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PARISH PROFILE
 St. Ann’s, Ashland: Volunteers involved in many ministries
by Steve Neill
Special to The Catholic Virginian
When the people of St. Ann parish in Ashland were preparing to build a new church, few realized that the finished building, complete with a steeple, would pretty much meet the expectations of everyone who had chosen to participate in the planning process.
St. Ann parishioners had talked about building a new church since the previous English tudor church (built in 1892) had been sold in 1981 to Randolph-Macon College which now uses it for recitals and for its music department. The parish had about 10 wooded acres on nearby Snead Street, not far from the center of Ashland, located 16 miles north of Richmond.
“We kept having a turnover of pastors — everywhere from three months to maybe three years,” said Rosanne Shalf, a parishioner of St. Ann’s since 1975.
 “It kept us from getting our act together in a way we could organize a fundraising campaign and even decide what kind of church we wanted,” she continued.
“And then along came Father Sullivan in 1996. He totally involved all the parish in some way.”
Mrs. Shalf’s reference is to the late Msgr. William V. Sullivan who served as pastor of St. Ann’s until the current pastor, Father Christian Haydinger, arrived in June 2005.
“We ended up with a church which fit almost everybody’s expectations,” Mrs. Shalf said of the church which was dedicated in 2000.
“The potential for discord was great but it didn’t happen. Some wanted a little bit of the old and some wanted a little bit of the new. But we all knew that we wanted it to look like a church.”
Today St. Ann’s has a few more than 600 families who gather for the Saturday vigil Mass at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 10:15 a.m.
The parish has a wide range of people — from senior citizens who are retired to many young families with children. Religious education classes are held in the adjacent parish center for grades k through 6 before the 10:15 Sunday liturgy. Some choose to attend the classes which are offered on Wednesdays from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m.
 Amy Flagg, in her third year as coordinator of religious education for children, said there are 150 children registered in kindergarten through the 6th grade with volunteers serving as catechists.
“We recruit through the church and hope people feel called to the ministry,” she said. “And they do. We have two catechists for each class.”
Rosemargaret Maier is coordinator of religious education for youth which covers the 7th through 11th grades, including Confirmation.
Father Haydinger described St. Ann parishioners as “faith-filled people who are trying to make sense out of their lives.”
He said he is particularly pleased with the willingness of so many of them to get involved in parish ministry in view of the fact that he is also pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Church in Caroline County, 25 miles north of Ashland off Interstate 95.
 “It would be impossible for me to pastor two parishes if I didn’t have committed and gifted staff and the many volunteers who share their gifts with the parish,” Father Haydinger told The Catholic Virginian.
Deacon Eugene Kamper, better known as “Deacon Chuck,” assists the pastor by performing weddings and baptisms and preaches at the Sunday liturgy at least once a month. He was ordained a deacon in 1991 for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT, and has been in the Diocese of Richmond since 2002.
“St. Ann’s is a very welcoming parish and very diversified in terms of outreach,” Deacon Chuck said.
“We house the homeless for two weeks, usually in the spring,” Father Haydinger said. “We’ll have 50 to 55 people here who stay all night.
 “The bus will drop them off at 6 or 7 at night and they’ll have supper here and it’s a safe place for them.”
Parishioners help prepare and serve meals to their overnight guests and also set up the cots. They’ll also drive them to a local laundromat if they need to wash clothes.
“They’re just solid, good people,” Father Haydinger said of the parishioners.
The Catholic parish participates in ACES (Ashland Christian Emergency Services), an ecumenical organization which collects food for the needy.
Bill Slowinski is chairman of St. Ann’s Haiti Committee and helps oversee the parish’s commitment to Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Dubisson, Haiti. Both he and Stu Reid were to travel to Haiti for a week-long visit Jan. 27.
“Besides the parish church, Father Roderique (pastor) has five chapels he visits,” Mr. Slowinski said. “We also help maintain a school which has 250 students.”
Mr. Slowinski, a member of St. Ann’s for seven years, said he got involved in ministry to Haiti about a year ago and has made a previous visit.
 “I was bitten by the Haiti bug,” he said.
“The fact is that they (people in Haiti) have so much potential if given the opportunities and the parish provides the opportunities.”
Valerie Hostetler, music minister at St. Ann’s, who has a master of music degree in conducting, leads a 16-member choir which rehearses on Thursday nights.
“The backgound of the adult choir is so diverse in terms of musical background and includes people from all walks of life,” she said. “We have doctors, teachers, engineers and even an antiques dealer.
“The children’s choir put on a musical as a prelude to the Christmas eve Mass,” she added. “It was called ‘A Christmas Solo’ and featured 17 children from ages four to 10.”
The RCIA class which meets Wednesday nights has 10 candidates and three catechumens. In addition, there are three children involved in Christitan initiation who meet at a separate time for formation.
“The faith sharing that goes on is exciting and the presence of God is strongly felt,” said Martin Moran, pastoral associate/minister of Christian formation.
Pointing out that the sessions seek to emphasize one’s getting to know and love Christ more, the group uses the text “Believing in Jesus,” by Father Leonard Foley.
“We spend a good half hour quietly reflecting on scripture and allowing the presence of God in the Word to seep into our lives,” Mr. Moran said.
 Two men from St. Ann’s, Chip Pagnini and Russ Wisler, are both in the aspirancy phase of the diocese’s formation program for the diaconate.
Jane Nucup is the Catholic campus minister for St. Ann’s campus ministry program at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, a Methodist-affiliated institution which has slightly under 1,200 undergraduates.
“We have a little over 200 students who have identified themselves as Catholics,” said Ms. Nucup, who is also a catechist for the first grade class.
Catholic students went with other R-M campus ministry groups on a service trip to Appalachia during their spring break in 2007 and to New Orleans in 2006.
Patrice Schwermer of the diocese’s Office of Justice and Peace recently addressed Catholic students about Fair Trade. The Catholic students then held a Fair Trade Festival in the parish.
St. Ann’s has an affiliation with the Edward M. Johnson Council of the Knights of Columbus, sharing that affiliation with neighboring St. Mary of the Annunciation in Ladysmith.
 The Ashland parish has a small debt of about $38,000, said Dennis Farrell, chairman of the parish finance council. The cost of the new church dedicated in 2000 was approximately $1.4 million, but this has since been paid off.
The current debt is due to expansion of the church parking lot and repaving of the original lot as well as additional outside lighting and landscaping.
“I think the people are generous,” Mr. Farrell said of the Sunday collections. “We’ve always met our budget and that’s probably why we’ve got manageable debt.”
In an appeal to more parishioners to expand into the various ministries, Father Haydinger said in a recent homily that some might want to consider becoming catechists or join the choir even if they felt they lacked the skills or talent. He invited them to “allow yourself to be stretched.”
“Let God stretch you,” he said. “He’ll give you everything you need.”
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Copyright © 2008 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Dietzen’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.
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