Healing testimonies at Saint Anne Shrine in Fall River being captured in new book by Preservation Society

A Fall River shrine has long been known for its healings, now they are all being packaged in a new book.

According to Bryan Boyle of The St. Anne Shrine Preservation Society, after researching the history of St. Anne Shrine and combing through 296 pages of records/testimony, some in French, some in English, some well-described, some not so erudite, the Society has completed editing and preparing for publication the history of the claimed healings at St. Anne over the years.

The shrine, which dates back to the late 1800s and was influenced by the Dominican Order, has long been associated with reports of miraculous healings, drawing pilgrims seeking intercession for physical and spiritual ailments.

Visitors that come to the corner of South Main and Middle often point to a collection of crutches, braces, orthopedic boots, and other medical devices left in the downstairs shrine as tokens of gratitude for purported healings.

Reports of healings have been part of the shrine’s lore since its early days, with pilgrims attributing recoveries to prayers, relics (including a first-class relic of St. Anne), and novenas.

Boyle states that the collection will be available for purchase in the coming days.

“We’re just putting the final touches on the text and uploading to Amazon for print-on-demand. (It) will be available in the next week or so direct from Amazon, and links will be posted on our website. It’s 296 pages (in) paperback, full size 8.5×11.”

The book will be $20 with net proceeds going to preservation.