St. Anne Shrine of Fall River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Anne Shrine
|
|
(2021)
|
|
 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Fall River, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Napoléon Bourassa Louis G. Destremps |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| MPS | Fall River MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000719 |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1983 |
The St. Anne Shrine is a historic building in Fall River, Massachusetts. You can find it where South Main and Middle streets meet. Until 2018, it was a church parish. The whole area includes the main church, a former monastery, and a former school building.
The large upper church was officially opened on July 4, 1906. It closed on November 25, 2018. However, the lower part of the church, called the Crypt Church shrine, reopened on July 4, 2019. The upper church is still closed for repairs and updates.
Contents
Building History
A Canadian architect named Napoléon Bourassa designed the church. He used a style called Romanesque Revival. Building started in 1891. A local architect from Fall River, Louis G. Destremps, watched over the construction.
Work on the upper church began on July 17, 1902. The building is made from blue marble from Proctor, Vermont. It is very large, measuring 277 feet long and 122 feet wide. Its tall steeples reach 160 feet high. The outside of the church was finished in June 1904. The new church was officially opened on July 4, 1906. This important place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Dominican Order's Role
The Dominican Order is a group of Catholic priests and brothers. They managed the St. Anne parish and shrine from 1891 until 1978. After that, it went back to being managed by the Diocese of Fall River.
The Dominicans encouraged people to visit the shrine for prayer. A very important person was Father Vincent Marchildon. He was the first official director of the shrine. Father Marchildon spent 60 years of his life at Saint Anne. He organized special visits, prayer events, and parades to honor Saint Anne. Father Marchildon and two other Dominican founders are buried in the lower church crypt.
Stories of Healing
Since the church first started, people have connected Saint Anne with unexplained healings. The first pastor, Monsignor Adrien de Montaubricq, was hurt when a stage fell. He promised that if he got better, he would dedicate the church to Saint Anne. He did recover and kept his promise.
Because of this, a special nine-day prayer event, called a Novena, was held every year. It prepared the church for Saint Anne's Feast Day on July 26.
When the new church was built, the Dominican Friars hoped it would become a major shrine. They wanted it to attract visitors from everywhere, like the Shrine of Sainte Anne de Beaupre in Canada. By the mid-1920s, many people were visiting. An official director was named to manage it daily. People came to hear sermons, attend healing services, and honor special items related to Saint Anne.
During these healing services, people would come with canes, crutches, or wheelchairs. They hoped Saint Anne would help them. Father Marchildon would pray over them and use a special oil. He would then tell them to pray for nine days. Many people later returned, saying they were healed. They would leave their crutches, canes, and wheelchairs as a thank you. These items are still on display at the shrine today.
The Catholic Church never officially checked or approved these healings. However, the Dominican Friars who ran the shrine for over 90 years thought it was important to write them down. These records are now kept in Canada.
Church Closure
The main upper church closed in May 2015. This happened after a large piece of plaster fell from a wall during a church service. After that, weekend services were held in the lower crypt church. On October 15, 2018, Bishop Edgar da Cunha announced that St. Anne's would close as a parish church. This happened on November 25, 2018.
Reopening and Restoration
A group called the Saint Anne's Shrine Preservation Society is working to save the building. They are a non-profit group. They signed a 10-year agreement for the property on July 1, 2019. This group is raising money to fix the building and restore it. They want it to be a shrine and a place for study.
The lower church crypt shrine reopened on July 4, 2019. However, the main church is still very damaged and closed for repairs. On July 26, 2019, hundreds of people attended a special service for Saint Anne. It was held in the lower crypt church. The Preservation Society hopes to open the upper church by 2029.
The Lower Crypt shrine has the largest indoor votive candle area in Southern New England. It can hold over 3,000 wax candles. These candles are placed around different small chapels.
School
A school opened in the 1880s. The first classes were held in the church basement. In 1925, when the church opened a new school building, it had 1,559 students. By 2007, it was the biggest Catholic elementary school in Fall River.
In 2001, there were 432 students. The school added a small chapel on the first floor. In 2001, the school spent $500,000 on new windows. They also updated the cafeteria and gym in 2005-2006. A new playground was also added.
The school closed at the end of the 2006–2007 school year. It had 206 students then. About 20 of those students moved to other Catholic schools in Fall River. The school building has since been taken down. A medical building now stands in its place.
Organs
The church has several organs, which are large musical instruments.
Casavant Organ, Opus 2793
The upper church has a large Casavant Freres organ. It was built in 1964. It has 84 sets of pipes and 4,518 pipes in total. The pipes range from 7 inches to over 32 feet long. A famous blind French organ player, Jean Langlais, officially opened the organ on October 12, 1964.
Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Opus 1133, 1947
The lower church has a smaller Aeolian-Skinner Organ. It has not been used since the early 2000s. It might be fixed during the restoration work.
Allen Organ Co. Protégé Series
The organ currently used for services in the Lower Church is a digital Allen Protégé organ. It provides good sound for worship at the Shrine.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts
- Notre Dame de Lourdes Church (Fall River, Massachusetts)
