St. Anne Catholic Church
A "Few" Words from Fr. Robert
Our Parish
We all know that we are in uncharted waters. The pandemic has certainly affected the life of our parish and the religious practice of our people and I am afraid it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The status quo, or the way we have done things in the past, no longer satisfies the spiritual needs of our parishioners. We have to think outside the box and discern how God is calling us to live the Gospel now in our circumstances. Parishes all over the country are asking the same questions: How is God calling us to serve our people? On a macro level it would appear that we will have to have both a virtual and in-person presence in many aspects of our ministry. Rest assured that we will continue to discern God’s will and God’s dream for our parish in the near and long term. As I type this I am preparing for a Parish Council meeting to discern God’s call and answer it.
Our Campus - Ezekiel 47
“I saw water flowing out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east...” -Ezekiel 47:1
About a week ago, on one of my walks, I began to notice water flowing on the side of the church onto the parking lot. At first I hoped it was from the sprinkler system but, alas, it appears to be much more serious and could mean that a pipe broke under the cement slab or floor/foundation of the building. We are in the process of searching for people who can find the leak’s location and repair it. This looks like it could be a major project. 
Trees, Trees, Trees
The seven trees and major limbs that fell a couple weeks ago have been cleared. A huge tree that is next to our batting cages will also be removed since it is about to do permanent damage to the roof of the structure. Sadly, we also have to take down Hank Nagem Tower. It does not meet modern codes and one of the legs was a light pole that has since been taken down. It is our hope, eventually, to build another structure which will enable us to record all three sports that will play on Deimel Field. 
Let There Be Light
We have been promised that the new LED field lights will be installed in the next few weeks; all of the polls and lighting supports had to be manufactured specifically for our field. We can’t wait to see our new field at night! 
Our Beautiful School
Our school’s reopening plan continues to go well. All of our students, teachers and staff are cooperating and compliant with health and safety protocols. Even the little ones have been faithfully wearing their masks all day. The other day, I saw our PK4 students perfectly practicing social distancing using the little circle reminders on the floor in Mercy Hall. I am so proud of our faculty, staff and students for doing everything to keep each other safe. I know what it is to have the COVID-19. Out of the five friars, four had flu-like symptoms and one ended up in the hospital on a ventilator. This is nothing we should take lightly and we are very serious about doing all we can to avoid community spread in our church, our school and our Outreach program.
Outreach Blessing 
I’m told that St. Anne Community Outreach received a sizable grant from the City of Columbus. These monies will be used to expand and staff our rent assistance program. In the near future rent assistance programs may be discontinued, placing many families in jeopardy of losing their homes. The homeless shelters in Columbus are already full. Programs like ours have proven to help many people from being evicted. It is no surprise to me that the city is giving us more resources to help those in the margins who are in danger of being evicted. St. Anne Community Outreach has had a great record of doing just that for over 40 years.