About St. Ann · Gulf Breeze, Florida
St. Ann Catholic Church is a Roman Latin rite parish in Gulf Breeze, Florida, part of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee. The parish serves the Gulf Breeze community and the surrounding Santa Rosa area along Florida's Emerald Coast, and also operates a mission church, Our Lady of the Assumption, on nearby Pensacola Beach. St. Ann offers daily and weekend Mass in English, weekly adoration, Saturday confession, a Catholic preschool (St. Ann Discovery School), faith formation for children and youth, and a wide range of parish ministries. The parish has long been shaped by the priestly ministry of Monsignor Luke Hunt, who served at St. Ann for 41 years before retiring in mid-2025; he has been succeeded by Father John B. Cayer.
- Established
- 1958
- Patron
- St. Ann (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. John B. Cayer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee
Why belong here
St. Ann is a long-established Gulf Breeze parish with a full sacramental life — daily and weekend Mass, Saturday confession, and weekly adoration on Tuesdays — plus a parish school (St. Ann Discovery School) and a mission on Pensacola Beach. Active groups include Men of St. Joseph, the EDGE middle-school youth ministry, The Climb (high school), OCIA (the parish's name for the RCIA process), a young adults Bible study, and ongoing faith formation for children and adults. With friendly Mass times, two Sunday Masses, and a sister beach chapel, St. Ann offers both a rooted parish home and a way to worship wherever you are along the Emerald Coast.
Mass times at St. Ann
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM (before the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Weekdays 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
- Tuesday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
History of St. Ann Catholic Parish
Gulf Breeze had no Catholic church in the early 1900s, and families had to drive into Pensacola for Sunday Mass during the summer months. Monsignor Cusick of Pensacola began advocating for a local parish, and in April 1949 Bishop Thomas Joseph Toolen of the Diocese of Mobile approved the plan. A Gulf Breeze family donated the land for the chapel on the condition that it be named for the benefactor's wife, Ann — giving St. Ann its name. The parish has grown from a summer-only 25-by-60-foot chapel into a year-round parish with a school, a beach mission, and a full program of ministries.
- 1949: Chapel approved by Bishop Toolen; land donated by a Gulf Breeze family
- Late 1940s: Summer-only chapel opens
- 1958: St. Ann Parish formally established
- 1961: New church opens on Daniel Drive
- 1986: St. Ann Spiritual Center opens
- 1997: St. Ann Discovery School formed from Extended Care and Preschool
- 2025: Msgr. Luke Hunt retires after 41 years; building renamed Msgr. Luke Hunt Education Center
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently led by Father John B. Cayer, who arrived in mid-2025 and was shortly thereafter honored for 30 years of priestly service in the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee. He succeeds Monsignor Luke Hunt, who served St. Ann for 41 years before his June 2025 retirement; Msgr. Hunt remains available to fill in as needed. The parish is also supported by a Parish Administrator, Chris Michael, and staff listed on the parish website and bulletins.
- Fr. John B. Cayer – Pastor (since 2025)
- Msgr. Luke Hunt – Pastor Emeritus (retired June 2025 after 41 years)
- Chris Michael – Parish Administrator
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith formation at St. Ann spans the parish's youngest children through high school and adults, with weekly classes, youth nights, and the OCIA process for those becoming Catholic.
- PK–5 Religious Education (Sunday school classes)
- EDGE middle school youth ministry (weekly after-school gathering)
- The Climb (high school youth group)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) sessions
- First Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation
Adult Faith and Scripture Groups
Several ongoing groups gather parishioners around prayer and Scripture each week.
- Men of St. Joseph — meets Mon evenings, Tue mornings, and Wed mornings for prayer and reflection on the coming weekend's readings
- Pensacola Young Adults Bible Study
- High School Guys/Gals Bible Study
St. Ann Discovery School
St. Ann Discovery School is the parish's Catholic preschool and extended care program, located on the parish campus in the building renamed the Msgr. Luke Hunt Education Center in 2025. The school traces its origins to the 1986 St. Ann Spiritual Center: under Msgr. Luke Hunt's direction, with Director of Religious Education Anne Hoffman, the parish opened St. Ann Extended Care in February 1987 and a preschool that fall. The two programs merged in 1997 to form the Discovery School, which today serves children ages 1 to 5, with extended care beginning at 8 months. The school is accredited through the Florida Catholic Conference.
- Ages served: 8 months through 5 years
- Accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference
- VPK (Voluntary Prekindergarten) provider
- Located in the Msgr. Luke Hunt Education Center on the parish campus
Our Lady of the Assumption Mission (Pensacola Beach)
Our Lady of the Assumption is St. Ann's sister church on Pensacola Beach, serving beach residents and visitors to the barrier island. A single Sunday Mass is celebrated at 9:45 AM, and it operates as a mission parish affiliated with St. Ann.
- Address: 920 Via de Luna, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561
- Phone: (850) 934-0222
- Sunday Mass: 9:45 AM
- Administered by St. Ann Catholic Parish
Music Ministry and Worship
The parish supports an active Music Ministry and recently acquired a new Allen Rudy Lucente Designer Series RLX-66a GENISYS organ with APEX tone technology, which was celebrated with a free public concert by organist Hector Olivera. The parish also celebrates the Triduum liturgies, Palm Sunday procession, Easter Vigil/OCIA, and an annual Festival of the Nativities.
- New Allen RLX-66a GENISYS organ with APEX tone technology
- Hector Olivera organ concert (free and open to the public)
- Triduum, Palm Sunday, Easter Vigil, and Christmas liturgies
- Annual Festival of the Nativities
Parish Life and Outreach
St. Ann gathers the parish around social and service events throughout the year. Recent and ongoing events listed on the parish site include a Night with the Blue Wahoos (the Pensacola minor-league baseball team), a Ministry Day of Renewal, a St. Patrick's Day Mass at Paddy O'Learys, and the Feast Day celebration of St. Ann and St. Joachim on July 26. A live webcam of the church is available through the parish website.
- Ministry Day of Renewal
- Night with the Blue Wahoos
- St. Ann / St. Joachim Feast Day Celebration (July 26)
- St. Patrick's Day Mass
- Live webcam on parish website
Visiting and Contact Information
St. Ann Catholic Church is located at 100 Daniel Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561, behind the football stadium off Highway 98. The parish office can be reached at (850) 932-2859, and the parish administrator's email is [email protected]. The parish regularly posts bulletins, photos, and announcements on its website and Facebook page (SaintAnnParish).
- Address: 100 Daniel Drive, Gulf Breeze, FL 32561
- Phone: (850) 932-2859
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stanngulfbreeze.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaintAnnParish/
- Flocknote email newsletter
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Msgr. Luke Huntc. 1984 – June 2025
Served St. Ann for 41 years before retiring; oversaw construction of the Spiritual Center (1986), founding of Extended Care and preschool (1987), formation of St. Ann Discovery School (1997), and the building was renamed Msgr. Luke Hunt Education Center in his honor in 2025.
- Fr. John B. Cayer2025 – present
Succeeded Msgr. Hunt as pastor in mid-2025; celebrated 30 years of priestly service to the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee shortly after arriving at the parish.