Busy days…
These have been whirlwind kind of days at our little St. Ann parish. After months of preparation by our co-chairs of the Sponsor’s Dinner Dance, Kay Dieckmann and Cheri Smith and their fine tuned crew of volunteers, we had a delightful evening celebrating the gifts and generosity of so many parishioners, alumni and supporters of ‘the Rock of Normandy.’ This year marked forty years worth of people stepping up to the plate with their time, talent and treasure to keep the mission of the parish alive and growing.
In a conversation I had that evening, an alumni commented: “It is amazing to see how much impact a small, dedicated group of volunteers continues to have on this parish. I bet you could trace a ‘core’ group of volunteers through out the entire history of this parish. Though the names will have changed through the decades, there are always a small number of families and individuals who truly are the pillars of this parish. It is such an amazing thing to see that kind of continuity of spirit, and to see how God uses people in each generation.” To that truth I could only say one thing: “Amen”.
Thanks to all who made the evening such a success. The numbers are amazing. As of this moment, Eileen tells me we made $65,329.84. What a huge gift to the future of our school and parish community. THANKS ONE AND ALL!!!
This past weekend, found a different crew of dedicated parishioners creating another ‘event’ for the parish. Thanks to Michelle Haley who spearheaded the Parish and School Picnic on Friday and Saturday of this weekend. I have to admit, I was a bit leery about being able to afford the rides (thank you parents and grandparents!), but due to much hard work by Michelle’s committee, they were able to turn a profit from the picnic for the parish as well. (~ $2,300…)
Thanks to Michelle and Mark Haley, Katie Andrews, Robin Provost, Carrie Simms, and the rest of the committee for all their hard work and energy. Thanks to all who braved the dunking booth for what was a chilly bath. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for the ice cream booth, SACPO for helping to underwrite the costs of the picnic, Norm Jacob and Bruce Gardiner who kept night vigil on the grounds making sure that nothing ‘walked away’, to the band “No Exit” for providing entertainment, to the Men’s club for their always succulent BBQ and for all who helped make the weekend such a gift for our parish community.