St. Anne Novena, July 17-26

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The 138th annual Novena to St. Anne is July 17-26

Guest Columnist

Father Michael Bergeron

The 138th annual Novena to St. Anne will be conducted this month at one of the most historic places in Thibodaux, the Calvary-Grotto Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes in the St. Joseph Cemetery. In 1865, Peré Charles M. Menard, pastor of St. Joseph Church since 1845, planted two rows of oak trees behind the old St. Joseph Church which was located where the white granite mausoleum in front of the cemetery is now located. The oaks formed an alley from the back of the church to the site where the grotto was to be built. Stations of the Cross were purchased to be placed on the oak trees. The Stations were never put up, but they still exist today. They can be seen at Manresa Retreat Center in Convent, LA. They are under the canopy leading to the dining room.

Father Menard states in his early records of the church, that by 1883, it was time to begin work on the grotto.

The first step was to bring in 2,400 cartloads of dirt to form a hillock 17 feet high. Bricks were used to build the grotto. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was purchased, and on Dec. 16, 1883, Father Menard conducted a service of blessing and placing of the statue in the grotto.

There was a solemn procession and singing of the Magnificat.

In 1884, the pastor purchased, from the House of Verrbout in Paris, a Calvary group consisting of “ ... a Jesus Christ crucified, a sorrowful Mother, St. John and St. Mary Magdalene in cast iron painted the color of stone.”

Father Menard described the figures in this way: “ ... the execution of the anatomy of the Christ is remarkable. The Blessed Virgin is striking in her expression of extreme sorrow ... filled with superhuman resignation ... St. John is full of faith and love ... St. Mary Magdalene is remarkable in her attitude of meditation and repentance which is expressed in her whole being ... This group is a real masterpiece. I doubt that there is one similar in all of North America ... .”

Blessing of the Calvary was held on Oct. 8, 1884, by the Most Rev. Leray, Archbishop of New Orleans. Over 2,000 persons were present for the ceremony. Among those present was a 35-member band from the Thibodaux Fire Companies. a

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After High Mass at St. Joseph Church, there was a solemn procession to the Calvary by way of the alley of oaks. Archbishop Leray climbed the hill and blessed the statues, and then gave the crowd the Pontifical blessing. Father Menard recorded: “This was for me and for so many the most solemn moment of the ceremony ... 2,000 people, all kneeling reverently ... including some 50 Protestants. It was very impressive. Finally, the procession returned to the church in the same order that it had proceeded to the Calvary. The ceremony was concluded with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at which I officiated. Everyone returned home filled with the piety which the ceremony had inspired.”

The Calvary-Grotto Shrine is kept up by the St. Anne’s Association, a group of volunteers, headed by Connie Richard, who yearly attend the 10day devotions. Each year, since 1883, the Novena begins with a Mass at the Grotto on July 17 and concludes with a Mass celebrated on the Feast of St. Anne, July 26. Every evening for 10 days, over 100 men, women and children gather at the Grotto. Even on rainy days, the faithful gather for the devotions either under umbrellas or in the mausoleum.

The Novena is prayed to Saint Anne – the patron saint of cabinet makers, Canada, grandmothers, mothers, horse-riders, housekeepers, lost articles, miners, old clothes dealers, pregnancy, seamstresses, stablemen, women in labor, women who want husbands, carpenters, poverty and sterility. Countless miracles have taken place over the past century because of this Novena. People have been cured, women have found husbands, and children have been born to couples who had tried for years and were thought to be sterile. Every year, the faithful report miracles.

People return year after year for this special week – and it is not uncommon to have people report that they have been coming for 25, 50, 75 years and more. Rain or shine – sometimes in blistering heat – the faithful gather for 10 days at this special shrine. This Novena holds a very special place in the hearts of hundreds of people.

A month after I was ordained in 1996, I was asked to celebrate the Mass for the Novena. Fresh out of the seminary and full of enthusiasm, I eagerly accepted – never realizing how much this Novena would become part of my life. I offered his Novena for someone each year and saw miracles take place. I celebrated the Novena Masses for 22 years. Upon retirement, I passed this sacred duty to Father Cody Chatagnier who has faithfully celebrated the Novena Mass since 2017.

This year’s Novena will begin with a Mass celebrated at the Grotto on July 17 at 6:30 p.m. Each day the Novena prayers will be prayed at 6:30 p.m., culminating with a Mass on July 26 – the feast day of St. Anne. Anyone is welcome to join the Novena and become a permanent part of the St. Anne family. BC

This is a photo of St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux as it appeared until May 25, 1916, when it was destroyed by a fire. It was built in 1837 to replace a wooden church that had been built in 1819. Behind the church was a row of trees leading to the grotto. Today, the main mausoleum of St. Joseph Cemetery occupies its location and another mausoleum and tombs occupy the space leading to the grotto. A new church was built in 1923 on Canal Blvd. and is now St. Joseph Co-Cathedral.