Entries for April 2022

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

Saturday, April 30, was a very special day in the life of our Parish Family, as eighteen girls and boys received the Risen

Christ for the first time. My gratitude to their parents, their teacher, Richard McIntosh, and Laura Gywali, our Parish

School of Religion Principal. Please pray for them.

MAY CROWNING

The month of May is dedicated to Mary, our Blessed Mother. Saint Mary of the Annunciation is the focus of our prayer as we honor Mary and ask her to intercede for us to help us become more like Jesus, her Son and our Savior. May we accept these days to pray the rosary for peace in our hearts, our families, our nation, and the world in which we live, especially for the people of Ukraine.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

We welcome Bishop Mark Rivituso, Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis, on this Thursday, May 5th, as he celebrates the Eucharist at 7 p.m.and confers the Sacrament of Confirmation on our junior high teens. Parishioners are most welcome to come to Mass andpraise God with our teens and their families as they complete their full initiation into their Catholic Faith! Come Holy Spirit!

ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL

During this time of uncertainty and suffering, the Annual Catholic Appeal continues to sustain ministries and services throughout St. Louis and ten surrounding counties. Our reach is extensive, our Catholic devotion runs deep, and our readiness to live the Gospel is strong. Your prayerful support will play a central role in impacting the lives of those served. Those who are in need of God’s love are not strangers. They are family. Let us come together as one Church to lift up anymember of our family who seeks God’s grace and mercy.

Please make a gift to the 2022 Annual Catholic Appeal—we are grateful for your participation!

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THE MIRACLE OF DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

The Universal Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday. It’s origin stems from St. Faustina who was privileged to receive apparitions from Jesus emphasizing His mercy, and especially His mercy today. Jesus promised that those who go to Confession and Receive Holy Communion today will receive not only forgiveness for their sins, but the total remission of all temporal punishment for their sins. What does this mean? It is like a second Baptism, all sin and punishment is wiped out!

You are Invited for Divine Mercy Celebration

Pastor Father Michael Grosch and the parishioners of St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood invite you to join them for a Divine Mercy Celebration on Sunday afternoon, April 24th. St. Gerard Majella is located at Ballas Road and Dougherty Ferry, one block east of I-270, at 1969 Dougherty Ferry in Kirkwood.

V The Service will be in the Church from 2:30-4:00 pm. There will not be a Mass.

V There will be Veneration of First Class Relics of St. Faustina (bone) and St. Gerard Majella (bones) from 1:45-2:25 pm and after the Service.

V There will be Confession from 2:00 until all are heard, Blessing of the Image, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 pm, the Divine Mercy Litany, Benediction, and the Divine Praises.

"ALL THINGS NEW”

In the update given in the Easter Sunday bulletin, the Archdiocese of St. Louis Strategic Pastoral Planning Initiative moves into its next phase. Please, Pray! Again, we had a total of 367 Disciple Maker Index Surveys filled out. The results will be shared with each pastor and our parishleadership committee this coming June. Our committee members, Deacon Tom Gottlieb, Katie Ackerman,Rick Holton, Jr., Deanie Reis, Liza Thornhill, and Charlie Weiss will go over the survey results and then forward our recommendations toFather Chris Martin, the Vicar for All Things New.

Remember that there will be 372 listening sessions at Parishes throughoutthe Archdiocese this fall. As soon as I receive the information on out Parish dates, I will publicize it so all may take part.

Donation Recommendations for Ukraine

With the ever-changing situation in Ukraine, the Archdiocese of St. Louis recommends the following two suggestions for getting aid to the people of Ukraine:

The first option for aid is through the Ukraine Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Checks may be sent directly to the Ukraine Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The check should be marked “Humanitarian Aid Fund for Ukraine.” The address is 810 N. Franklin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.

Catholic Relief Services is well known for its presence to disaster areas for bringing immediate aid to those who are in need. Donations may be sent to Catholic Relief Services/Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine at 228 W. Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-3443.

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EASTER WELCOME

Dear parishioners, relatives and friends, beloved visitors, thank you for being an important part of the greatest solemnity of the year:  the holyday of Easter which celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!  After His crucifixion, death, and burial, three days later, Jesus rose from the grave. By this, He conquered death and redeemed us from sin.

Christ’s Resurrection means that eternal life is granted to all who believe in Him, live the Gospel, and accept His gift of Salvation!  The purpose of Easter also means the full confirmation of all that Jesus taught and preached as the Son of God!

Update on “All Things New”

The Archdiocese of St. Louis Strategic Pastoral Planning Initiative is dependent on prayer and good discernment.  There is no predetermined plan.  Good discernment requires information if we are going to discern what the future should look like.  Annunziata Parish is blest to have 77.9% participation in the Disciple Maker Index Survey based on the October, 2021 weekend Mass count numbers for three weekends.  Paper copies of the survey returned is 209 added to the 158 online surveys comes to a total of 367 surveys completed.

As announced on January 25th, the launch date of “ALL THINGS NEW”, every parish in the Archdiocese was asked to assemble a team of five key parish leaders to help guide the discussions at the parish level.  Our Team announced in January is Katie Ackerman, Rick Holton, Jr., Deanie Reis, Liza Thornhill, and Charlie Weiss.  Our Parish Team will participate in several educational webinars in May and June.  Then our Parish Team will be provided a workbook and conversation guide to help process feedback from the 367 Disciple Maker Index surveys from our parish, and then steer discussions toward the greatest needs for evangelization and social outreach.

Additionally, 372 listening sessions will be held at parishes across the Archdiocese in October and November of this year.  These sessions are expected to include proposed models for the future structure of the Archdiocese.

You are Invited for Divine Mercy Celebration

Pastor Father Michael Grosch and the parishioners of St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood invite you to join them for a Divine Mercy Celebration on Sunday afternoon, April 24th.  St. Gerard Majella is located at Ballas Road and Dougherty Ferry, one block east of I-270, at 1969 Dougherty Ferry in Kirkwood.

V The Service will be in the Church from 2:30-4:00 pm.  There will not be a Mass. 

V There will be Veneration of First Class Relics of St. Faustina (bone) and St. Gerard Majella (bones) from 1:45-2:25 pm and after the Service. 

V There will be Confession from 2:00 until all  are heard, Blessing of the Image, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 pm, the Divine Mercy Litany, Benediction, and the Divine Praises.

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The Light is On for You!
Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Sacrament of God's Loving Forgiveness

Confessions will be offered (behind the screen only)

Saturdays - 3:30p.m. until 4:45p.m.

Palm Sunday - after all Masses

Wednesday, April 13th - 5:00 until 7:00p.m.

Good Friday - after the 12:00 noon Stations of the Cross and
                       after the 7:00p.m. service

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FATHER CHARLES SAMSON

Your Parish of Annunziata offers a special opportunity to grow closer to God in Lent each year.  The annual Lenten Parish Mission is led this year by Father Charles Samson, a great Diocesan Priest who brings a wealth of insight, knowledge, and holiness.  Perhaps you have read his book on the Holy Land, or heard him speak in any number of forums throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

CONFESSIONS

It has been said that when you have someone special or something special in your life, it is a temptation to take that person or that gift for granted.  As Catholics we believe that by Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection He defeated sin and death, and that on the night of the Resurrection He gave His Church the great Sacrament of loving forgiveness and Divine Mercy.  If you have ever made a good confession then you know the truth:  God forgives your sins, gives you inner peace, joy, relief, and love that you never expected!  God welcomes you always—no matter if you forgot how to receive the Sacrament, no matter how long it has been, Jesus says, “Be not afraid” Come, talk to Christ heart to heart!  Come, in this anonymous setting, and lay everything at the foot of the Cross.  Confessions are heard at the following dates and times:

Sunday, April 3rd, after all the Masses (two priests)

Tuesday, Apr 5th, after the Mission Mass (about 8 p.m. — 4 priests)

Saturday,Apr 9th, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

Sunday, Apr 10th, after all the Masses

Wednesday, Apr 13th, from 5p.m. to  7:00 p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY, Apr 15— after Noon Stations of the Cross & after the 7 p.m. Good Friday Service

DISCIPLE MAKER INDEX SURVEY

THANK YOU to all who have filled out the anonymous survey, sharing your thoughts, reflecting on your spiritual growth, and our parish’s strengths and opportunities.  The  expression of your attitudes and beliefs, your relationship to your parish, your satisfaction, participation, and the demographics will help us in formulating the Strategic Plan for the Archdiocese..  If you have not filled out the survey as of today, it is still not too late.  You have until midnight, Monday, April 4th to go online to our parish website, or fill out a paper copy of the survey being handed out at Church this Sunday morning, or use the QR code. 

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