St. Ann, Grantsville

History of St. Ann Church

The present church was founded when St. Ann, Avilton (dedicated in 1874) and St. Stephen, Grantsville (dedicated in 1894) were combined into a single parish. St. Ann, Grantsville was dedicated in 1977 with a modern, brick and wood church building on land donated by Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Schroyer on US Route 40.

On Dec 23, 2006, a fire of undetermined origin started in the rectory of the church and destroyed most of the rectory with the remainder of the church sustaining heavy smoke damage. The Archdiocese initiated efforts to repair/replace the damaged structure. With the amount of damage to the structure, it was decided to build a new structure on the existing site.

The design off the new St. Ann Church has several windows behind the altar, which gives the congregation a view of the Casselman Valley. The crucifix over the altar is an original hand-painted icon depicting Jesus with renderings of the old St Ann and St. Stephen churches and a scripture quote “By His Wounds We Are Healed”. The statue of St. Ann that sits at the front of the church is the original statue that was refurbished after the fire.

On Sunday May 3, 2009 Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien presided over the dedication of the new St. Ann Church. Following tradition, Archbishop O’Brien was presented with the architectural plans, construction documents and the key to the building. He then called on Msgr. Hannon to open the doors and invited everyone to enter while singing “All Are Welcome”. More than 20 priests were on hand for the dedication.