In 1895 St. Anne’s Parish was the third house of worship built in Brentwood. Charles Van Nostrand, a local resident, asked Charles E. McDonald, second Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, to establish a parish in Brentwood. When Van Nostrand petitioned Bishop McDonald he was in Rome. In his absence, Msgr. Joseph McNamara appointed Father Edward Hannigan to conduct mass in the Quanahasset Hotel in Brentwood until a parish could be established. Father Hannigan served as pastor until Bishop McDonald approved the building of the parish. A year later Father Hannigan dedicated the church building. His work was continued by Father Henry Murray in 1895. On a Sunday in July of 1896 St. Anne’s Church opened its doors. It was the first Catholic Church in Brentwood. This beautiful sanctuary was known as “St. Anne’s-in-the-Pines.” The bronze bell was a gift from the parish of St. Cecilia, in Williamsburg.

Father Murray was the first pastor to the parish. The small church of St. Anne’s celebrated only one mass on Sunday. There were about 40 families in the parish at that time. People either walked to church or came in horse-drawn carriages. There was a carriage shed behind the church to accommodate the carriages.

St Anne’s had many firsts in their history. In the summer of 1913 the first Diocesan Rally of the Holy Name Society was held in Brentwood. More than 3,500 men from all of the parishes on Long Island were there for this event.

Father Thomas Murray proposed a plan for a school to the parishioners who endorsed this plan enthusiastically. On September 10, 1923 St Anne’s school opened its doors and was staffed by teachers from the Sisters of St. Joseph.

St. Anne’s Church experienced tremendous growth with the construction of Pilgrim State Hospital. Hundreds of people were needed to staff Pilgrim State, the largest mental hospital in the world. The influx of new residents to Brentwood brought hundreds of new parishioners to St. Anne’s Church.

By 1950 Brentwood grew even larger as many Spanish speaking people settled here. A warm welcome from St Anne’s was extended to the Spanish population. Father Ernesto Munoz was appointed. He celebrated a Sunday mass in Spanish. Sisters from St Joseph went to Puerto Rico to learn Spanish returning here to work with the Spanish parishioners. The Pronto organization, staffed by priests and laity, was begun in this community as a ministry that was dedicated to helping people in need. A. Bennett   August 2006