The 150th annual Novena of our patroness will be held in the Shrine July 17-25th, 2022, with the concluding solemn Mass on July 26, 2022 at 6:00 PM. For more information, please contact the shrine office at 508-678-1510 during regular business hours, or via email at info@st-annes-shrine.org.
Mass will be celebrated each day of the Novena, with Benediction, Exposition, and offering of the Novena prayers in honor of Good St. Anne. All are invited and encouraged to attend this long-standing and fruitful celebration that has been a fixture in the life of Fall River for all these years.
Author: Bryan Boyle
Reviving Devotion to the Eucharist
St Anne Shrine will be participating by holding our annual Corpus Christi Procession on Sunday, June 19, from the steps of the Church.
Healing Mass This Thursday!
Romeiro Pilgrimage Returns to St. Anne
Returning after a two-year hiatus due to the recent public health emergency, the annual Good Friday tradition of the Romeiro pilgrimage and devotions at the various churches in the Diocese returned to St. Anne on Friday, April 15.
Under a cloudless sky, the pilgrims spent a half hour on the steps of this landmark church on South Main Street.
A Long Tradition of Faith
The first Romeiro pilgrimage in Fall River took place in the 1980s, but the the traditional pilgrimages began in the 1500s, a year of disasters on the Azorean islands.
In 1522, an earthquake caused a mudslide that nearly buried Villa Franco do Campo on Sao Miguel. In 1547, an earthquake rocked Terceira. In 1563, there were five violent earthquakes on Sao Miguel due to volcanic activities at Painha do Norte.
Because of these and other disasters, the villagers of the Azores took to the roads. The traveled, not as refugees, but as Romeiros, or pilgrims.
Taking nothing but a walking staff, a cloak or shawl against the weather, and a rosary, they marched the roads chanting prayers. The pilgrims were given beds for the night in houses and barns along their route. People along the way came to their aid with bread, cheese, and milk, feeding the pilgrims who prayed to God on behalf of all.
Although those walkers in the 1500s prayed for an end to the earthquakes, today’s pilgrims dedicate their prayers to world peace, to sick family members, or to the memory of a deceased relative who marched here, in Portugal, the Azores, or often in both countries.
St. Anne’s was blessed to be on their pilgrimage route, and prays manifold graces were gained by this ancient Azorean tradition as the group continued its journey through the streets of Fall River. We look forward to welcoming them back next year!
St Anne Shrine Holy Week Schedule
The schedule of devotions for Holy Week 2022 at the Shrine are as follows:
- Sunday, April 10 – (Passion/Palm Sunday) — Solemn Vespers at 4:00 PM (with blessing and distribution of palms).
- Tuesday, April 12 – Tuesday of Holy Week — Sacrament of Reconciliation will be offered from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
- Thursday, April 14 – Holy Thursday — Shrine will be open all day for private prayer. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament until 11:00 PM.
- Friday, April 15 – Good Friday — Shrine open all day for private prayer. 3:00 PM Divine Mercy Novena. 7:00 PM Solemn Way of the Cross.
- Saturday, April 16 – Holy Saturday — Shrine open all day for private prayer until 4:00 PM. Divine Mercy Novena at 3:00 PM.
- Sunday, April 17 – Easter Sunday — Shrine open for private prayer. Divine Mercy Novena at 3:00 PM. Easter Vespers at 4:00 PM.
Times may be subject to change; for more information, please contact St. Anne Shrine at 508-678-1510, or email info@st-annes-shrine.org.