Parishioner organizations have seen their day in many parishes and that unfortunate development has appeared in St. Anastasia a well. There was a very active Holy Name Society established in 1924. It was hundreds strong in active membership, but weak in the early 1980s to the point that it voted itself out of existence. The Ladies Auxiliary was founded in 1953. It, too, was hundreds strong and continued into the early 1990s. During the World War II years, a First Friday Club came into existence with all-night vigils before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. It continued until the last years of the 1990s, but with constantly diminished numbers in attendance and only an hour of adoration after Mass on the First Fridays. While not specifically a parish organization, the Knights of Columbus, which has a Council in our parish that bears the parish name, is one of the last of the Catholic Societies still functioning in the parish. The majority of the members of the K of C are parishioners and they offer their services as ushers at Mass. The shrine to the unborn owes its existence to their concern. Yet, even this Council has reason to be concerned for its future as present members grow older and new recruits are slow to join. The parish makes its facilities available to the Leisure Club, and is reciprocally benefited with their active involvement in many parish functions. On the last Friday of each month, there is Mass in honor of Padre Pio, and each Friday the school building is used by the Croatian Community for cultural instruction of their young people.

This is the time of the laity. Given the diminished numbers of priests, the laity will have a much more active role to play in the future of the Church world wide, nationally and diocesan-wide as well as in the local parishes. To perform their role efficiently and effectively, perhaps a renewal of former parish organizations should be considered, or new ones established to replace them and reorient parishioner energies to the works of the Church at the parish level. Canon Law mandates a finance committee, and we are fortunate to have such a committee augmented by parishioners who form an advisory council to aid the pastor in the decision making process. Beside parishioners who are experts in banking, law, accounting and construction, the committee also includes the trustees, school principal and Religious education directress along with the invaluable service offered by our parish finance secretary Mrs. Ann Larkin.