Officer of the Year…Samantha Phillips
After attending the Columbus Police Officer of the Year Award Ceremony for Samantha Phillips, a St. Anne Church parishioner, I thought it was important for the parish to know why she received this distinguished honor. This is what was written in the program:
“In November of 2020 while working in an off-duty capacity at Peachtree Mall Corporal Phillips immediately recognized that a child in the food courts was choking and could not breathe. Corporal Phillips immediately started the “Child Heimlich Maneuver.” Corporal Phillips was successful in her actions with the child and the child started to breathe again. In December of 2020 while working again in an off-duty capacity at Peachtree Mall, Corporal Phillips was notified about a child who was choking inside one of the retail stores. Upon her arrival she realized that the 11-month-old was unresponsive. Corporal Phillips immediately began CPR until EMS could arrive on the scene. The child was transported to the hospital and survived. In both of these instances if Corporal Phillips had not been on the scene, the outcome would have been very different.”
Here is a picture of Samantha and her family at the awards ceremony. We make it a point to pray for our first responders and military personnel at every Mass. They face challenges every day that many of us will not face in a lifetime. The good that most of them do can’t be measured. Thank you, Samantha, for your good work.
Confirmation
Once again, this year, just under 70 of our young people received Confirmation this past Thursday. Many or most of them are in the 7th grade. There are a few, mostly from military families, who are older and have moved into the area and asked to receive Confirmation. Confirmation is always bittersweet for me. It is “sweet” because I am so happy to see so many young people receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. I am also happy that so many families still consider Confirmation important and encourage their children to receive it. It is “bitter” because, truth be told, we don’t see many of these children again. We have no programs geared toward them that will continue to support and deepen their faith through the challenging years of high school and beyond. I have long believed that for a parish of our size this is a serious problem which we need to address. Rest assured you will be hearing more about it in the future.
Graduation
Our St. Anne-Pacelli High School Class of 2021 will graduate from beautiful Deimel Field on May 15th. Fifty-eight young people will receive their diplomas from Bishop Stephen Parkes. Even with - and especially with - the pandemic, this has been a banner year for our beautiful school. Enrollment is up, as are test scores. The sports teams are doing great. Our basketball and baseball teams went to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs, and our soccer team advanced to the Final Four. These are all significant accomplishments. In addition to showcasing their talents on the fields and courts, our St. Anne-Pacelli students are also good stewards of their time, talent and treasure. They are responsible for running the monthly evening distribution of food at St. Anne Community Outreach. We have every reason to be proud of our school and are grateful to the administration, faculty and staff who make it the special place it is.
Adoration
Adoration with the women of our parish was beautiful last week. The attendance was a little lower with all that is going on, but it is a privilege to sit in church with some of the Moms and Grandmas of the parish. I strongly encourage all of the men and women of our parish to consider giving an hour a week of their time to our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration. You won’t be disappointed. The Lord always gives more than He takes. Quiet peaceful time is a perfect opportunity to rest, recharge and refocus on what’s important in life.