Florida Catholic | New Church Will Provide More Worship Space

New church will provide more worship space

A new sanctuary at St. Anne Parish in Ruskin is designed to accommodate the population growth of southern Hillsborough County.

LOIS KINDLE | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 04.25.08

The new 1,375–seat church building dwarfs the current one that seats 440. The parish has grown from 650 families in 2003 to 1,575 this year.
LOIS KINDLE | FC

RUSKIN | It’s been a long time waiting for the faithful of St. Anne Parish, but their patience and hard work will soon be rewarded.

After 12 years of planning, fundraising and extended construction, Father John McEvoy and 1,575 families will celebrate Mass in a spacious new sanctuary this December.

The room is desperately needed. Parishioners attend one of six Sunday Masses in a 440-seat church built 40 years ago under the direction of Msgr. Antonio Diez, who was then pastor of St. Anne Parish and is now pastor of Resurrection Parish in Riverview. The overflow crowd celebrates Mass in the parish center.

LOIS KINDLE | FC
Father John McEvoy surveys the structure above the altar area of the new 22,000–square–foot sanctuary. It is being constructed on the same spot as the original St. Anne Church, which was built in 1956.

“We’ve grown from 650 families since July 2003,” said Father McEvoy, who became the pastor the same year. “We need the room now and for the future. With this beautiful new sanctuary, we’ll be ready for the high growth that’s projected here.”

The new 22,000-square-foot sanctuary will seat 1,375.

“I’m looking forward to it so that we can all join together for Mass under one roof, especially to enjoy our fabulous choir,” said Jan Falcione, a parishioner for the past eight years. “(The new sanctuary) has been a long time coming.”

Ruskin is part of an area known as South Shore, the fastest-growing locale in Hillsborough County. By 2025, 100,000 more people are expected to live in the area where, despite the difficult economy, construction projects abound.

When the building is blessed by Bishop Robert N. Lynch later this year, it will be the third sanctuary the parish has had since the original was built in the mid-1950s. At the time, members of the small Catholic community in southern Hillsborough County had to travel more than 20 miles to Bradenton or Tampa to attend Mass.

Construction of the tiny Ruskin church began after Bishop William D. O’Brien, the auxiliary bishop of Chicago, donated $5,000 in memory of his mother, Anne, and a Bartow woman donated the 12-acre parcel on U.S. 41. Several charter members also pledged their support. The first Mass was celebrated May 20, 1956.

That building was torn down in January 2007, a month after the parish hosted groundbreaking ceremonies during its 50th jubilee celebration.

Father McEvoy said the new sanctuary is being built on the same site as the original church, which adds both historical and spiritual significance. Stained-glass windows and some of the liturgical items from the current sanctuary will be transferred when the project is completed. “Many in the parish are happy we’re doing this,” said Father McEvoy. “It provides a sense of continuity and connection.”

But the new sanctuary will have plenty of new features, too. It will have eight new stained-glass windows of the Beatitudes that will be placed high above the altar, and the church will have a copper-plated roof that will never rust.

The new church was originally scheduled to be dedicated last January, but construction was delayed by permitting and environmental issues. Father McEvoy said the parish had to spend $1.7 million on site preparation alone, which included raising the elevation by 10 feet. The environmental issues involved building two retention ponds and upgrading a lift station.

The existing sanctuary will be used for funerals, weddings and other special ceremonies, Father McEvoy said. Eventually, it will be renovated into office space or as a parish center.

The project also includes adding more seating, rooms for religious education classes, parking and a new kitchen in the parish center.

CCS Fundraising of Fort Lauderdale assisted parishioners in raising most of the $6.3 million required. The Diocese of St. Petersburg has arranged a line of credit for completion of the building.

The parish will need an additional $300,000 to furnish the new church and install pews, said Father McEvoy. To date, half of that amount has been received in gift offerings.

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