HORNELL — Bishop John Bonnici’s first-ever visit to St. Ann Church was a festive one.
The cavernous Erie Avenue structure was filled to nearly its 1,000-plus seating capacity July 26, with past and present parishioners on hand to honor the parish’s 175th anniversary. Bishop Bonnici celebrated the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Mass with Father Stanley Kacprzak, pastor, and several previous St. Ann priests serving as concelebrants.
“It is great to be with all of you,” Bishop Bonnici said in greeting the congregation. “A hundred and seventy-five years — that is a very long time.”
Hornell pastor describes 175th-anniversary celebration as ‘full joy’
Featuring adult and children’s choirs, the jubilee Mass fell on the feast day of St. Ann, mother of the Virgin Mary and the church’s patron saint. In his homily, Bishop Bonnici noted the special bond he has with the church’s name. As a child, he belonged to the former St. Ann Parish on 12th Street in his native Lower Manhattan, a few blocks from his family’s home.
Following the jubilee Mass, a luncheon was held at The Main Place. Festivities that day marked the culmination of a yearlong initiative — with a jubilee theme of “On the Shoulders of Our Ancestors, The Cornerstone of Love” — honoring the history of St. Ann Church.
Just prior to the conclusion of Mass, Father Kacprzak thanked Bishop Bonnici for his presence and lauded the church’s 175th-anniversary committee and staff for its tireless dedication leading up to the jubilee day.
“Now it has finally come to completion, and there is full joy,” the pastor said.
Thriving railroad industry led to rapid growth of Steuben County parish
The roots of this Steuben County church extend back to the early 1840s, when Mass was first celebrated locally by Redemptorist missionary priests in a private home near Webb’s Crossing. In 1849, the first St. Ann Church was erected at the corner of Buffalo and Cass streets in what was then known as Hornellsville. Weekly Masses were first offered in 1851 — 175 years ago — for the fledgling parish that was growing rapidly due to a thriving local railroad industry.
St. Ann’s current church was dedicated on April 11, 1869, and a major addition went up in 1889. The worship site features a French Gothic Revival architectural style. Formerly part of the Buffalo Diocese, St. Ann became a member parish of the Rochester Diocese in 1897.
In 1998, St. Ann became clustered with St. Mary in Rexville and the former St. Ignatius Loyola in Hornell and St. Joachim in Canisteo. In 2004, those Steuben County churches became known as Our Lady of the Valley Parish; St. Joachim and St. Ignatius Loyola have since closed.
The St. Ann campus housed a parish school from 1863 to 2012. Since 2001, St. Ann has featured an adoration chapel located at 27 Erie Ave. It is one of only two perpetual-adoration facilities in the Southern Tier; the other is at Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish, 1012 Davis St., Elmira.
Bishop of Rochester describes St. Ann Church community as ‘alive and well’
Highlights of St. Ann’s jubilee year have included bulletin excerpts documenting the parish’s past; tours of St. Ann Church; a prayer service in October 2025 at the Webb’s Crossing site where local Masses were first celebrated; and a service in May 2026 at the site of the first St. Ann Church. Parishioner Michael Colomaio, a member of the 175th-anniversary committee, added that a time capsule will be buried at the church later this year. The time capsule is due to be opened in 2051, during the church’s 200th-anniversary observance.
A resolution adopted in May 2026 by the New York State Legislature, honoring St. Ann’s 175 years, noted that the church “has stood as a spiritual home for countless families throughout times of prosperity and hardship alike, ministering to railroad workers, immigrants, laborers, and residents of the greater Hornell region for nearly two centuries.”
As signs of the church’s ongoing vitality, St. Ann’s anniversary Mass was due to soon be followed by an Ancient Order of Hibernians Irish Festival Aug. 15 and a parish picnic Aug. 23.
“The faith is alive and well in the (Canisteo) Valley,” Bishop Bonnici stated to the congregation.
Tags: Bishop John S. Bonnici, Churches, Steuben County News
