About St. Anne Shrine · Fall River, Massachusetts
St. Anne Shrine is a historic Roman Catholic shrine in Fall River, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of South Main and Middle streets in what was once the heart of French-Canadian immigrant life in this mill city. Built by French-Canadian laborers and administered by the Dominican Order from 1887 to 1978, the monumental blue Vermont marble church is dedicated to St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus. The shrine has drawn pilgrims continuously since 1872, hosting one of the oldest annual novenas to St. Anne in the United States, and today serves as an active place of prayer, healing Masses, perpetual novenas, and Eucharistic devotion under the lay-led St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society, in cooperation with the Diocese of Fall River.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Father Edward Murphy (Shrine Chaplain, Diocese of Fall River)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
Why belong here
St. Anne Shrine is one of the oldest and most distinctive French-Canadian Catholic pilgrimage sites in New England, and today it operates as an intimate devotional shrine rather than a typical parish. Pilgrims are drawn by the historic lower crypt church, the daily Perpetual Novena to St. Anne, monthly healing Masses celebrated by shrine chaplain Father Edward Murphy, and the largest indoor Catholic votive-candle shrine in southern New England (more than 3,000 candles). With Eucharistic adoration, Sunday Holy Hours, Lenten vespers, and a 150-year tradition of the annual Solemn Novena and Feast of St. Anne (July 17–26) capped by a relics procession, the shrine offers a quiet refuge and a living connection to generations of immigrants who built it. Visitors who want to support its restoration can also join the St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society or pray with the St. Anne Fellowship.
Mass times at St. Anne Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sundays 1st Sunday of the month during Holy Hour (2 PM), per Register account
- Solemn Novena (July 17–25): Confessions at 6:00 PM before daily Mass
- Feast of St. Anne (July 26): Confessions 1:00–3:00 PM
- Available before any scheduled Mass or upon request (contact shrine office)
Adoration times
- First Sunday of the month: Holy Hour at 2:00 PM (Rosary, confession, exposition, and Benediction)
- Daily exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the lower crypt during posted hours
- Sunday Perpetual Novena (3 PM) and Friday Divine Mercy Devotion (2 PM) in the lower shrine
History of St. Anne Shrine
St. Anne Parish was founded in 1869 as the first French-speaking parish in Fall River to serve the swelling population of French-Canadian mill workers. Within months, construction of a small wooden church was underway on Hunter Street, and the devotion to St. Anne that began during a dramatic staging collapse has continued without interruption ever since. In 1887 the parish was entrusted to the French Dominican Fathers, who envisioned a grand national shrine. Architect Napoléon Bourassa was hired, and between 1892 and 1906 the massive blue Vermont marble church was built around the original lower crypt shrine (consecrated Christmas Day 1895). The upper church was dedicated on July 4, 1906, and the shrine has drawn pilgrims continuously ever since.
Founding and the Original French-Canadian Parish
Bishop John Williams of Boston sent Father Adrien de Montaubricq, a French priest from Bordeaux, to found the parish in 1869. He celebrated Mass for his flock every Sunday at 9 a.m. at St. Mary's Church while raising funds for a wooden chapel. On March 20, 1870 he blessed the cornerstone on Hunter Street; the staging collapsed and over 100 people were hurt. The pastor vowed to name the parish after St. Anne if no one died—according to parish tradition, the first novena to St. Anne arose from that moment. The small wooden church opened in May 1870 and was enlarged twice to seat about 1,000 parishioners. Father de Montaubricq retired in 1878, succeeded by Father Thomas Briscoe, an Irish priest fluent in French.
Arrival of the Dominican Fathers (1887)
Bishop Thomas F. Harkins of Providence, concerned that other churches were trying to attract French-Canadian faithful away from his diocese, asked Bishop Augustine Healy of Portland, Maine, for help. The French Dominican Fathers, then running a successful French-Canadian mission in Lewiston, Maine, were invited to take over St. Anne Parish. In November 1887 Fathers A. Louis Mothon, Charles Bernard Sauval, François Bonaventure Esteva, and Brother Vital Gilbert, soon joined by Father Cormerais, left Lewiston for Fall River. They were formally ceded the parish via a 1891 agreement, with the Dominican Council of Flavigny approving the move on July 22, 1891.
Building the Shrine Church
Father Charles Bernard Sauval, O.P. (pastor 1891–1901), was the great visionary who conceived the present church. He recruited the Canadian painter-architect Napoléon Bourassa in 1892, acquired land on South Main Street, and oversaw construction of the lower crypt shrine (consecrated Christmas Day 1895), the Park Street convent/school (1895), and the Dominican rectory/monastery (1895). He died of a cerebral thrombosis on April 30, 1901 and is interred in the Dominican Crypt Chapel. His successor, Father Raymond Grolleau, O.P. (pastor 1901–1908), saw the upper church through to completion: cornerstone July 4, 1902; exterior completed June 1904; upper church dedicated July 4, 1906.
The Dominican Era and Vincent Marchildon
The Dominicans administered the parish and shrine from 1887 until 1978. Most celebrated among them was Father Vincent Marchildon, O.P., a Quebec-born Dominican who had been organizing pilgrimages since the 1890s. In 1928 he was named the first full-time director of the shrine, the position he held for 60 years. He organized annual novenas, healing services, and the procession with the first-class relics of St. Anne. Crutches, braces, and tokens left at the shrine testify to the healings attributed to St. Anne's intercession during his pastorate. He is buried in the lower church crypt along with two other Dominican founders.
Return to Diocesan Administration and Closing (1978–2018)
On January 4, 1978, Father John R. Folster, a secular diocesan priest, became the parish's 16th pastor—the first non-Dominican in the modern era. Five Dominican volunteers stayed on as assistants, and Father Pierre E. Lachance, O.P. (ordained 1942, joined the community in 1959) introduced regular healing services in 1978, founding the St. Anne Fellowship and serving until his death on July 4, 2006. By the late 2010s water damage and deferred maintenance had left the upper church in crisis; on the Solemnity of Christ the King, 2018, the Diocese of Fall River closed the parish and merged it into the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.
The Preservation Society and Reopening (2019–Present)
Within months of the closing, laypeople organized the St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society, a registered non-profit charitable corporation. After negotiations with Bishop Edgar da Cunha and the diocese, the Society signed a 10-year lease on July 1, 2019. The lower crypt church reopened on July 4, 2019, just in time for the 152nd Solemn Novena; Bishop da Cunha celebrated the first post-closure public Mass on the Feast of St. Anne, July 26, 2019. The upper church remains closed while a capital campaign funds restoration, with the Preservation Society targeting reopening by 2029.
Architecture and Art
St. Anne Shrine is widely regarded as one of the most extraordinary church buildings in the northeastern United States. The Catholic Travel Guide calls it 'an extraordinary church,' and Father Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River agrees. The architect Napoléon Bourassa, who declared himself an 'eclectic' borrowing from Roman, Romanesque, Byzantine, and Gothic sources he studied on three European trips, designed a Romanesque Revival building with Byzantine refinements and a French Gothic facade statuary program. The fine-grain Vermont marble gives the exterior a distinctive bluish-gray color and, because the stones are unpolished, the building is often mistaken for granite.
- Romanesque Revival with Byzantine and French Gothic elements
- Architect: Napoléon Bourassa (no formal architectural training)
- Local supervising engineer-architect: Louis G. Destremps
- Materials: bluish-gray marble from Proctor, Vermont (gift, with the marble company's statue of St. Anne)
- Dimensions: 277 ft long × 122 ft wide; twin steeples 160 ft tall
- Cruciform plan with large ambulatory and five projecting chapels (in upper church and lower crypt)
- Intricately carved wooden ceilings and red-oak pews
- Facade statues: Good Shepherd (above main door) and 9-ft St. Anne with the child Mary (under 'Ora Pro Nobis' arch)
- 1892 polychrome wood statue of St. Anne et Marie (Stalzenburg, Belgium), modeled on the lost St. Anne de Beaupré original
- First-class relics of St. Anne housed in the lower shrine
- Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1983
Worship and Devotions
Today St. Anne Shrine operates not as a canonical parish but as an active devotional shrine, with the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the lower crypt and a rolling calendar of novenas, Masses, and Eucharistic devotions. The Pilgrimage tradition dates back to July 26, 1892, when the first pilgrimage group arrived on the Feast of St. Anne—before the upper church was even finished. The 152nd Solemn Novena in 2024 continues a tradition unbroken since 1872.
- Perpetual Novena to St. Anne — every Sunday at 3:00 PM, lower shrine
- Divine Mercy Devotion — Fridays at 2:00 PM, lower shrine
- Monthly Healing Mass — third Thursday at 6:30 PM (Rosary 6:00 PM), Father Edward Murphy
- First Friday Mass
- First Sunday Holy Hour — 2:00 PM (Rosary, Confession, Exposition, Benediction)
- Lenten Vespers — Sundays 4:00 PM (per 2020 schedule)
- Solemn Novena to St. Anne — July 17–25, daily Mass 6:30 PM followed by Holy Hour and preacher's reflection
- Feast of St. Anne — July 26 (Confessions 1–3 PM; Devotions 3 PM; Rosary 5 PM; Solemn Mass 6 PM and procession)
- Veneration of First-Class Relics of St. Anne
- Votive Candles — more than 3,000 candles available for intentions
Ministries and Community Life
The shrine is staffed by a small team of diocesan clergy, a sacristan/liturgy coordinator, a director of devotions, a society president, and an extensive volunteer corps organized through the St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society. Notable ministries include the monthly healing Mass, the perpetual and solemn novenas, the St. Anne Fellowship (founded by Father Pierre Lachance, O.P.), the Purgatorial Society, the votive candle ministry, the gift shop, and a building and grounds team. The shrine also operates Internet Radio, video archive, and social media channels for those unable to attend in person.
- St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society (operating body)
- Shrine Chaplain — Father Edward Murphy
- Director of Devotions — Michael Antaya
- Sacristan & Liturgy Coordinator — Bryan Boyle
- Votive Candle / Devotion Ministry
- Healing Mass Ministry (monthly, third Thursday)
- St. Anne Fellowship (since c.1978)
- Purgatorial Society
- Gift Shop
- Capital Campaign Committee
- Internet Radio / Live Streaming
- Archives & Research
- Building & Physical Plant volunteers
Heritage and Significance
Beyond its role as a working shrine, St. Anne's is a National Register landmark and one of the most important tangible legacies of French-Canadian immigration to New England. It is the sister shrine of St. Anne de Beaupré in Quebec—400 miles to the north—and home to a large collection of first-class relics of St. Anne. In 2022 the shrine celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Solemn Novena to St. Anne, an unbroken annual tradition begun by Father de Montaubricq after the staging collapse of 1870.
- Sister shrine of St. Anne de Beaupré, Quebec
- Largest indoor Catholic votive-light shrine in southern New England
- National Register of Historic Places (1983)
- 150th anniversary of the Solemn Novena celebrated in 2022
- Site of reputed healings and tokens (crutches, braces) left in gratitude
- One of the most photographed Catholic landmarks in southeastern Massachusetts
Visit, Tours, and Pilgrimages
The lower Shrine is open daily to the public (historically 8 AM–6 PM; per the 2020 schedule 8 AM–5 PM), with votive candles, prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, and veneration of the relics of St. Anne available throughout the day. The upper church is closed pending restoration; a Virtual Shrine Pilgrimage is available via st-annes-shrine.org/media. Pilgrims are encouraged to contact the shrine in advance to schedule Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, or tour groups. The annual July 26 procession with the relics of St. Anne around the surrounding neighborhood is the highlight of the pilgrimage year.
- Daily opening of the lower crypt shrine
- Votive candle offerings
- Veneration of relics of St. Anne
- Virtual pilgrimage (online tour)
- Live Internet Radio of services
- Video archive of past events
- July 26 relics procession through the neighborhood
Getting Involved and Supporting St. Anne's
The Preservation Society welcomes volunteers, donations, and Prayer Partner enrollments. Gifts to the Capital Campaign go directly to repairing the upper church, with the goal of restoration by 2029. To volunteer, schedule a Mass intention, light a candle, or arrange for sacraments, contact the shrine at (508) 678-1510 or [email protected].
- Make a one-time or recurring gift
- Volunteer with the Society or a ministry
- Light a votive candle in person or by mail
- Request a Mass intention
- Enroll in the St. Anne Fellowship or Purgatorial Society
- Support the Capital Campaign for the upper church
- Subscribe to the newsletter or follow on Facebook
Contact and Practical Information
St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society is the administrative body of the shrine. The mailing address is 818 Middle Street, Fall River, MA 02721. The phone number is (508) 678-1510. General inquiries can be sent to [email protected]; dedicated department addresses exist for the Capital Campaign, the Society President, the Shrine Chaplain, the Sacristan/Liturgical Events, Buildings, Archives, Gift Shop, and Webmaster. The shrine is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River and operates with the bishop's blessing.
- Postal Mail: St. Anne's Shrine Preservation Society, Inc., 818 Middle St., Fall River, MA 02721
- Telephone: (508) 678-1510
- General Inquiries: [email protected]
- Capital Campaign: [email protected]
- Society President: [email protected]
- Shrine Chaplain: [email protected]
- Sacristan / Liturgical Events: [email protected]
- Buildings: [email protected]
- Archives / Research: [email protected]
- Gift Shop: [email protected]
- Webmaster: [email protected]
- Diocese: Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River (fallriverdiocese.org)
- Website: st-annes-shrine.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Adrien de Montaubricq1869–1878
First pastor; French priest from Bordeaux, sent by Bishop Williams. Built the Hunter Street church; began the devotion to St. Anne.
- Father Thomas Briscoe1878–1887
Irish diocesan priest who spoke fluent French; oversaw parish between Montaubricq's retirement and arrival of the Dominicans.
- Father François Bonaventure Esteva, O.P.1887–1891
First Dominican pastor; sent from Lewiston, Maine; laid groundwork for the new church; founded the mission that became Blessed Sacrament Parish.
- Father Charles Bernard Sauval, O.P.1891–1901
Architectural visionary; acquired the South Main Street site; hired Napoléon Bourassa; oversaw building of the lower crypt church (consecrated Christmas Day 1895) and the convent/school (1895). Died of cerebral thrombosis April 30, 1901.
- Father Raymond Grolleau, O.P.1901–1908
Saw the upper church to completion; cornerstone 1902, dedication 1906; oversaw construction of the adjoining Dominican priory.
- Father Vincent Marchildon, O.P.1890s–1970s; first full-time shrine director from 1928
Quebec-born; 'great apostle of the shrine'; served over 60 years; buried in the lower church crypt.
- Father Pierre E. Lachance, O.P.1959–2006
Born Fall River c.1915; ordained 1942; introduced regular healing services in 1978; founded the St. Anne Fellowship; died July 4, 2006.
- Father John R. Folster1978 onward (16th pastor)
First non-Dominican pastor; secular diocesan priest; previously a student and altar boy at St. Anne's; longtime Fall River Fire Department chaplain.
- Father Edward Murphy2019–present (as Shrine Chaplain)
Diocese of Fall River priest; native of County Cork, Ireland; celebrates the monthly healing Mass on the third Thursday; oversees the lower shrine under the Preservation Society.