personally involved with these processes nor are all of the steps well spelled out. What we were hoping would take a couple weeks is now, as I write this, looking to take much longer.  So, I ask you to please pray that God will clear the path so we can move forward.  When such clarity and finality is made, I will make every effort to introduce her to you.  In the meantime, please pray!

Finally, I want to proclaim that God is moving and the Spirit is inspiring many people.  I hope you can see and join in this movement wherever you see it.  A renewal of people seeking out His heart is evidenced by a stunningly large number of people who attended our last RCIA Inquiry gathering.  It can't be explained by anything other than God's work.  

Come Lord Jesus!  Fill our hearts and make us new according to your plan.  Heal our wounds and lift us up to be people of joy.  May all our thoughts and and actions be submissive to your will.  May we give you all the glory! 

Thank you all for responding to the Spirit.  Let us be afire with the love of God!


Blessings,


Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Welcome Fr. Manuel Campos

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend we officially welcome our new parochial vicar, Rev. Fr. José Manuel Campos Garcia (or Fr. Manuel or short), who was recently ordained with nine other men by Archbishop Vlazny. I encourage you to invite him to your homes and share your lives with him.  In his time with us, he will be learning about the day-to-day workings of parish life.  He will become more comfortable in his celebration of the Sacraments.  He will learn from your generous love about how great the life of a priest truly is.  And for this I want to thank you all ahead of time for such love.  It is important to support our priests, especially those who are newly ordained.

As per all our previous parochial vicars, Fr. Manuel will take the latter part of Thursday and all of Friday as his personal time off.  During the week, Fr. José and I will trade off being on call for emergencies as they arise.  He will be staying in the same apartment as Fr. Dominic, but hopefully will be transferred to a difference residence once we are able to secure the needed loan and purchase a place that we do not have to rent.

Fr. Manuel hails from the state of Michoacan in Mexico which means that he is fluent in Spanish.  I can testify, and you will soon learn for yourself, that he is also very fluent and clear in English.  Being Mexican, I am sure that many of our Hispanic parishioners will be encourage by his example of faith and ability to minister to them in their native language.  However, he is not coming just for our Hispanic community, but for all our community.  I believe you will find him to be kind and welcoming to everyone.  He is a very kind-hearted man.  

It will take some time for him to get adjusted to the Grants Pass area, but your openness to helping him in this transition will be very important.  Thank you for your love and let us welcome aboard, Fr. Manuel with our typical St. Anne’s enthusiasm.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Golf Tourney Success!

Dear Parishioners,

Last week, our parish held our first annual golf tournament friend-raiser. Yes, it was also a fundraiser, but first it was our chance to come together as fellow parishioners and strengthen our bonds of friendship. The weather was great and we had some 40 participants including Bishop Kenneth Steiner. He was on my team which I thought would be a guaranteed win. Well, our team shot –10 par ...an experience of golf of which I have never experienced personally. But, another team shot –12 par and took the prize for first place. Wow!! I just counted myself fortunate for only losing a net of two golf balls during the entire 18 holes of the game. Talk about miracles. We played best ball or scramble rules where each series of shots takes place from the best previous ball placement. That meant that I did a lot of cheering, but rarely was my shot good enough. No matter, because we all had a fantastic time, and that was the first and foremost reason for the tournament.

I would like to offer my thanks to Joe Flaim who was the lead coordinator of the tourney and not only organized things, but also found sponsors. Also, I want to express my thanks to John Williams for his help in coordinating with Dutcher Creek Golf Course and Kathy Zahniser for handling all the registrations at the office and miscellaneous transactions when we arrived at the golf course. If you think you could be of assistance in this endeavor for next year, contact Kathy at the office or Joe personally. While it wasn’t a labor intensive project, it still involved a fair amount of work for just a few people. Remember, many hands make light work. So, consider being a part of next year’s golf tournament planning team.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

New Adoration Tabernacle Coming

Dear Parishioners,

As of this writing, the structure of the tabernacle for our Adoration Chapel has been completed by Dick Zahniser, and the final touches are being put on the icons which were the labor and prayer of Pati Sorge.  Once the tabernacle is ready (which may be the case by the time this go to press), we will install it immediately.

Why have we built a tabernacle for the Adoration Chapel you might ask?  Well, it is very simple.  Sometimes, people on the schedule for adoration are late and even sometimes miss their slot, leaving the person assigned for the hour prior to them in a dilemma.  Should they stay or go?  Often people have stayed an extra hour and even sometime two extra hours.  Also when there is a need for a substitute and one cannot be found, Rex Titus has personally taken their spot, a saintly thing to do, but something that nobody should ever have to do.  So, with the installation of the tabernacle a person can simply close the doors at the end of their hour of adoration and leave if the next person didn’t show up.  Once the next person arrives, they simply approach the tabernacle and open the doors.  Of course the recommended gesture prior to approaching the tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament is that of a simple genuflection.  

With this new tabernacle installed, a whole lot of stress will be taken off Rex and his successor in the process of keeping the chapel open 24-7 for our community.  Please keep your eyes peeled to the bulletin for more information about the tabernacle’s icons and their meaning and purpose.  Thank you Pati for your iconographic skills and Dick Zahnizer for the construction of the tabernacle.  It has been a long process, but one that has been a labor and prayer of love.  Thank you!


Blessings,


Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Changes & More Changes

Dear Parishioners,

Things just keep changing.  Remember I said that this is a time of change?  Well, as it turns out, Deacon Rodel de Mesa’s assignment has changed.  As of this writing, he will be going to Holy Trinity Parish in Bandon as their new pastor.  Fr. Dominic is still on for St. Michael’s in Sandy.  For us here, we are supposed to receive José Manuel Campos-Garcia.  He is fluent in Spanish and English.  He is a native of Mexico, entered seminary in Mexico City in 2003. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 2007. He just completed his studies at Mount Angel Seminary and his training has included a pastoral year St. Alexander Parish in Cornelius.  He is scheduled to arrive on July 2nd, God willing!

On July 1st between the Sunday Masses, we are going to have a congratulations and goodbye party for Fr. Dominic.  In that same party, we will also offer our thanks to Fr. Fister who will be officially retiring.  Going forward, we will still see Fr. Fister and he plans to help us out once a week as he is able.  Please continue to keep them both in your prayers.


In addition to a new parochial vicar, I recently created a new position in our pastoral staff, that of Pastoral Associate. This will be a full time position and potential applicants can get more informatiaon by clicking this link here.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Dear Parishioners,

It is a time of change, something that many find sad or stressful, and for good reason. Yet, it is a time when doors close so that others may open.

Last week, I received word that Fr. Dominic will be reassigned to St. Michael's parish in Sandy along with it’s two missions. We have all come to love Fr. Dominic and the gifts that he has brought to our parish and are sad for his leaving. I am sure he will do a fantastic job, though I will worry about the amount of snow that Sandy receives and Fr. Dominic’s safety therein. Yet, I trust he’ll learn how to put on and drive with chains.

Also last week, I learned that we will be receiving Rodel de Mesa who will replace Fr. Dominic. On June 9th, Deacon Rodel will be ordained to the priesthood and will begin serving here on July 2. When I asked the Archbishop about Rodel, he immediately began to rave about the fantastic qualities he possesses. I look forward to his presence in our parish communities. Congratulations, Rodel!

With sadness, we offer our well wishes to Terry Knouff as she ends her tenure as our Coordinator of Faith Formation (CFF). She has been here at St. Anne’s organizing VBS, RCIA, and many other adult education events for many years. I wish her the best and encourage you to offer her your thanks for her selfless giving over these past years. With her departure, we will be looking for a new CFF as soon as possible. (See the ad in another section of this bulletin).

Finally, we say goodbye to Curt Healey. With almost 40 years of volunteer work as the former leader of music ministry in the past and as the current leader of the 11AM Music Group, Curt has decided to step down and pursue other ventures. His musical flair will be sorely missed.

Again, this is a season of many changes. But, I believe deeply that God has things in store that we know not, and that reality gives me reason to hope for the future. Please, when you see any of these people, make sure to let them know of your appreciation of their time and talent they have given to our faith communities and wish them well.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor