Author: Bryan Boyle

The month of July is upon us!

It is the great month of Good Saint Anne here at her Shrine. The Holy Father, Francis, through the Apostolic Penitentiary in Rome, has graciously granted a Plenary Indulgence to pilgrims to the shrine (under the usual conditions) for the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Lower Crypt Church.

What is a Plenary Indulgence? The church, through her apostolic power to bind and loose, has the authority to forgive or retain sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). While going to confession does indeed forgive our sins, the church teaches that there may be some need for the soul to go through a period of temporal punishment either in this life or the next (e.g., Purgatory). 

An indulgence is either the partial or plenary (full) remission of the temporal punishment due to the soul that is granted by the church after certain pious acts are completed by the penitent. 

The usual conditions include: making a pilgrimage to a holy site such as a shrine or other sacred place, detaching oneself completely from all sin, including venial sins, offering prescribed prayers, receiving the sacraments of Holy Communion and Reconciliation, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father.

St. Anne Shrine has been granted the privilege of this grace for the month of July 2021. We encourage you to make a pious visit to the shrine (pilgrimage) and fulfill the other requirements either here at the shrine or in your own parish.

We will have a number of opportunities for you to make a pilgrimage to the Shrine throughout the month by taking advantage of our full schedule of Masses, Novenas, and of course, the Festival Mass on the Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim on July 26th at 6:00PM, celebrated by Bishop Edgar da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D. Please connect with us via Facebook or our website for detailed schedules. 

We look forward to welcoming you when you visit Mary’s mother’s house here in Fall River.  

At long last, restoration work on the Santo Christo Chapel has begun. Through the generosity of donors who have earmarked donations towards the renovation, work has begun on water ingress remediation, re-plastering, and a new marble floor. The relocation of the saved altar from the former Holy Cross Church will complete this work.

Please note that all funds which were earmarked are being used to fund this work, and it is foreseen that this chapel will be fully finished by the Feast of Good St. Anne on July 26th.

The Preservation Society is seeking trustworthy volunteers who would be able to contribute 2 (or more?) hours a week to help run the Immaculate Conception Gift Shop.

As a Catholic shrine, we require that you be a Catholic in good standing and willing to participate in the Diocese of Fall River Safe Environment program as well as submit to (or have a current) a Commonwealth CORI check.

We currently need assistance on Wednesday and Friday mornings; other days would be considered as well. For more information, please contact the shrine at 508.678.1510, email info@st-annes-shrine.org, or use the volunteer form on the site (on the menu above) at https://st-annes-shrine.org/volunteer-at-st-anne/

Become a part of this great effort!