St. Ann

Our Mission and Parish Identity

St. Ann's mission statement is explicit: 'St. Ann's Parish is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment that enriches the spiritual life of its diverse members and that becomes, by example, a role model for Christian action in the Manlius community and the greater Syracuse area.' The parish sees itself as rooted in Catholic tradition and guided by the spirit, with a hope that visitors find a welcoming community to support them and their families. Programs, opportunities for service, and Eucharistic liturgies are all emphasized as ways members grow in faith and serve one another.

Parish History

St. Ann's traces its parish identity to 1920, but its Catholic roots in the Manlius area reach back much further. Jesuit missionaries celebrated the first Mass in New York State at Onondaga's Indian Hill in 1655, and Irish Catholic families settled the area during and after the Erie Canal era. Manlius was a mission of Immaculate Conception in Fayetteville for decades before Bishop John Grimes created St. Ann's as a separate parish in 1920 and appointed Rev. Patrick Walsh as its first resident pastor. The parish built and dedicated its current church on Academy Street in 1924.

• 1851: First Manlius Mass celebrated in the home of John Murphy.
• 1853–1869: Manlius served as a mission of St. James, Cazenovia.
• 1915: Bishop John Grimes visits Manlius; Catholic women pledge to lead fundraising.
• 1917: Parish incorporated.
• 1920: St. Ann's created as a separate parish; Rev. Patrick Walsh named first pastor.
• April 1924: Ground broken for the church; cornerstone laid June 1.
• December 7, 1924: Church dedicated by Bishop Daniel Curley.
• Late 1980s–early 1990s: Sister Baptiste Westbrook builds the Taiwanese ministry.
• 2008: Rev. Kevin Hannon receives the Village of Manlius award for youth work.
• 2010: Rev. Kevin Hannon dies in office; succeeded by Rev. Clifford Auth.
• 2017: Rev. Brian Lang appointed pastor.
• July 1, 2023: Rev. John Kurgan appointed Canonical Pastor; Deacon Bob Street named interim Parish Life Director.

Faith Formation and Religious Education

Faith Formation is offered for children from Kindergarten through Confirmation. K-3 classes meet in Lynch Hall and grades 4-6 meet in the Parish Center, Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, using Loyola Press's 'Finding God' curriculum. Grades 7-10 meet one Sunday a month from 3:45 to 7:30 PM, an afternoon that includes Mass, a shared meal, classroom instruction, and an activity hour, plus two additional retreats in November and January. All parish catechetical programs also follow the diocesan Safe Environment curriculum (Circles of Care and VIRTUS Protecting God's Children).

• Grades K-3: Sunday mornings in Lynch Hall
• Grades 4-6: Sunday mornings in the Parish Center
• Grades 7-10: one Sunday a month, 3:45–7:30 PM
• Confirmation: two-year program beginning 9th grade, celebrated spring of 10th grade
• Curriculum: Finding God (Loyola Press)
• Contact: Renee Laux at [email protected]

Youth Ministry and Mission Trip

St. Ann's High School Youth Group brings teens together throughout the school year for service opportunities, fundraisers, dinners, meetings, and social events. The signature youth activity is an annual week-long service mission trip, with recent destinations including Niagara Falls (2021). The youth group meets in coordination with the parish's faith formation program and welcomes new teens from across the community.

• Service opportunities, fundraisers, dinners, and meetings during the school year
• Annual week-long mission trip
• Contact: Eneida at [email protected]

OCIA, Adult Education, and Connect & Care

Adults interested in becoming Catholic or completing their Sacraments journey through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) can join Deacon Bob Street's program. Adult Education offerings include study of Pope Francis's encyclicals and the parish's 'First Tuesday' video series. The Connect & Care Ministry reaches parishioners who are homebound, ill, or in need of practical and pastoral support, complementing the parish's Meals on Wheels and Aging in Place partnerships.

• OCIA (RCIA) for adults
• Adult Education series
• Pope Francis Encyclicals study
• First Tuesday Videos
• Connect & Care Ministry
• Meals on Wheels & Aging in Place

Parish Outreach and Sister Communities

St. Ann's tithes 10% of its regular Sunday collection to an Outreach Allocation Committee that funds not-for-profit partners both locally and globally and assists families within the parish itself. The parish runs the F-M Community Food Pantry at 122 East Seneca Street in Manlius (directly behind Pavone's Pizza), offering groceries and emergency assistance in cooperation with F-M Community Outreach, Inc. The parish also supports a wide network of sister communities and ministries.

• F-M Community Food Pantry: 122 East Seneca Street, Manlius
• Client hours: Tue & Wed 10:00 AM–2:00 PM and 5:30–7:00 PM
• Delivery hours: Mon 10:00–11:30 AM; Thu 10:30–11:30 AM
• Phone: 315-682-3688
• Sister communities: Brady Faith Center, Joseph House, Assumption Church, L'Arche, Manlius Senior Center, Salvation Army, Francis House, Vera House, Unity Acres, Rural & Migrant Ministry, and others
• Thanksgiving and Christmas Food and Gift Outreach (contact: Kathi Esposito, [email protected])

Parish Staff and Leadership

Rev. Michael Carmola and Rev. Malachi Clark provide sacramental coverage. The parish's Business Manager is Debbie Sochan, with Kristina Vernyi as Receptionist and additional staff supporting music, faith formation, and youth ministry.

• Rev. John Kurgan — Canonical Pastor ([email protected], ext. 13)
• Deacon Bob Street — Parish Life Director; OCIA Coordinator
• Debbie Sochan — Business Manager ([email protected], 315-682-1042, ext. 14)
• Kristina Vernyi — Receptionist
• Eneida — Youth Minister ([email protected], ext. 23)
• Music Director — [email protected] (ext. 17)
• Patty Clark — staff
• Renee Laux ([email protected]) — Faith Formation contact

Parish Council and Finance Committee

St. Ann's is governed by a Parish Council that represents the interests and ideas of the larger parish to the pastor and his administrative team, and a Finance Council required by the Code of Canon Law to assist the pastor in his role as shepherd. Together they help steward the parish's resources and set pastoral priorities. The current Parish Council includes Fr. Cliff Auth (Pastor), Deacon Bob Street, Mary Gasparini (Lay Trustee), Sam Deeb (Lay Trustee), Victor Cross, Scott Kingsley, Michael Bovalino, Gregory Stahl, Katherine Keeney, Debbie Sochan (Business Manager), Mary Gasparini, and Colleen Hedges.

• Parish Council members: Fr. Cliff Auth, Dc. Bob Street, Mary Gasparini, Sam Deeb, Victor Cross, Scott Kingsley, Michael Bovalino, Gregory Stahl, Katherine Keeney, Debbie Sochan, Colleen Hedges
• Finance Committee: Dc. Bob Street, Victor Cross, Lorraine Reynolds (President), Ed Limbert (Vice President), Molly Limbert

Getting Involved: Volunteering and Liturgical Ministries

Parishioners can sign up online for liturgical roles — Lector, Altar Server, and Eucharistic Minister — using the parish's SignUpGenius links. Additional volunteer opportunities include teaching in Faith Formation, serving the Food Pantry, the Sandwich program, youth ministry, and outreach. The parish bulletin and Ministry Schedules page publish current openings and assignments.

• Lector SignUpGenius
• Altar Server SignUpGenius
• Eucharistic Minister SignUpGenius
• Faith Formation Teacher sign-ups
• Sandwich program at the Food Pantry
• Thanksgiving and Christmas outreach

Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation

St. Ann's prepares parishioners for the full sacramental life of the Church. Infant Baptism is celebrated in the parish; preparation for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion typically happens in 2nd grade after at least one prior year of formal faith formation. Confirmation is a two-year program for high schoolers. Marriage preparation is coordinated with the pastor, and Anointing of the Sick is offered monthly and on request.

• Baptism
• First Reconciliation and First Eucharist (2nd-grade preparation)
• Confirmation (two-year program, 9th–10th grade)
• Matrimony
• Anointing of the Sick (1st Thursday after 9 AM Mass)

Digital Content and Online Resources

The parish maintains weekly online Mass and special-event content through its website's Digital Content hub and a dedicated YouTube channel. Parish bulletins are posted online for those who miss Mass, and the parish calendar is published via Google Calendar, so parishioners can stay current with schedules, holy days, and special events.

• St. Ann's YouTube channel
• Weekly Masses online
• Special Masses online
• Online Bulletins
• Parish Google Calendar

Diocese of Syracuse and Shared Pastoral Care

St. Ann's is part of the Diocese of Syracuse and is grouped in the Eastern Onondaga Vicariate, which includes Immaculate Conception (Fayetteville), St. Patrick (Chittenango), St. James (Cazenovia), and others. Because the diocese has only 69 active diocesan priests for 116 parishes, St. Ann's has repeatedly shared a pastor with Immaculate Conception in Fayetteville over its history. Most recently, Bishop Douglas Lucia announced that St. Ann's and I.C. would share a pastor due to the priest shortage — a model already used elsewhere in the diocese such as Holy Cross and St. Anthony of Padua.

• Diocese: Syracuse
• Vicariate 3: Syracuse Eastern Onondaga County
• Vicar Forane: Rev. John Kurgan, VG
• Future sharing of pastor with St. Patrick, Chittenango anticipated
• Bishop: Most Rev. Douglas Lucia