Parish Groups
Altar Servers
Any child, girl or boy, who is in primary five or above, is eligible to become altar servers. Parents or guardians are required to fill out a consent form. New servers welcome
Contact: The Parish Office
Apostolic Work
Apostolic Work is a voluntary organisation, made up of people who work in different ways to provide help for those who suffer and are deprived. It originally helped foreign missions by supplying vestments, sacred vessels etc.
Today, the members share in the missionary apostolate of the Church through prayer, by knitting, sewing, baking etc. and by providing material and financial assistance to foreign missionaries. Money is raised through voluntary subscriptions, sales of work and an annual fund raising day (notified in the weekly Parish Bulletin) held in the Parish Centre. This money goes directly to Churches, clinics, food, water, medicines, street children and those who are in great need. Volunteers needed.
Contact: The Parish Office
Baptism Team
This is a group of Parishioners who, in pairs, visit the homes of parent/s who have asked the Parish Priest for their child or children to be Baptised.
At a time arranged through the Parish Office, team members go to the home of the parent/s and sensitively go through the Baptism Rite ceremony and explain the meanings of the signs and symbols used.
The aim is to help make the parent/s comfortable with the special event which is the Rite of Baptism and to understand the importance of the ceremony and the faith hopes that the Church has for each newly Baptised child.
Team members assist parents in completing the documentation for the child; in particular the name slips which the Priest will use during the ceremony.
Parishioners, especially those new to St. Anne’s, always have a warm welcome for team members who are often invited to attend, where possible, the ceremony for which they have given help.
Contact: The Parish Office
Basement Club
This group meets weekly in the Parish Centre where around seven leaders from the Parish host for a few hours some eighteen children and young adults with special needs or physical disability.
The club aims to promote independence skills and facilitate the particular interests of members. On offer are games, snooker, arts and crafts, colour-in books and music. In addition the club has its own small computer suite and from time to time special guests visit to entertain and help motivate members.
There is, of necessity, a high ratio of helpers to members, so new volunteers are always welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
Bereavement Support Group
The aim of the Group is to care for our bereaved Parishioners through caring for and listening to them and remembering their loved one. We do this by helping with the Mass of Remembrance every November and the Mass for Children Lost at the Dawn of Life held after Easter; praying through our Prayer Circle; delivering our Prayer Card to recently bereaved families; maintaining our Parish Book of Remembrance.
We also run a listening service for those who need to talk to someone outside the family/friend circle – this is carried out in complete confidentiality by volunteers who have been trained by Cruse Bereavement Care.
Cruse Bereavement Care promotes the well-being of bereaved people and enables anyone bereaved by deathto understand their grief and cope with their loss.
If you are bereaved and wish to talk in confidence, please contact the Parish Office. Leave your name and phone number and a member of the Group will contact you.
Charis
Charis is an Ecumenical, Charismatic Community of about one hundred people who live mainly in South and West Belfast. The Community was founded about thirty years ago. It is a Covenant Community, whose members, after a period of formation, make a lifelong commitment to share their lives with each other in growing as disciples of Jesus Christ.
It is a Transgenerational Community involving married couples and people from all age groups who are called to be missionaries in their daily lives. A cluster of seven families live in the Greystown area of the Parish.
Some members are involved in evangelisation amongst university students and young people in the Poleglass, Twinbrook areas of West Belfast. We meet as a Community for a prayer every Thursday in the Church of Ireland Chaplaincy in Elmwood Avenue.
Contact: The Parish Office
Children’s Liturgy Group
The Children’s Liturgy takes places during the 6.30pm Vigil Mass on Saturdays and the 12 noon Mass on Sundays.
Children leave the main congregation for part of the Mass and go into the Sacristy where they hear and explore the Scriptures in an age-appropriate way involving a discussion or activity. The prayers and order of the Mass is adhered to as much as possible helping the children to better understand the Sacrament. They celebrate the Liturgy of the Word at their own level and rejoin the congregation for the second part of the Mass.
All the Leaders involved are vetted and monitored on an ongoing basis by qualified and approved professionals using the Safeguarding Regulations for the protection of our children.
A registration form must be completed before a child joins the Group and this can be obtained from a member of the Welcoming Ministry or the Parish Office.
New volunteer Leaders welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
Christian Life Community (CLC)
The Christian Life Community (CLC) in the Parish is a group of people who meet together every two weeks in the Parochial House to help each other to know Christ better and to find what He is asking of them in their daily lives. Our particular way of living as lay Christians is inspired by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola – bringing together faith and living so that we are aware of Christ in every part of our daily lives.
Christian Life Community is an international community that does not have a rule book, but a set of general principles which are both flexible and inspiring. These include the three characteristics of spirituality (living prayer), community and mission. Through prayer and community each of us discover our own call to serve Christ at home, work, in our Parish and in our local community.
CLC might be for you if you:– are searching for space in your life to reflect deeply and pray – want to meet and share with others – are trying to work out how God is calling you– want to integrate your faith and life more closely – are interested in Ignatian Spirituality – are interested in joining CLC or are already a member
New members are welcome
Contact: The Parish Office
Church Cleaners
The Church Cleaners are Parishioners who sacrifice their time and labour by regularly cleaning the Church. The group consists of four teams and each week, on a rota basis, one of the teams cleans the Church.
It is also a sign of reverence for the ever-present Risen Lord. The group is open to all Parishioners who would like to help to clean our place of worship.
Contact: The Parish Office
Dunmurry Churches Together
Dunmurry Churches Together consists of the Presbyterian Church, the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church, the Church of Ireland, as well as St. Anne’s Catholic Church.
Through informal meetings, made up of members from each of the Churches, inter-church worship events in Advent, in Christian Unity week, and on Easter Sunday morning are organised. These moments of meeting are very important. The attendance of Parishioners of St. Anne’s and their support is very necessary and encouraged.
Contact: The Parish Office
Eucharistic Adoration Apostolate
Eucharistic Adoration is the adoration of Jesus Christ truly present in the Holy Eucharist.
The Eucharist is the sacrament which really, truly and substantially contains the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearance of Bread and Wine. It is the great sacrament of God’s love. The word ‘Eucharist’ means ‘thanksgiving’.
Our Catholic Church fosters devotion to the Real Presence through public adoration of the Holy Eucharist, notably through exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction and Forty Hours Devotion.
Eucharistic Adoration takes place in our Church after 10.00 am Mass until 9.00pm every Wednesday and Thursday, and on Saturday morning until noon. Over one hundred committed volunteers attend on a weekly basis for a specified one hour for personal meditation and prayer. New adorers are encouraged and always welcome to join in this special time for prayer.
Contact: see joining cards in Church porch
Finance Committee
This is a consultative body established to assist the Parish Priest in the sound and proper administration of the Parish.
This is done by clarifying issues and making recommendations enabling the Parish Priest to be fully aware of all aspects of Parish finances when making decisions about financial matters.
The committee of ten is chaired by a lay Parishioner with the Parish Priest in attendance. Membership of the committee includes skills in banking, teaching, IT, private business and public affairs.
Other financial activity:
Gift Aid Scheme
Parishioners who pay income tax can increase the value of their contributions to the Parish simply by having a Gift Aid Agreement.
This scheme is easy to operate and can be done at no cost or inconvenience to Parishioners. Contributions to the Parish must however, be made by collection envelope, standing order or cheque – cash put on the collection plates is not eligible for Gift Aid.
Parish collection envelopes
The weekly collections at Sunday and Saturday masses are vital for the general upkeep of the Parish and to help reduce debt. The weekly white envelopes are used solely for this purpose. The monthly green envelopes are used to help maintain the Church. Other yellow envelopes are used throughout the year for “Special collections” such as for needy Parishes and the education of Diocesan Priests.
Contact: The Parish Office
Florist
The Church florist prepares and maintains the flowers throughout our Church every week. She applies her creativity to design ever changing beautiful displays.
This includes altar flowers as well as the decoration of our Church for annual celebrations such as Easter, Christmas etc.
Koinonia John the Baptist
Koinonia (the word is from the Greek meaning communion by intimate participation) John the Baptist is one of the ecclesial movements formed within the Catholic Church after Vatican II, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, to promote effective ways in preaching the Gospel in response to the challenges of living in today’s world of changing situations. It is a community formed in friendship, with a call to evangelise in the power of the Holy Spirit, following the example of John the Baptist who witnessed and pointed to Jesus. Koinonia reaches out to all the people of God, including the young, the not so young and the elderly.
Koinonia proposes a New Evangelisation according to current Church teaching, by forming people in a biblical mentality and by laying down the foundations of our faith in ‘new ways, new fervour and new methods’ through prayer, praise and scripture proclamation, the encouragement of ‘House of Prayer’ and various courses and training
The Koinonia John the Baptist Group in the Parish meets every Monday in a Parishioner’s house at 7.30 pm (except school holidays).
Contact: The Parish Office
Lectio Divina
“Lectio Divina“, a Latin term, means “divine reading” and describes a way of reading the Scriptures whereby we gradually let go of our own agenda and open ourselves to what God wants to say to us.
In the 12th century, a Carthusian monk called Guigo, described the stages which he saw as essential to the practice of Lectio Divina. Firstly the Scripture text is read over and over so that it becomes part of us and we are transformed by it. Secondly, time is spent meditating on the text seeing its relevance for our lives. Thirdly, meditation leads to prayer of thanksgiving, humility and petition.
Two Groups meet each Wednesday at 10.30 am and 7.30 pm in the Parochial House to reflect on and pray about the Sunday Gospel. All Parishioners are welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
Liturgy Team
Our Parish Liturgy Team is Parishioners, all of whom are actively involved in the liturgical life of the Parish as musicians, Ministers of the Word and Eucharist and members of the Baptism Team. Each therefore has a hands-on involvement in the Parish community’s liturgy, and is committed to seeing that it all goes well.
Its principle tasks are reviewing what has already taken place in the Parish, recommending improvements and preparing for future liturgical celebrations.
The Liturgy Team meets at least four times during the year.
Contact: The Parish Office
Marriage Preparation Programme with Accord
It is recommended that the couple also take part in an ACCORD Marriage Preparation Programme which is an Irish voluntary Catholic organisation that aims to promote a deeper understanding of Christian marriage and to offer people the means to safeguard and nourish their marriage and family relationships.
Contact: Accord Marriage Care Belfast, Curran House, Twin Spires Centre, 55 Northumberland Street, Belfast BT13
Telephone 028 9023 3002
Email belfast@accordni.com
Website www.accordni.co
Contact: The Parish Office
Ministers of the Eucharist
This group of Parishioners assists with the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays and weekdays as Ministers of the Eucharist. Their function is to assist the Priest in distributing Holy Communion. They also visit the Manor Nursing Home to bring Communion to the residents.
To establish the connection between the Sunday assembly and the homebound and sick of the Parish, Ministers are sent from the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist to take Communion to them. New Ministers of the Eucharist welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
Ministers of the Word
This group of Parishioners assists with the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays and weekdays as Ministers of the Word.
They are commissioned to proclaim the Word of God at Mass from Sacred Scripture, with the exception of the Gospel. At the Ambo the Reader is the spokesperson for the Word of God.
In proclaiming the word of God from Sacred Scripture, readers exercise their responsibility in mediating the presence of Christ. God speaks to the assembly through them, and the impact of God’s message will depend significantly on their conviction, their preparation, and their delivery. New readers welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
Mothers’ Prayers Group
The mothers meet every two weeks on a Thursday in the Parish Centre. They pray for their children and grandchildren. They also strive for personal spiritual growth. The Group welcomes mothers from other Christian Churches.
During the meeting a mother may share her worries without the fear of anything being repeated outside the meeting as all obey the strict rule of confidentiality. The other mothers support her in her prayer and she will feel supported by thousands of mothers around the world who are also part of Mothers’ Prayers. Mothers experience a great peace with the blessing of this wonderful prayer support. New mothers always welcome.
Contact: The Parish Office
One World Group
The One World Group meets monthly from September till June, to promote:
- · prayer for people in the developing world
- · spiritual development for members about the developing world problems
- · the need for prayer for the developing world within the Parish by leading Evening Prayer on a Sunday in Lent and in Advent
- · education in one world issues for people in our own world, in our own Parish
On a practical level we provide:
- · monetary support through a covenant scheme for three homes for children in Lima , Peru – set up by Fr. Tony Coney, a Columban Father who served as curate in St. Anne’s in 1994-1995 before going to Lima on mission
- · a monthly Fair Trade stall in the Parish Centre on the first Sunday of each month, except January, June and July – goods for sale are supplied by a local Traidcraft representative – and also sold are goods supplied from a Women’s Centre in Lima
- · funding for third-level education for students in Uganda
- · support by joining writing campaigns for justice and freedom
- · volunteers to make the breakfast when it is St. Anne’s turn to lead the Inter-church Easter Dawn service in Lady Dixon Park.
We raise funds and we support like-minded organisations. We are inspired in our work and prayer by the example and teaching of Our Lord, Jesus Christ who came to “set the downtrodden free”, and are convinced it is better to light one candle and place it on the lamp stand to light the way for others who also may help in their way, rather than hide in the dark.
Contact: The Parish Office
Parish Centre
The Parish Centre is a high quality multi-use building adjacent to the Church, featuring a range of rooms and catering facilities to meet all needs from small group meetings to concerts, indoor bowls and dancing.
It is at the disposal of all Parish groups and is run by a small committee of seven including the Centre Manager.
The Manager is responsible for the day to day running of the Centre and ensures that the annual running costs are covered by setting reasonable charges based on the room size, duration of events and frequency of events.
Please contact Gerry Barry, 07745169205 for all enquiries.
Safeguarding
St. Anne’s Parish has been at the forefront in the early formation of a Parish Safeguarding Committee with robust and transparent policies firmly established with the aim of ensuring the promotion of Safeguarding practices in all parish related activities involving children and young people.
Thus there is a shared responsibility between Priests and the laity.
Members of the Safeguarding Committee play a key role in identifying those who in our Parish who work alongside children and young people and those of our volunteers who require vetting and training.
The Committee has clearly defined roles and the Diocese of Down and Connor offers valuable support through training and the development of best practice guidelines in carrying out their vital role in the protection of children and young people.
Contact: The Parish Office