The Holy Seasons It’s hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone. It’s even harder to imagine that Lent is just around the corner. This year we get about five weeks between the Holy Seasons. Lent begins a little earlier this year - Ash Wednesday is February 18, which means Easter is earlier as well on April 5. As Catholics, Easter is our most important event and most Holy Season. It is the fulfillment of the birth. Jesus was born with a purpose, to die for our sins, thus restoring our dignity and reopening the gates of heaven. Easter is so important that each Sunday is a mini-celebration of the Easter mystery. The Mass focuses on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and gives us the privilege of participating in it ourselves for our salvation and the salvation of the world: past, present, and future. Easter is a glorious Season for many reasons, one practically speaking is it occurs in the spring and after a long and cold winter we are more than ready for warmer and sunnier days ahead. Yet before rushing to Easter, the Church provides us with a wonderful opportunity to undergo a spiritual renewal and purification. Lent is a time to focus more intently on being God’s children. In many ways it calls us to “get away or withdraw” from those distractions that have consumed our lives to the point of hurting our relationship with God and one another.

If you are like me, at first, Lent doesn’t appear to be an opportunity, more like, the longest 6 weeks ever. But that’s because none of us like to deny ourselves of the things that we find enjoyable or have become accustomed to, even when we know “they” are not the healthiest things for our mind, body, and soul. Yet, upon further reflection, we admit deep down that we need this season of Lent. What makes these sacrifices more plausible is that we are not the only person doing this. For example: It is hard to lose weight, to give up beer/wine, or sweets. It is hard to commit an additional 10 minutes or half-hour to pray each day. It is hard given our limited resources to do Almsgiving whether it is from our time, talents, or treasure. But, I personally find doing such things much easier, knowing that everyone around me is doing the same, relatively speaking. The purpose of Lent is not just to “do something or give up something.” It is to deepen our relationship with Christ. Yet, this is only possible when we die-to-self, by making sacrifices, depriving ourselves of things that are not essential for our existence and are often unhelpful to acquiring spiritual union with God. In other words, whether it is Lent or not, we are called each day to do things or give up things that will make us better disciples, to be worthy of the name Christian. Lent simply reinforces this core message and provides an environment that makes it easier. That is the real beauty of Lent that we do so as the One Body of Christ to be more unified as the One Body of Christ. We find hope and encouragement as a community of believers, a parish and as a Universal Church. We are many parts but the same body, each doing what we can to incorporate the disciplines of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving in a way that works best in our lives. Together, we are working to make that same body stronger, as each does his/her share. Thus, bringing forth good to the Body and the world around us. Despite the different ways each accomplishes or embraces these disciplines, we are doing so with the same goal in mind: a deeper, more enriching relationship with God. Lent reminds us of the need to die-to-self, in order to empty ourselves of what is not good to make room for the One who is All Good.

Therefore, what we get out of Lent is precisely the result of what we put into Lent. But, what we do in Lent is not meant to end with Lent. It is to foster our spiritual growth, to change our lives for the better moving forward. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a drink again or forever give up chocolate or TV. The point is to develop a greater reliance and awareness of God’s love, mercy, and grace in your life. It is to foster an attitude of gratitude; we are thankful for who we are, what we have received and thus desire to share that hope and joy with others. God is not someone we just worship on Sundays or someone we speak to when we are sick, something terrible happens, or we want something from Him. We should be more connected to God, than we are to the internet. He and He alone is the source of love, the Truth that guides our lives, and the first person we wish to please. May you have a rewarding Lent and a joyous Easter Season.

In Christ, Fr. Thomas H. McCarthy

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Jack & Chris Phelps have

been members of St. Ann Parish

for 34 years. Jack was born in the

parish in 1956. His parents, Mary and Bill

Phelps, moved to Groesbeck in 1952.

Jack & Chris have 3 sons: Matt, Brian and Adam.

Matt and his wife Colleen have a son, Noah, and they

live in Nashville, TN. Matt is the Music Director of West

End Methodist Church. Their son Brian, was ordained a

Priest on May 17, 2014. He is serving at Incarnation

Parish in Centerville, OH. Adam and his wife Kara have

a daughter, Harper. They live in Bright, IN. Adam is a

Human Resource Director for ROKX, Inc.

Jack & Chris’ hobbies include: reading, walking, music

(all varieties) and attending concerts. Jack enjoys chess.

They LOVE being Grandparents.

They are very active at St. Ann. They assist as wedding

coordinators. They are also involved with Centisible

Shopping and Jack is currently the secretary for our St.

Vincent DePaul Chapter. Jack served on Parish Council,

Finance, Cub Scouts and was a Basketball coach. Chris

served on the Development Commission and Finance.

They volunteer at various events whenever they are able.

St. Ann Parish has provided the foundation for their

faith with opportunities to serve God. It continues to be

a welcoming community of faith. They have many dear

friends because of their years at St. Ann. They are very

grateful for the support Brian has received from St. Ann

parishioners throughout his studies at the seminary, his

ordination and his current ministry.

Mardi Gras

February 17

Mardis Gras Prayer Service - 6:30 pm - Church

Mardis Gras Party - 7:00 pm - Msgr. Lunn Center

Ash Wednesday

February 18

Mass Times - 6:15 am; 8:30 am; 7:00 pm (Ashes

distributed at all Masses)

Stations of the Cross

February 20 & 27; March 6, 13, 20 & 27 - 7:30 pm

Soup & Talk

February 25, March 4, 11 & 25 - 6:30 pm Soup served.

Talk begins at 7:00pm in the St. Francis Center

The Light is on for You

Confession

March 3 - 7:00pm-9:00pm

Parish Lenten Reconciliation Service

March 18 - 7:00 pm

In this

corner

Pray for vocations!

Almighty Father, You have created us for some definite

purpose. Grant us the grace to know the path You have

planned for us in this life and to respond with a generous

“Yes.” Make our archdiocese, parishes, homes and hearts

fruitful ground for Your gift of vocations.

May our young people respond to Your call with courage and zeal. Stir among our men a desire and the strength to be good and holy priests. Bless us with consecrated religious and those called to a chaste single life, permanent deacons, and faithful husbands and wives, who are a sign of Christ’s love for His Church. We commend our prayer for vocations to You, Father, through the intercession of Mary our Mother, in the Holy Spirit, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

– Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

Holy Week Schedule Palm Sunday

March 28 (Vigil) - 4:30 pm

March 29 - 8:00 am; 9:45 am & 11:30 am

Holy Thursday

(No morning Mass)

April 2 - 7:00 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper

Good Friday

(No morning Mass)

April 3 - 12:00 pm - Stations of the Cross

12:45-2:30 pm - Confession

3:00 pm - Good Friday Service

Holy Saturday

(No morning Mass)

April 4 - Easter Vigil - 8:45 pm

Easter Sunday

April 5 - 8:00 am; 9:45 am & 11:30 am

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Please remember in your prayers the family of the following parishioner who recently passed through death:

Cecil Fischer

Cecilia Kuntz Virginia Losacker

Robert W. Meyer John “Jack” Murray

Jean Rinckel Ferdinand Schroot

“May their soul and all the souls of the faithful

departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”

New Parishioners

During the months of November and December, the

following joined St. Ann Parish:

Nakita Francis-Okoli

Scott & Brenda McClanahan Family

Don & Trina Nagel Family

Mary Ann Palmer

Andrew & Allison Pearson Family

David & Tina Stadtmiller Family

NEWLY BAPTIZED The following were welcomed into the faith through the

Sacrament of Baptism during the months of November,

December and early January:

Levi Robert Greene

Tate Anthony Helmers

Estefani Marisol Jimenez-Jimenez

Kensley Martin

Eden Karoline McClanahan

Marie Petryna Nagel

Mary Grace Pearson

Benjamin Schwier

Please remember in prayer the following relatives of parishioners who are serving in the military:

Pvt. Christopher Powell

Ft. Benning, GA

Nephew of Ron & Tricia Sunders

Almighty and eternal God, protect our service personnel as they

discharge their duties. Protect them with the shield of your

strength and keep them safe from all evil and harm. May the

power of your love enable them to return home in safety. We

ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you have a family member or friend in one of the

Military branches, please call the parish office (521-8440)

with the name, rank and where they are stationed so it

can be listed in the newsletter and remembered in prayer.

SAINT APOLLONIA

Apollonia was born in an area called Alexandria in the year which is unknown to historians. Persecutions of Christians began in Alexandria during the reign of the Emperor Philip and the first man to be put to death was a man called Metrius. They continued killing Christians for many years and many were scourged and stoned to death. Most of the Christians began fleeing the city leaving their worldly possessions behind but a deaconess named Apollonia stayed behind. She tried to hide but a large crowd found her and beat her severely, knocking out all her teeth. They built a large fire and threatened to throw her in unless she would curse her God. She told them to wait a minute while she thought it over. Instead, she jumped into the fire on her own and suffered martyrdom. She is the patroness of dentists and people who suffer with dental problems. St. Augustine later explained her voluntary martyrdom as an inspiration of the Holy Spirit, since no one is allowed to take his own life. Her feast day is February 9th. Submitted by Bill Witzgall Jr.

To report a change of address or family status, please

contact Christy Hamm in the Parish Office at

chamm@saintannparish.org or call 521-8440. Keeping

our Parish Census current is an ongoing process.

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Join us for our Parish Mission

with Fr. Ken Geraci, Fathers of Mercy

Monday through Thursday, February 2-5, 2015 9:30am or 7:30pm

Reconciliation will be available daily after both talks with extra confessors on Wednesday evening.

Monday: Mass at 8:30am, talk following Mass Mass at 6:45pm, talk following Mass Tuesday: Mass at 8:30am, talk following Mass Parish Potluck at 6:45pm (please bring a side dish or dessert), talk at 7:30pm Wednesday: Mass at 8:30am, followed by talk and confessions Talk at 7:30pm, followed by confessions Thursday: The Mass Explained Talk (No 8:30am Mass) Mass times 9:30am & 7:30pm (Exposition will begin after Mass)

Come as often as your schedule allows to learn, pray, and be encouraged and inspired. Talks will be held in the Church on these topics:

*Is Jesus Christ God?

* Why did Christ

Establish the Church?

* We have a Need for

Healing

* Pray the Mass and

Pray it Well!

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NEWS FROM OUR PARISH SCHOOL

SERVICE PROJECTS The OLG Jr. High Leadership Council is sponsoring monthly Christian Service Days. Students will donate $1 to participate in out-of-uniform theme days. The proceeds from October – January will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Proceeds from February – May will benefit the Pray, Hope, Believe Organization, which helps fund research for pediatric brain cancer. In October students had an orange and black day and raised approximately $445. In November there was a red, white, and blue day to help celebrate Veterans’ Day and approximately $415 was raised. December brought a P.J. Day and raised approximately $440. The Leadership Council also sponsored the annual canned food drive. As an incentive the students were given a goal of 3,250 items to have a school-wide out-of-uniform day. They surpassed this goal by collecting approximately 5,000 items! St. Vincent de Paul will distribute these items to needy families in Mt. Healthy, Mt. Airy, North College Hill, and Groesbeck. Thanks for the tremendous support!! First grade students visited the Mt. Healthy Christian Home for Halloween. After entertaining the residents the students went trick-or-treating. They also visited for Christmas and sang Christmas songs and visited the residents. Students and residents all had a great time!

TEACHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS Mr. Scott Kramer, 6th grade language arts and science teacher, was a finalist for the 2014 Hixson Teacher of the Year Award. Mr. Kramer instills a love of reading in our OLG students and we are blessed to have him. Ms. Annette Braun, first grade teacher, was elected to the new Teacher Advisory Committee of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. This board will advise the Archbishop of Cincinnati and his staff about the policies and strategic direction of Catholic schools. Congratulations!!

POWER OF THE PEN Mrs. Mays and Mrs. Brueneman are the advisors for the Power of the Pen program. The following are members of this year’s team. Seventh Grade Eighth Grade Stephanie Arhnsen Sophia Almanza Natyla Logan Matthew Daly Isabella Lynch Elizabeth Listermann Lizzie Schreyer Madison Snodgrass Courtney Stiles Maddie Vollmar Jultona Williams Brendan Wells Alternate Alternates Sarah Robben Erin Lucas Ethan Reed Maria Schlaechter Good luck in the competitions to these creative writers!

ACADEMIC TEAM

The following are the members of the Academic Team which will compete at LaSalle High School. Seventh Grade Eighth Grade Stephanie Arhnsen Sophia Almanza Keirnan Cagle Luke Ayatana Brendan Keller David Mattingly Phillip Ricke Will Pare Lizzie Schreyer Jeremy Roenker Jenna Strassburger Brendan Wells Good luck in your competition!

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

February 16 NO SCHOOL February 17 Academic Team at LaSalle (Grade 8) February 19 Academic Team at LaSalle (Grade 7) February 25 KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION NIGHT (at St. Ann) February 27 End of Second Trimester March 19 Parent/Teacher Conferences—3:30pm-8:00pm March 20 NO SCHOOL March 27 Kindergarten Screening Live Stations of the Cross April 3–10 NO SCHOOL April 14 Confirmation for Seventh Grade (Cathedral) April 15 Primary Special Person’s Day—Time TBA April 17 Kindergarten Special Person’s Day – Time TBA

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Thanks to all who made our Church so prayerful and beautiful for the Christmas Season.

St. Ann Parish Council Update – February 2015

Festival Update

In November, Parish Council representatives spoke at Mass about the future of the St. Ann Festival. We shared that

Festival profits and parishioner participation have both steadily decreased over the past 10 years as a result of our

changing environment. Consequently, we are going to try something different and replace the Festival with a series

of fundraisers. Feedback from the Parish about this proposal has been overwhelmingly supportive. Many people

said they feel sad about the state of our Festival, but realize our environment has changed and it is time to try

something different. The list of new, planned, and potential fundraisers is below:

Craft Beer Tasting (started Nov ’14)

Chicken Dinner (returning in April)

Golf Outing and Pig Roast (coming in May)

Dances

Oktoberfest

Family Fun Days

Flea Market / Rummage sale

Please contact a Parish Council member if there is a fundraiser you would like to see the Parish sponsor.

Elections are Coming

Our annual Parish Council election is coming again soon. This year we will elect five new members to Council, to

replace those whose terms expire. These new members will have an opportunity to be vice-chair / chair of council

and also to fill a role as representative to one of our Parish commissions.

Selection Process: We will host a nominations weekend in mid-March and elections of new members will be at

Masses on May 16-17. Please consider whether you would be interested in being on Parish Council and would be

willing to run this year. If you have any questions, please contact Sherry Ems at sherry.ems@fuse.net or Ed Baier at

baier.ek@pg.com

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Soup & Talk Series Soup will be served beginning at 6:30pm and the talks will begin at 7:00pm in the

Lower Level of the St. Francis Center.

Wednesday, February 25th with Daniel Lally “Serving the Poor, Protecting the Vulnerable and Welcoming the Stranger”

Wednesday, March 4th with Jim Beiting “Mental Health and First Aid: Keeping yourself Fit while Fasting & Giving Alms”

Wednesday, March 11th with Giovanna Alvarez “Dying to Live” (Director of Su Casa Hispanic Center) Wednesday, March 18th—No Soup & Talk, Parish Reconciliation Service at 7:00pm Wednesday, March 25th Feast of the Annunciation “Imitating Mary’s Response of Yes”

Speakers from Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio

Stations of the Cross Join us on Fridays at 7:00pm in the Church

(February 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27) Good Friday Stations at 12:00pm followed

by Confessions and Service at 3:00pm

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Women’s Retreat March 14-15, 2015

St. Ann Parish Saturday morning (8am) until Sunday afternoon (1:30pm) There is no cost to you. The parish will provide the meals.

Participants will spend the night at the parish.

What is Christ Renews His Parish? CHRIST RENEWS HIS PARISH is a renewal process to bring parishioners together as the Body of Christ. Christ Renews His Parish is an exciting spiritual renewal process that creates a strong community within the parish.

Come prepared to renew your heart and have an enjoyable experience. The retreat has reflections and witness talks given by team members, with small group discussion and activities. Mass is celebrated on Sunday and Reconciliation is Saturday evening.

Contact Andrea for more information at 729-2810 or apatch@saintannparish.org

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Indiana Chicken Dinner

debmatt7@gmail.com 513-236-6717

Saint Valentine Dance

Open to ALL St. Ann Parish 2900 W. Galbraith Rd. 45239

Live Dance Music provided by:

“The Whammies!”

Cincinnati’s favorite 80’s Show-Band

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Whammies

Saturday February 14 from 6 to 10 pm

Proceeds benefit St Ann Parish

Hot Italian dinner (included) served at 6:30pm; Beer available at cash Bar

Door prize, and Raffle

Dance location; Monsignor Lunn Center, dress is casual attire,

You must be 18 or older

Advance tickets available in the Gathering Space January 31 & Feb. 1 and

Feb. 7 & 8 after all masses

Or contact James Blust @ 513-706-7293 or Henry Sajnog @ 513-615-1438

Tickets $35 per couple, or $20 per person

Limited seating to the first 200 people

As we gear up for the 2015 Chicken Dinner on

April 12th, we will need people to make this great

event happen. Check out future bulletins and the

website for all of the opportunities to share your

gifts of time and talent. There will also be details

about the basket raffle. We look forward to bringing

this great event back to St. Ann!

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April is the time to renew your Kroger Community Rewards! Even if you have previously enrolled your card, Kroger requires an annual re-enrollment. If you have not registered your card or do not have a card, we will

have people available after masses, in April that will take care of it for you. Watch the bulletin for more details.

Please spread the word to family and friends who have registered that the re-enrollment is required for their purchases to continue to fundraise for St. Ann.

This is also a great opportunity to spread the word to family and friends not yet participating!

Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com

If you were enrolled last year (even if you just enrolled) Click “Sign In” Enter your email Enter your password (follow the “forgot your password?” link if necessary) Navigate to “Account Settings” and scroll to “Community Rewards”, click on “Edit” Find St Ann by typing in the organization NPO #, which is 80201 Click the “Select your Organization” by selecting the circle to the left of the name so it

becomes highlighted Click “Enroll”

If you have never enrolled and registered your Kroger Plus Card Click “Create an Account” (if you have never been a part of Kroger Community Rewards) Click “Sign up today” Enter you zip code and click “Search” Click on the arrow to display the list of stores in your zip code and highlight your

preferred store Enter in your email and a password Click “Next” Key in your Kroger Plus Card Number (if you receive a message that the card has already

been used, please call the number on the back of your card) Enter the security code (from the box above it) Enter your contact information Click on “Next” Verify that your account information is correct and check box to agree to the terms and

conditions, then click “Complete Information” Kroger will send an email to the address you just provided (this can take up to 10 minutes) Within the email from Kroger will be a link to open or paste in your web browser Click on “Click Here” and type your email and password Under the Kroger Community Rewards section on the right, click “Edit Kroger

Community Rewards Information” Find St. Ann by entering our organization’s NPO #, which is

80201 Click on the organization that you want (St. Ann) by

selecting the circle to the left of the name so it becomes highlighted

Click on “Save Changes” Scroll over the page and ensure all information is accurate.

Questions? Need Help? Contact Paul at 513-741-8768 or pblock@zoomtown.com

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St. Ann Class of 1964 Reunion

The Class of 1964

was the second

graduating class from

St. Ann Catholic

School. Most of the

graduating class

attended. A great time

was had by all.

Accept the challenge: Know the Eucharist is the body of Christ

Father McCarthy reminded us at the end of Mass recently that as the Christmas season closes Lent and Easter are

not far behind. It tests the limit of our faith that Jesus became human to live among us, provided us the Eucharist

to stay among us and sacrificed himself for us.

We hope throughout this time of the year everyone can take some time to visit with Jesus at Eucharistic

Exposition. Our adoration lets us:

Express our love for Jesus in the most concrete way.

Give Him thanks for the gift of Himself.

Meet and worship Christ in a bodily way that is personal and intimate.

Every moment spent with Him deepens our communion with the Trinity.

In Exposition, Jesus renews us spiritually and fills us with graces of love, light, strength and consolation. In

exposition, we learn to place all of our trust in Him, helping to drive away our fears, our doubts and our

sadness. (www.mostholyeucharist.org/why-adore.html)

We invite you to join us at Eucharistic Exposition because Jesus is waiting for you. He wants a

deeper relationship with you. And there, you can meditate on the things most important to you, if

only for a brief hour, sitting in the quiet, separated from the rest of the world. Jesus is there for

you.

Eucharistic Exposition

Thursday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Benediction is at 6:45 PM

Sacrament of Reconciliation 5:30 to 6:00

2nd & 4th Saturday 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

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Saint Ann CATHOLIC CHURCH

2900 W. Galbraith Rd.

Cincinnati, OH 45239

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Saint Ann CATHOLIC CHURCH

Upcoming Events.........

Parish Mission

February 2-5, 2015

9:30am & 7:30 pm

John Paul, II Series

January 12, 26 and

February 9, 16

9:30am & 7:30 pm

Consoling the Heart of Jesus

February 12, 26, Mar. 12, 26,

April 9,23 9:30am & 7:00pm

Church History Class

February 19, March 5, 19, April 16

9:30am & 7:15pm

Mardi Gras

February 17, 2015

6:30pm Prayer Service

7:00 pm Mardis Gras Celebration

St. Valentine Dance

February 14, 2014 6:00pm

Ash Wednesday

February 18, 2015

Mass times 6:15am, 8:30am & 7:00pm

Stations of the Cross

February 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27 7:00pm

Soup & Talk Series

February 25, Mar. 4, 11, 18

6:30pm-Soup 7:00pm-Talk

The Light is on for You

March 3, 2015 7:00-9:00pm

Lenten Reconciliation Service

March 18 at 7:00pm

Women’s Christ Renews His Parish Retreat

March 14-15

Chicken Dinner

April 12, 2015