The Roman Catholic Church of St. Ann
30 Main St.
Hampton, NJ 08827
(908) 537-2221

Rev. Fr. Michael C. Saharic,  Pastor
www.saintann1859.org

Abbreviated History from 1973 to the present: for a complete history, please visit the Church website

Father James E. Coley was appointed pastor of Saint Ann's in 1973. He continued the process of updating the church and the parish along the directives of the Second Vatican Council. While at Saint Ann 's, Fr, Coley had the church repainted and carpeted, he converted the confessional into a Reconciliation Room, 

moved the Baptismal Font to the front right side of the sanctuary and organized Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. It was also during his pastorate that Joseph Foldvary was sponsored as the first candidate for the permanent diaconate from our parish.
 
When Fr. Coley took a year sabbatical, Father William McLaughlin, came to Saint Ann as a temporary administrator.
 
Father Michael J. Clark, a soft-spoken and gentle priest became the next pastor on October 9, 1981
 
On January 31, 1982 , Saint Ann 's once again found herself in a newly created diocese. The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II established the Diocese of Metuchen and named then Bishop Theodore E. McCarrick as the founding bishop.
 
On May 1, 1982 , at Fr. Clark's invitation Bishop McCarrick paid his first visit to Saint Ann 's and received our welcome in to the new diocese.
 
In July 1982, the parish celebrated the Feast of Saint Ann with a parish picnic, only a week later Fr. Clark passed away unexpectedly and was laid to rest in the parish cemetery. Though the parish was over a hundred years old, Fr. Clark became the first pastor to be laid to rest in the parish cemetery.
 
In August, 1982, Father Ignatius Kuzmienski was appointed temporary administrator.
 
On October 29, 1982 Bishop McCarrick appointed J. William Mickiewicz as pastor of Saint Ann 's.
 
In 1984 to mark the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Founding of the parish, His Excellency, Bishop Theordore E. McCarrick once again visited the parish and offered the anniversary Mass. Among the con-celebrants were the pastors of three former Mission Churches of Saint Ann's.
 
As the population of the area grew, Fr. Mickiewicz was asked to begin laying the groundwork of a new parish. This new parish would be named Saint John Neumann, thus honoring the sainted Bishop of Philadelphia who had shepherded the area so many years ago.
 
Father William Hewitt became pastor in 1989 when Fr. Mickiewicz named the first residence pastor of Saint John Neumann Parish, Califon. During his term as pastor Fr. Hewitt established daily Eucharistic Adoration.
 
On July 30, 2002 , Father Michael C. Saharic was assigned as the administrator of the parish and a year later Bishop Paul Bootkoski, Bishop of Metuchen, installed Fr. Saharic as the thirty-second pastor of the parish.
 
During Fr. Saharic's tenure as pastor, he has undertaken an historical restoration of Saint Ann 's. The interior of the church has been repainted and the original gothic Victorian stenciling has been restored. The paneling installed in 1960 was removed and replaced by new oak wainscoting, along with a new hardwood floor, these details have been installed to reflect the historical nature of the church. To further enhance the church an antique hand-carved English oak ambo (circa 1865), was installed along with antique pews (circa 1900). Other physical improvements included the installation of Air Conditioning, new sidewalks, much needed exterior lighting and the beautifying and development of the parish grounds.
 
Fr. Saharic has also revived the Rosary Society, the Holy Name Society and began a Senior and Junior Youth Group, the Parish Spirituality Committee, the Social Committee and began the Christmas tradition of the Parish Ice Skating Party.
 
Today, Saint Ann's Parish is enjoying a new spring-time of growth and as the parish now plans to mark the One Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary of its' founding, parish registration has climbed to over a thousand families.
 
The small handful of Catholics who gathered in a private residence for Mass so many years ago could have hardly believe the impact that gathering would have; they are the founders and the foundation stones of the Parish of Saint Ann. And who then, could have imagined that over the next one hundred and fifty years what history would have in store for the parish.
 
From this tiny spot in rural Hunterdon County, Saint Ann's has witnessed the creation of three Dioceses, a Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression and despite the challenges of a century and a half she has faithfully fulfilled her mission, while at the same time given birth to eight Churches in Hunterdon and Warren County. Due to her contribution to, and the significant role she has played in the history of the Church in Northern Hunterdon County , in 2003, the Parish was designated by the State of New Jersey as a "Site of Historical Note".