Entries for May 2025

Dear Parishioners:

I am super excited with Leo XIV’s election as our Pope.  He appears to be a welcoming person, who wants each of us to have a personal relationship with our God.   Although our daily routine of living might change over the summer months, remember one constant -- your relationship with the Lord and His love for you.  Sunday morning still remains the most important part of the week.  There can be no vacation from the celebration of the Eucharist.  Each Sunday, no matter what the season, we are invited to gather as the family of God to prayerfully and publicly profess our faith and to be nourished by God’s Word and by the Body and Blood of our Lord.

During these summer months let us all try and make some time to enter into conversation with our Lord through prayer.  Read the scriptures, go to a bookstore and purchase a book on our faith, participate in Eucharistic Adoration, pray a Rosary as a family, attend one of our daily liturgies.  All of these activities are opportunities to spend time with the Lord.

Easter Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

Our Annual Catholic Appeal continues, so far we have still not heard from many of our parishioners.  Please consider making a pledge to this appeal, which aids the neediest in our archdiocese.  If you have any questions about the appeal please contact me.

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Dear Parishioners:

This Saturday, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski will ordain one man each to the diaconate and to the priesthood.  Having these men answer the call to service in the Church is a wonderful gift to our local Church community. These new priests have promised to pledge their lives in dedication to the Lord and to the people of God.  As they begin their priestly ministry let us keep them in our prayers.

Last week Msgr John Leykam celebrated the Fifty-Third anniversary of his ordination and I celebrated the Forty-Second anniversary of my ordination.  Being a priest in service to God has enabled me to be with his people at important times and places in their lives.  I have also been blessed to lead the Eucharistic celebrations whereby we are all feed in Christ.  I have also been blessed by being a part of some wonderful parishes and I continue to be blessed both at Annunziata and at Ste Genevieve du Bois.  As you pray for our newly ordained, I would ask that you also pray for the priests that have served here and for all priests throughout the world that we may continue in our ministry to bring the face of Christ to those we meet. 

Let us pray that young men may consider a call to the priesthood, as our Church needs more priests to minister to its people.    Right now, there are less than 190 diocesan priests actively serving in the archdiocese.  As you can see while we have been blessed with a number of vocations the number of retiring priests (this year 7) still outnumbers those entering the priesthood.  The archbishop told me that our seminary Kenrick-Glennon is alive with new vocations, which is very encouraging, but as we know both at Annunziata and at Ste Genevieve du Bois more are still needed to answer the call.   Perhaps a young man in your family is waiting to hear a call to the priesthood?   If anyone wants to talk to me about a vocation, I am always ready to meet.  Thank you for all your present and past support to me and to all priests and seminarians, please continue your prayers for vocations, the Church and its priests.

Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

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Dear Parishioners:

A reminder that during this upcoming Easter season we will hear from the Acts of the Apostles “Look at those Christians, see how they love one another”!  As we celebrate the gift of the risen Lord in our midst this Easter Season, let us remember the love of God who gave all for us and that same love that we are called to share with each other.

We proclaim that we are to Be Messengers of Hope as we unite with other Catholics and men and women of faith across the archdiocese. Through the Annual Catholic Appeal, we join together and make possible the Church’s mission of evangelization, education, and the many ministries of charity. Your participation in the Appeal helps our parish remain vibrant and keeps our school of religion  Alive in Christ. It is important that we all participate and encourage every family and individual in our parish to do so as well.

Our Annual Catholic Appeal: “Alive in Christ” is the largest and most important annual appeal in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Your donations are vital to so many in our Archdiocese.  Those you help are our school children, our teachers, our senior citizens, and our parishes in need.  This appeal also reaches out to a wider community in our city, to the poor, the homeless and the most vulnerable in our society, all are helped by your generous donations. 

Thank you for your generous support of the Appeal in the past. Wherever people have a genuine need in our Archdiocese, the Annual Catholic Appeal is likely to be involved in meeting that need. Your gift is critical to the success of this Appeal.  This is one time a year; we come together as Catholics to make this gift to those who need us. At times of joy and celebration, loneliness and grief, birth, and death they come to the Church.  Your gift to the Annual Catholic Appeal helps the Church be the Church for them.

The reason I am asking for your support today is because I know of your generosity in assisting those in need.  I am so proud of all we do here at The Church of the Annunziata, for those in need, and I would love it if we could once again bring Christ’s face to our community here in St. Louis.  The last few years only 40 % of our parishioners have participated in this appeal that percentage can and should rise.  I would love it if 100 % of our parish would participate, even if it were only $10.  Our sharing with those in need would speak volumes to our world.  There is a Haitian saying “that God gives the gifts but does not share. The sharing is up to us.”

I would ask that all of you prayerfully and thoughtfully consider a gift this year.  If you cannot make a monetary gift this year, I would ask that you remember those most in need in your prayers as we show solidarity with all the people of God.  If you have any questions or concerns about the campaign, please contact me.

Easter Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

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