About St. Anne · Bristol, Virginia
St. Anne Catholic Church is a historic Roman Latin rite parish in Bristol, Virginia, serving the twin city community on the Virginia–Tennessee state line. Founded in 1868 to minister to Irish, Romanian, and Czech Catholic railway workers, it is today a multicultural parish in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond that celebrates Mass in both English and Spanish and runs a PreK–8 parish school (the oldest private school in Bristol). The parish is also home to St. Anne's Cemetery, Columbarium and Mausoleum, and partners with Bristol Faith in Action for community outreach.
- Established
- 1868
- Patron
- St. Anne
- Rector
- Very Reverend Tom Lawrence, V.F.
- Diocese
- Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Why belong here
St. Anne is a one-of-a-kind bilingual parish on the Virginia–Tennessee state line with a continuous Catholic presence stretching back to 1868. Worshippers find a full sacramental life — five weekend Masses (including a livestreamed Sunday Mass and a Spanish Mass) — daily Mass, two First-Tuesday all-day Adorations, weekday Confessions, Spanish Praise & Worship Adoration, and ministries for every age from a thriving PreK–8 school and youth ministry to adult RCIA. Members also put faith into action through the Knights of Columbus Monsignor Hickie Council 6695, NCCW, Bristol Faith in Action outreach from the parish's own Vincent de Paul Center, prison and hospital ministries, and a parish Social Ministry Committee working for justice and peace.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 5:00pm – ~6:00pm
- Wednesday: 5:00pm – ~6:00pm
- Thursday: 5:00pm – ~6:00pm
- Saturday: 8:45am – 9:15am (during Adoration)
- Saturday: 4:00pm – ~5:15pm
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Tuesday: ~9:15am – 10:00am (Following Daily Mass); First Tuesdays ~9:15am – 9:00pm
- Wednesday: ~6:00pm – 7:00pm (Following Confessions) – 'Simple' Exposition in Chapel
- Second Friday: 6:00pm – 7:00pm – Praise & Worship Adoration in Spanish (Alabanza y Adoración)
- Saturday: 8:30am – 9:30am (Chapel)
History of St. Anne Parish
St. Anne's Parish was founded April 25, 1868, when Catholic and Protestant men — including Confederate General John Mosby — pledged funds to Rev. Michael Duggan to build a Catholic church in Goodson, Virginia–Tennessee (now Bristol) for Irish, Romanian and Czech railway workers. The first Spencer Street church was completed in 1873 for $2,207.19. Run by the Benedictines from Cullman, Alabama (1903–1928) and then by the Diocese of Wheeling, the parish built its present Euclid Avenue church in 1935–36 and its school in 1949. In 1974 it was transferred with all of Southwest Virginia to the Diocese of Richmond.
- 1868: Parish founded; first church completed 1873
- 1870: St. Aloysious Sunday School organized; first baptism recorded 1876
- 1883: Villa Maria Academy opens in Abingdon; St. Anne's Cemetery gates erected
- 1903: Rev. F. Leo Theodosius, OSB, becomes first resident pastor (Benedictine era)
- 1928: Diocese of Wheeling resumes care
- 1935–36: Present Euclid Avenue church built ($75,000)
- 1949: Parochial school opens (Sisters of St. Joseph)
- 1974: Transferred to the Diocese of Richmond
Clergy & Staff
Very Reverend Tom Lawrence, V.F., is the current pastor (named August 2024 after serving as Parochial Administrator from July 2023) and serves as Dean of Deanery 14. The parish maintains a large lay staff including business, music, faith formation, youth ministry, and pastoral assistants who keep the busy bilingual schedule and school running.
- Pastor: Very Rev. Tom Lawrence, V.F. (x2004)
- Sacramental Emergency (Danger of Death): (276) 945-6513
- Business Manager: Steve Perkins (x2005)
- Office Manager: Rosie Mansfield (x2000)
- Director of Faith Formation: Sarah French (x2003)
- Coordinator of Faith Formation: Ashley Rutledge (x2012)
- Director of Music: Cristin Colvin (x2002)
- Youth & Young Adult Minister: Alex O'Keefe (x2011)
- Facilities & Maintenance Director: Richard Langlois (x2007)
- Bookkeeper: Sheila Wilson (x1024)
- Pastoral Assistants: Walter Joyce (x2008) and Kasey Padron (x2009)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation is led by Director Sarah French and Coordinator Ashley Rutledge, with programs for children, youth, and adults. The parish has run RCIA and Children's RCIA since the 1980s and runs a summer Vacation Bible School that traces back to the Pallotine Sisters' Vacation Bible School of the 1930s.
- Children's Faith Formation
- Adult and Children's RCIA
- Youth Ministry (Alex O'Keefe)
- Young Adult Ministry
- Vacation Bible School
St. Anne Catholic School
St. Anne Catholic School opened in 1949 under the Sisters of St. Joseph from Wheeling and has educated generations of Bristol-area children ever since. Today it is the oldest private school in Bristol and the only Tri-Cities school accredited through MSA-CESS, offering a Christian education for 3-year-old preschool through 8th grade to families of all faiths from Bristol, Kingsport, Abingdon, Blountville, and across the Twin Cities.
- Grades: PreK (age 3) through 8th
- Campus: 580 Oakview Avenue, Bristol, VA 24201
- Phone: (276) 669-0048
- Website: https://www.stanneschoolbristol.org
- Oldest private school in Bristol; MSA-CESS accredited
Liturgical Ministries
St. Anne's Liturgical Ministries invite parishioners to serve at the altar and proclaim the Word. Training is provided, and practicing Catholics in good standing — including Confirmed teens age 16 and up — are welcome. Servers in 8th grade or above can serve as Thurifers at major liturgies and funerals.
- Lectors (proclaim Scripture)
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Altar Servers (post-First Communion)
- Thurifers (incensation at major liturgies and funerals)
Parish Organizations
Two long-standing organizations anchor parish life. The Knights of Columbus Monsignor James J. Hickie Council 6695 — founded in 1920 by Fr. Meyer with 65 charter members — meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Monday of each month in the Msgr. Hickie Center. The National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW) supports women in parish leadership and service.
- Knights of Columbus – Msgr. James J. Hickie Council 6695 (meets 2nd Monday, 7pm, Msgr. Hickie Center)
- National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW)
Outreach, Charity & Advocacy
St. Anne's parish Social Ministry Committee educates parishioners on Catholic social teaching and develops outreach to those in need, drawing on Pope John Paul II's Centesimus Annus and Micah 6:8. Operationally the parish runs — or hosts — several ministries that put faith into action in Bristol and the Twin Cities.
- Vincent de Paul Center – houses Bristol Faith in Action (BFIA) for Bristol VA/TN and Blountville/Bluff City/Piney Flats residents in temporary financial crisis
- Prison Ministry – Bristol City Jail
- Hospital Ministry – Bristol Regional Medical Center, Bristol Health Care, Bristol Nursing Home
- Virginia Catholic Conference and Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission advocacy networks
Cemetery, Columbarium & Mausoleum
St. Anne's Cemetery — whose gates were erected in 1883 on what was then Washington County land — remains an active burial ground for the parish community, with a Columbarium and Mausoleum on the Euclid Avenue campus. Msgr. Hickie is buried here (died May 1975), and the cemetery was restored in the early 2000s under Fr. Keeney with grave identification, rebuilt walls and fencing, and landscaping.
- Cemetery Name: St. Anne's Cemetery, Columbarium and Mausoleum
- Location: 316 Euclid Avenue, Bristol, VA 24201
- Phone: (423) 335-0822
- Restoration completed under Fr. Timothy Keeney
Parish Mission & Becoming Catholic
St. Anne's Mission Statement — written under Fr. Walter G. Lewis in the 1980s and still displayed in the Commons — commits the parish to building a Christian community in which the Gospel is exemplified and fulfilled, with particular attention to Welcome, Outreach, and Fellowship. For those discerning membership, the parish runs Adult RCIA, Children's RCIA, and infant baptism preparation.
- Welcome: honor diversity, reconcile differences
- Outreach: respond to suffering, deprivation, and loss of human dignity
- Fellowship: recognize shared responsibility as parish community
- Become Catholic — RCIA for unbaptized adults, those baptized in another tradition, and Catholics seeking fuller sacramental life
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Michael Duggan1868
Founded the parish with Catholic and Protestant donors including Gen. John Mosby; first church completed 1873.
- Rev. Boyce1870s
Assigned by Bishop Whelan of the Diocese of Wheeling; organized St. Aloysious Sunday School (1870) and recorded first baptism (1876).
- Rev. F. Leo Theodosius, OSB1903–1904
First resident pastor; arrived from Cullman, Alabama, January 10, 1903; left April 24, 1904.
- Rev. Fridolin Meyer, OSB1904–1928
Built rectory with his sister Miss Mary Meyer; 147 adult converts; founded Knights of Columbus Council 1920.
- Rev. Jerome Lawrence, OSBApril–August 1928
Temporary charge from Dante, Virginia, between Benedictines and Wheeling diocese.
- Rev. E. P. McDonnell1928
Chaplain at St. Joseph's Hospital, Parkersburg; reassigned to St. Anne's.
- Rev. James J. Hickie (later Monsignor)April 6, 1929 – retirement 1974; died May 1975
Built present Euclid Avenue church (1935–36) and the 1949 school; Dean of the Bristol Deanery.
- Rev. John H. Faheyassistant pastor 1962; pastor after 1974
First assistant pastor 1962; returned as pastor in 1974–75 after the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Richmond.
- Rev. Charles J. Schneider1964
Assistant pastor.
- Rev. Michael Lee1965
Assistant pastor; brief assignment.
- Rev. Eugene Glowny1965–1968
Assistant pastor.
- Rev. R. Getsinger1968
Assistant pastor.
- Rev. James Grealishappointed June 1, 1975; transferred ~1983
Won Southern Association accreditation for the school; initiated Saturday evening vigil Mass.
- Rev. Walter G. Lewis1983 – 1995
Launched RENEW, RCIA, Children's RCIA; authored the parish Mission Statement.
- Rev. Thomas Ianucci1995 – 2001
Prepared Jubilee 2000 ecumenical programs.
- Rev. Timothy KeeneyMay 2001 – 2013
Completed the Vincent de Paul Center and Msgr. Hickie Center; school extended to 7th then 8th grade; led cemetery restoration.
- Rev. Kevin SegerblomJanuary 2013 – 2023
Capital campaign to renovate the 1949 school building, establish maintenance fund and reduce parish debt.
- Very Rev. Tom Lawrence, V.F.July 2023 – present
Arrived as Parochial Administrator in July 2023, named Pastor August 2024; currently Dean of Deanery 14.