St. Anne in the Mountains

Catholics in the communities east of Sky Forest and west of Big Bear Lake were without a parish until 1963, when St. Anne in the Mountains, Running Springs, became a Mission of Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lake Arrowhead. The church was dedicated on May 26, 2974.

It was to remain a Mission until 1989, four years after Fr. Charles F. Schultz was appointed administrator. He persuaded Bishop Philip Straling that his congregation had grown enough to be designated a parish. Fr. Schultz was reassigned in 1992, but not before he had left a permanent legacy. Under his leadership, the parish acquired a former YMCA Camp that included 22 acres of land. After 16 years in its downtown location, the church was divided into six sections, moved and reassembled at its present site on Fredalba Road in June 1990. For the first time, the priest had a rectory to call his own directly across from the church.

After years of trying to subsist as a small parish, the parishioners concluded that a full-time priest could not be supported. Fr. Timothy F. Keppel, C.R. pastor of Our Lady the Lake, graciously agreed to serve as shepherd.

Today St. Anne in the Mountains sits on a beautifully wooded property two miles south of town, just off the main highway. With its cross atop the church illuminated among the trees at night, it is truly a beacon of the faith found 6000 feet up the mountains of San Bernardino.