About Saint Ann [Melkite] · Waterford, Connecticut
St. Ann Melkite Catholic Church is a Byzantine-rite (Greek-Melkite) Catholic parish serving the Eastern Connecticut shoreline from its home in Waterford, CT. Founded in 1929 by Lebanese and Syrian emigrants who longed for the liturgy of their Eastern Christian forebears, it is a fully Catholic parish in communion with Rome, governed by the Melkite Eparchy of Newton. Today the parish offers the Divine Liturgy in both English and Spanish each week under the pastoral care of Father Dennis McCarthy (since 2017), and continues a 95-year tradition of bringing East and West together in one worshiping community on Cross Road.
- Established
- 1929
- Patron
- Saint Ann (St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Father Dennis McCarthy (ordained June 10, 2017)
- Diocese
- Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Newton (current bishop: Most Rev. François Beyrouti); geographically located within the territory of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich.
Why belong here
St. Ann's is a small, ethnically diverse, and warm Byzantine-Catholic community where the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (offered in English and Spanish) is the heart of parish life. Members are fed by rich liturgical worship, a long tradition of Christian charity through CNEWA, St. Vincent de Paul Place, the Waterford food pantries, the St. Gianna Pregnancy Resource Center, and a clothing collection on the parish grounds, and ministries for every age — Sunday School, Youth Group, Adult Faith Formation, the National Association of Melkite Women, and an active Parish Council. Anyone seeking the Eastern Christian liturgical heritage in southeastern Connecticut will find here a faithful, prayerful home in full communion with Rome.
Mass times at Saint Ann [Melkite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Welcome & Parish Identity
The parish's welcome page describes St. Ann's as an 'ethnically diverse, warm, hospitable, and deeply spiritual' community in which 'a relationship with Christ is first and central.' Celebrating the Byzantine Melkite rite, the parish is 'fully part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the leadership of Pope Francis, of our Patriarch Joseph Absi, and of the Synod of Bishops of the Melkite Greek-Catholic Church.' Melkites in the United States form a single diocese, the Melkite Eparchy of Newton, led by Bishop François Beyrouti.
- Melkite Greek-Catholic heritage rooted in Antioch — 'where the disciples were for the first time called Christians' (Acts 11:26).
- Heart of the community: the celebration of the Holy Eucharist (the Divine Liturgy).
- Commitment to preaching the Gospel and serving the poor and needy.
- Parish living as faithful disciples 'in both hearing the Word of God and in obeying Him.'
History of St. Ann's
St. Ann's was established in 1929 by Lebanese and Syrian Catholic immigrants to southeastern Connecticut who missed the liturgical life of their forebears. The parish has worshipped in two buildings: an original 1930 church used until 1978, and the present Byzantine-style edifice at 41 Cross Road, dedicated June 11, 1978. The parish's pastors have been chronicled on the website going back to Father Anthony J. Aneed (1929) and including a long tenure by Fr. Simon Hage, B.S.O. (1954–1992), under whom the new church was built.
- 1929 — Father Anthony J. Aneed organizes the parish under Bishop John J. Nilan of Hartford.
- 1930 — Groundbreaking on land from the Daniel Newman estate; parishioners do much of the work.
- 1936–1953 — Father Basil Shaheen, B.S.O., decorates the church; memorialized by a granite Our Lady of Mt. Carmel statue.
- 1954–1992 — Father Simon Hage, B.S.O., leads the parish and the building campaign.
- 1955 — Visit of Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh for the Silver Jubilee.
- 1968 — Visit of Patriarch Maximos V Hakim.
- 1976 — Land purchased on Cross Road; groundbreaking December 12, 1976.
- 1978 — Church completed April 1978 and dedicated June 11, 1978.
- 1979 — Hosts the 20th Annual Melkite Convention during the Golden Jubilee.
- 2003 — Hosts the 40th Annual Melkite Convention during the 75th Anniversary.
Holy Week & Liturgical Year
St. Ann's follows the rich liturgical calendar of the Byzantine tradition. The parish publishes a distinctive Holy Week schedule featuring the Bridegroom Service, Anointing Service, Last Supper Service, Passion Gospels, and Descent from the Cross — services characteristic of Eastern-Catholic Holy Week observance.
- Holy Monday — Bridegroom Service, 5:30 p.m.
- Holy Tuesday — Anointing Service, 5:30 p.m.
- Holy Wednesday — Last Supper Service, 5:30 p.m.
- Holy Thursday — Passion Gospels, 5:30 p.m.
- Good Friday — Descent from the Cross, 12 noon.
Act — Service, Charity & Diakonia
Following the example of the early deacons St. Stephen and St. Lawrence, the parish describes its outreach as 'diakonia' — service to the Lord and neighbor. The parish supports a wide network of local, national, and international charities, including the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and the Melkite Catholic Children's Aid (collected by the Eparchy), as well as St. Vincent de Paul Place in Norwich, Waterford food pantries, the Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Clinic, and a clothing collection bin on parish grounds.
- Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) — papal humanitarian agency.
- Melkite Catholic Children's Aid — donations collected by the Eparchy for children in need in the Middle East.
- St. Vincent de Paul Place, Norwich, CT.
- Waterford, Connecticut Food Pantries.
- Catholic Charities Behavioral Health Clinic.
- Clothing Collections for needy families (bin on parish grounds).
Faith Formation & Education
St. Ann's offers formation for every age through Adult Faith Formation, Sunday School (coordinated by Joumanna Hajj), and a Youth Group. These programs flow from the parish's conviction that a relationship with Christ is central, that the liturgical life is rich, and that 'God-fearing' parishioners 'contribute dynamically to the life of our parish community and in the local and regional community.'
- Sunday School — coordinated by Joumanna Hajj.
- Adult Faith Formation.
- Youth Group.
Respect Life & Vocations
The parish's Respect Life ministry supports the St. Gianna Pregnancy Resource Center in New Haven, which serves at-risk women and their children 'from initial encounter to birth and beyond,' helping families 'welcome the life of their child with confidence and joy.' The parish also hosts and supports the National Association of Melkite Women (NAMW), which 'promotes and supports vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the United States.'
- Respect-life teaching: 'human life is to be respected from conception to natural death.'
- St. Gianna Pregnancy Resource Center, New Haven.
- National Association of Melkite Women (NAMW).
Contact, Bulletins & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish through the office line or directly through the pastor. The website posts weekly parish bulletins (organized by year and month) so the faithful can stay current on announcements, services, and events. St. Ann's is located on Cross Road in Waterford, with directions available on the parish website.
- Parish office: 860-442-2211.
- Father Dennis cell and email: 860-287-0677 / [email protected].
- Parish email (general): [email protected].
- Parish Bulletins page organized by year and month.
- Facebook: @StAnnWaterfordCT.
- Directions link on the Contact page.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Anthony J. Aneed1929–1934
Lebanese missionary who organized the parish with permission of Bishop John J. Nilan of Hartford; moved to California in 1934.
- Dominican Fathers from Providence College1934–1936
Order of Preachers supplied the parish in the absence of a permanent pastor.
- Rev. Basil Shaheen, B.S.O.1936–1953
Basilian Salvatorian from Lebanon; first Mass Christmas 1936; died January 28, 1953. His pastorate brought paintings, stained glass, and a finished basement; parishioners erected a granite Our Lady of Mount Carmel statue in his memory.
- Rev. Francis J. Finn (administrator) with Archimandrite Malatios Mufleh, B.S.O.1953–1954
Pastor of St. Mary's administered the parish while Arch. Mufleh of St. Elias, Cleveland, handled Melkite spiritual needs.
- Rev. Simon G. Hage, B.S.O.1954–1992
Arrived from Lebanon April 5, 1954; led the building campaign that produced the present church. Received Patriarchs Maximos IV (1955) and Maximos V (1968).
- Rev. Gerasimos Murphy, B.S.O.1992
Served for approximately six months.
- Rev. Rod McRae, B.S.O.1993
- Rev. Athanasius Hassey1997
- Rev. Damon Geiger1998–2017
Approached Dennis McCarthy about priestly discernment in 2011; the parish's longest-serving recent pastor before the current one.
- Rev. Michael Skrocki2000
- Rev. Edward Kakaty2002
- Rev. Dennis McCarthy2017–present
Raised in Oxnard, California; former U.S. Marine and law student; ordained to the diaconate in 2003 and to the priesthood June 10, 2017, after completing an advanced certificate in pastoral ministry at Boston College.