St. Andrew Altar Guild officers


Standing left to right: Fr. Maloney, Deacon Wunderle. Seated left to right: Mary Ann Roach, Vice President; Patti Smith, President; Jenn Stobbs, Secretary; Tami Herman, Treasurer (not shown).

See photos here
from the fall 2009 Altar Guild/Holy Name dinners.

The Altar Guild of St. Andrew the Apostle Church is composed of women who are dedicated to foster an ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her intercession in our endeavors has blessed us with many successful projects. Many of the projects we sponsor afford us money to buy items needed by the church. In the past, our group has had profits to buy altar linens and servers` albs. Recently we were able to purchase a monstrance, crucifix, nativity figurines, and pay for church-related repairs.

Our meetings are held on one Tuesday evening per month during the school year and begin at 6:00 p.m. Check the bulletin for dates. The months of June, July, and August are vacation months.

The dues for the organization are $5 a year. If you are a senior citizen, you are not obligated to pay, but when the parishioner receives her envelopes, she will notice that one envelope is designated as Altar Guild. She is asked to return it in the collection basket so that her name can be added to our membership roster.

In April, new officers for the year are elected. The offices are those of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. We have numerous committees that fulfill the various jobs that are needed for the functions we sponsor.

We sponsor a Mass for all the living and deceased members of the Altar Guild once a month. At the death of a member, a rosary is recited at the wake and an honor guard is present on the day of the funeral.

Our group provides on-going Corporal Works of Mercy among all parishioners. We have driven patients to radiation and dialysis treatments. We have furnished cooked meals to families with short-term illnesses and have babysat while parents coped with other obligations.

Our Sunshine Committee sends cards to parishioners who are ill or who have had deaths in the family, and we recognize birthdays.

We have a group of women who prepare and serve the hungry at the Presbyterian Church in Barberton. Although this is not an Altar Guild funded effort, many of the teams are made up of the Altar Guild members.

The altar linens and servers’ albs are cared for by the Altar Guild.

We have a group of members who are involved in a prayer line. These members are called on to pray for those in need of prayers -- those who have had accidents, those who are ill or undergoing surgery, etc.

During Advent, a tree is placed in the sanctuary; cards with suggestions for gifts for families who are in need are placed on the tree.

The ladies of the Altar Guild also take care of the children of the parish with a Children’s Christmas Party and an Easter Egg Hunt. We also have a reception for those children receiving Communion for the first time.

One of our fundraisers is our Annual Holiday Craft Show. We also have an Annual Card Party which gives us profits to purchase treats for the various groups and activities we support.

The Altar Guild affords the ladies of the parish the opportunity to better know the needs of the church and to work with other ladies to accomplish goals set by the Altar Guild.