THE SHRINE
When the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament first came to Saint Jean’s most members of the community were of Canadian descent and steeped in the traditions of their national devotion to Saint Anne. They fostered the devotion but feared that there might be some conflict between the devotional practices of her veneration and the liturgical worship of the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, through the generosity of Countess Annie Leary, an ornate shrine to Saint Anne was constructed in the lower church of “old Saint Jean’s.” When the present church was erected, the shrine of Saint Anne was transferred to its lower church. When that space was renovated creating the present Community Center, the shrine was transferred to its present place in the southwest corner of the church. The statue is the original carving donated to “old Saint Jean’s” by Canon Petit. It depicts Saint Anne holding a scroll in one hand and giving her daughter a reassuring touch with her other hand, showing her as Mary’s teacher and guide. The child Mary is pointing to her mother acknowledging the importance of her mother’s place in her life. Luca F. Vescia, an Italian sculptor, labored a full year, under the close supervision of Canon Petit, to carve it from a block of the finest Carrara marble. The white marble railing embellished with Eucharistic symbols of wheat and grapes in front of the shrine, and the same railing in front of the altars of Saint Joseph and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament are parts of the original altar railing of the lower church.