The bells are ringing once again at St. Anne’s Shrine of Fall River, and that’s not all

What was once a familiar sound in the south end of Fall River can be heard once again.

According to St. Anne’s Shrine of Fall River, the long silent bells are ringing as of Wednesday.

Through the generosity of many benefactors, the bells of St. Anne are heard, once more, throughout the city.

From now on, the bells will ring out to announce the hour, the Angelus, and the arrival of special feasts.

While the bells are a welcome sound to Fall Riverites, donations to the Shrine have resulted in many improvements to the property.

Recently, St. Anne’s published a list of many of the recent updates which include:

-Three sump pumps have been installed to control flooding in certain areas within the Shrine. (Locations: Front hallway closet, adjacent to wheelchair lift & in Santo Christo Chapel)

-The front steps to the church have been re-pointed, having the old mortar joints and old caulking removed and re-mortared.

-New concrete steps and railings from the side parking lot have been installed.

-The sprinkler system is annually inspected by a qualified building sprinkler company.

-All outdoor drain piping on the property was cleared and flushed by a professional drain company to clear blockages.

-The building has been toured with the Fire Prevention Dept. of Fall River Fire Dept. along with a crew of 15 firefighters to review location of sprinkler mains, valves, shut-offs, fire box, oil tank room and boiler room. Upper Church was toured and inspected as well.

-A new required radio signal fire call box was installed per Fire Department specifications and has recently been tested.

-The steam boiler was totally disassembled and all sections were re-gasketed and reassembled.

-The boiler is serviced on an annual basis and inspected annually by the State boiler Inspector and has passed inspections.

-The wheelchair elevator has been put back into service and inspected by State elevator Inspector.

-The Shrine now has the beautiful Immaculate Conception Gift Shop where all manner of candles, rosaries, Bibles, prayer guides, & cards are sold. There is a steady stream of regular customers who visit. We also take special orders for specific religious articles.

-The large St. Anne statue previously located in the upstairs nave was returned and installed (temporarily while work is done upstairs) in the Shrine.

-The Sacristy was built to move from its former closet to an area more fitting for priests and clerics to prepare for Mass and devotions.

-Purchased a tabernacle and altar for the Sanctuary.

-Purchased an altar for the Santo Christo Chapel.

-Purchased an organ for the Shrine for our events.

-The Santo Christo Chapel has been renovated and is 98% complete.

-The Saint Joseph’s Chapel has been renovated.

-Renovated the Men’s Room with painting, tilework, vanity, and one toilet.

-The copper ridge on the roof, which had sustained wind damage, was recently repaired. Other roof repairs were performed to the upper gutter on the north side where many holes were discovered in the gutter liner. The holes were sealed.

-Clogged downspouts on the north side of building were unclogged.

The Shrine on Middle Street is open Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4:00 p.m.

For more information or to make a donation towards the Shrine, click here.