“From the Archives” Statue of the Blessed Mother in the Sanctuary
The Basilica’s white Italian marble statue of the Blessed Mother is currently located in the sanctuary, to the right of the tabernacle and the Altar of Reservation. Installed in 1895 to celebrate the parish centennial, the statue once occupied its own altar on the right side of the sanctuary. It was dedicated in memory of Father Denis J. O’Kane (Saint Mary’s pastor from 1872 to 1891) and donated by the Young Men’s Sodality.
When the church underwent major remodeling in the 1970s, after Vatican II, its two side altars (one for Saint Mary, one for Saint Joseph) were removed from the sanctuary. The Mary statue was placed in the niche in the south transept, now the Shrine of the Sacred Heart. Today, the statue of Our Lady is again in its original spot in the sanctuary.
There is some debate as to whether our statue represents Mary as the Immaculate Conception or Our Lady of Sorrows. Like traditional statues of the Immaculate Conception, it depicts Mary standing on a globe encircled by a serpent. This posture traditionally symbolizes the sinfulness brought into the world when Adam and Eve succumbed to the serpent’s temptation and overcome by Mary, who never experienced original sin, giving birth to the Savior of the world. Today the statue is crowned by a gold floral wreath (originally pewter), sculpted by the noted international artist Reed Armstrong.
The statue also closely resembles Our Lady of Sorrows – her head is bowed, her eyes are closed and her hands are gently crossed in prayer. Her short veil also is another traditional hallmark of Our Lady of Sorrows. (Images of the Immaculate Conception usually have Mary wearing a long veil and her hands outstretched.) The left knee of our statue is slightly bent, which is uncommon. Her expression is one of deep meditation, as if pondering her enormous role in God’s salvific plans.
The statue is beloved by parishioners and visitors alike. It is a tradition here at the Basilica for a bride, on her wedding day, to pray and leave a small bouquet of flowers at the base of the statue, seeking Our Lady’s guidance and blessing.
– Kitty Guy, Parish Historian
In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series in 2021. An archive of the features is located here.