By DAVID CRUZ

The final night of Novena of St. Ann’s marked the last day of service at the Shrine Church of St. Ann’s on Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood, with a resounding call for unity between St. Ann’s parishioners and those from St. Brendan’s, a neighboring catholic church. Last year the Archdiocese of New York decided to merge the two.

It’s not religious asylum, but a new home for parishioners of St. Ann’s, who held its final mass July 26 alongside members of St. Brendan’s. The night marked the end of the annual Novena of St. Ann’s, a nine-day tribute to the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ that culminates with the Feast of St. Ann. This year’s finale ended with the statue of St. Ann paraded to its new home at St. Brendan’s on East 206th Street via procession, with members rejoicing in unison.

For Norwood’s catholics, the church’s closing signifies one less religious institution in the neighborhood, limiting the faithful. In the last twenty years, a new wave of non-catholic immigrants assimilated to the neighborhood.

Beforehand, hundreds of parishioners packed the pews for the religious ceremony, which capped nine days of prayer and petitioning for the infirm. But thoughts of St. Ann’s closure remained on the mind of Fr. Frank Scanlon, the nine-year pastor at St. Ann’s, who concluded the closure as a fateful lesson of bond and fellowship with another church.

“The whole history of this parish has been one of giving. Can you imagine for a minute that 88 years ago, the reason that this parish was formed is for today,” said Fr. Frank, his booming voice carrying throughout the Bainbridge Avenue church. “To show us how to pray, to show us how to share, how to receive sacraments, to show us how to share with another community of faith in a new parish.”

Church staffers later handed out a bookmark reading, “Saying goodbye means looking forward to seeing you again.”

St. Ann’s opened on Christmas day in 1927. Last year, the Archdiocese decided to close the church, one of six in the Bronx. Diocesan officials concluded St. Ann’s could not financially support itself after a thorough review of its finances. Parishioners of St. Ann’s, particularly senior citizens, have since mulled whether they would trudge a mile from Bainbridge Avenue to East 206th Street and Perry Avenue.

St. Ann’s and St. Brendan’s parishes have been forging a bond since news of St. Ann’s closure was announced. Along with bus trips and dinners, the two parishes also joined forces during this year’s Good Friday processions, merging during one of the Stations of the Cross.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Fr. Frank told the Norwood News. “There’s a sadness, but a hope.”

In a sign of solidarity, Fr. Frank was joined by Fr. George Stewart, former pastor at St. Brendan’s Church. Ironically, the two pastors have been reassigned to separate churches by the Archdiocese—Fr. Frank at St. Mary’s in Mt. Vernon, a town in Westchester County and Fr. George at Our Lady of Victory in the Claremont section of the Bronx. Diocesan officials have now welcomed Fr. Raul Miguez, in attendance at the Feast of St. Ann, to lead the now amalgamated St. Ann’s and St. Brendan’s Church. The name is informal for now. Fr. George intends to petition the Archdiocese to officially name it St. Ann-St. Brendan Church.

“It is our hope that the name will remain St. Ann-St. Brendan,” said Fr. George, adding St. Ann’s name should be first given her stature as Jesus’s grandmother.

Come July 31, the church will be closed, though exceptions will be made for longtime members who would want a mass held for funerals, weddings or other special occasions, according to Fr. Frank. The school, St. Ann’s School, will remain open.

Editor’s Pick: Church services will now be held at St. Ann’s and St. Brendan’s Church at 333 E. 206th St. starting Sunday, August 2.