Saint Ann Roman Catholic Church - Phoenixville, PA - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

In 1905 Archbishop Patrick John Ryan announced the establishment of St. Ann Parish in Phoenixville and he appointed Father John Wagner as the founding pastor of the new parish. Archbishop Ryan also approved two rather unusual features for the new parish: (1) the new church would be a Memorial Church erected in memory of Ann Byrne, and (2) the new church would have a vault in which the donor and his family would have "the privilege of sepulchre."

Father Wagner personally paid $6,500 for the lot at the corner of Third and Main Streets and donated the property to the parish. Work on the new church began in March 1905, and auxiliary Bishop Edmund F. Prendergast blessed the cornerstone of the building on July 2 of that same year. Thomas F. Byrne provided the $60,000 needed to construct and furnish the new church. The rectory was built on the portion of the lot south of the Church at a cost of about $12,000, paid for by the congregation to supplement the donation of the property by Father Wagner.

On Sunday, September 15, 1907, Archbishop Ryan dedicated the new Church, and following ceremony of consecration, the first Mass was celebrated in St. Ann Church. The words "St. Ann's Memorial" are carved in the stone archway over the main entrance to our church, and the words on the plaque in the vestibule of church read: "This Church erected in Memory of my Mother Ann Byrne. Th. F. Byrne. 1907."

Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 01/01/1905 Date of building construction: 09/15/1907 Archdiocese: ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA Diocese: PHILADELPHIA Address/Location: 502 Main Street Phoenixville, PA USA 19460 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/21/2010 ELGamer visited it