Around New England

Fall River Shrine Thought Dead and Gone Reopening July 4

July 3, 2019

One of the most beautiful churches in New England is planning to reopen Thursday, July 4, seven months after being closed permanently.

St. Anne’s Church and Shrine, with twin spires outside and spectacular artwork and statues of saints inside, is scheduled to open once again at 10 a.m. tomorrow – the 113th anniversary of its dedication in 1906, according to the Fall River Herald News.

St. Anne’s is known for miraculous healings at its lower-level shrine beneath the main church.

The parish closed for good November 25, 2018, but a local group subsequently presented a plan to Fall River Bishop Edgar de Cunha to restore and save the building as a place of worship.

The diocese gave up for the building when a cost estimate of $13.5 million to make needed repairs came in.

St. Anne’s Preservation Society is leasing the church from the diocese for $1 a year.

Mass will not be offered regularly at the church, although a Mass is scheduled for the feast of St. Anne on Friday, July 26. The agreement calls for at least two Masses a year to be celebrated at the church. But it will be open Monday through Friday for prayer, according to the society.

St. Anne’s Church and Shrine in Fall River, Massachusetts closed permanently Sunday, November 25, 2018. Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel, courtesy of Wikipedia.


Read More