Some Historical Notes

on the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and St. Ann Parish

by Father Harry Winter, OMI.
St. Ann’ pastor (1991-94)

In the summer of 1928, Most Rev. William Hafey, Bishop of the Diocese of Raleigh (which then covered the entire state of North Carolina) wrote to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate provincial, inviting the Oblates to take charge of St. Patrick Church. Knowing that the Oblates give high priority to mission churches, the bishop stressed that there were only 125 Catholics in the parish, with another 75-100 at Ft. Bragg (then a mission of St. Patrick) and that many towns in the area were untouched by the Catholic Church. The approach worked and the contract between the Oblates and the diocese was signed on Nov. 27, 1928.

The church which the Oblates found was the second St. Patrick’s, the wooden structure built in 1832 on Old Street near historic Liberty Point. By 1936, the Oblates had led the building of a new church in the Haymount area. The new rectory was large enough to accommodate Oblate missionaries to the priestless areas of North Carolina. Here St. Ann Parish pastors would live with St. Patrick pastors until 1959, when St. Ann’s rectory was built. In 1963, the Oblates led the move to the current St. Patrick’s on Village Drive. Eventually, the Maronites acquired the old church and it became the Archangel Michael Catholic Church. The Oblates turned St. Patrick’s over to the diocese in 1972.

State law forced the segregation of the races. The sign at St. Patrick’s, "Colored Catholics Sit Here" prompted Black families to organize for their own church. The president of the Colored Catholic League of North Carolina, Mr. E.I. King led a meeting on June 24, 1934. Fathers Matthew Noonan (who would later serve as the third pastor of St. Ann’s) and Sullivan (almost certainly Neil Sullivan, who served at St. Patrick’s at the time) were listed as "spiritual directors." A very precious "Record of the Fayetteville Unit of the Colored Catholic League of North Carolina" details the meetings of June 24 to Nov. 25, 1934 and from Nov. 1, 1939 to Dec. 24, 1940.

On Oct. 27, 1939, young Father William Ryan arrived from Boston to serve as the first pastor of St. Ann’s. The three founding families with eight members from Fayetteville were soon joined by Black Catholics from Newton Grove. The fatal illness of his father quickly took Father Ryan back to Massachusetts. He returned in time to celebrate the first Mass for the new parish, in Mack’s Barbershop, Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.

During the following year, the church was built on North Cool Spring Street and dedicated by Bishop McGuiness on Dec. 22, 1940. Father Ryan’s first Mass in the new church was Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. His sister Irene assisted with the singing. His widowed mother, a guest of honor, could see in the sanctuary the window dedicated to her late husband Cornelius.

Newspaper accounts that first year confidently stated that a rectory and school would soon be next to the church. Father Ryan had a problem with establishing a school, since by North Carolina law it would be segregated. He had done his homework and realized that the Pope did not want segregated parochial schools.

So despite the urging of the bishop, he dragged his feet. North Carolina law changed as the second pastor came. It was Father Edward Moan who, in September 1956, was able to open St. Ann’s School, one of the first integrated schools in North Carolina. And it was quite an achievement for a small parish.

Oblates, besides pastors, who have helped St. Ann’s

On Wednesday Aug. 7, 1940, Father Walter Mack joined Father Ryan for the ground-breaking of the church. He helped Father Ryan a great deal during the early years and returned during Father Ryan’s second term of office, performing many of the baptisms in January and June 1969.

From September 1940 to September 1941, Father George Buckley was Father Ryan’s assistant. During the time of the church building and perhaps of the beginning of the USO military work for which St. Ann’s became so famous, Father Buckley’s help was very much appreciated. According to an article in the Oblate World (April 1942) by Father Ryan, Ft. Bragg grew from 3,500 in 1940 to 70,000 in 1942 of which 8,000 were Blacks.

The first parish mission in the new church was given by Father James Cleary from Dec. 3 to 7, 1942. It no doubt helped prepare for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a day dear to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

During Father William Lynch’s term of office (1962-68), Father Dom Quinn was his assistant (1961-63). Father Charles Costello was the assistant from 1967-69. (Before the church offices were moved from the church to the rectory in 1983, there was room for two priests in the rectory.)

On Oct. 19, 1969, Father Edwin Hayes’ name appears in the baptismal register. He would return to cover for Father Harry Winter during the latter’s sabbatical (January to March 1992) and to help in the summer of 1993. Father Arthur King helped reorganize the pastoral council during Father McHugh’s pastorate (1983-89) and assisted in the summer of 1992. Father Dennis Cooney was a welcome and frequent visitor during Father McHugh’s term of office. Father Francis Crump, a good friend of Father Ryan, visited for the 50th anniversary.

Many other Oblates preached retreats or helped in the summers during the almost 55 years which the Oblates led St. Ann’s. Even more found it a very convenient place to spend the night when traveling from Oblate communities in New England, New York and Washington D.C. to Oblate houses in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, especially after the Oblates left St. Patrick’s. To one and all a fond farewell. We hope you will continue to stop in.

There were 12 Oblate pastors at St. Ann’s, if we count Father Ryan twice: 1939-51 and 1968-71.

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