For a century, faithful Catholics have made a pilgrimage to St. Ann’s Basilica in Scranton for nine days of prayer in the honor of the church’s namesake.
They pray for many things, including health and strength.
The 100th annual Solemn Novena to St. Ann begins Wednesday and ends on the saint's Feast Day, Friday, July 26. The monastery and basilica is on St. Ann's Street in West Scranton.
St. Ann is Jesus’ grandmother. The word Novena comes from the Latin word novem, which means nine. It's nine days of prayer, typically to a particular saint in preparation for their feast day, according to the church.
Daily Masses and Novena are at 8 a.m., 11:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; A Spanish Mass and Novena will be held daily from Wednesday to Thursday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Daily, a Mass will be held at 7 a.m. and the Novena at 3:30 p.m.
In honor of the 100th anniversary, the church has a series of events scheduled including:
- The outdoor Stations of the Cross is Friday, July 19, at 6:45 a.m.
- Mass for infants, children and grandparents, Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m.
- Novena service, Benediction & outdoor Eucharist procession, Sunday, July 21, at 3:30 p.m. Blessings with the relic will be included.
- Divine Liturgy Byzantine Rite Mass, Tuesday, July 23, 5:30 p.m.
- Anointing of the Sick Mass, Tuesday, July 23, 1:30 p.m.
- All day adoration in preparation of St. Ann’s Feast Day is Thursday, July 25, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Services will be held throughout the day.
- Spanish closing Mass with Bishop Neil Tiedemann, Thursday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.
- Pontifical Solemn Closing Mass with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, Friday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.
- An archives and photo display is open July 17 to 26 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It features more than 400 photos and 200 newspaper articles in St. Gabriel’s Room, lower church.
- Guided history tours are available July 18 at 9:15 a.m.; July 19 at 1 p.m.; July 22 at 4:15 p.m.; July 24 and 25 (Spanish tour) at 6:30 p.m.
The church was founded in West Scranton over 100 years ago by the Passionists, a religious congregation. In the early 1900s a mine subsidence damaged the monastery, according to the church. Then, two years later, a hill slide threatened to destroy the property, just days after St. Ann’s Feast Day. Priests prayed through the night and in the morning, the story goes, and two huge boulders rolled into place and stabilized the monastery. A weekly Novena was started in honor of what the priests believed was St. Ann's intercession.
