St. Ann’s formed as a mission parish in 1867, was first served by monks from St. Benedict’s Abbey. Frs. Augustine Wirth, Placidus McKeever and Boniface Verheyen came by horseback to celebrate Mass for the early community in private homes including those of Francis Cullin, Richard Gerety and Lawrence Griffin.
The first church, a wooden structure, was completed in 1874 and the first resident pastor was secular priest, John Begley who served from 1876 to 1884. The congregation outgrew this building and in the summer of 1897 the cornerstone of the present brick building was laid. This building was redecorated in 1952 and again in 1971, while exterior improvements had been made in 1965. St. Ann’s Cemetery was laid out in the 1870’s and the first recorded burial was in 1879.
A school was begun in 1907 with the Benedictine Sisters from Atchison teaching in a two-room building west of the Church. In 1928 a four-room school was erected and later modernized in 1952. The parish school was closed in 1968 when the sisters left, but then was rented by the local district 377 for the fifth and sixth grades from 1969 until the spring of 1967. The parish continued to hold CCD classes in the building until it was damaged by the tornado of April 26, 1984. The present Parish Center was constructed on the site of the school in 1985. A new residence for the pastor had been built in 1948.
Pastors and the dates of their service include the following:
Placidus McKeever, OSB from June 1, 1867 – September 1, 1876
John Begley the only secular priest, from September 1, 1876 – September 25 1884.
From that time all have been Benedictine Monks from St. Benedict’s Abby:
John Stader, September 25, 1884 – August 1, 1888
Ambrose Rank, August 1, 1888 – July 15, 1889.
Louis Flick, July 15, 1889 – June 1 ,1891.
Columban Meaney, June 1 ,1891 – August 1, 1894.
Michael Rank, August 1, 1894 – May 20, 1897.
Luke Blahnik, May 20, 1897 – November 1, 1899.
Odilo Otott, November 1, 1899 – September 1,1905.
Fabian Stindell, September 1,1905 – November 23, 1909.
Alphonse Filian, November 23, 1909 – September 4, 1910
Gregory Neumayer, September 4, 1910 – September 8, 1914.
Anthony Barr, September 8, 1914 – June 30, 1921.
Paul Behrens, June 30, 1921 – June 19, 1925.
Leander Scheier June 19, 1925 – March 1, 1930.
Odilo Otott, March 1, 1930 – August 13, 1931.
Cosmas Schneider, August 13, 1931 – August 22, 1944.
Paul Berens, August 22, 1944 – February 1947.
Richard Burns, February 1947 – June 29, 1947.
Matthew Hall, June 29, 1947 – March 1949.
Patrick O’Shea, March 1949 – June 1, 1955.
Michael Carroll, June 1, 1955 – August 24, 1961.
Raphael O’Malley, August 24, 1961 – July 1962.
George Spiegelhalter, July 1962 – July 1966.
Damian Boeding, July 1966 – May 1969.
Egbert Hall, May 1969 – September 7, 1969.
Theodore Leuterman, September 7, 1969 – August 1970.
Brendan Downey, August 1970 – August 1971.
Placidus Kieffer, August 1971 – August 1973.