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August 14, 2019A year-long celebration of the founding of St. Ann’s Parish in Nyack in 1869 began Saturday, July 27, with an anniversary mass, the unveiling of the new St. Ann & St. Joachim street sign on the corner of Third Ave. and Jefferson St., and a pot-luck supper for all who attended.
In his opening remarks at the beginning of mass, Deacon Jerry Fenton said that Fr. George Torok would be celebrating mass at the same altar that was used for the very first mass ever held in the original St. Ann’s Church, which stood where the parking lot is now. That small wooden altar, which has been kept in St. Ann’s Chapel, was moved to the sanctuary of the main church for this special occasion.
Fr. George said in his homily that throughout this year we would be celebrating “the great event of faith that caused this church to stand here.” The building of St. Ann’s was begun in the dead of winter by men and women who wanted to have a place where God would be near to them. They completed the church in one year, and Fr. George said their devotion was like that of two others who wanted to build a place for God: King David, who danced with wild joy as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was carried into Jerusalem, and St. Francis of Assisi, who restored the dilapidated little chapel called the Portiuncula.
When God invited Francis to ask for a special favor, Francis requested God to forgive the sins of all the contrite who visited the chapel. Fr. George prayed that, during this jubilee year, the grace of Jesus Christ will descend in the same way on the Church of St. Ann in Nyack, and that all who enter it and “look on the cross of Jesus and say ‘I’m sorry’ will be forgiven.”
The concelebrants of this historic mass were Pastor Vladimir Chripko and Frs. Roman Palecko and Peter Bujdos. They were assisted by Deacon Luke Conroy. The lector was Marie Lorenzini. David Van Campen was the cantor, and the servers were Jack and Patrick Gannon and Mark and Nina Camitan.
After the homily there was a blessing for grandparents, since St. Ann and St. Joachim were the parents of Mary, and thus the grandparents of Jesus.
Following the mass, the congregation formed a procession to the corner of Third and Jefferson, where the new street sign was unveiled, designating that section of Jefferson as St. Ann & St. Joachim Way. Parishioner and Nyack Village trustee Marie Lorenzini was instrumental in obtaining the resolution that made this possible. The evening ended with a wonderful pot-luck supper in St. Ann’s School.
More photos here
