St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church in Tenleytown is celebrating its 150 anniversary this year — but the school next door is now being used by another organization. St. Ann’s Academy closed in 2014 due to low attendance, and St. Albans Early Childhood Center began using the space in August, 2016.
Rev. Msgr. Godfrey Mosley announced on March 6, 2014, that St. Ann’s Academy was closing due to an enrollment drop and budget deficit. Despite the archdiocese giving the academy $200,000 in funds to keep the school afloat, it still was not enough for the continuation of St. Ann’s Academy.
St. Ann’s started as a private Catholic school for K-8, which was founded in October,1933. A priest of the church titled Father Reilly was the one who initially had the idea to build a school, although he could not begin construction as a result of poor health. Rev. Maurice King broke ground for the project and oversaw the construction of the St. Ann’s Academy.
When St. Ann’s Academy closed in 2014, the parish said there was “no dialogue about the future of the building at this time,” according to the Washington Post. Just two years later, St. Albans had moved into the building.
St. Albans Early Childhood Center now uses the St. Ann vicinity for their children, including the former academy’s building and neighboring playground. The children who previously went to St. Ann’s now go to other schools in the area.
St. Albans Early Childhood Center was founded in 1972 by St. Alban’s parish and their school requires an application and a months tuition to enroll. St. Alban’s preschool is not related to the all-boys school of the same name, but the two schools did share a campus at the Washington National Cathedral for many years.
St. Ann’s Church is named after Ann Forrest Green, who was considered the “foundress” of the parish. St. Ann’s Academy was run by a group of nuns, the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods from Indiana. The sisters would both teach students and care for sick students.
Today, though St. Ann’s Academy is run by St. Alban’s, the storied church next door is celebrating 150 years. St. Ann’s Catholic Church is holding a feast on July 26, and a gala and dance on May 16, 2020. More events can be found here.