The following excerpt is from the booklet “St. Benedict’s Church / 125 Years” written by Susan Richard..

Relic of St. Anne

St. Benedict Parish has a first class relic of St. Anne, a small chip of bone from the arm of St. Anne.

Although no parish records have been found, it is believed to have been brought by Fr. LaLande to the parish, possibly from St. Anne de Beaupre Shrine in the province of Quebec. Parishioners remember venerating the relic during Fr. LaLande’s pastorate.

Upon investigation, Fr. Samuel Baillargeon, C.Ss.R. of the shrine wrote the following:

“It is certain that before 1922 many churches did receive relics from St. Anne de Beaupre, but we have no documents to certify this. … but I truly have the impression that the relic did come from St. Anne de Beaupre but it is impossible to prove this.”

On May 29, 1922, a tragic fire destroyed the monastery, basilica, and seminary. All documents except those kept in a safe were destroyed.

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