After years of anticipation, the St. Anne Shrine Preservation Society officially began repairs on the south side of the roof of Saint Anne Shrine of Fall River this past week. A combined crew from J.G. Vandal Roofing and Starck Architects of Fall River began setting up scaffolding in the adjacent parking lot on Wednesday, October 25, and repairs began in full swing on Friday, November 10.
The Preservation Society is thrilled to have arrived at this important stage of restoration, and looks forward to the hopeful reopening of the upper church. Jeff Montigny, Vice President of the Preservation Society, said: “Over the past year, we [studied] the roof in detail [and] discovered that the gutters and downspouts were failing. We decided to take a phased approach to the repairs aimed at repairing the worst damage first. This year, we’re repairing and replacing the upper gutter and downspouts on the hospital side of the building. We will then focus our efforts to other areas on the roofline as a next phase.”
Montigny expressed his gratitude for the community’s support of the Shrine’s restoration efforts. “I would like to thank all of our donors… from the major donors to daily visitors who come to the Shrine to purchase a candle. All those funds are being utilized for the preservation of this building… for generations to come.”
The Preservation Society still needs financial support to continue the repairs. Those wishing to make their tax-deductible donation can do so in person at the Shrine’s gift shop (located in the lower church), mail it to Saint Anne Shrine (818 Middle Street, Fall River, MA 02721), or complete it online at https://st-annes-shrine.org/donation/.
