Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are appointed to fulfill a need in the parish. Their function is to assist the ordinary minister (priests and deacons) in the distribution of Holy Communion, not to replace the ordinary minister. Their duties are to increase the frequency of distribution of the Eucharist to the sick and the elderly who are unable to attend Mass, facilitate the distribution of the Eucharist at the Mass, and to assist the ordinary ministers as needed. Eucharistic Ministers are encouraged to come together at various times during the year for prayer and reflection.

The goal and purpose of the Lector Ministry is to proclaim the word of God at parish liturgies and services. It is the responsibility of the lector to make God present in the liturgy of the word. The task is to proclaim a Living word not just words on a page. The community depends on the lector to act as a mediator in an encounter with God.

The Liturgy Committee helps to plan, coordinate, and carry out the liturgical celebration in the parish. They gather in prayer to look at ways that we can better the spiritual life of the parish. The Liturgy Committee consists of parish members and the pastor as the spiritual leader. The group meets every other month (except during the summer) to review current liturgies, assess the need for improvement, receive new material and programs to enhance liturgical services, and to seek ways to involve more participation by the parishioners. Sourcebooks are used as reference material for developing the various liturgical celebrations. The goal of the committee is to provide liturgical services in order to make Christ ever more present for and in our parishioners that we may live the lives Christ calls us to live.

The Sacristan is charged with the care of the altar linens, vestments, candles, and flowers. He/She is responsible for all that enhances the celebration of the Eucharist in both the sanctuary and the chapel. Obligations include: care of altar cloths, table linens and area rugs; dry cleaning/laundering vestments and altar servers’ robes; replacing candles; removing wax from linens and carpet; assisting in the watering of plants and flowers.

The Altar Guild is a group of women who volunteer to provide service to the church by helping to maintain the cleanliness of the worship space. The Altar Guild cares for the chapel, the main church, and the Sacristy. Duties in the chapel include dusting the altar and furniture, filling the holy water font, cleaning the windows, checking the altar cloths and candles, and cleaning the work area behind the folding doors. In the main church, duties are dusting the altars, chairs, seats and cruet table (changing cloths when needed), keeping the holy water fonts filled with the exception of Lent, and replace any items that are out of order. They also care for the Crying Room by washing the windows, dusting the pews and cleaning anything left in the seats. Finally, care of the Sacristy includes washing the sink and mirror, dusting the furniture and counters, and removing and replacing soiled towels.

This group consists of boys and girls in grade 4 and above. Their role is to assist the priest at Mass. They do so by helping to prepare the altar before and during Mass. This is a wonderful way for young people to be more involved in the liturgical life of the parish. It gives these boys and girls a special way to give thanks to God. Any boy or girl interested in becoming an altar server should contact the pastor or rectory office.

The liturgical seasons of the Church calendar dictate the use of all decoration used within the church proper, the sanctuary, and the chapel as well as the exterior of the church building. The type of plants, the fabric colors, the floral arrangements, and other décor are all carefully chosen to work in concert with the permanent architectural detail of St. Anne Church and in so doing comply with the aegis of the liturgical guidelines.

The decorator must be mindful always to provide a devotional and efficacious atmosphere for all religious celebrations. Special holy days such as Easter and Christmas may require months of design planning and floral selections. When outlining these seasonal decorations, it is necessary to include plans for the important preparatory weeks of Advent, Lent and Holy Week which of course, guide us and set the tone for the major feast days. Minor holy days are observed as well, but in a simpler yet devotional manner. Green plants are used throughout the year, but more abundantly during the summer months when expensive cut flowers cannot tolerate high temperatures for any length of time.

Every effort is made to purchase the finest plant material at the lowest available price, often through wholesale suppliers or ideally, from the growers themselves.

For extraordinary events such as the presentation of the Fatima Statue, extensive research is done to use and procure plant material, which is indigenous to the country represented. When planning for First Eucharist, First Penance, Confirmation, and adult initiation, the decorator consults with the co-directors of religious education and the director of the RCIA program so that their ideas and suggestions might be integrated into the decoration for these very special celebrations.

The liturgy committee often provides helpful decorating suggestions to enhance the observance of particular holy days. The decorator also attends classes offered by the Archdiocese relative to liturgical decoration.

The decorator is a volunteer whose responsibilities include changing altar linens and frontals appropriate to all liturgical seasons and feast days, and the maintenance of all floral arrangements.

The pastor provides invaluable spiritual direction in this challenging endeavor and all decorating plans and their implementation are subject to his final approval.

The main function of the usher is to provide assistance to participants in liturgies. The duties of the usher include seating people, especially when the church is crowded, taking up collections, passing out bulletins, and helping people where needed.

The goal of the usher ministry is to keep things running smoothly, quietly, and reverently.

Several individuals from the parish volunteer to assist with counting the Sunday collections on a rotating basis. The requirements to be a collection counter are dependability, accuracy, and honesty.