St. Anna Parish

About St. Anna Parish

Saint Anna Parish & School describes itself as 'a Catholic community of God's people, united in prayer and in love.' Under the patronage of St. Anne, the parish proclaims the Gospel, celebrates the sacraments, provides Catholic education, and encourages lifelong spiritual growth. 'Saint Anna Parish & School is also your HOME!' — a welcome that fits its long history as an Italian-American spiritual home in north-central Massachusetts. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Worcester and is led by Fr. Carlos Ruiz.

A Brief History

St. Anna is an Italian-American foundation story written across more than fourteen years of sacrifice and a Great Depression. Italian immigrants settled in Leominster in the early twentieth century and dreamed of a parish where Italian was spoken and Italian religious traditions lived on. In 1923 Vittoria Novelli gathered a group of Italo-American women to form what became the St. Anna Society, and they held meetings, benefits, festivals, barbecues, raffles, and pledge drives for more than fourteen years to fund the project.

• 1923 — Vittoria Novelli founds the St. Anna Society among Italo-American women in Leominster to begin fund-raising for a parish of their own.
• 1935 — Bishop O'Leary of the Diocese of Springfield forms St. Anna Parish; Fr. John Gannon, a Holy Cross-educated priest who had studied for the priesthood in Rome (and so spoke Italian), is sent to the territorial parish of St. Leo's to minister to the Italian community.
• 1937 — First Mass celebrated in St. Anna on March 7, 1937, with Fr. Gannon — soon known affectionately as 'Padre Gannoni' — entrusted with the new mission church of St. Leo's.
• 1939 — St. Anna becomes its own parish and Fr. Gannon is named its first Administrator.
• 1940 — House across the street purchased and converted into a rectory.
• 1948 — Six-room addition added to school; Casavant pipe organ installed in the church.
• 1950 — Total renovation of the church; the Diocese of Worcester is created from the former Diocese of Springfield.
• 1953 — Parochial school begins in newly sectioned classrooms in the church hall.
• 1956 — School and auditorium opened.
• 1957 — Separate school building dedicated.
• 1961 — A house adjacent to the church is converted into a convent for the Venerini Sisters, who lovingly staffed the school.
• Mid-1980s — A new generation of parishioners restores the church for its 50th anniversary, with fourth Pastor Fr. Leo Battista leading the Golden Jubilee in 1987.
• Vittoria Novelli died in 1936, a year before the parish she had spent thirteen years working toward finally celebrated its first Mass — but her society and her dream live on.

Parish Staff & Clergy

The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Carlos Ruiz and served by two deacons and a small staff of lay coordinators and volunteers. The staff page on the parish website lists each person along with their role and contact information, ranging from the Music Director and Religious Education Coordinator to the Safe Environment Coordinator and St. Matthew 25 Society contact.

• Fr. Carlos Ruiz — Pastor
• Deacon Paul Carrier
• Deacon Jim Graves
• Beth Dondon — Administrative Assistant
• Mrs. Mary Lou Petty — Religious Education Coordinator
• Michael Burgraff — Music Director
• Micheal Hoffmann — Facility Manager
• Marian Priddy — Safe Environment Coordinator
• Lorraine Carrier — RCIA (978-297-1062)
• Claire Freda — Eucharistic Ministers
• Paul Schiavitti — St. Matthew 25 Society

St. Anna Society

The St. Anna Society — the lay women's group founded in 1923 by Vittoria Novelli — was the engine that built this parish long before the church existed. For more than fourteen years, the Society held regular meetings and fundraisers (benefits, festivals, barbecues, raffles, pledge drives) to turn the Italian-American community's dream of its own parish into a reality. The Society continues to benefit the parish today, more than a century later, a living link between the founders' faith and the present-day parish.

Religious Education & St. Anna School

Faith formation is central to St. Anna's mission. The parish's Religious Education program 'seeks to nurture a relationship with Jesus Christ, come to see Him in others, and to grow in love, understanding, and devotion to our Catholic faith.' Alongside parish religious-ed classes sits St. Anna School, the parish's own parochial school — with a classroom school building added in 1953–1957 and staffed for decades by the Venerini Sisters, who arrived at a newly converted convent next door in 1961.

• Parochial school on site (begun 1953; dedicated school building 1957)
• Religious Education program (Coordinator: Mrs. Mary Lou Petty)
• Venerini Sisters staffed the school from 1961 onward
• School Mass celebrated Wednesdays at 8:45 AM

Ministries & Outreach

Beyond the liturgy, St. Anna runs a small but active set of lay ministries and societies — from the Eucharist to charity to the formation of new Catholics. The St. Matthew 25 Society (named for the parable in Matthew 25, where Christ identifies himself with 'the least of these') carries on the parish's outreach and charitable work.

• Eucharistic Ministers (coordinator: Claire Freda)
• RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Lorraine Carrier, 978-297-1062)
• St. Matthew 25 Society (Paul Schiavitti) — parish outreach/charitable society
• Music Ministry (Director: Michael Burgraff)
• Safe Environment program (Marian Priddy)

Contact & Visit

Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or email, register online through the parish website, and pick up a weekly bulletin there. Mass cards and Mass-intention requests are coordinated through the parish office with advance notice.

• Parish Office: 978-537-5293
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: stannaparish.org
• Registration form available on the parish website
• Mass intentions: contact the parish office to request a date and time for a Mass said for a loved one (978-537-5293, [email protected])