Spirit Day Brings St. Anne's Parish Family Together

At St. Anne's church in Garden City Saturday local parishioners enjoyed the annual "Spirit Day" celebration. Rides, multiple moon bounces, raffles, food, music and local vendors, selling everything from shirts, posters, crafts and toys, greeted participants throughout the day. Activities were also available for parish members with special needs.

Monsignor John Gilmartin presided over an outdoor Mass held in the parking lot at 5 p.m. The rides and festivities were taken down for the Mass and the entire community came together to celebrate the service.

Parish administrator Mary Lou Engrassia was enthusiastic about the success of Spirit Day, but stressed the real importance of the day was bringing everyone together.

"Spirit Day is a great way to raise money for St. Anne's but most importantly of all a great opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist as a community," she said.

The day's main attraction was the St. Anne's Big Bucks 50/50 raffle. There were 1,000 tickets available for $100 each. The grand prize winner received $25,000 and five runners up $5,000 each. The lucky winners were announced at 10 p.m., with the celebration winding down by 11 p.m.

The Big Bucks raffle in years past has benefited both the chapel and elevator funds. The Chapel Fund went towards the St. Therese Chapel, in memory of Monsignor William Costello, and the Elevator Fund went towards an elevator for parish members with limited mobility.