Our HistoryI n 1917 a small group of Polish and Latin American families united their efforts to construct a small frame church on a two acre plot in the township of La Vernia on River Street. La Vernia at that time was a ranching and cotton farming community with a railroad track connecting it to the outside world. Mass was held on occasion when a priest would come from a nearby town to perform baptisms and marriages.
The small wood frame church was replaced in November
1963 with a brick church on U.S. Hwy. 87 on four acres purchased from J.L.
Sanders for $2,500. The church cost $35,000. Fr. Benedict Pruski of
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, St. Hedwig, supervised the
new construction. He also encouraged St. Ann Church to become a parish
separate from Annunciation of the B. V. M. Church. On November 30, 1965, St. Ann Church became an independent parish with a permanent pastor, Fr. Benjamin Bonazza. With the establishment of a new parish the parish boundaries encompassed portions of St. Hedwig, Seguin, Nixon and Floresville. St. Mary Church, Stockdale, became a mission church of St. Ann Church until 1973. The small farming and ranching community has grown
into a community filled with commuters traveling to the city for work.
Growth began outside the city in the form of subdivisions. St. Ann Church
needed to expand to provide our parish members growing room. Plans to build a
new sanctuary began in 1991 with the dedication of the sanctuary on March 5,
2000. The sanctuary seats 600 people.
Pastors who served St. Ann Parish since 1965 1965-1968 Rev. Benjamin Bonazza 1968 (3 mo.) Rev. Msgr. George Stuebben 1968-1970 Rev. Msgr. Patrick Flanagan 1970-1985 Rev. Joseph R. Till 1985-1995 Rev. Msgr. Alois J. Goertz 1995-2001 Rev. Peter McKenna 2001-2007 Rev. Victor M. Carrillo June 2007- June 2008 Rev. Tony Vilano June 2008 - Present Rev Canon Stanislaw Fiuk |
By
1921 the small church relied on the Redemptorist Fathers from Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Church in San Antonio providing priests to celebrate mass.
Sunday Mass at first became a monthly event; later a weekly mass was
provided. In 1950, St. Ann Church became a mission church of Annunciation of
the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, St. Hedwig.
Additional stained glass windows were
added in 2004.