Pastoral Care at St. Ann's is an extensive ministry, with countless volunteers who prepare and deliver meals to the sick, host funeral receptions, coordinate prayer groups and support other ministries to the bereaved, divorced and separated, and shut-ins. Sue Deering, director of Pastoral Care, explained how the office supports parish ministries such as Rainbows and Spectrum, which help children and teens grieving a death, divorce or any other painful transition in their lives. It also assists Prism, a ministry for the parents of these youth. We have over 200 people who prepare meals for funerals and another 50 who do meals just for shut-ins. There are a lot of people involved in this ministry.
People are concerned with issues like assisted living, nursing homes and health care.
We frequently get calls from people asking about the types of services available for their parents. When St. Ann's first started, the parish was primarily made up of families with young children, but some older generations have followed their children to St. Ann's. Instead of moving to Florida to retire, many people are choosing to live here because when they visited their children they loved it. One reason the church has so many active ministries is the overwhelming support of the clergy. St. Ann's has 19 regularly scheduled Masses each week.