News - March 2020 RSS Feed

Because of the latest "shelter-in-place" restrictions put into place in Amarillo and Canyon, and subsequent instructions from the diocese, we will not have scheduled Confessions until further notice. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:  "Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved of all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness, (that which the penitent is at present able to express) and accompanied by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones" (cf. CCC, no. 1452).

Anyone in need of assistance (someone to go to the grocery store, food, cleaning items, etc.) can call our parish office and we will make sure that we have one of our Knights of Columbus or parish volunteer connect with you. Please call the parish office at 806-655-3302 for assistance or to volunteer.

Parishioners and friends of St. Ann's can now make one-time or recurring gifts directly on our parish website. It's simple and secure. You can even turn your tithe into an automatic gift that gives when and how often you'd like with your own online donor account. Visit stannsofcanyon.org/give by clicking on "Online Giving" above to see how easy it is! While we will be unable to gather as a community for Mass, St. Ann’s still needs your financial support to pay bills, salaries and offer support to other parishioners who may be in great need during this time. If you have not signed up for online giving please consider doing so. Parishioners can make weekly one time payments our automatic payments at stannsofcanyon.org/give If you would still like to give by check or cash we are asking that envelopes be dropped off in the curbside mailbox in front of the Rectory, or be sent to the parish P.O. Box. 59, Canyon, TX 79015.

All Masses have been suspended until further notice due to the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) protocols enacted by Bishop Zurek.

All Faith Formation classes have been suspended until further notice due to the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) protocols enacted by Bishop Zurek.

St. Ann's has a parish subscription to FORMED. You can sign up for Formed by going to formed.org/signup on your PC or laptop and entering "St. Ann's Catholic Church" into the search bar.  It will say "St. Ann's Catholic Church, 605 38th Street, TX" and that is our parish. (You must sign up with a PC or laptop before you do so on a mobile device.)  Please click on the article title to connect to the FORMED sign up page.

First Reconciliation for all First Communion students will be next Saturday, March 21, at 11 a.m. OR Saturday, March 28, at 11 a.m. If you have not signed up, please contact Adrian Johnson, DRE, at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.

St. Ann's parishioners are asked to help Catholic Charities by placing donated cans in the food barrels locaetd in the northwest corner of the narthex (near the mosaic). Each month, a different food theme will be chosen to help with the food pantry at Catholic Charities. This Month:  Canned noodles.

In conjunction with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, special protocols for Masses have been put into place by Bishop Zurek until further notice. These protocols will be read before each of this weekend’s Masses. Some things to note before you come to Mass: • Please do not come to Mass or to any large gatherings of people if you are sick, elderly, have a compromised immune system or chronic illness. It is not wrong to miss Mass in these circumstances and in light of the current pandemic. • Please plan to avoid handshaking and close contact at the liturgies until further notice. • Feel free to spread out in the church if possible in order to put some distance between each other. • Come with clean hands and a plan to cover your mouth and nose if you need to cough or sneeze. • Please note that the parish staff and Ushers will be wiping down door handles and other surfaces between Masses. • Exercise thoughtfulness and courtesy, especially as we seek to do our own part to protect not only ourselves but others who might be more vulnerable. Lord, take care of your people, especially those who are sick and vulnerable as well as those health care workers and scientists who seek to cure and care for those struck by disease. Help us in this time of need to live cautiously but not fearfully, remembering your everlasting care for your people. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

All youth in grades 5-12 are invited to join us for a pulled pork meal provided by St. Jude Circle. After our meal, intermediate and junior high students will learn the difference between a vocation and a career and look at what vocations men and women are called to and why. High school teens will dive into growing and sustaining their faith.

A baptism preparation class will be held this Tuesday, March 10. This session is for those who are planning to have a son or daughter baptized in the next few months, and for thos who will serve as a godparent. You must be a registered parishioner for at least three months or have a letter of active participation from your pastor in order to participate in this class. Please call the parish office at 655-3302 to register for the class.

Anyone who currently works with, or plans to work with, children or youth and is not yet certified, must go through the Safe Environment Training offered this Saturday, March 7th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Adult Education Room.  The certification lasts 5 years.  If anyone is unsure whether their training has expired, please contact Adrian Johnson at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.  Also, if you plan to attend the training, please fill out the Questionnaire for Employees and Volunteers and bring it to the class on Saturday.(Please click on "Safe Environment Training" in the article title to access the form in either English or Spanish.)

The Children's Choir will be singing at Mass on Sunday, April 19, at the 9 a.m. Mass. To prepare, we will have the following rehearsal schedule:  5:45-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays beginning March 25 through April 15. Thank you, parents, for allowing your children to share their talents for this important ministry. Your support is much appreciated.

After several discussions with those who run our Little Lambs Pre-K program as well as our parish Pastoral and Finance Councils, it has been decided to shutter Little Lambs after this spring. Due to a variety of circumstances, the program hasn't been able to maintain the numbers to make it financially viable. As we seek to meet the needs of the community, however, we hope to increase the numbers in our Parents Day Out program and continue to discern what else calls our faith family to address. We extend a special thanks to Little Lambs director Karen Wyatt and to Denise Meraz for the persevering spirit in serving those children and families in Little Lambs these past years.

The books for this group have arrived and are available in the Reconciliation Room. The title of the book is Holy Envy by Barbara Brown Taylor. Those who registered can sign your name when you pick up your book. There is a basket available for donations to help offset the cost to the parish. Thank you for your generosity! There will be a discussion of the book at the beginning of Easter time. The date and time of the discussion group is to be determined. If you did not register and would like a book, contact Adrian Johnson at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org

The very dedicated St. Ann's Choir is beginning to prepare for the upcoming Easter season. We would love to have YOU join us. We offer Wednesday or Thursday choir practices at 6:30 p.m. (you will be out in an hour!). You can also choose which Sunday Mass you would like to sing at, either 9 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. For the Triduum this year, the choir will join as one large choir to celebrate the Easter season. Please consider joining us! If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Good at the parish office (655-3302) or by email at cgood@stannsofcanyon.org

If you are the parent of a graduating senior and would like your graduate recognized in the West Texas Catholic newspaper, please submit your graduate's name with the high school they attend no later than Monday, March 2. If you have any questions, please contact Joshua Dutchover at jdutchover@stannsofcanyon.org

All parents of youth in grades 5-12 are invited to join us for a night of Social Media for youth and parents, on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m. Youth will meet in their regular rooms while parents will meet in Meeting Room C to discuss the good and bad of social media and how parents can better monitor and discuss this topic with your youth.

The service project for the Confirmation program has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 10, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Snack Pak. Youth will help pack food for those in need in our community. We are also asking that everyone bring 5-10 16-ounce jars of peanut butter on March 10. Snack Pak is located at 11805 I-27, Amarillo, TX  79119.