Pope Francis recently established the ministry of catechist in his Apostolic Letter "Antiquum Ministerium!" The pope says that "From the beginning, the Christian community was characterized by many different forms of ministry carried out by men and women who, obedient to the working of the Holy Spirit, devoted their lives to the building up of the Church." If you are interested in serving in this crucial ministry of the Church this upcoming school year, please contact Adrian Johnson at 655-3302 or ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org. There will be a workshop/training at the end of July.

This weekend we will have sign-ups and more information on our Spiritual Gifts Workshops available in the narthex.

We will once again be offering Totus Tuus, a week-long catechetical program for students entering grades 1-12. This year's program will be June 20-25. Students in grades 1-5 will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Friday, while grades 6-12 will meet Sunday through Thursday evenings from 7-9:15 p.m. Registration is available on the glass table in the narthex or by clicking on "Totus Tuus Registration" above. To volunteer to host the team for the week or to serve as classroom assistants during the morning and afternoon sessions, contact Adrian Johnson in the parish office (655-3302) or at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org

Anyone who currently works with or plans to work with children or youth and is not certified must go through the Safe Environment Training offered Thursday, May 13, at 7 p.m. in the Adult Education Classroom. The certification lasts 5 years. To attend the training you must contact Adrian Johnson in the parish office at 655-3302 or at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.

Parents seeking Baptism for their children and those who have been invited to serve as a Godparent are required to attend a Baptism preparation session prior to the Baptism. The next Baptism Preparation session is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25. at 7 p.m. in the Adult Education Classroom. Please contact Adrian Johnson at 655.3302 or ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org to register for the session and for more information.

Students preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation this year are required to attend 4 in-person classes in the Adult Education Classroom from 10:15-11:15 a.m. The next class is Sunday, February 21. Please contact Adrian Johnson if your student is unable to attend.

St. Ann's Small Groups, a new initiative in our parish, will be starting for the Lenten-Easter season. We have groups for all ages from children to adults! Please keep your eye on your Flocknotes as well as looking for the sign up sheets that are now available in the narthex. We invite you all to join this new opportunity for 2021. For more information, you can email Angela Asbill at aasbill@stannsofcanyon.org. Her phone number is in this week's (Jan. 31) bulletin.

We are excited to announce that St. Ann's will be forming small groups during the season of Lent this year. The purpose of our groups will be prayer, fellowship, learning more abut our Catholic faith, and becoming more active followers of Jesus. If you are interested in either hosting or facilitating a small group, please contact Angela Asbill at aasbill@stannsofcanyon.org. Note: There will be an upcoming day retreat on Saturday, January 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center (2100 North Spring Amarillo, TX 79107) to help train and equip all leaders of these groups.

Students preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation (8th grade) this year are required to attend our upcoming Confirmation Workshop on Sunday, January 17, at 2 p.m. OR on Sunday, January 24 at 2 p.m. with their parents. Sponsors are not required to attend this workshop. Childcare will be offered at both workshops. If you have a students who needs one of the these sacraments, but have not received an email or phone call from Adrian Johnson, our Director of Religious Education, please contact the parish office at 806-655-3302.

If you are 17 or older and have received the sacrament of First Communion, but were never confirmed, and are interested in being confirmed, please contact Adrian Johnson at the parish office at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org or at 806-655-3302.

Due to the inclement weather, the following activities have been cancelled: RCIA, Safe Environment Make-Up Training for High School, Teaching Mass (will be rescheduled), and Youth Night. We will still have our normal Masses at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. If you do not feel you can safely make it, you can watch last night's recorded Mass at the following link: https://youtu.be/suOGEc1kOJ8

If you registered for the Adult Education Class, you can come by the Parish Hall and pick up your materials on Sunday, October 4, from 10:15-11 a.m.

Faith Formation Registration is open online on our parish website, stannsofcanyon.org, under the ECOMMUNITY tab. Forms will also be available for download on the parish website and a paper form will be available on the glass table in the narthex. In-person registration will be available after all Masses starting September 19 and 20. For questions, please contact our Director of Religious Education, Adrian Johnson, or our Youth Director, Joshua Dutchover in the parish office.

A team of parish staff and catechists will be gathering this Tuesday evening to discuss plans for Christian Formation for children, teens and adults, including RCIA and youth ministry. Our diocese has already sent out a notice that classes are not to begin before October due to the COVID situation. Hopefully, we will come up with several options that will help us all grow in faith while staying safe. Stay tuned for more details.

On Saturday, 24 students from our parish celebrated their First Holy Communion. We congratulate them and invite all parishioners to pray that our First Communicants will continue to grow in love for Jesus as they receive Him in the Eucharist.

St. Ann's gives thanks to the catechists of our faith formation and Youth program this year! Their hard work and service are invaluable to the youth and future of our parish community! "Catechists are people who keep the memory of God alive; they keep it alive in themselves and they are able to revive it in others"--Pope Frances.

The catechumens and candidates in St. Ann's RCIA will be joining the Catholic Church on Saturday, May 30, at the 5 p.m. Mass. God, please continue to sustain and be with the catechumens and candidates as their journey finally leads them into Your fold. May they always follow your will and draw upon the grace you will give them in the sacraments of initiation to lead them to life everlasting! Amen.

Bishop Zurek will come to confer the sacrament of Confirmation on the students on Friday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. Please pray for the confirmandi as they prepare to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Confirmandi and sponsors must be at the church no later than 5:45 p.m.)

First Reconciliation for students preparing to receive First Communion has been rescheduled for June 9, 10, and 11 at 6:30 p.m. A sign up link has been sent out via email. If you have not received it, please contanct Adrian Johnson at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.  First Communion has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, for First Communicants and their families only. Limit is 10 people per child (including the child).

All students who were in Faith Formation this year (2019-2020) may come and pick up their textbooks on Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, May 29, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the parish hall. In order to ensure the least amount of contact, parishioners should pull up to either side of the parish hall and wait in their cars for someone to come out and get your name. The volunteer will then bring your children's textbooks out to you and you can be on your way! Contact Adrian Johnson with any questions or concerns. Thank you!