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Dianne Danz was
born in Lancaster, PA, the daughter of St. Anthony of Padua
parishioners Mae (Bradshaw) and Vincent Danz. Could William and
Catherine Bradshaw, upon moving from Philadelphia to their home on
East Chestnut Street, Lancaster (St. Anthony parish) in 1926, have
expected that a granddaughter would today serve as parishioner, lector at Mass, parish
historian/archivist, and navigator of this
history?
A graduate of St. Anthony School and Lancaster
Catholic High School, Dianne is a graduate of Millersville University
having earned a degree in Education with a major in Library Science.
With certification to teach grades K through 12 in the public schools
of five US states, Dianne’s appetite for variety was satisfied by
working in each of those levels of education as a librarian—a
career of 41 years. In addition to working in different areas
throughout the US, Dianne did a stint with the DOD Schools
at Misawa Air Base in Japan. Dianne accepted a position in Oxford, PA
in 1983 and returned to Lancaster to live. She spent the last 22
years of her career as an elementary librarian in Oxford.
Upon her return to Lancaster, Dianne participated in
parish ministries as lector, CCD teacher, and was a member of the
Parish Pastoral Council for eleven years. Her training as a librarian
qualified Dianne as the person to fill the vacancy of historian
following the death of Edgar Musser (a remarkable parish historian)
in 1988. A pressing need existed to organize historical material
discovered following Musser’s death. As our present parish
historian/archivist, Dianne has painstakingly sorted, read, and bound
our precious historical documents, photos, relics, and treasures into
organized volumes of history. Through “St. Anthony’s History by
Decades” Dianne immerses our treasured past into the true baptism
by fire—the Internet, where all the world can share our history.
In the 1990’s, then St. Anthony of Padua pastor
Rev. Charles McDonald, CSsR learned of Dianne’s writing skills and
her experience on the theatrical stage. He introduced her to the
parish archives and assigned Dianne to creating a staged history to
celebrate the 125th anniversary of the parish in 1995. Dianne wrote
and produced the 1995 play A Circle of Hands as well as two
additional musical productions. She has authored Personal Moments in
History: The Story of St. Anthony of Padua Parish and Its People and A Circle of Guardians—an
explanation of the painted and stained glass art in our church.
Dianne’s third published title, Fortresses of Faith,
is the story of Sacred Heart Academy, its founders, and their
connections to St. Anthony parish. Having been an “Academy”
student of piano for eight years, Dianne is today a member of the
Holy Cross Alumnae of Sacred Heart Academy and serves as historian.
Dianne Danz believes
“that history needs not only to be preserved but also to be
cherished and publicized, so that people of the present realize
their own importance in the history of the parish.” The title of
her play A Circle of Hands explains the connection each of us has with one another. She explains
“The people who founded the parish comprise the upper half of the
circle, and their spirits reach down to us from heaven, as we reach
up to them to make the circle. And the hands of God are over all of
us.” |