Dear Friends of Saint Anne's Shrine,

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The 2026 Pilgrimage Season is in full swing since we began our Sunday Masses in May. It is always a challenging race to get the grounds and outdoor chapel ready for the season given weather constraints and on-going maintenance issues. However, our dedicated crew of facilities personnel always comes through and the grounds look outstanding.

Since we opened, we have had several retreats take place. Fr. Marcel Rainville lead a retreat for faculty and staff of Saint Michael's College, and we had the opportunity to host a weekend retreat for First Responders with Deacon Bob Begley of Saint Albans, VT. I hosted a family-oriented retreat for alumni and colleagues of Saint Michael’s during Memorial Day weekend. The 5-day directed retreat took place in June and we in the Society of Saint Edmund held our annual retreat directed by a Jesuit colleague from Boston College High School.

Our chapel activities have been just as busy. In the last five weeks we have celebrated four Baptisms, a Confirmation for a convert being received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, two First Holy Communions for students from Mater Christi School, two marriages and two funerals. It has been a prayerful few weeks celebrating these sacramental events and there were a couple of family reunions on the grounds as well. Earlier this month, Bishop John McDermott launched our Summer Reflection Series to an overflowing crowd.

All these opportunities to celebrate our faith at the Shrine occur because of friends like you who help us meet our operating expenses. I will mention a few: The repairs to the cupola on the historic chapel cost over $20,000. Windstorms damaged trees and destroyed our main signage so we spent $10,000 on a tree contractor and $2,000 on a new sign designed with a cross on top of the frame. We purchased new gas grills and ordered a new ice machine costing over $10,000. We sprayed all the buildings with insect repellent due to spider and beetle infestations, costing $2,000. One cabin had persistent AC repairs. We hired another contractor to scrape and repaint the chapel pavilion. Your financial support helps us fund these expenses so we can operate the Shrine effectively.

Two benefactors have offered a $35,000 match for this appeal to help us cover these and other costs. Each dollar you contribute for the operations of St. Anne’s Shrine will be matched, up to a combined total of $70,000! Please consider making a gift to help us realize this generous matching-gift opportunity. Also note that the Feast of Saint Anne is Sunday, July 26 with our regular Sunday Mass schedule plus an added 7 pm Mass and the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is Saturday, August 15 with 11:15 am Mass and a Vigil Mass on Friday the 14th at 7 pm. Thank you for your continued support and be assured of my prayers for you and your family.

Sincerely,