The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-19
TO ST. ANNE TO BE CURED.
STRANGE SCENES NOW AT ST JEAN
BAPTIBTE'S CHURCH.

~ NANNAN ~ @-eN
Daring she Rovsns OF the saints Feast
70 neg MeP lntorceasion IN Their Behalf.
The Church Of st. Jean Baptiste Ia one Of the
most unnretentious Roman Catholic churches
in New York 1t stands In East Seventy sixth
street, between Lexington and Third avenues,
and tho small red brick building will teAt
scarcely 800 persons. The decorations OF the
interior arc plain and tho threo affairs are not
ornate, unless the altar dedicated TO St. Ammo
be excepted. But tho attention is attracted
20 that altar Immediately on entering the church
for othor reasons than the two elaborate hg-
ures of st, Anne and the Virgin which stand In
q nicho of the altar. Now candles burn In can
delabra placed in every available spot about
the altar. Flowers are placed on It and at all
hours OF tho day o group Is knooling In the pews
on the right side Of the high altar. More strik-
ing arc the marble tablets hung on tho walls
about Il, and these have increased in number
from year TO year until nearly every pillar in
the little church is hung with tho offerings.
This Ia tho period Of the year in which st.
Jean Baptistc's Church becomes the goal Of many
Roman Catholics who have nevor boon there
before, and these are from points distant from
tho city as well as from the local parishes. Tho
precious possession Of the parish il q relic Of
st. Ammo, and for nino days every year this Ii
exposed for the veneration of the faithful. Then
the cures which are worked through interven-
ton of the saint occur, and the other temporal
blessings for which tho believers pray arc
granted to them. Throughout the nino days
that precede the feast of the saint on July 26,
a bone of her arm Is placed on view, and after
the celebration Of her day, the relic is again
hidden away not to be revealed again until tho
18th of July in the following year. Although
tho sacred bone Is put out of sight, there are al
ways tangible evidences of the good which
the saint is believed to have done. A rack
Of crutches left by sufferers who came to the
shrine on them and were then relieved OF
their ills afte. they had prayed before the bone
stands near tho altar dedicated to st. Ammo.
Then there are the white marble tablets
hung all over the walls about the altar and on
the pillars as well. But not all of these bear
expressions of gratitude to the saint Many
Of them arc microscopy. Thanks to good st.
Anne for a temporal favor" one will read in
the square gold letters on q tablet; or. Thanks
to st. Anne. my child Is cured But near
| these one may also see Good ST. Ammo, give
me back my son. or Good ST. Ammo, euro my
husband and save my sight" One of the
latest bears tho words, sgt. Anne restored my
sight. Thanks to st. Anne" and on another,
hung near the altar after last years novenn, Is
| printed Thanks to st. Anne for my health
The relic Is never put back into place without
| tho appearance of q new tablet on the wall.
The close of every novena is followed by the
| story of some now cure, or Of some blessing
that was sought for and obtained. Even when
they the ns ao now SS nh he " Visitor IN to O. the sH Church is led
first to the corner In which u stands The
hundred Q or more tablets ,b.na r point n mES fsibs as sSssi tG
| possession Of this little parish.
The congregation Of s.; Jean Baptissts is
TotFssan is the pastor, and two priests nam Faith Faith
Canadian capital, to preach at the freouen. ser.
vices during the novena; At tho solemn
mas n1sssS ysSs' snd 1t R no hesed Esths1 o fG IRs SissseS
the lssI preacher IN Il are Ave masses daily dur
inss, with a sermon. The congregation at tha
10 o'clock mass yesterday morning Allied the
n nishf, and the Ssf nuns in charge Of the relic were
busy selling the blessed oil and the little OBJ
There We're dolls for sale, dressed in marvellous
'%lIssis e S q sssFf fr P sRs ssIns. i nhsss Ts1s
prayer beads, and crucifxes that haa been
Blessed near the relic, and candles to be burned
while Il e on view. They are also required to
operation OF the miracle; but as a sign of their
faith. 1t is applied to the afflicted parts in the
Prayers. There arc also rings blessed BY tho
priests in the presence Of the relic that are a
safeguard against evil.
The services are not the most interesting
feature Of tho novena to the stranger. The
visits Of those who have come to the shrine to
blessing are the most characteristic sights OF
the ceremony. 1t was some time after the
s i4s CHURCH. Iehs' Il GeS Was not 0e empty 'h at 'f Sny ti lass
during the day. Tho shrine in which the relic
Was placed Ia d two years ,nw ago T ,rs b %9ye sl,h from tho tho
shrine is about four feet high and is not unlike
a desk. 1t Is made of FURNISHED gold, and the
III fnntrn tho. REQ lin lilo an Lao
turn at an angle OF about 60 degrees. In tho
centre Of this oblong, aiming plate OF bur.
four inches in diameter. Under this rests the
relic. The upper part OF the plate is horizontal,
kerchief. This Is used By those who kiss Tho
crystal plate oyer Ec the ud Te aIior tn, The glass is
Yesterday morning a woman entered the
church after the mass was over and limped
while and prayed. For a quarter OF an hour
rising with diaicqlty, she walked up to the
shrine; w,ipins the s Ia sn wi "a II the m h nlnn, r.
finger tips she made the sign of the cross on her
left leg. She repeated this several times. and
after every cross which she indicated over her
win, Ter finger tips. Then she 'inolt for a whiiio
church she stopped to kneel before the Virgins
altar, and to pray over the candles placed near
tne uOOr y. inc CnurCu IN nonor OF SL. AnneB
novcna.
On the steps in front of st. Anne's altar ara
two ordinary brown leather notebooks. In
these are written the especial prayers and re-
her rovOna. some Of these requests cover an
entire page Of the book, while Others are not
more than a line. Tho names are given In very
few cases. Please cure my eyes" please
Help me get work" arc fair examples Of the
prayers written in tho books with the pencils
which are put there for tho, purpose. Yesterday
one of the books was already hlled.
The woman, who had evidently gone to the
saint to. pay for tho cure OF her lamcncss, was
not richly dressed. Sho was highly typical OF
Now York. with the inevitable shirt waist and a
little black hat. She was not in the least, TO
judge from her appearance, the sort of q woman
who would have gone to pray to u relic for re.
lief from an illness, But her manner was full
If faith and devotion.
Another woman, much better dressed, re-
manned for AN hour after the mass, kneeling in
her pew in front OF tho relic. Finally She
walked up to the ,chanccl, kissed the shrine, and
stepped over to the altar OF st. Anne. In front,
OF this stands n candelabra holding nearly a
hundred candles, OF these not moro than a
dozen wero lighted. By dropping 10 cents into n
box on tho step at the foot OF the candelabra
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