Holy Week

Dear Parishioners,

Some very special and holy days will soon be upon us. Here’s a short summary of these amazing days.

Chrism Mass
To start off these events, the Church will celebrate, here in the Archdiocese of Portland, the Chrism Mass. This Mass will assemble nearly all of the priests serving our archdiocese at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, the mother church, the place where the “cathedra,” the chair of the bishop is located, the sign of the authority of Archbishop Sample. At that Mass we priests will renew our promises and join with the archbishop in prayer for the blessing of the Holy Oils (Oil of the Sick, Oil of the Catechumens, and the Oil of Chrism). From that Mass we will return to our respective parishes where these oils will be presented before the community on Holy Thursday.

Palm Sunday
This coming weekend, we celebrate of The Passion of the Lord, also known as Palm Sunday. In this Mass, we begin, in earnest, “Holy Week.” We will be given blessed palms which will be used as signs of remembrance of the the triumphant entry of Christ to Jerusalem. We will listen attentively to the Gospel’s account of the Passion of our Lord in a interactive way, as is our custom. I recommend everyone to wear read that day.

Holy Thursday

Later in that week, on Thursday the 29th, we begin the Triduum, the three holy days that start with Holy Thursday. At that Mass, we hear about the Last Supper and how Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles. After the homily, the priest will wash the feet of people from our community who represent our different ministries. The Eucharist will be received as per usual at Mass, but the conclusion of the Mass will differ. Instead of just ending the Mass, we will offer a period of time (until 10 PM) for people to stay and be present to Christ in the Eucharist on the altar.

Good Friday
On Good Friday, March 30th, all are invited to go to the First Christian Church (305 SW H St.) for an ecumenical Good Friday Service. I have been asked to preach. Later in the evening (7 PM), St. Anne will offer our Good Friday Service where the presider will enter in silence and prostrate himself at the altar. Then we will listen to an extended and interactive narrative of the Passion of the Lord. There will be special intercessions followed by the popular Veneration of the Cross. Lastly, Holy Communion will be offered, and all will leave in a solemn silence.

Easter Saturday and Sunday
On Saturday evening, all are invited for the pinnacle of the Church’s celebrations: The Easter Vigil of Holy Saturday. This Mass will begin outside with the lighting of the Easter Fire, blessing of the new Paschal Candle, and procession into our gathering space (this year our Parish Center). The deacon will proclaim the “Exsultet.” Then the community feasts on a large portion of the Scriptures reflecting on the history of salvation. After this, the Elect come forward to be baptized. Then they join the Candidates to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This celebration culminates in the reception of their First Holy Communion. The next day, on Sunday, St. Anne will hold all the Easter Masses in the Gym across the street at Lincoln Elementary School. The celebration of Christ’s glorious Resurrection is the reason for our hope. It is the goal for which we long. It is the reason for the season  and the days that follow.  

I hope that you will be able to find time to be part of every moment of these holiest of days ahead.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Pastoral Ministry Update

Dear Parishioners,

I just thought I’d give you an update as to what has been going on regarding St. Anne’s pastoral ministries since the departure of Carolyn Trumble and Randi Lauby. Their departures have made an immediate impression as to how much work they had been doing. Their absence has also shown how valuable they were to us. I certainly wish to lift them up and wish them the best in their new ventures. Upon their departures, I immediately opened up both positions and formed a search committee. The results were that we did not hire anyone for either position.  This has left us in a tough spot. Yet, I am confident that God is at work, though I must admit, I don’t fully know how.  I do know that we need to reset and rethink these positions and plan to start our search over in the Spring. That being said, good things have been happening ever since.

Regarding ministry for our children, Jennifer Perez, wife of Ramey Perez our Coordinator of Music Ministry, stepped forward to temporarily steward our Faith Formation for Children.  She had been already serving in a support role for Carolyn, so she knows our history and direction going forward. Her role is that of coordinating the catechists for our grade schoolers in Faith Formation as well as RCIC. Sandra Lopez, whom we hired earlier in the year, has continued to serve in many wonderful ways to help Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, and has been an effective liaison to our Hispanic community, maintaining our commitment to serving all of parishioners regardless whether they speak English or Spanish.

Regarding Youth Ministry, our Confirmation classes began this past week, lead by Reneé and Gabe Snodgrass with catechists, Sean and Kristin Bachmann, and Nilda Arms serving in the very needed administrative role.  The Confirmation classes will run concurrent with Faith Formation each week.  At this writing, there is no program for gathered events (aka “Youth Nights”) for Middle School or High School on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s, respectively.  This remains a hole we need to fill. So, I will be hosting a “Youth Ministry Summit” for anyone who has an interest in these two age groups.  Parents, teens, and any adults are welcome to attend.  I will be hosting that meeting at 9:30 AM on Sunday the 22nd of October in the Kelly Youth Center.  Please come with your thoughts, questions, ideas, and most of all, passion to help lift up our young ones in our parish.  Despite not having a youth minister or a concrete plan for youth nights, we are committed to host vicariate event for teens called, XLT, which is basically praise and worship along with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  Fr. Jeff Eirvin, the Vocation Director of the Archdiocese, will be the guest speaker and will share his thoughts on our vocational call.  That will take place on November 10th at 7 PM the Kelly Youth Center.

Many ministries are in transition this year. That means change which can be very hard at times.  I want to thank all who have been prayerfully supporting our ministries, and ask you to please continue.  If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Blessed Easter!

Dear Parishioners,

Blessed Easter!  Christ is risen from the dead! Alleluia! Alleluia!

All during the season of Lent we’ve been preparing ourselves for this time.  Now it is upon us.  But what does that mean?  You might ask, what significance is that for me?  Well, simply put, it means that there is an opportunity for heaven for you and for me.  It means that we can be forgiven of our sins.  It means that Jesus broke the barrier of death so that we can live forever.  It is the fulfillment of the law and prophets. It means that death is not the end.  It means that the Eucharist is more than just receiving Jesus, it is a foretaste of heaven. 

Easter means that we have many new Catholics in our midst.  On Easter Vigil Saturday, we baptized 9 people, submersing them in the waters of forgiveness.  Sixteen were further confirmed and given their first Holy Communion.  It was a joyous time.  This year’s class of new Catholics were a real inspiration to me and our whole team.  From day one, our RCIA team knew that this would be a special year.  As we gathered for our first class, it became obvious that we could not fit in the room.  There were simply too many people.  What a delightful problem.  So, we simply moved to a larger room for the year.  What transpired was amazing, mysterious, and joy-filled.  I want to especially thank Jessica Bubien, our Pastoral Associate, as this was her first year directing our RCIA.  I want to thank the many persons on her team. Without them, we couldn’t have offered our RCIA well.  Thank you all!

So now that Easter has arrived, I pray that you and your family will have a time of peace and joy.  The days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer.  These are God’s ways of showing us how much he loves us.  But even then, they pale in comparison to Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead.  So, let them always remind you of this cost of true love.  

May you all have a blessed Easter!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor