About St. Anne · Klagetoh, Arizona
Saint Anne Mission is a small Catholic mission church in Klagetoh, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, serving the Catholic faithful of Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, and Cornfields. Founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1924 and dedicated to St. Anne on June 5, 1927, it is part of the Diocese of Gallup and falls under the pastoral care of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Province of the Order of Friars Minor. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 9:00 AM in Apache, with sacramental ministry provided by Franciscan friars from Saint Michaels, Fort Defiance, and Chinle. The mission also hosts Dominican Sisters and Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and runs food, family, and catechetical outreach across the reservation.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grandmother of Jesus)
- Rector
- Br. Charles Schilling, SC (Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gallup
Why belong here
Saint Anne Mission is the spiritual home for Catholics scattered across the high desert of the Navajo Nation — in Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, and Cornfields — and it welcomes anyone seeking a quiet, faithful Sunday worship in the Apache language. Beyond the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass, the mission sustains an emergency food pantry, a monthly food distribution in partnership with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and the Klagetoh Chapter House, year-round religious education, summer Bible schools, RCIA and RCIC programs, and visiting volunteer projects that serve elders and families in their homes. It is a small community with deep roots — nearly a century of Franciscan, Dominican, and Brothers-of-the-Sacred-Heart ministry — where faith is lived out as service to neighbors on the reservation.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday before Mass (approximately 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM)
About Saint Anne Mission
Saint Anne Mission is a Catholic mission church in Klagetoh, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, within the Diocese of Gallup. Founded by the Franciscan Friars in 1924 and dedicated to St. Anne on June 5, 1927, it serves the Catholic faithful of Klagetoh, Wide Ruins, and Cornfields. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 9:00 AM (typically in Apache), with confessions heard before Mass. Sacramental ministry is provided by Franciscan friars from Saint Michaels, Fort Defiance, and Chinle, while the resident community also includes members of the Dominican Sisters and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
History of the Mission
Early in the 20th century, Klagetoh was served by priests traveling out from missions in St. Michaels and Keams Canyon. The Franciscan mission in Klagetoh itself was begun in 1924, with a church dedicated to St. Anne on June 5, 1927. In 1961 the area was made a parish under Fr. Francis Borgman, OFM, and in 1986 the parish seat was moved to All Saints Church in Ganado. Dominican Sisters arrived in 1974; Sr. Maria Sarto Moreau, OP, became mission administrator that year and served the people of Klagetoh until her death in 1997 — she is buried in the mission cemetery. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart joined the mission staff beginning in the late 1980s, and the mission today is sustained by Franciscans, Dominicans, and Brothers of the Sacred Heart working together.
Key Moments in the Parish Timeline
- 1924 — Franciscan mission in Klagetoh begun.
- June 5, 1927 — Church dedicated to St. Anne, mother of Mary.
- 1961 — Klagetoh made a parish; Fr. Francis Borgman, OFM, named first pastor; rectory built.
- 1960s — Two hogans added on the south side of the church, used initially as a clinic by the Medical Mission Sisters.
- 1968 — Highway 191 completed, shortening the road to Ganado.
- Late 1960s–early 1970s — Community hogan built for social events.
- 1974 — Three Dominican Sisters arrive to assist the Franciscan friars.
- 1983 — Kitchen added to the community hogan.
- 1986 — Parish seat moved to All Saints Church in Ganado; Saint Anne becomes a mission.
- Late 1980s — Br. Canisius Schell, SC, begins assisting after meeting Sr. Maria on a train in New England.
- 1994 — Br. John Hotstream assigned to the mission staff.
- December 1997 — Br. John becomes administrator after Sr. Maria's death.
- June 2012 — Br. John retires; Br. Charles Schilling, SC, named administrator.
Resident Staff & Leadership
Saint Anne Mission is administered by a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, with sacramental ministry provided by Franciscan friars from Saint Michaels, Fort Defiance, and Chinle, and faith formation led by a Dominican Sister. The current leadership team is listed on the diocese's parish page and on the mission's own website.
- Administrator: Br. Charles Schilling, SC — 225-252-9914
- In Residence: Br. David Landry, SC
- Director of Religious Education: Sr. Monica Dubois, OP — 928-652-3236
Sacramental Programs
In addition to Sunday Mass and funerals, the mission prepares adults and children for full initiation into the Catholic Church.
- Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
- Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC)
- Funeral Services for members of the community as needed
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education of youth and adults is available year-round, with special programs for young people in the summer months. Summer Bible Schools are hosted in June in Klagetoh and in July in neighboring Ganado, and visiting volunteer groups of youth and adults undertake projects at the homes of the needy and elderly as well as at the Mission.
- Year-round religious education for youth and adults
- Summer Bible School — June in Klagetoh
- Summer Bible School — July in Ganado
- Visiting youth and adult volunteer projects
Outreach & Social Justice
The mission operates an emergency food pantry for families in need and partners with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and the Klagetoh Chapter House to host a monthly food distribution on the third Wednesday of each month. Additional outreach includes aid to families, a rummage sale, firewood for elderly neighbors, and visiting volunteer service projects at homes of the needy and elderly.
- Emergency Food Pantry — emergency food boxes for needy families
- Monthly Food Distribution — 3rd Wednesday of each month, in partnership with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and the Klagetoh Chapter House
- Aid to Families
- Rummage Sale
- Firewood for the Elderly
- Volunteer Projects — home repair and yard work for the needy and elderly
Mission Facilities
Beyond the 1927 church dedicated to St. Anne, the mission compound includes a community hogan built in the late 1960s–early 1970s for social events and gatherings (a kitchen was added in 1983) and two additional hogans on the south side of the church, originally used as a clinic by the Medical Mission Sisters during the 1960s. The mission cemetery is the resting place of Sr. Maria Sarto Moreau, OP, the beloved Dominican administrator who served Klagetoh from 1986 until her death in 1997.
- St. Anne Church (dedicated June 5, 1927)
- Community Hogan (built late 1960s–early 1970s; kitchen added 1983)
- Two south-side hogans (originally a Medical Mission Sisters clinic in the 1960s)
- Mission Cemetery — burial place of Sr. Maria Sarto Moreau, OP (d. 1997)
Contact & Location
Saint Anne Mission is reached by mail at its post office box in Chambers, Arizona. The physical site sits on the Navajo Nation about half a mile northeast of the Klagetoh Express Gas Station.
- Mailing Address: PO Box 366, Chambers, AZ 86502-0366
- Physical Location: 2441 A Summit Road, Klagetoh, AZ 86505
- Landmark: approximately 1/2 mile northeast of the Klagetoh Express Gas Station
- Phone (mission): 928-652-3264
- Phone (DRE / Sr. Monica Dubois, OP): 928-652-3236
- Phone (Administrator / Br. Charles Schilling, SC): 225-252-9914
- Note: the Navajo Nation does not observe Daylight Savings Time
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Francis Borgman, OFM1961–
First pastor when Klagetoh was made a parish in 1961; built the rectory.
- Sr. Maria Sarto Moreau, OP1986–1997
Dominican Sister; became mission administrator when parish seat moved to Ganado; remained in Klagetoh until her death in 1997; buried in the mission cemetery.
- Brother John (Hotstream)1997–2012
Brother of the Sacred Heart; assumed administration December 1997 after Sr. Maria's death; retired June 2012.
- Br. Charles Schilling, SC2012–present
Brother of the Sacred Heart; named administrator upon Br. John's retirement in June 2012.