St. Anne's Church, Bukit Mertajam

Church of St Anne, Bukit Mertajam
புனித அன்னே தேவாலயத்தில் 圣亚纳堂
St. Anne's Shrine
Basic information
Location	Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin
District	Diocese of Penang
Leadership	Msgr Henry Rajoo (Parish Priest)
Website	www.stannebm.org
Architectural description
Groundbreaking	1846
Completed	1888

St Anne's Church, Bukit Mertajam(Tamil:புனித அன்னே தேவாலயத்தில், Puṉita anne Tēvālayattil) is a famous Roman Catholic church located in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia. It is one of the parishes in the Diocese of Penang. Its annual celebration of the feast of St Anne regularly attracts over 100,000 pilgrims from Malaysia as well as neighbouring countries like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia. The celebrations lasts for 10 days, and includes the actual feast day on 26 July.

The Church of St. Anne was founded in 1846. The first chapel was built on top of the hill As soon as the Catholic population begin to increase, a new church was built. It was opened in 1888. This is the church which is now the St Anne's Shrine. It was the main church for the annual celebrations for St Anne's feast. In the 1950s, when Malaya declared an emergency, the church grounds were designated as a no-go area. It was only in 1960 that the emergency was lifted. In 1977, the church started moving back to the St. Anne's Shrine and restoration works begin, due to being abandoned for a long time. The stained glass inside and one of the three bells were recovered.

The parish moved further down the road and in 1958, the parish opened another church. This church was known as the "new church" for over 40 years, and was the main centre for the parish and the feast celebrations until 2003. In these years of the feast, pilgrims had to commute between this church and St. Anne's Shrine, which is 2 km away. This grounds now occupies the Kim Sen Primary School.

The 1990s to 2000s saw a major transformation for this church. In 2002, another new church was built. This church could fit 2,200 people, and is one of the largest churches in Malaysia. Work on the new St Anne's Church started in 2000 and was completed two years later. It was opened by the then Apostolic Delegate to Malaysia on 26 July 2002. This church has Minangkabau roofs, truly reflecting the Malaysian culture. Not only was a new church constructed, an avenue named Dataran St. Anne was constructed in front of the church. In view of turning St. Anne's Church into a pilgrim centre, Domus St Anne was also built to accommodate pilgrims who intend to stay over. A parish office, parish community centre and presbytery were also built, thus enlarging the sanctuary grounds.