St. Ann (Diocese of Arlington)
St. Ann Parish is in Virginia (United States) and is part of the Diocese of Arlington.
It is dedicated to Saint Ann.
| St. Ann Parish | |
| Dedication: | Saint Ann |
| Venerated Saints: | |
| Diocese: | Diocese of Arlington |
| Deanery: | Arlington Deanery |
| Address: | 5300 North 10th Street, Arlington, VA 22205 |
| Coordinates: | 38.8789, -77.1058 |
| City: | Arlington, VA |
| Subdivision: | Virginia |
| Country: | United States |
| County: | Arlington County |
| Website: | https://stannchurch.org |
| Founded: | 1947 |
| School: | Yes |
| Email: | ppp@stann.org |
History
St. Ann Parish in Arlington, Virginia, was established on September 25, 1947, by the Diocese of Richmond, which then encompassed Northern Virginia, to serve the influx of Catholics during Arlington’s wartime and postwar expansion. Carved from the territories of St. James in Falls Church and St. Charles, St. Agnes, and the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, the parish began with 400 families on farmland acquired in 1941. The original brick church was dedicated on June 27, 1948. As the parish grew to 1,200 families by the mid-1950s, it opened St. Ann School in 1951 and added classroom buildings, a playground, and a rectory. In 1974, the Diocese of Arlington was formed, absorbing St. Ann. A new church was constructed in 2004 under Father Bill Schardt and dedicated by Bishop Paul Loverde on April 30, 2005, replacing the original structure. Managed by Missionhurst priests since its early years, the parish celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022 with a Mass led by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, affirming its enduring role as a diverse, welcoming community.
Special features
- The parish features a statue of St. Ann in the courtyard, an icon of St. Ann and St. Joachim commissioned in 2004, a pelican stained-glass window, and a striking crucifix above the altar installed in 2019, enhancing its sacred spaces.
- St. Ann School educates students from Kindergarten through 8th grade, with a treasured Mass buddy program pairing younger and older students to learn the liturgy together.
- The St. Ann Community Garden, a “Plot Against Hunger” initiative, donates fresh produce to the Arlington Food Assistance Center and Our Lady, Queen of Peace’s pantry, while a rosary garden with native plants attracts pollinators and offers a meditative space.
- Multicultural celebrations like Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Urkupina (Bolivian), and a Pentecost Sunday with prayers in multiple languages (e.g., English, Spanish, Tagalog) reflect the parish’s diverse congregation.
Related parishes
St. Ann Parish is part of the Diocese of Arlington, covering 21 counties in Northern Virginia. Within the Arlington Deanery, it connects historically and geographically to St. James in Falls Church, St. Charles, St. Agnes, and the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, from which its boundaries were originally drawn, and collaborates through diocesan initiatives like the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal.