The Renaissance of St. Agnes' Shrine

Since the 1898 opening of the Academy of Sacred Heart on this campus, religious statuary and iconography–gradually added over the decades–have been an integral part of our beautiful 63 acres. From the welcoming figure of Christ that presides near our front gates, to the sacred Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, to the blessed statue of St. Joseph, our school has constructed and maintained a number of enduring visual reminders of our founders’ legacy, love for, and connections with the Catholic Church and her saints.

 

For nearly a century, a gazebo-like shrine to St. Agnes has resided in a small corner of our grounds, located on what is now the Sacred Heart Prep side of campus. The graceful and life-like statue of Agnes, holding a small lamb, gives indication as to her patronage–primarily the protection of young girls–a most fitting saint for what was once an all-girls school. 

 

While the impetus for the shrine’s original construction at Sacred Heart is unknown, the structure’s embedded marker offers a pointed clue, honoring the life and untimely death of Elenita Brophy, a Sacred Heart student in the 1910s. Years later and following a renovation, a second dedication plaque was installed, this time invoking the intercession and blessings of Agnes in memory of alumnus Sean McLarry (SHP ‘90). And there, outside of what is now the cafeteria and student life building–and amid the hustle and bustle of normal high school activity–this special and sacred structure has serenely remained, weathering and withstanding multiple changes to the surrounding grounds without incident or impact for decades.

 

In 2024, however, legacy family Carolyn and Preston Butcher generously stepped forward to sponsor a more comprehensive “glow-up” for the Agnes shrine. The work, completed over the summer months one year ago, relocated the shrine mere yards north of its century-long home, a moderate move which enabled not only a significant expansion of the gazebo framing, but an upgrade to the lighting and protective roofing. The statue itself was lovingly cleaned and restored to a gleaming white. Flagstone benches were added to encircle the gazebo, providing flexible space for prayer and reflection as well as class use, and the original metal cross, which sat atop the former structure, was re-installed at the crown. In all, the extensive project has reinvigorated the sanctum and its use, vastly improving the aesthetics, coaxing the curious to investigate and reflect, and most of all, elevating this timeless memorial from Sacred Heart’s history to campus prominence, once again.