Parish News

Catholic Appeal 2021

Catholic Appeal 2021  – Time to Gather, Time to Heal, Time to Love. 
The Catholic Appeal is in full swing, and to date, we have raised $78,562.00. There is still time to participate! Your contribution helps the Diocese fund vital programs and ministries that serve the needy of southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the islands one person and one family at a time. Your contribution makes a difference it can help a child who needs food, a youth who is discovering the value of his or her faith, an unwed mother struggling to cope, housing for the homeless, and much more. You can make a gift or pledge online at www.givefrdiocese.org/2021 until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 30.

Knights of Columbus = Grand Knight’s Message

New Officers Elected
The election for the Council Officers was held during the June 9, 2021 Business meeting. The new Officer listing effective July 2021 with be shared in a future bulletin. Congratulations to the newly elected officers!

Columbian Awards
K of C Council #10289 is proud to announce that our Council has been awarded the “Columbian“ award for the second consecutive year by the K of C Fraternal Mission Dept. in New Haven, CT! This award recognizes Councils that have held the required Faith, Family, Community, and Life program activities during the past year. This award would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Brother Knight, Ed Mahoney, our Council’s Program Director for the past two years! Thank you, Ed!

Gratitude is also extended to the Knights that volunteered their time during the numerous community program activities/events that were held this past year. Many thanks to the parishioners that participated in the Council’s community & charitable events some examples include: Christmas Giving Tree, American Red Cross Blood Drive, Tootsie Roll drive, and the Birthright Baby Shower.

Thank You!
This is my last month serving as the Council’s Grand Knight. It has been an honor and privilege serving in the Council’s leadership role for the past two years! I could not have been as successful in achieving our Council’s goals without the support and able assistance of all of the Council Officers and members. Many Council members have stepped forward to assist the Council this past year during unprecedented times of the pandemic. Most notably, Ed Merritt our Audio and Visual Technical Advisor who made the meetings possible this year. We are so appreciative of Ed’s time and technical knowledge! Thank you to Debbie, Parish Secretary for publishing our weekly K of C information for the church bulletin! Many thanks also to Richard, our Parish’s maintenance staff for setting up the Parish Center for our monthly meetings!

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to John Kourtz, Sr., past Grand Knight and current Financial Secretary for his mentorship and guidance during the past two years to support me in my Council’s Leadership role. Last but certainly not least Thank you to Fr. John Murray for his spiritual guidance to me and all of our Council members during this past two years!

Interested in Becoming A Knight!
The Council is hoping to increase its membership. Any practicing Catholic man 18 years of age or older wishing to join the Knights should contact Grand Knight, Ron Pagels at rnpnekvt114@gmail.com or call Ron at 774-281-2429. For additional information about the Knights of Columbus, visit our website at www.kofc.org.

Knights Of Columbus Council #10289

Red Cross Blood Drive – July 16, 2021
The American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help, the St. Ann’s Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a Blood Drive on Friday, July 16th in the Parish Center. The Red Cross follows strict COVID-19 guidelines to assure donor safety. Appointments are required. Please visit www.redcrossblood.org and click on “Donate Blood” and then “Find a Blood Drive”, or call 1-800-REDCROSS. Please contact John Donahue by email at john.donahue64@gmail.com or phone (508) 822-6015 with any questions or for help with registering for an appointment.

Council Name Change
The new Council name is the Rev. Gerald T. Shovelton Council at St. Ann Parish #10289. This new Council name was voted and approved by Council members during the June 9, 2021 Business meeting. The new name has been submitted to the K of C Supreme office in New Haven, CT for approval.

Council #10289 Business Meeting
The next regular business meeting will be held both in person in St. Ann Parish Center on Wednesday, July 14th at 7:00pm. A reminder will be emailed to all members prior to the meeting.

Faith Formation News

Dear Parents,

With the permission of the Diocese of Fall River, we are beginning the process of opening our doors for our Faith Formation program this Fall. We have missed our students and families greatly and are working hard to ensure that this year will be engaging and memorable. Our goal for this year is to get our students back into our classrooms and we pray that we will not need to plan any virtual events this year!

To register your child / children for Faith Formation, please click this link.

Bishop Reinstates Sunday Mass Obligation

We have received word from Bishop da Cunha today, that in conjunction with the bishops of Massachusetts, the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is being reinstated.

The dispensation from our obligation, which has been in place during this time of the pandemic, will be lifted beginning with the weekend of June 19-20. Of course, as always, the obligation does not apply to those who are ill, those who have been recently exposed to COVID-19 or any other communicable illness, those who are confined to their homes, nursing homes, or hospitals due to illness, infirmity, frailty, or age, and those not yet able to be vaccinated due to other health considerations.

We look forward to seeing you on the Lord’s Day – especially if you have been away from in-person worship during this challenging time.

Congratulations Graduates!

Congratulations to our College and High School students who have graduated this year! We extend our congratulations to them, and we will keep them in our prayers as they join the workforce, enter the service, or go on to college to further their education. We wish you all the best for the future!

Parish Mailing Address

Please keep in mind that the mailing address for all parish business, including Faith Formation or for Fr. John is:
St. Ann’s Parish
PO Box 247
Raynham Center, MA 02768-0247

Daily Mass & Church Hours – Mass Live Stream Information

A reminder, the church is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm for you to stop by and pray. Please exercise social distancing while in the church. Daily Mass is live-streamed on our website & Facebook at 8:00am each day.

The Daily and Sunday Mass is recorded for your viewing!

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/StAnnsParishRaynham

To view on Facebook, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/stannsraynham
and the live-stream appears under the Video section.

The Parish Facebook page is also embedded on this site at
https://stannsraynham.org/facebook-page/

The live stream video is compatible with all desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

St. Ann’s Online Giving

Many have been so thoughtful and concerned during these days about how we can continue to support our Parish. Many thanks to all who have mailed in or dropped off their contributions. We also have a new method – online giving. To sign up for that simply go to stannsraynham.weshareonline.org or click the “We Share” icon above. There you will be able to set up weekly, monthly, or a one-time contribution. It is very simple to use and very secure.

Welcome New Parishioners!

A word of welcome to our new parishioners! Please introduce yourselves to Fr. John, Deacon Joe, and Deacon Paul so that we can better serve you. We hope that you will become involved with our parish, and we look forward to your presence and participation each week.

Requirements to be a Godparent or Sponsor

You must be a confirmed Catholic, at least 16 years old, registered in a parish, and practicing your faith by weekly participation at Mass. If you are married, your marriage must be recognized as valid by the Church. Please see Fr. John after Mass to have a sponsor form signed.

Diocesan Television Mass

The Fall River Diocese sponsors a televised Mass each Sunday at 11:00am on WLNE-TV, ABC Channel 6, New Bedford-Providence. The Mass is re-aired at 12:30pm on Comcast cable channel 95 in Fall River. On the air since September 1963, the Television Mass serves members of the faithful who are unable to attend Mass at a parish church because of illness or infirmity.

Mass Online: http://www.fallriverdiocese.org/tv-mass/

Fr. John’s Message

Friends,

As we are looking forward to getting back to normal next weekend I’d like to just go over a few things to get us ready. First, despite things opening back up, the obligation to attend Mass has not yet been reinstated.

There will no longer be a need to register for Mass. Our capacity will be back to 100%. There will be no pews closed off and all the doors of the church will be unlocked. This will be a welcome relief. We will also not need to sanitize the church after every Mass. I am so grateful to all those who have given their time in making sure everything was safe for everyone. Your work has been so very much appreciated!

While masks are no longer required, we do ask that those who have not been vaccinated continue wearing masks. We have no way of telling who has been vaccinated or not so we will go on the “honor system”. No one will be asking to see any vaccination cards or asking if you’ve been vaccinated.

We are going to hold off on bringing up the gifts for a little longer and we will ask that those who are not in the same household only exchange the sign of peace by a gesture rather than a handshake.

For the time being, we will not be going back to the old way of taking up the collection. There will be baskets at each of the church doors for you to leave your contribution or you can utilize online giving found on our website. We have certainly felt the “pinch” during this past year. I am so grateful to all who have been able to continue giving and in many cases, giving more. I hope that as more people return to Mass we will find it a bit easier to handle our expenses.

Finally, and this is perhaps most important, if you are not feeling well or someone in your family is not feeling well, please remain home. There is never an obligation to attend Mass when one is ill or caring for a sick family member. But again, keep in mind, the obligation to attend Mass has not been reinstated at this time.

Thank you once again and please pray for a smooth transition back to “normal”.

God bless you!

Fr. John

A Message from Fr. John Friends

As I announced last weekend, I will be transferred in August. Since last week, your words of encouragement and appreciation have been overwhelming. I am so very grateful for the 9 years I have had with you and for the remaining months we have together. I know at some point we will have a chance for a proper farewell; in the meantime, I do not want to concentrate on that. I just want to enjoy my time here with you and be your pastor for these months. So, let’s have some fun, worship our Lord, and remember that nothing is ever permanent. I will be on vacation from May 29th to June 10th. So, I will see you when I get back.

God bless you all!
Fr. John

Pages

PARISH PRAYER LIST
Every other week the names of those for whom we are praying will be listed in the bulletin, with the  permission of the person who is sick or their family.  Please forward your prayer requests to Roberta Santos (jachan499@comcast.net). When making the request please leave your name and phone number.  Should you wish to keep the name private, that will be honored.

BAPTISMS
Anyone who would like to make arrangements for a baptism is asked to see Fr. John, Deacon Joe, or Deacon Paul after Mass.  Baptisms are held the first three Sundays of each month.

WHAT ARE REQUIREMENTS TO BE A GODPARENT OR SPONSOR?
You must be a confirmed Catholic, at least 16 years old, registered in a parish and practicing your faith by weekly participation at Mass.  If you are married, your marriage must be recognized as valid by the Church.  Please see Fr. John after Mass to have a sponsor form signed.

WELCOME NEW PARISHIONERS!
A word of welcome to our new parishioners!  Please introduce yourselves to Fr. John, Deacon Joe, and Deacon Paul so that we can better serve you. We hope that you will become involved with our parish, and we look forward to your presence and participation each week.

“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:14

At St. Ann's, we all work together to protect our children. Please visit the Diocesan SafeEnvironment page for information on how we protect the faithful, and the steps involved to minister, work,or volunteer in the Diocese. https://www.fallriverdiocese.org/office-of-safe-environment
Parish Mailing Address

Please keep in mind that the mailing address for all parish business, including Faith Formation or for Fr. John is:
St. Ann’s Parish, PO Box 247, Raynham Center, MA 02768-0247

Daily Mass & Church Hours – Mass Live Stream Information A reminder, the church is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm for you to stop by and pray. Please exercise social distancing while in the church.

Daily Mass is live-streamed on our Youtube channel and Facebook at 7:30am weekdays; 8:00am on Saturdays and holidays.

The Daily and Sunday Mass is recorded for your viewing!

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/StAnnsParishRaynham

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stannsraynham and the live-stream appears under the Video section of the page.

The Parish Facebook page is also embedded on this site at https://stannsraynham.org/facebook-page/

The live stream video is compatible with all desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.