St. Anne Catholic Church
A "Few" Words from Fr. Robert
Remember...Shush...It's a Surprise!
Please remember that Saturday, July 4th is the day Fr. Carlos Rivero will celebrate his first public Mass here at St. Anne at 9 a.m. We want to give him a warm Columbus welcome and show him how grateful we are that he said yes to his vocation as a priest. Here’s the plan:

  • Please come to our main church parking lot Saturday, July 4th between 9-9:30 a.m.
  • When Mass is over we will surprise him and bring him outside while all our bells are pealing. When you see him I hope all of the cars of our packed parking lot will start blowing their horns and waving signs of welcome and best wishes (neighbors are going to love us!).
  • Then, we will lead Fr. Carlos through the parking lot and he will give you and your families his first priestly blessing.
  • It would be great if some of you held up signs as he passed. If you leave your car please remember to social distance.
  • It would also be great if you and your family wrote Fr. Carlos a little note thanking him for his “yes” or maybe even “offering” him a small gift. Remember he has not had a public Mass of Thanksgiving. The Knights of Columbus will be following him with a basket and you can place your note or gift in it.
  • Once every car in the parking lot is blessed, everyone leaves and we should be done by 9:45 or 10 a.m. at the latest.

Please take the time to join us for this very special moment. Hope to see you there!
Challenging Times for Our Beautiful St. Anne Outreach
St. Anne Community Outreach is an amazing place. Staffed mostly by volunteers and a limited paid staff, our Outreach program feeds the hungry, provides medicine to the homeless, assists with utilities and rent, and does all it can to keep people from being evicted. To do all these things and more we have to be able to read the signs of the times and adapt our programs to meet the needs of those we serve. Katie Byers, the director of our Outreach Program, is great at doing just that. When the pandemic came, in a matter of days some of our Outreach programs were discontinued and others were enhanced. We live in uncertain times and the future asks us to be agile as we adapt to changing needs.
In this light, for the immediate future, the clothing distribution has stopped. The center’s food co-op and youth programs have been put on hold. All of these programs were run very well by Katrina Ranieri, the center’s assistant director. Sadly, because we stand at a crossroads, it was necessary to eliminate that position and take a breath to see where and how we will continue to meet the needs of those who come to us.

I am sad to see Katrina go. She is a generous, hard worker, who never ever asked anyone to do something she would not do herself. One day our maintenance men, Travis and Micah, came back to the office from Outreach and Travis exclaimed, “My goodness, that lady down at Outreach really works.” They had just watched Katrina move and bag an entire pallet of meat by herself. She also managed the food co-op, coordinated the center’s youth program, and managed the volunteers. Her energy will be missed by everyone who gives their heart and soul to St. Anne Community Outreach. I am most grateful for her efforts and wish her the very best. I hope everyone in the parish feels the same way. If you see Katrina, please thank her for a job well done. Katrina, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Please keep our Outreach Program and its leadership in prayer as it charts a brave and vibrant new future in these challenging and constantly changing times.
Lots Happening!
By the time you read this, the renovations to Deimel Field will be almost done and the old lights will be in the process of coming down. These are exciting times indeed! I find myself looking out at the field and wondering where I am. I never ever thought we would be able to see this day but there it is thanks to the generosity of some very supportive, caring donors - big and small - our dream has become a reality.

Things are also happening inside the school. All of the school’s lights have been changed to LED, and they will begin installing the new energy saving HVAC control system which will be in all of our school buildings. Fourteen of our very old and unserviceable air conditioning units will also be changed. These improvements in our school will be paid for by the energy savings they will produce. They will be budget neutral. In other words, they won’t cost us a dime.

Also, thanks to the $212,000 grant from the Cares Act, our security for outdoor spaces will be enhanced, and some of our technology will be upgraded to provide equal access for everyone when it comes to distance learning. New outdoor gathering and learning spaces are planned and funded. Enhanced cleaning and maintenance programs will also be established and funded by this grant.

Recently, a parent dropping her son off at school stopped me and said, “I’m amazed at everything that’s happening this summer. I’m so happy our school is moving forward.” She also told me how impressed she is with the effort that was put into our plan to open our school and keep our young people safe. As St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School President and High School Principal Ronie Collins always says, “It’s a Great Day to Be A Viking!”
Thanks So Much!
Special thanks to Lance Hoffman who is helping us clear a lot of brush from the area around the Box Road entrance of our beautiful campus. The city of Columbus feels that it is important to clear all of that brush for the integrity of our retention pond. Lance is literally saving us several thousand dollars with his hard work and sweat. Thank you, Lance, for your valuable contribution to our parish.
St. Anne Church Office is Always Open
To give the office staff a little extra time to celebrate with their families, the parish office will be closed Friday, July 3rd. However, even when the physical office is closed, we're not really closed thanks to the Office Portal on our website. Here you can request a Mass Intention, a Baptismal Certificate, Letter of Good Standing, and so much more!