SERVE GP 2012 Coming!

May 17, 2012 -SERVE Grants Pass, June 16, marks the third annual re-focus for the churches of this valley.

The last two years we saw what can happen when Christ’s body works in unity. Amazing things happened all throughout the valley when as many as 2000 believers from 25 different churches joined together in serving our community. How does it work?

1. Read through the current projects list.
2. Sign up online or request a sign up form from your church.
3. You may choose a particular project or sign up to serve where needed.
4. You will be contacted by the project manager to which you are assigned and he/she will lead your team all day until the completion of the project.
5. On June 16th, we take to the streets and let God’s love flow, through us as we love and serve the people of our community!
6. We encourage families, home groups, and friends, to sign up to work together.
7. Then, you can pray for the people you have just served over the next year.

For more information, go to the SERVE GP web site by clicking here.

Fr. Dominic Reassigned and Fr. de Mesa to Come to St. Anne's

May 17, 2012 -This past week, we were officially notified about the reassignment of Fr. Dominic Tumusiime, our parochial vicar. He has been serving here for about a year-and-a-half and will be going to St. Michael's in Sandy, OR. We wish him well. There will be a official going away party for him on his last day here, July 1, 2012. More information will be forthcoming

With Fr. Dominic leaving, the Archbishop has appointed Rev. Mr. Rodel de Mesa to come as our new parochial vicar. He will be ordained on June 9th with one of the largest ordination classes of recent memory in the Archdiocese. Here's some basic information about soo-to-be Fr. Rodel according to a PSA from the Archdiocese:

Reverend Mr. Rodel de Mesa was born in Bato, Catanduanes, Philippines in March of 1984. He is on of five children of Roger and Elena de Mesa. Rodel attended elementary school in Gigmoto, state of Catanduanes in the Philippines. His secondary education was at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Panal, Tobaco City, Philippines where he graduated in 2001. He next attended Mater Salutis College Seminary in Sipi, Daraga, Albay, Philippines earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Philosophy in 2006. Rodel completed a Master of Arts degree and a Master of Divinity degree at Mount Angel Seminary in May, 2012.

Rodel’s ministry training assignments have included a pastoral internship at The Madeleine Parish in Portland, clinical pastoral education at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA. He was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Vlazny on May 21, 2011 at St. Mary Cathedral in Portland, and has serviced as a deacon at Resurrection Parish in Tualatin.

St. Anne's Has Been Busy

April 23, 2012 - Have you checked out the parish Flikr page recently? Flickr is an online photo web site where we place many of our photos to share with the world. There's lots of new photos of events from the past several months there that may inspire you. You can reach our Flikr page by clicking this link or cliking on the pink "f" on the left of this web page. Enjoy!

US Bishops Oppose New Proposal from HHS

February 11, 2012 - The U.S.Bishops still oppose the latest attempt by the HHS to create a conscious clause for those religious groups that believe the use of contraceptives immoral, because it does not provide clear protection for religious groups and will only shift the responsiblity for paying for them to the insurers who may still be religious entities. On Friday, February 10th, the US Bishops published their statment.. Read full statement.

Archbishop Calls for All Catholics to Protect Religious Liberty

February 4, 2012 - Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: It is important for you to know that the federal government has just dealt a heavy blow to the Catholic population and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

By this ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. Unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled to violate our consciences or drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply. Read more by clicking here.

U.S. Bishops' Call For Political Responsibility

USCCB - The Catholic Bishops of the United States are pleased to re-propose to our people Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, our teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. This statement, overwhelmingly adopted by the body of bishops in 2007, represents the continuing teaching of our Bishops’ Conference and our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy. We urge our Catholic pastors and people to continue to use this important statement to help them form their consciences, to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue, and to shape their choices in the coming election in the light of Catholic teaching.

The statement lifts up our dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens. We are members of a community of faith with a long tradition of teaching and action on human life, and dignity, marriage and family, justice and peace, care for creation, and the common good. As Americans, we are also blessed with religious liberty which safeguards our right to bring our principles and moral convictions into the public arena. These Constitutional freedoms need to be both exercised and protected, as some seek to mute the voices or limit the freedoms of religious believers and religious institutions. Catholics have the same rights and duties as others to participate fully in public life. The Church through its institutions must be free to carry out its mission and contribute to the common good without being pressured to sacrifice fundamental teachings and moral principles. Read more by clicking here.