The Blessed Virgin Mary statute, which greeted students & facility for many years at Vincentian Academy, has a new home in California. The family of the late Sister Charlotte Gambol – who had initially donated the statue – asked if it could be placed at the family’s worship site at St Anne’s Parish in Seal Beach, CA. With the efforts of the Maintenance staff at Caritas Support Services – responsible for maintaining the Pittsburgh grounds & buildings – the Gambol family was able to get Mary to her new home. A family friend recently made the cross-country trip from Johnstown, PA, where it was briefly stored in a protective crate with additional protection for her fingers in all types of weather. This was a considerable task given this is a life-sized carved marble statute well over 1,000 lbs. As you can see, parish priests at St Anne’s – Fathers John & Al – are happy to welcome the Blessed Virgin Mary to California!

For those familiar with where the Blessed Virgin Mary stood guard for many years, the glass tile lovingly set by Vincentian Sisters has been salvaged. The Pittsburgh Maintenance staff devised methods to reclaim & repurpose the glass tile. As you can see below, they are being made into small trivets so the Sisters who attended/worked at Vincentian Academy over the years will have a lasting memento.