Congregation celebrates 90 years of faith, unity And love
Ninety years ago the world was a very different place. The year 1929 marked the end of the Roaring Twenties and the start of the Great Depression. It featured the hosting of the first Academy Awards in Los Angeles and the opening of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Milk was 10 cents a quart, bread was nine cents. loaf, a man’s suit was about $10 and a shirt costs less than 50 cents. And yet, in many ways, it was the same.
Then and now, people craved community and support. They want to gather together to celebrate good things or to pray for better things to come. It was that desire that brought St. Anne’s to fruition in 1929. Ninety years later, St. Anne’s has more than 400,000 persons pass through its doors each year. The parish has 59 active ministries, sponsors more than 50 meetings, has over 1,000 children enrolled in faith formation and has a school of over 500 students. Its growth and community is cause to celebrate and the parish has. In 2019, the parish commemorated its 90th anniversary with a gala dinner at the Garden City Hotel, family rosary gatherings / make your own sundae events, religious retreats and, of course, its Spirit Day.
This year, the 17th Annual Spirit Day Celebration is happening at the Church of St. Anne on Saturday, Sept. 14. This daylong festival features rides, games, food and fun for the whole family. Many look forward to the Big Bucks raffle with 1000 tickets sold at $100 each creating a grand Prize of $25,000 with five second pries of $5,000 each. Winners do not need to be present to win but no one wants to miss the exciting moment of that drawing at 10 p.m. It’s an incredibly positive way to end a fun and beautiful day for the entire parish family.
Other event highlights include the diverse Craft Fair on Dartmouth Street, the selling of beautiful mums at the Fall Plant Sale, Respite Games, the Middle School Dance Party and Night at the Races.
“Spirit Day is always a special celebration at St. Anne’s,” says event co-chair, Danny O’Keefe, “But celebrating our 90th anniversary as a parish is making it feel even more important. It’s a day for parishioners to feel great about all the good things happening here and to share that joy with the community around us.” O’Keefe co-chairs the Spirit Day event with fellow parishioner, Kevin McCann. They work with parish staff to oversee a team of volunteers handling every aspect of the event from coordinating volunteers, marketing and vendors.
The Church of St. Anne in Garden City hosts its 17th annual Spirit Day on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, from 1 to 10 p.m. with rides, games and music all day and evening. The day is highlighted with a beautiful celebration of Mass outdoors at 5 p.m. and the exciting Big Bucks Raffle drawing at 10 p.m. Additional Big Bucks tickets are always available at the rectory or you may call and we will be happy to mail one to you. Please call the St. Anne’s Rectory at 516-352-5904 or visit www.stannesgc.org for more information.
