The History of St. Ann's

St. Ann's, the first Catholic Church in Great Falls was built in1889. Named in honor of St. Ann, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church was built on the site now occupied by the Heisey Center, just north of our present Cathedral. St. Ann's Church was financed by three parishioners who signed a note for $3,000. Father Dols was the first resident pastor of St. Ann's Parish. Traveling by horse and buggy, he served a large area that included not only Great Falls, but also Cascade, Choteau, and Neihart.

In 1904 the Diocese of Great Falls was created. As the first Bishop of Great Falls, Bishop Mathias Lenihan undertook the building of a permanent Cathedral, which was constructed in 1906-1907 at a cost of nearly $100,000 to the 400 parishioners. The Gothic Cathedral of St. Ann was built of cut stone from quarries in the Stockett area. When the new Cathedral was completed, the old red brick St. Ann's Church was converted into a school building.

Since that time, a new rectory was built (1931) of cut stone to match the exterior of the Cathedral. In 1936 on the site of the old church, the Heisey Youth Center was built to serve the city's Catholic youth. The Heisey Center also serves as our parish center. In 1953, the Cathedral was renovated and artistically redecorated, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Diocese, celebrated in 1954.

The Cathedral is the Bishop's church and he, therefore, is properly called the pastor. Because the Bishop oversees the spiritual and physical needs of the whole Diocese, the pastoral duties and responsibilities of the Cathedral parish belong to our Parochial Administrator.

(The above history was adapted from articles by Rev. D. McFarlane and other, unknown authors.)