St. Ann, mother of Our Lady and grandmother of Our Lord, is our patron. Each year, in the nine days before her feast, we pray together for her powerful intercession — and we ask her to draw us closer to the Son she helped bring into the world.
This July, our novena reflections follow the road to Bethlehem — and the surprising, human, sometimes messy family through whom God chose to enter history. From the Garden to the house of David, their lives point toward the same destination.
Join us for nine days of prayer, Scripture, and reflection as we walk The Rocky Road to Bethlehem: The Ancestry of Our Lord.
The Novena
The novena will be prayed nightly from July 18 to July 26, in association with the 7 PM Mass.
Each evening's reflection is preached by Rev. Robert Bulbrook. Over the course of the nine days, Fr. Bulbrook traces the ancestors of Our Lord — the men and women of Scripture whose lives, in all their faith and failure, God wove into the story of salvation:
Illuminated page depicting the Tree of Jesse, Flemish Psalter c. 1500.
Day 1 · Saturday, July 18 · Mr. Adam and Mrs. Adam
Day 2 · Sunday, July 19 · Noah and Mrs. Noah
Day 3 · Monday, July 20 · Abraham and the Princess
Day 4 · Tuesday, July 21 · Isaac and Rebecca the Trickster
Day 5 · Wednesday, July 22 · Jacob and Leah the Unfavourite
Day 6 · Thursday, July 23 · Judah and Tamar the Just
Day 7 · Friday, July 24 · Boaz and the Not-So-Jewish Ruth
Day 8 · Saturday, July 25 · David and She Who Must Not Be Named
Day 9 · Sunday, July 26 · Solemn closing Mass with His Excellency Bishop Joseph Dabrowski, C.S.M.A.
All are welcome — parishioners, visitors, and anyone curious about the faith. Novena booklets will be available in the church throughout the nine days.
Submit Prayer Intentions
The Novena prayers call upon St. Ann’s for her prayers and intercession to God for us and our intentions. Instead of praying generically ‘for all of the needs of the entire world’, it’s good and more efficacious to concretize petitions into specific requests. In the Church, we have near the devotional area to St. Ann a table with petitions cards where you can write down your prayer requests and submit them into the petition box. In addition to your prayers (we recommend you make the daily Novena prayers with the parish or privately), we will also unite the daily novena prayers and the novena Masses to your prayer requests. You may also submit your intentions using the button below.
Pray Along Each Day
Can't make it every evening? Sign up for our daily novena email and receive each day's prayer in your inbox — so you can pray with the parish wherever you are.
The Feast of St. Ann — Sunday, July 26
This year the Feast of St. Ann falls on a Sunday, which means the whole parish family celebrates our patron together at Mass. Come dressed for the feast.
Mass Times on Sunday, July 26:
8 AM - Low Mass
10 AM - English Mass
12 PM - Sung Mass
7 PM - Novena Mass
Novena Party
Following the feast day Mass, St. Ann Parish invites all parishioners and friends to our Novena Party — an evening of food, fellowship, and gratitude for another year under the care of our heavenly patron.
📅 Sunday, July 26 · 8:30 PM
📍 St. Ann School Gymnasium
Whether you've been with us for decades or are walking through our doors for the first time, you are welcome at this table.
Help Restore St. Ann's Roof
Our church has served this neighbourhood for over a century. Its roof — and the heritage it shelters — now needs our help.
We are raising funds to restore the roof of St. Ann Parish. Every dollar contributed goes directly to preserving this sacred space for the generations who will worship here after us.
You can contribute in honour of a family, in memory of a loved one, or simply as an act of gratitude for the faith you have received here.
The novena is a beautiful time to make this gift — a tile bearing your family's name will outlast all of us.