From Staff Reports

For more than 60 years, St. Ann Parish has been bringing smiles to the community of Browns Mills.

This year was no different, despite the fire that struck June 17, destroying or damaging most of the equipment needed for the annual parish carnival.

“We couldn’t not have it,” said Charles Mitchell, chairman of the parish carnival committee and parishioner since 1958. “It’s going on for too many years to give it up. Fire or no fire, we were going to make it.”

Make it they did, as parishioners and the community at-large descended on the township’s municipal grounds for five nights of friendship and fun Aug. 15-19. To the sounds of children laughing, parishioners ran carnival games, served food and sold 50-50 tickets.

“It’s one of the biggest positives that the town has,” said Kathi Ulrich, who with her husband, John, has been working the parish carnival for decades.

“The parents who come today were kids when we got involved. Now, they’re here with their own kids and grandkids,” John Ulrich added.

Strolling the grounds, Father Edwin Mathias, parish pastor, credited the parish and town communities, as well as fellow Cohort parishes, for turning this year’s carnival into a reality. He said from monetary to equipment donations, everyone pulled together.

Joe Tierney, vice chairman of the carnival committee, agreed. “Getting people from all over shows the outreach of the church in the community. It was an amazing event, and I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone.”

Community outreach was also on the minds of those in St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Brant Beach, which held its Festival of the Sea Aug. 9-13, and Epiphany Parish, Brick, where its annual Italian Feast of the Assumption ran Aug. 17-20.

For Epiphany Parish, whether it was parishioners handing out novena cards and Father James Redstone, weekend assistant, answering questions as they stood by a statue of the Blessed Mother; Father Michael Santangelo, pastor, milling about to meet families and bestow blessings, or youngsters earning community service hour credits by cleaning tables and collecting trash, any current, former and would-be faithful could witness evangelization at every turn.

“We hope that by seeing us as a vibrant community, they will reconnect with their faith,” said Kim Lorentzen, festival coordinator and director of religious education.

Explaining that the youth helping out must perform 20 of their 30 religious education class service hours at the parish, she said, “Seeing these kids and families together as one in a Catholic environment, that to me is what makes it all worthwhile.”