WOONSOCKET – The Diocese of Providence has announced that the former St. Ann Church has been sold for one dollar to the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center.
The non-profit organization will continue to use the building to promote arts initiatives and preserve the history of St. Ann Parish.
The sale had been approved by the successor parish, All Saints Catholic Community and the Diocesan Finance Council.
"We are pleased that St. Ann will continue to serve the community and that the rich history of both this parish and the faithful will be preserved," said Father Robert P. Perron, who facilitated the transaction.
"While we were saddened to see the status of St. Ann Parish change to secular, but not profane, use, it is our hope that this magnificent structure will continue to inspire the spiritual memories of the generations who worshipped and celebrated their faith in the within its walls.”
Father Perron added, “I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the efforts of people of the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center for their tireless efforts to secure the property for a proper use and ensure the continued presence of St. Ann's."
St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the former St. Ann's Catholic Church. The center's mission is to develop multiple venues of adaptive reuse for the irreplaceable artistic and historical asset, thereby ensuring its preservation and producing a resource for the community.
"Ever since it was founded, St. Ann's has been a place that feeds the soul," said Dominique Doiron, president of St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center.
"The church has always been incredibly important to our community – as a place of worship, as an arts and culture venue, and as a powerful heritage symbol. Its story - encompassing both its past and its future – is entwined with that of Woonsocket and the Blackstone Valley. We are very grateful to the Diocese of Providence for its generosity and its faith in our continued efforts to preserve St. Ann's, and look forward to honoring that trust by creating a vibrant new life for the church."
St. Ann's Parish was established in October, 1890, and erected the existing church building in 1917 to serve the rapidly-growing French-Canadian Catholic population of Woonsocket. In 1998, due to a steady decline in parishioners and financial struggles, the parish merged with All Saints Catholic Community.
