St.
Anne's Parish began on April 25, 1868 when a group of Catholic
and Protestant men pledged funds to Rev. Michael Duggan for
the purpose of "building a Catholic church in Goodson"
Virginia -Tennessee (now Bristol) for Irish, Romanian and Czechs
Catholic migrant railway workers to worship. Sam Goodson donated
a parcel of land on Spencer Street, over the years known as
Railroad Street. In 1873, the church was completed at a cost
of $2,207.19. General John Mosby, known as the "Gray Ghost"
during the Civil War was prominent in this endeavor.
Bishop Whelan, of the newly created Diocese of Wheeling assigned
Fr. Boyce to take care of pastoral duties for the parish. Fr.
Boyce organized "The St. Aloysious Sunday School"
on May 29, 1870. On April 26, 1876 the first baptism at St.
Anne's was recorded. In 1883 the Villa Maria Academy opened
in Abingdon and the gates to St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery (which
was physically in Washington County) were erected.
By 1900 the Wheeling diocese had outgrown its resources and
the bishop offered the mission territory of Southwest Virginia
to the Benedictine Order in Cullman, Alabama. The Abbott responded
and provided priests and other support until 1928. Rev. F. Leo
Theodosius, OSB was assigned as the first resident pastor, arriving
by train at 9:00pm, January 10, 1903 from Tuscumbi, Alabama.
At his first glance of the congregation and surroundings, it
was "anything but cheerful", he noted. Everything
looked dilapidated, and he could scarcely find the necessary
articles to say mass. Within months he had requested a transfer
noting, "he could no longer tolerate the loneliness and
living conditions". He challenged his successor to establish
a "decent pastoral residence." He left in April 24,
1904 with the permission of the Abbott, asking God to give the
new pastor the strength and courage to lead "this little
flock" to salvation.
In April 27, 1904, Fr. Fridolin Meyer, OSB arrived at St. Anne's.
His first step was to purchase the triangular lot adjacent to
the church from Mr. Joe Elliott of Roanoke for $1,500 (corner
of Spencer and Russell Streets.). The residence was ready for
occupancy December 7, 1904 at a cost of $2,582.58. Fr. Meyer
was joined by his sister Miss Mary Meyer, who served as catechist,
confidant, musician, sacristan and housekeeper. Fr. and "Miss
Mary" as she was affectionately known, were famous for
"matchmaking". At this time the parish numbered only
15 families. During this period parishioners donated funds for
the purchase of the Stations of the Cross and two adoring angels.
A life size corpus to adorn the cross was imported from Germany
and placed in the center of the main altar. This was an active
period for conversion. Baptismal records indicate 147 adults
joined the church at this time. At least 50 per cent of the
congregation was made up of converts. In 1920 Fr Meyer established
a Council of the Knights of Columbus with 65 members from St.
Anne's and surrounding area. During Fr. Meyer's tenure, the
congregation from St. Joseph's at Wallace decided to join the
Bristol flock and St. Joseph's was closed for all practical
purposes.
Ill health took its toll on Fr. Meyer and he was recalled to
the Abbey in Cullman, AL in April 1928. Rev. Jerome Lawrence,
OSB, pastor at Dante, Virginia took temporary charge at St.
Anne's parish from April until August 1928. At this time, the
responsibility for the parish was returned to the Wheeling diocese
and Rev. E. P. McDonnell, chaplain at St. Joseph's Hospital
in Parkersburg, West Virginia was assigned to St. Anne's.
Rev. James J. Hickie who was transferred from Huntington, West
Virginia took over on April 6, 1929. By the early1930's, the
parish had outgrown the church on Spencer Street, and a larger
one was needed. A cornerstone was laid on land adjacent to the
cemetery on Euclid Avenue on June 28, 1935. It was completed
with a dedication on November 22, 1936 for a cost of $75,000.
At that time stonemasons were paid $2.50/hr and laborers were
paid $.75/hr. During Father Hickie's tenure, the Sisters of
the Pallotine Order established summer Vacation Bible School.
The Pallotine sisters not only taught Bible study, but preparation
for the sacraments, rubrics, rituals and liturgies. At this
time, Fr. Hickie was Dean of the Bristol Deanery, which extended
from Bluefield to Radford, to the Kentucky border, and the Tennessee
and North Carolina lines. The Bristol Deanery saw a growth and
rebirth of Catholicism in areas served by the Glenmary priests
and nuns. The support and assistance from the Glenmary community
continues to this day.
In 1938, the original church on Spencer Street was renamed St.
Augustine's and became an active parish for African American
Catholics. St. Augustine's was served by the Order of the Precious
Blood from the Mother House in Ohio. The first pastor was Rev
Jas. Uecker, CPPS, followed by Rev. U. J. Father Landall, CPPS.
Next came Rev. Jerome Wolfe CPPS who served from October 1948
until April 1952, when this congregation joined us at St. Anne's.
The Spencer Street church was closed and their records were
transferred to St. Anne's.
During WWII the parish grew due to migration of Catholics from
the Northeast to work in munitions and related industries. In
1949, Fr. Hickie realized his dream of a parochial school. The
Sisters of St. Joseph came from Wheeling to begin grades K-6.
The nuns lived in the former rectory on Spencer Street. In the
next four years grades seven and eight were introduced and enrollment
doubled. It was also during this period that a lovely grotto
was built for Our Lady. In September 1959 the upper floor of
the original school building was completed with the benefit
of four new classrooms, library and office. In this same period
the convent was built for the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1962,
due to the growth of the parish, St. Anne's was assigned an
assistant pastor, Rev. John H. Fahey. Rev. Charles J. Schneider
took his place in 1964. In that same year Father Hickie became
Monsignor Hickie. Rev. Michael Lee arrived in 1965. His assignment
was brief and his replacement was Rev. Eugene Glowny. He left
in 1968, followed by Rev. R. Getsinger. As an outgrowth of the
Lay Congress the parish pastoral council was established with
a chair, vice chair and secretary. Six standing committees continue
as an adjunct portion of the council, which serves in an advisory
capacity to the pastor. A series of assistant pastors served
the parish; Rev. Pat McDonough, a priest from the Scranton Diocese,
Rev. John-Francis Claro OFM, Rev. E.D. Macken, Rev. R. Cupp,
and Rev. Ed Widmer.
Just after the Region IV Bishops Conference in Maryland, in
1974, the parish was transferred to the Richmond Diocese along
with all counties in Southwest Virginia. Msgr. Hickie retired
in this year, and remained in residence as pastor emeritus.
Father John Fahey was assigned to return as pastor although
he was scheduled to return to the Wheeling Diocese and this
was delayed for a year. Msgr. Hickie died in May of 1975 and
is buried in St. Anne's Cemetery. The requiem high mass was
concelebrated by Most Rev. Joseph Hodges, Wheeling, Most Rev.
Walter F. Sullivan, Richmond and Rev. John Fahey.
On June 1, 1975, Rev. James Grealish was appointed pastor. Under
his pastorate, the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges
accredited the school. Fr Jim initiated the Saturday evening
vigil mass as there was a need to accommodate parishioners who
worked on Sunday. By this time, the Sisters of St. Joseph teachers
had returned to Wheeling. The convent was made available to
women religious who conducted the religious education for Region
X, and assisted with Religious education at St. Anne's. It was
later converted in classrooms. In July 1979 Deacon Harry Hall
arrived at the parish. He contributed much, and continues to
contribute to the life of the parish and community. After eight
years Father Grealish was transferred to St. Mary's in Wytheville
where he reestablished St. Patrick's church in Speedwell.
In 1983, Rev. Walter G. Lewis was assigned to St. Anne's and
he initiated many programs, including the RENEW program that
encouraged growth in participants' faith. The parish continued
to grow with the inception of the RCIA and Children's RCIA.
Fr. Lewis empowered the parishioners to participate in the liturgies,
ministries and diocesan programs. He encouraged the musicians
to participate in diocesan workshops, and worked with the students
in many facets of religion/education. Under his direction the
parish Mission Statement was written and is displayed in the
Commons. It is the centerpiece for the weekly Bulletin and may
be found at the front of this directory.
During Fr. Lewis's time, the Bene Merenti Award from Pope John
Paul II was presented to a lifetime member of the parish, Rosamond
Fagan. She was part of the group to whom the Award was made
at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond. One of the
largest undertakings of Fr. Lewis's pastorate was the renovation
and expansion of the church/school plant. This involved the
purchase of property on Oakview behind the church. The project
was successfully completed despite a fire in the commons shortly
before the dedication. During this time, at Mrs. Barry Brady's
death, she bequeathed funds for improvements to the former convent,
now the site of the Barry Brady Learning Center. Her gift also
included her residence, which was renovated to serve as the
parish rectory.
In 1995, Fr. Lewis was assigned to St. Mary's in Richmond and
was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Ianucci. Looking toward Jubilee
2000, Fr. Tom made plans for a number of ecumenical programs.
He encouraged participation in the diocesan pilgrimage to the
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Feast days were celebrated
with flair. One of the first requests from the congregation
was to install a crucifix in the sanctuary. The parish was given
an opportunity after he was approached on the subject to select
the corpus.
There was a great deal of rebuilding to be done and Fr. Tom
did it well. RCIA increased in interest and numbers. The youth
ministry expanded with renewed enthusiasm. A major project was
the purchase and renovation of Coastal Mart on Oakview behind
the church, to purchase and renovate the Vincent DePaul Center
for the Bristol Faith in Action (BFIA). Working with the pastors
in the ministerial association, Fr. Tom brought together a number
of local churches to participate in the project.
In 1999, St. Anne's School celebrated the Golden Anniversary
with a wide scope of programs, liturgies and creative projects.
A general reunion for all graduates of St. Anne's was held over
the Thanksgiving holiday which honored past volunteers and teachers.
The Sisters of St. Joseph were well represented. The Jubilee
was celebrated in 2000 and Mary Cox Pippin donated the carillon
in memory of her husband, Harmon. Fr. Tom brought his period
at St. Anne's to a close in 2001, and was assigned to Virginia
Beach.
Rev. Timothy Keeney arrived in May of 2001 and was immediately
involved in the on-going projects. The Vincent de Paul Center
was completed for the BFIA as was the Msgr. Hickie Center, which
is used for bingo SHARE, and other parish activities. In 2001,
the school extended to the seventh grade, in 2002 to the eighth
grade and more space was needed to realize our commitment to
the parish and school. A building committee was established
which continues its work.
At the present time, restoration of the cemetery is underway
which includes identifying graves, rebuilding the wall and fence
at the front of the cemetery, landscaping and improvements.
A number of traditional services have also returned to St. Anne's
since Fr. Tim arrival. Many activities including parish and
ecumenical community services during the anniversary of 9/11
were overseen by Fr. Tim. He continues to organize and guide
projects, which will impact our parish and community, including
important programs such as RCIA, Youth and Young Adult, Spiritual Formation,
Religious Education, and Campus Ministry.
In covering a hundred and thirty eight years so briefly, it
is impossible to fully celebrate the many individuals, groups
and organizations that support and assist the parish. The author
would like to apologize to those not specifically mentioned
in this history who have aided in the establishment of St. Anne's
Catholic Community. Specific mention, however, is due to the
Knights of Columbus for their continued spiritual, financial
and practical support. |
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