In 1929, the closest Catholic Church to the area of present-day Bellview was 12 miles away, and the roads were not well maintained. In order to tend to the spiritual needs of those in the community, Trinitarian Sisters from Pensacola traveled to the area weekly to teach catechism classes.

St. Anne Catholic Church in Bellview began as a mission church of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lillian, Alabama, and celebrated its first Mass in 1937 in what was called the Union Church. In that same year, Bishop Thomas J. Toolen broke ground for a new building.

On Jan 17, 1964 the first resident pastor, Father John Licari, celebrated mass, and St. Anne became not just a mission church, but a parish in its own right. 1964 was also the first year of the famed St. Anne's Round-Up, a major parish fundraising event that drew around 200,000 people annually to a small, western town built on parish property.

In 1977 the Swiss Style St. Anne Church was built from proceeds earned during the Round-Ups and, for many years, was the site of an annual Christmas attraction, which featured over 100,000 lights, hot chocolate and Christmas cookies.

Written by Gregory Florian, Student, Pensacola Catholic High School, 2011.

Copyright diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, 2011.