The Great St. Ann's Ice Cream Churn-Off will be on Sunday, June 12, from 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall. If you are interested in preparing some homemade ice cream, please stop by the parish office to pick up our "contest rules." It promises to be a fun night with lots of great ice cream to taste! We will have hot dogs provided by our own Knights of Columbus, and play bingo in the hall! Everyone is invited to sample the ice cream and enjoy this social evening! A grand prize and additional prizes will be awarded.

We are very blessed to have amazing catechists in our Faith Formation program at St. Ann's! Thank you to all of our catechists who gave of their time, talent, and treasure this Faith Formation year! Their ministry to our young people is invaluable and very much appreciated!

We are looking for a few people to join the choir for the summer! Summertime is a great time to give our choir a break and "try out" a choir seat for yourself. We are very informal ... just arrive 30 minutes before Mass at the music office and grab a folder. There is no pressure or commitment, just enjoy hanging out with the music ministers this summer. You are welcome to attend rehearsals, but they are totally optional.

St. Ann's Quilting Ministry continues throughout the summer, making wheelchair lap quilts and baptismal blankets. Come join us on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month in Meeting Room C from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or whatever time you have available. We hope to see you there!

Anyone who currently works with or plans to work with children or youth and is not certified must attend a Safe Environment Training session. Our next session is Saturday, June 4, at 9 a.m. in the Adult Education Room. The certification lasts 5 years. To attend the training session, you must contact Adrian Johnson in the parish office (806-655-3302) or at ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.

As we put every aspect of our lives under the protection of God, our parish will host a blessings of cars, automobiles, RVs, boats, dune buggies, Segways, scooters, etc. on Saturday and Sunday, June 11 & 12, after each Mass. Please carefully drive your vehicle to the front of the church, forming two lines running south from Tierra Blanca Drive towards the church parking lot. Your vehicle will be blessed and doused with holy water.

Come join us for hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the fixins! We will enjoy our meal at the parish hall from 6-7:30 p.m.. We will also have corn hole and other fun games during that time! Afterwards, the Canyon Aqua Park will be open for use by our parishioners and their guests from 8-10 p.m. Please make plans to join us for this annual event!

Our last speaker series event for the spring features Cindy Lewis. Her presentation will be on "Meeting Mary in Our Everday Lives." Join us for refreshments served in the parish hall by the offices at 6:30 p.m., followed by Cindy's presentation in the church at 7 p.m.

Our May practices will be Thursday, May 5, and Thursday, May 19, at 5:45 p.m. We will start practice with a meet and greet in the conference room in the office area. There will be food, fellowship, and fun! At 6:30 p.m., we will adjourn to the church for an hour-long practice, and ending between 7:30-7:45 p.m.

The next Reborn session is scheduled for Tuesday, May 31, at 7 p.m. in the parish hall. This session is for those who are planning to have a son or daughter baptized in the next few months and those who have been invited to serve as a godparent. To register for the session, please contact Adrian Johnson at (806) 655-3302 or ajohnson@stannsofcanyon.org.

St. Ann's is sponsoring a blood drive on Monday, May 16, from 3-6:30 p.m. in the parish hall. Please schedule an appointment to donate blood by calling 806-331-8833 or visit yourbloodinstitute.org.

We will have an election/selection of new Parish Pastoral Council members in May. A good selection process involves a good runup period of formation and discernment for possible candidates. If you or someone you know is a faithful Catholic and member of St. Ann's would like to learn more about this important ministry in our community of faith and discern whether you may be called to give your gifts in this capacity, please attend one of the following Pastoral Council information sessions: Thursday, April 28, 7-8 p.m. in the Adult Education Room, or Sunday, May 1, 10:15-11:15 a.m. in the parish hall.

Join us for an evening with Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer, director of the Catholic Rural Life Committee of the Amarillo Diocese. His presentation, "Lessons from Grey Mule and Other Small Towns of the Texas Prairie," spotlights the vital importance of neighborliness with stories from present and former small towns (Quitaque, Cactus, Mobeetie, and Grey Mule). You won't want to miss this engaging presentation!

All graduating high school seniors are invited to participate as we celebrate their graduation at the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 15. Graduates should arrive at the church by 8:30 a.m. If you plan to participate in the Mass, please call the parish office at (806) 651-3302 or contact Joshua Dutchover at jdutchover@stannsofcanyon.org,

All women of St. Ann's are cordially invited to the Annual Christian Women's Mass, Dinner, and Installation of New Members on Tuesday, May 3. Mass is at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner. Cost for the dinner is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-10; children under 5 eat for free. Please RSVP by Monday, April 26, for new membership and/or the meal to Mary Knox. Her phone number is in the Christian Women's Banquet flyer. (Click on the article title to download the flyer.)

Come join a night of fun to support the building of our new school in Uganda that will facilitate 300+ deaf children! The gala is on Saturday, April 30, from 6-11 p.m. St. Ann's Parish Hall. The night includes a steak dinner, live music from Velvet Funk, a silent auction, a presentation from our founder Rannah, and a first look at our building plans! Visit www.stfrancisministries.org to get your tickets.

Those 55 and older are invited to a Potluck Luncheon and Bingo on Friday, April 22, at 1 p.m. Please bring either a main dish or substantive side dish. Desserts are also welcome. This is a great opportunity for food, fellowship, and lots of fun!

Join us between the Masses on Sunday, April 24, to celebrate Fr. Scott's birthday!

The Ladies of St. Ann's and the Knights of Columbus are offering two scholarships to parishioners who are graduating from high school and are planning on attending any higher education programs that prepare them for a career. Applications for this scholarship are available on the table in the narthex, the parish office, and on the parish website. The deadline for submitting the scholarship is this Tuesday, April 19.

Divine Mercy Sunday is next Sunday, April 24. Please note the following opportunities at St. Ann's to celebrate the feast and to receive the special plenary indulgence decreed by the Church. Extra Confession hours: Saturday, April 23, from 3-4:30 p.m. ; Tuesday, April 26, from 6-7 p.m.; Saturday, April 30, from 3-4:30 p.m. Please note that Confession for the indulgence may occur twenty days before or after the Feast of Divine Mercy! Praying the Our Father, Apostles' Creed, and a special Hail Mary for the Pope after all the weekend Masses of April 23-24. Encouragement of all to practice works of mercy and charity, especially inviting inactive Catholics back to the practice of their faith. In addition, we will have an image of Divine Mercy in the sanctuary for this feast, and gather at St. Ann's at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 24, to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.