Saint Ann & Saint Joachim are the parents of the Blessed Mother and the grandparents of Jesus. There is no mention of either Saint Ann or Saint Joachim in the Bible, and all of our information concerning the life of Saint Ann & Saint Joachim is derived from three apocryphal sources: The Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, Pseudo-Matthew, and the Protoevangelium of James. These sources tell us that in Nazareth there lived a rich and pious couple, Joachim and Hannah (Ann). They were advanced in years and childless. After a difficult experience and after each spouse was visited by an angel, Hannah gave birth to a daughter whom the couple named Miriam (Mary). The Feast of Saint Ann & Saint Joachim is celebrated on July 26th throughout the entire Church.

Traditionally three groups of people have asked St. Ann to intercede for them: (1) women who are having difficulty bearing children; (2) women who are seeking a husband; and (3) miners. Certainly grandparents could feel a kinship with Ann and Joachim, but perhaps also married couples might be drawn to the parents of Mary since their feast is the only liturgical celebration of a married couple in the Universal Calendar of the Catholic Church.

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia there are three parishes dedicated to our parish patroness: St. Anne in Philadelphia founded in 1845; St. Ann in Phoenixville founded in 1905; and St. Ann in Bristol founded in 1906.
Top

In 2003 some of our parish statistics were:
- 5,650 registered members in 2,045 households
- 141 infant baptisms
- 22 weddings
- 61 funerals
- On average, 26% of our registered members attended Mass in our parish on a given weekend.
- 298 (68%) of the 423 children enrolled in Holy Family School are members of St. Ann Parish
- St. Ann's C.C.D. Program has an enrollment of 340 students
Top

The original Church, (blueprint photo) built in 1907 and located at 500 Main Street, met the needs of the parish for many decades, but by the 1950's the parish started having overflow Masses in the school because the original church could no longer meet the needs of the parish. In 1967 St. Ann's Chapel (located at 604 Main Street) was erected to meet the needs of the still growing parish.
Top

Our parish has two parking lots: the lot behind Church can accommodate about 20 vehicles and the lot next to Griffin Hall can accommodate about 30 vehicles. In addition to these two parking lots, on Saturday evenings and on Sunday mornings some of our members use the parking lots of the National Penn Bank (21 spaces), the Philadelphia National Bank (46 spaces), and the Patriot Bank (13 spaces). More than 100 vehicles can be parked around the perimeter of Reeves Park.
Top

The pastor has decided to demolish the garage located near the corner of 4th Avenue & Buttonwood Street to clear the way for a parking lot for people with disabilitis. We need about $25,000 to effect this change.
Top

The Church was built in 1907 and our Chapel was built in 1967.  After six decades of calling our Church "the Church" it made sense to come up with another title for our newer worship site.
Top

Many of our members who attend Church mostly on the weekends and holydays do not realize that the Church is used every day of the week for:
- Prayer. The Church is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM for prayer and visits. The Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved in Church at all times.
- Daily Mass and devotions Monday through Friday
- Confessions, Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings
- Eucharistic Adoration every Wednesday 8:30 – 7:30
Top

We use our Chapel when the assembly cannot fit into our Church, such as during the Paschal Triduum, Sundays, and Holydays of Obligation. We also use our Chapel when accessibility for people with disabilities is needed (e.g., for a particular wedding or funeral) and when air conditioning becomes a factor.
Top

No, it's not you. The original interior orientation of the Chapel was changed in 1981. When the Chapel opened in 1967 the altar was located where our organ and piano are now located. It is not uncommon for those who enter the Chapel by way of the Main Street doors to feel somewhat off balance; however, if you enter the Chapel by any other door, the feeling is less jarring.
Top

There is objective reality (that is, reality measurable by an instrument) and then there is subjective reality (how I experience something). In Church someone is always hot, someone else is always cold, and still another someone finds the climate just right. Some of us find Mass too long, others too brief, and others find it just right. For the sake of sanity, the pastor finds it best in matters of time and temperature to move away from subjectivity and toward objectivity.
Top

Willingness to give God one hour a week is seen by our pastor as being rather non-negotiable. With regard to this target duration of one hour: 90% of our Sunday Masses hit this mark, 7% fall within five minutes either side of this mark, and 2% fall within ten minutes either side of this mark. We may need to ask ourselves just what it is we are relating to when we judge a Mass to be too long - one hour a week for God, or something else?
Top

It can be helpful to know that the pastor has directed that the Chapel thermostat be set for 65º in the air-conditioning season, so that you may dress and/or seat yourself in Chapel accordingly. If you move away from the walls, you move away from the air conditioning vents.
Top

He is a diocesan priest ordained for the service of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1974. He was assigned as pastor of St. Ann Parish in June 1996, and since February 2002 he has been the only priest assigned to full time service in our parish.
Top

He is a diocesan priest ordained for the service of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1999. In June of 2005 he was assigned to full-time ministry at St. Pius X High School in Pottstown. At the same time he was assigned to residence in St. Ann Parish.
Top

In general, Father Stecz's responsibilities in St. Ann Parish are to offer Mass on Sunday, and to help the pastor in any other way that is reasonable given his primary assignment in high school.
Top

He is a priest ordained for the service of the Order of St. Augustine (“The Augustinians”) in 1967, and he is currently assigned as a member of the Order’s Provincial Council for the Eastern United States. He resides at Villanova University, and has been helping us at St. Ann’s since September 2003.
Top

The general Archdiocesan policy for assigning full-time priests to parishes is one priest per each increment of 3,000 members. So theoretically a parish of 5,999 members would have one full-time priest, wheras a parish of 6,000 members would have two full-time priests.
Top

Retired priests are not assigned, and they are free to live where they choose. At present, no retired priest chooses to live in St. Ann Parish.
Top

The pastor has decided that as a norm we will not provide missalettes for Sunday Masses; however, this does not preclude measures to help those with special needs and/or preferences. For more on this topic (see the Pastor’s Statement On Worship Aides).
.
Top

Holy Family School is the Consolidated Catholic Elementary School that serves the four Western Tradition Catholic Parishes in Phoenxiville, plus St. Joseph's Parish in Spring City. Holy Family School is located in the buildings that formerly served as St. Ann's Parochial School.
Top

There are five Roman Catholic Churches located in the Borough of Phoenixville, plus one in neighboring Mont Clare. Four of these Catholic Churches are of the Western Catholic Tradition and two are of the Eastern Catholic Tradition.
Top

The Roman Catholic Church is composed of 22 Ritual Churches. Twenty-one of these Ritual Churches are of the Eastern Tradition and one of these Ritual Churches is of the Western Tradition. The only Ritual Church in the Western Tradition is the Latin Ritual Church.
Top

1) St. Mary of the Assumption Roman Catholic Church - St. Mary & Dayton Streets, Phoenixville; Founded in 1840)
2) Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church (Personal Slovak Parish) - 148 Church Street, Phoenixville; Founded in 1900
3)Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church (Personal Polish Parish) - 217 Dayton Street, Phoenixville; Founded in 1903
4) St. Ann Roman Catholic Church - 500 S, Main Street, Phoenixville, Founded in 1905
Top

1) St. Michael Roman Catholic (Byzantine Ruthenian Ritual Church) - 203 Jacob Street, Mont Clare; Founded in 1897
2) Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church (Byzantine Ukrainian Ritual Church) - 474 Emmett Street, Phoenixville; Founded in 1929
Top

All Roman Catholic Churches share the same fundamental beliefs and they all accept the authority of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) as the earthly leader of the Catholic Church.
Top

The main ways in which the Ritual Churches of Eastern Tradition and Western Tradition differ are three:
1) Local Bishops: Most Reverend Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua is the Bishop of Phoenixville's 4 Latin Ritual Parishes. Most Reverend Stephen Sulyk is the Bishop for Ss. Peter and Paul Byzantine Ukrainian Ritual Church. Most Reverend Anthony Pataki is the Bishop for St. Michael Byzantine Ruthenian Parish.
2) Canon Law.
3) Rituals and customs.
Top

See Historical Note in the Parish Handbook or on the Parish Website.
Top

Holy Ghost Church is an Orthodox Church and not a Roman Catholic Church. As a rule, the main difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church that the Orthodox Church does not accept the authority of the Bishop of Rome as the earthly leader of the Church.
Top

Each Sunday and Holyday of Obligation we make audio copies of the sermons in Chapel. Audio versions of these sermons are available through our parish web site. Also, if you give a blank ausio cassette to one of our parish sacristans, he/she will see that a copy is made for you.
Top

Some folks stand for health reasons. Some folks stand for other reasons. Some folks leave early because of their responsibilities (work; home life; illness; etc.); this could be occasionally or for a certain period of their life, but they would gladly stay until the end of Mass if their circumstances changed. Some folks leave early all the time for other reasons.
Top

5:30 PM St. Francis Assisi Parish in Norristown (610-272-0402)
6:00 PM St. Norbert Parish, Paoli (610-644-1655)
6:30 PM Visitation BVM Parish in Trooper (610-539-5572)
Top

It's a mystery.
Top