Even in a year of pandemic, children and families need Christmas presents. Thank you one and all for an incredibly successful Virtual Angel Tree. I never cease to be amazed at the generosity of our parish. We collected 714 Christmas gifts for those in need this year. This generous bounty is distributed through local charitable organizations which were most grateful to receive them.

Because we can’t invite you to our annual Children’s Christmas Choir performance or our school’s Christmas Program, this year we invite you to watch them online. They will both be broadcast online via www.stannecsg.com and www.BeAViking.com. Remember, both our church and school live streams are also available on Roku. This enables those with a Roku device or a Roku enabled TV to watch all of our broadcasts on their big screen TVs. If you don’t know what Roku is ask your children or grandchildren. To find us on Roku search for St. Anne Live or Viking Live.

With the coming of the Covid vaccine all of us hope that our lives will return to normal or a “new normal” in 2021. However it is essential that we still maintain all of our standard safeguards at the Christmas liturgies. Therefore even though it will be difficult we will:

All liturgies will be live streamed on Facebook and the parish website. In the event that all three of our worship spaces (Church/Chapel/Visitation Hall) are filled or you are concerned for your safety attending Mass you are invited to return to your cars and watch the live stream. At the time for communion, Extraordinary Ministers will bring our Lord to the front doors of the church and you will be able to receive Holy Communion at all of our Christmas season liturgies. Just to help you plan, because of social distancing, the capacity of our Church, Chapel and Hall is around 330. Without social distancing our Church usually seats 600.

Mass 2 p.m. - Very heavily attended (projected attendance as of 12/17/20 is 271)

Mass 4 p.m. - Very heavily attended (projected attendance as of 12/17/20 is 215)

Mass 6 p.m. - May have more space available (projected attendance as of 12/17/20 is 131)

Mass Midnight - May have more space available (projected attendance as of 12/17/20 is 111)

Mass 10 a.m. - May have more space available (projected attendance as of 12/17/20 is 64)

Mass 9 a.m.

4 p.m. Confessions Cancelled

Mass 5:30 pm

Mass 8 a.m.

Mass 10:30 a.m. - Heavily Attended

Mass 12:30 p.m.

Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 a.m. each day

Vigil Mass 6 p.m.

Mass 10 a.m.

Mass 9 a.m.

Confessions 4 p.m.

Mass 5:30 p.m.

8:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m. - Heavily Attended

12:30 p.m.

We continue to receive contributions to our Covid deficit appeal this year. Remember at the end of the first quarter our income was down $59,000. I am sure that your generous support will help us alleviate our Covid deficit and restore our financial resources. Thank you one and all for helping us out. It’s just one less thing I have to worry about. You always come through.

I wish to recognize and thank two very generous and talented people who have coordinated our church decorating for several years. Annie Alexander and Carol Brown have generously shared their talents with our parish and help us enter into the spirit of the season with beautiful decorations. Sadly, this will be their last Christmas doing so. Their other commitments prevent them from continuing. We are most grateful for their generous gifts of time and effort. In the spring we will begin to discern who we can find to help with this important project. Carol and Annie, thank you!

Church calendars will be available on tables in the Commons Area at all of the Masses this weekend. They will also be available on Christmas Day (if there are any left). Please do your best to only touch one as you walk out the door so that we don’t inadvertently spread the coronavirus.

Stewardship of Treasure

COVID Deficit Appeal

Attendance

This week’s altar flowers were donated in loving memory of Charles Holmes by his family; and in loving memory of Tonya L. Roy by Joe Roy. If you would like to donate altar flowers in memory of or in honor of a loved one, please call the Parish Office. The cost is $100.

This week's gift of bread and wine was donated by Joe Roy in loving memory of his wife, Tonya L. Roy. If you would like to offer the bread and wine for Mass in honor of or in memory of a loved one, please call the Parish Office to schedule your weekend. Your offering of $50 will help defray the cost.

Each year, the Catholic Schools Collection is taken up at all Christmas Masses to benefit Catholic schools in the Diocese of Savannah. Our school, St. Anne-Pacelli, will greatly benefit from this collection. You may give online, drop your donation in the collection box at Mass or mail it to the Parish Office.