St. Ann's Parish

...was established in the year 1906, as part of the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Diocese of Hamilton. The year 2006 was thus our own 100th Anniversary. At the time of its founding, our parish was composed of 45 families. During the past 100 years, that number of families has fluctuated to a high of 1500 families however at this time we have over 300 families registered in our parish records.

The Church shown

...is the second parish Church and was blessed and opened in 1926. The construction is unique in that the roof is supported by a system of steel and wooden girders which sit on walls which are 2 feet thick. As a result, there are no pillars in the main body of the Church which might obstruct one's view of the Sanctuary. The building itself is in the shape of a cross, and it seats 850 people comfortably. The furnishings within the Church are original and made entirely of quarter sawn oak which imparts a unique texture to the wood of the pews, etc. The altar and shrines are constructed of white marble and scatiola, and they also remain in their original construction. A statue of Good St. Ann rises high above the altar of repose. In its design and decoration, the Church emulates the Great Shrine of St. Anne at Beaupre in Quebec.

Our parish

A welcoming community for the many groups of immigrants who came to Hamilton during the past century. Among them, the Italian, Polish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Spanish, and latterly, the Vietnamese communities first established themselves here, before becoming their own parishes. Even today, our parish is quite multicultural. Many descendants of the original Irish families still worship here, and they are joined by families from such diverse countries as Thailand, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Remarkably

only 8 pastors have served here during the life of our parish.

They are:
Fr. J.A. Lenhard
Msgr. J.W. Englert
Msgr. C.L. McColgan
Fr. A.B. O'Brien
Fr. M.A. Isabelle
Fr. Don Sanvido
Fr. Joseph Durkacz Fr. Jeffery Oehring (Current Pastor)


Some 70 Vocations to the Priesthood, Sisterhood, and other forms of Religious Life have been fostered and nourished here. From this number also came Bishop P.F. Reding D.D. who served as Bishop of Hamilton from 1973-1983.

We are thankful

to God for our parish, and for the spirit of its people who have served each other, our neighbourhood, and our city for these many years. By God's Grace, and invoking Good St. Ann, we pray that many others will continue the proud tradition of our parish as we begin our second century.