About St. Ann · Kingshill, Saint Croix Island
St. Ann Catholic Church (also styled Sts. Joachim and Ann) is a Roman Catholic parish in Estate Barrenspot, Kingshill, on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, part of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. The parish is rooted in a chapel first built in the 1820s by planter Christopher McEvoy Jr., which served for over a century as a mission of the Redemptorist Fathers before being canonically established as its own parish in 1970. Today the parish community worships at the historic St. Ann's Chapel and the modern Ss. Joachim & Ann Church, and gathers around devotions such as Perpetual Help, the Barrenspot Hill Shrine, and weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
- Established
- 1823 (chapel); 1970 (established as a parish)
- Patron
- Sts. Joachim and Ann (parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Dominic Ukagba, Administrator (Msgr. Michael F. Kosak remains Pastor Emeritus in residence)
- Diocese
- Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands
Why belong here
St. Ann's offers a rare combination of deep history and living devotion: parishioners worship in a chapel that has served Catholics since the 1820s, pray at the renovated sugar-mill Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot Hill, and gather weekly for Adoration, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the Chaplet of St. Michael, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and the Holy Rosary. The parish runs a Saturday religious-education program, hosts Cursillo de Cristiandad and the Sacred Heart Society, and live-streams its Masses online — making a small but engaged community accessible both in person on St. Croix and to absent members abroad.
Mass times at St. Ann
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Every Friday after the 7:00 AM Mass (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
History of St. Ann's
Catholic life at Barrenspot dates to the early 1820s, when Christopher McEvoy Jr., a Catholic planter in the Danish West Indies, financed a chapel on his Estate Barrenspot to serve the mid-island. It was consecrated on St. Ann's Day, 1838. The Redemptorist Fathers of the Congregation of the Holy Redeemer tended the island from 1858 and used the chapel as a mission of Holy Cross until 1970, when Bishop Harper elevated it to parish status and named Father Michael F. Kosak its first parochial priest. During Kosak's long pastorate, the community built the modern Ss. Joachim & Ann Church and converted the old sugar mill into the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot Hill, in addition to Marian Hall, paved roads, and the beautification of the parish's 9.5-acre grounds.
- 1823/1825 — Chapel of St. Anne built at Estate Barrenspot by Christopher McEvoy Jr.
- 1838 — Chapel formally consecrated on St. Ann's Day, July 26
- 1858 — Redemptorist Fathers (Congregation of the Holy Redeemer) begin serving St. Croix
- 1970 — Chapel established as a parish; Rev. Fr. Michael F. Kosak appointed first pastor
- 1995-1999 — Construction of Ss. Joachim & Ann Church and conversion of the sugar mill into the Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot
- 1999-2007 — Marian Hall, paved roads, parking lot and property beautification
Msgr. Michael F. Kosak: Builder of the Parish
Monsignor Michael F. Kosak was the founding pastor of St. Ann's and shaped virtually every facet of its life for more than forty years. Beyond his work at Barrenspot, he served the wider diocese as Vicar General (1987-2008 and again 2008-2013), Episcopal Vicar for St. Croix, Dean of St. Croix, and director of vocations, the Permanent Diaconate, and the Charismatic Renewal. In 1985 he launched the Caribbean Catholic Network, a 24/7 Catholic television service for St. Croix, and in 1995 was appointed Pastor of St. Ann's by the bishop. He retired on August 31, 2014, was briefly re-appointed in August 2019, and on July 1, 2020 became Pastor Emeritus in residence at St. Ann's Rectory. He also authored a 175th-Anniversary commemorative history of St. Anne's Church at Barrenspot.
Pastoral Clergy and Staff
Daily life at St. Ann's is carried by a small team of clergy, religious, and lay staff. The parish is administered by Rev. Fr. Dominic Ukagba and assisted by Rev. Deacon Denis Griffith; the long-serving Msgr. Michael F. Kosak, P.A., remains Pastor Emeritus in residence at the rectory, along with Rev. Fr. Simon Peter Opira. Lay staff include the parish secretary, accountant, religious-education coordinator, sacristan and assistant sacristans, and a maintenance lead.
- Rev. Fr. Dominic Ukagba — Administrator
- Rev. Deacon Denis Griffith — Assistant
- Rev. Msgr. Michael F. Kosak, P.A. — Pastor Emeritus, in residence
- Rev. Fr. Simon Peter Opira — in residence
- Mrs. Linda O'Neale — Parish Secretary
- Mrs. Esther Felix Donnelly — Parish Accountant
- Mrs. Patricia Browne — Religious Education Coordinator / Assistant Sacristan
- Mr. Aldon Roger — Sacristan
- Mrs. Claretta Randolph — Assistant Sacristan
- Mr. Michael Matthews — Maintenance
- Parish Bookstore
Devotions and Pastoral Life
St. Ann's offers a rich devotional calendar built around the Blessed Sacrament, Marian devotion, and traditional Catholic prayers. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament follows the Friday 7:00 AM Mass, during which the Divine Mercy Chaplet is recited. The Rosary is prayed 30 minutes before every Mass. Our Lady of Perpetual Help is honored each Wednesday at 6:30 AM, and the Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel is prayed Sundays at 12:15 PM. A weekly Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot Hill on Thursdays is one of the parish's most distinctive offerings.
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — Fridays after 7:00 AM Mass
- Divine Mercy Chaplet — Fridays at 8:00 AM
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help — Wednesdays at 6:30 AM
- Devotion to Our Lady of Barrenspot Hill — Thursdays, 12:15 PM Mass at the Shrine
- Holy Rosary — 30 minutes before each Mass
- Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel — Sundays at 12:15 PM
- Sacred Heart Society — first Sunday at 9:30 AM
- Cursillo de Cristiandad — Sundays at 10:30 AM
Faith Formation and Parish Groups
Religious Education meets Saturday mornings from 9:00-11:00 AM and is coordinated by Mrs. Patricia Browne. The parish also hosts Cursillo de Cristiandad gatherings on Sunday mornings and supports the Sacred Heart Society, all of which give adult parishioners and families multiple ways to grow in faith together.
- Religious Education (Saturday 9:00-11:00 AM)
- Cursillo de Cristiandad (Sunday 10:30 AM)
- Sacred Heart Society (first Sunday at 9:30 AM)
The Barrenspot Hill Shrine
One of the most distinctive features of the parish is the Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot Hill — the renovated plantation sugar mill on the parish's 9.5-acre grounds. Built under Msgr. Kosak's pastorate in the mid-1990s, it serves as a Marian pilgrimage site and the regular venue for the Thursday 12:15 PM Mass.
Diocese and Identity
St. Ann's belongs to the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, in the St. Croix Deanery. The parish shares in the wider life of the diocese, currently under ordinary Most Rev. Jerome Feudjio; the late Bishop Emeritus Herbert A. Bevard (who served 2008-2020 and died September 20, 2025) installed Fr. Louis Kemayou as pastor in 2015 and was closely associated with Msgr. Kosak's ministry.
Visiting and Contacting the Parish
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Ann's by mail at P.O. Box 1160, Kingshill, St. Croix, VI 00851, or by phone at (340) 778-0484; the parish email is [email protected]. Live Sunday Masses (7:00 AM and 9:30 AM AST) and Funeral Masses are streamed on the parish's Vimeo channels, allowing those off-island to keep in touch with the community.
- Mailing address: P.O. Box 1160, Kingshill, St. Croix, VI 00851
- Site address: 42 Barrenspot, Kingshill, St. Croix
- Phone: (340) 778-0484
- Email: [email protected]
- Live Sunday Masses: www.vimeo.com/event/4994347
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. (later Msgr.) Michael F. Kosak1970-2014 (first parochial priest; later re-appointed Aug. 10, 2019 - July 1, 2020)
Founded and shaped the parish; oversaw construction of Ss. Joachim & Ann Church and the Shrine of Our Lady of Barrenspot; began the Caribbean Catholic Network TV service in 1985; served as Vicar General and diocesan consultor.
- Rev. Fr. Louis KemayouAdministrator from 2014; installed pastor Feb. 8, 2015
Installed by Bishop Herbert A. Bevard; previously associate pastor at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral and at St. Ann's (2003-2006), and pastor of St. Joseph's and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
- Rev. Fr. Dominic UkagbaCurrent (Administrator)
Signed 2025 diocesan tributes on behalf of Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish for the late Bishop Emeritus Herbert A. Bevard.