It Takes a Village: Recognizing the Altar Guild at St. Anne’s

As Co-Chairs of the Altar Guild, Allison Hyland and I want to thank and recognize the unsung heroes of our ministry at St. Anne’s.  There are about 40 members of the Altar Guild, performing various tasks on a weekly basis.  The flower arrangements that decorate the High Altar and Holy Family Chapel each week are created by our Flower Guild.  We’re incredibly blessed by the talent of these women, who are also members of various garden clubs around Annapolis.  Whereas the flowers are the outward manifestation of our work, you might not be aware of the behind the scenes work that goes into preparing the altar for our Sunday and weekday services, as well as Holy days, weddings and funerals.  We have special “set up” teams that serve in that role, coordinating with the clergy, verger and other members of the worship team.  As you can imagine, there are a lot of linens used in communion, so the Altar Guild has another subset of people who clean and iron the linens weekly.  And then there are the people who tend to the candles each week.  It takes a “village” to bring the worship services to the parishioners at St. Anne’s and the Altar Guild is an integral part of that village.  Allison and I are proud and thankful for the ongoing commitment of our members, who contribute their time and talents to St. Anne’s.

With Gratitude,

Judy Olson