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From the beginning, St. Anne was not only conceived as a place of prayer and worship, but also, like the great churches of the
Middle Ages, as a beautiful structure which, in the wealth of its architectural
features, would speak to the faithful of the wealth of their Christian heritage.
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St. Anne Parish was organized in 1925 to serve the
increasing number of Catholics moving to the west section of Houston along
Westheimer Road. Fr. John O’Reilly, a priest of the Galveston Diocese,
was named the first pastor. The first church was a small wood-frame building
located on Westheimer about three blocks east of Shepherd.
In May of 1928, Bishop Bryne asked the Basilian Fathers to take charge of
the growing parish. Fr. John J. Glavin was the first Basilian pastor. Fr.
Glavin, teaching a full schedule at St. Thomas High School (then located
on Austin Street in what is now downtown Houston), had been offering Sunday
Mass in the parish and responding to sick calls since the preceding Easter.
The present site of the church and school was purchased in 1928, and a permanent
structure was planned and erected on Shepherd. This Spanish-style building,
serving as the church until the completion of the present church in 1940,
has since been remodeled to provide classrooms and a computer center for
St. Anne School. The original wood-frame church was moved to the
new site and was rebuilt to serve as the rectory. For many years after the
present rectory was built, that original church served as a meeting and
music room until it was dismantled in 1986.
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With the rapid growth of the parish in the years after the
completion of the structure on Shepherd, the need for a larger church became
evident. Fr. O’Rourke, who had been named pastor in 1932, began to
work on plans for the new building with the Houston architects Maurice and
Charles Sullivan. Fr. O’Rourke envisioned a church that would enshrine
for the faithful their doctrinal, devotional, and historical heritage. He
planned an edifice that would be an expression of Catholic faith and which
would impress that faith visually upon all whom entered to worship and pray.
The type of architecture chosen was the style used in the Spanish missions
of the southwest. Fr. O’Rourke, a teacher and eminent historian, was
eager for the parishioners of future years to be conscious of the work of
the missionaries who planted the seeds of faith in Texas. For the porch
across which we enter the church, and for the narthex (lobby), Mexican tile
from Monterey was used. Missouri granite forms the platform and steps to
which the tiles are fitted, a reminder of the work of the Vincentian Fathers
who carried on the work of the Franciscans. A Vincentian, Bishop Odin, was
the first bishop of a vast area of southeast Texas with his cathedral in
Galveston.
After the completion of the church, the installation of the windows and
the mosaics of the Stations of the Cross was the work of Fr. Glavin, who
returned as pastor in 1940 and again in 1950. He was generously assisted
in this effort by many of the parishioners, by the experience and craftsmanship
of Charles J. Connich Associates of Boston, and by the suggestions of the
original architects.
The three-manual pipe organ, a splendid instrument with mechanical key action,
33 stops, 52 ranks, and 2,659 pipes, was first used on Christmas, 1980.
It was designed and built by the firm of Visser-Rowland Associates.
The extensive renovations of Lent 1991, which reflect the directives and
spirit of renewal of the Second Vatican Council, were effected while Fr.
Vincent J. Dulock was pastor. To effect the changes, St. Anne’s enlisted
the services of Ray Bailey and Associates as architects and the L.T.B. Construction
Company as general contractors. These renovations, prepared for by years
of prayer, study and discussion, and with the approval of Bishop Joseph
Fiorenza, have maintained the style and spirit of St. Anne. The
ideals of Fr. O’Rourke and Fr. Glavin are preserved in the modifications
that embody the principles of the liturgical reforms mandated by the Church
through the last quarter century and obediently implemented by the bishops
and pastors throughout North America.
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The Pastors of St. Anne
1925 to Present
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| 1925-1928 |
Rev. John J. O’Reilly |
| 1928-1932 |
Rev. John J. Glavin, C.S.B. |
| 1932-1940 |
Rev. Thomas P. O’Rourke, C.S.B. |
| 1940-1942 |
Rev. John J. Glavin, C.S.B. |
| 1942-1947 |
Rev. Joseph B. Walsh, C.S.B. |
| 1947-1948 |
Rev. Daniel Forestell, C.S.B. |
| 1948-1950 |
Rev. A. Leland Higgins, C.S.B. |
| 1950-1958 |
Rev. John J. Glavin, C.S.B. |
| 1958-1964 |
Rev. Lawrence J. Lacey, C.S.B. |
| 1964-1973 |
Rev. Francis E. Monaghan, C.S.B. |
| 1973-1977 |
Rev. William C. Coughlin, C.S.B. |
| 1977-1980 |
Rev. William J. Gibbons, C.S.B. |
| 1980-1984 |
Rev. James E. Rent, C.S.B. |
| 1984-1991 |
Rev. Vincent J. Dulock, C.S.B. |
| 1991-2000 |
Rev. Charles A. Christopher, C.S.B. |
2000-
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Rev. John F. Robbins, C.S.B. |
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