St Anne's Roman Catholic Church
Peterborough, Ontario
Pastors of St. Anne's
- Fr. Gregory Wolff: 1956 – 1970
- Fr. James Houlihan: 1970 – 1971
- Fr. Leo Coughlin: 1971 – 1978
- Fr. Ray Heffernan: 1978 – 1980
- Fr. Jim Scott: 1980 – 1986
- Fr. Frank Cox: 1986 – 1989
- Fr. Gary Leahy: 1989 – 1995
- Fr. Asisclo Podelino: 1995 – 2002
- Fr. Henry Adoptante: 2002 – 2004
- Fr. Luis Lapinid: 2004 –
History of St. Anne's
In the 1940’s there was a large population growth in
Gary and Doug Frost and their family were part of those early days. Gary and Doug were altar servers – or as they were known then, Sanctuary Boys. Doug (pictured below) continued to
serve until young adulthood. He and his wife of 31 years, Karen, were married at St. Anne’s and are parishioners today!
On May 14, 1956, the Parish of St. Anne’s was established when Bishop Webster advised Fr. Gregory Wolff of his appointment as founding pastor. The Parish boundaries were north of Parkhill from the
In September, 1956 a combined funds canvas with the objective of building a church began. Peter Gagliardi, a parishioner at that time, was one of the volunteer canvassers. He remembers fairs and draws being held to help raise funds. When the campaign ended $150,000 had been pledged.
In early 1957, O’Gorman and Associates of North Bay designed the church and the building contract was awarded to M.J. Finn. Sod turning occurred July 8, 1957.
The church’s corner-stone was laid December 15, 1957. Peter Gagliardi was there. He remembers a clear sunny day and a full parking lot. The workers spread the mortar and Fr. Ray Garvey, with a couple of assistants, picked up and laid the cornerstone in its place. Bishop Webster blessed the cornerstone which contains a time capsule from the students of St. Anne’s School.
The new church was completed, blessed and dedicated June 11, 1958. The total cost for the church, rectory and furnishings was $240,000. In June, 1967 a fiberglass statue of St. Anne was erected in front of the church. Fr. Wolff announced at the end of that year that the entire debt had been paid off.
Towards the end of the 1960’s the changes of the Second Vatican Council started coming into effect. Included among them were the elevation of and carpeting of the sanctuary; the removal of the communion rail; the erection of the ambo and a new altar facing the congregation.
The parish continued to thrive and grow under the leadership of many priests and soon came to include a second school,
Many parish activities were established and most met in the house next to the church that had once served as a rectory. The house was small, drafty and mostly inadequate for the needs of the parish. The members of the Quilters’ Group recall those old days in the Old House when it was so hot that they cooked in the summer and so cold they froze in the winter. There was an increasing need for something more suitable.
Finally in 1996, something was done about it and plans were started on the building of a new larger parish centre. Sod turning for the parish centre was April 21, 1997. Thanks to work from over 200 volunteers the projected cost of $1.2 million decreased to $800,000. In September 1997, St. Anne’s had is own large, modern, air conditioned Parish Centre. Now groups like the Quilters, Women’s Group, Knights, Brownies and others have a suitable place to meet and even store their belongings!
Through pledges and a huge fundraising campaign, chair Peter Roach delightedly announced early completion of the mortgage payments. On December 31, 2002 our Parish Centre was completely paid for – 10 years early!
Today St. Anne’s continues to be a flourishing parish with a Women’s Group, Knights of Columbus, Brownies, sports teams, Liturgy Committee and Children’s Liturgy among others. We are indeed Building Faith, Building Community and Building the Future.
bravenet.com