St. Anne Catholic Church

Our P. O. Box has been closed.
All checks or any correspondence for St. Anne Catholic Church should be mailed to: 10550 Ford Avenue, Richmond Hill, GA 31324.  Please advise your bank of the address change if you have automatic debit payments.

Dear parishioners,

This is a very important message from Bishop Stephen Parkes concerning your parish and your priests.

I’ve been a priest 42 years and will be 69 years old in December. Thus, as I age, I feel that it is time for me to retire from being in charge of things. Bishop Parkes has accepted my desire to retire. This will be effective June 30^th. However, my last day with you will be Sunday, June 26. I will preach all the Masses that weekend to say goodbye. 

In addition to that Fr. Robert, our parochial vicar for the last two years, is being transferred to become the new parochial vicar at St. John the Evangelist Church in Valdosta. He will preach all the Masses the weekend of June 19^th. 

Your new pastor will be Father Dawid Kwiatkowski. He has been ordained since 2011 and is in his late 38 years old and because of his youthfulness and abundant energy,  Bishop Parkes thinks he can do the work of two priests, an elderly decrepit one and a newly ordained one! Thus Father Dawid (Dah-veed) will be the only priest here for the near future. He arrives the week of June 26^th and his first weekend will be the July 4^th weekend when everyone is away for this great national holiday.

The farewell reception for Fr. Robert and me will follow the 10:30 AM Mass on June 26^th. More information will be forthcoming!

Please pray for both Fr. Robert and me. And know that both of us are praying for you. 

I have been blessed with many wonderful assignments and being pastor of Saint Anne for the last six years is the cherry on top of the Sundae of my assignments. 

Here they are:  St. Teresa of Avila Church, Albany, Georgia: 1980 to ’85; The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Savannah: 1985 to ’91; The Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Augusta: 1991 to 2004; Saint Joseph Church, Macon: 2004 to 2016 and Saint Anne, Richmond Hill: 2016 to 2022! 

There is no such thing as a retired priest but I am retiring from administration, worry about money, meetings, meetings, meetings and more meetings. I will be active as a “senior” priest helping out in nearby parishes when I am able. I will give Fr. Dawid a year without me or my criticisms or praise and then if he would like me to fill in when he is away, I will be happy to do so! 

Please accept your new pastor with a warm welcome as you did for me six years ago. God bless you!

Your pastor,

Fr. Allan