Many people pray hopefully before the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the upper church. There is a photo of the statue’s amazing survival of the fire of 1899 aside the statue. We often tell visitors bits and pieces of the story of our “miraculous” statue, but I am sure that many of our parishioners do not know the full remarkable story.
The story I give here is based on a 1902 account by Agnes Repplier, a Saint John’s parishioner.
In the Spring of 1855, Francis Cooper of Philadelphia, sailed for Europe. The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Newfoundland and was in danger of wrecking in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Mr. Cooper, in mortal fear for his life, made a vow to the Blessed Mother that if he survived, he would erect a tribute to Mary in his parish church of Saint John the Evangelist.
The ship arrived safely to its European destination on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation.
When he returned to Philadelphia he immediately set out to fulfill his vow. He came upon the idea of erecting a marble statue. This project was far beyond his financial means, and even beyond his imagining when he made his frantic vow. So he began to solicit donations from others. About 40 people made contributions and by 1856, he had raised $5000, a large sum in those days. Mr. Cooper’s sister, Mrs. Edward Burrows (interesting that she is identified by her husband’s first name!) and an artist, prepared a sketch. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was defined only two years before in 1854 so the statue was a rendering of Mary, the Immaculate Conception.
The sketch was sent to Rome and in 1858, the statue was installed in Saint John the Evangelist Church.
The statue was (and is still) adorned with a valuable golden jeweled crown. The donations for this crown were given by many donors: a necklace and bracelet of Bohemian garnets; A pair of earrings, acquired during the days of slavery, given by an African American woman; a gold medal of honor given by the French government; wedding rings, diamonds, emeralds, and more. The crown was created by the jeweler, James E Caldwell and Co.
When Saint John Church burned in 1899, the parishioners were consoled that their beautiful and beloved statue of Mary was unharmed. A statue is just stone, in this case marble. It possesses no magical power in itself. But the creation of Saint John’s statue of Mary and the countless prayers offered before the statue recall the faith of thousands of Catholics. Mary, the Refuge of Sinners, displays her motherly love quite frequently when her children call upon her while gazing at the miraculous statue at Saint John the Evangelist Church.
