The body of the church is cruciform and has three naves. Angels holding dishes of holy water welcome worshippers. Standing above the pillars that support the arches of the main nave are the statues of ten saints representing founders of religious orders (west wall) and doctors of the church (east wall): Saint Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, Benedict, Francis of Assisi, and Dominic; and Saints Bernard of Clairvaux, Jerome, Augustine of Africa, Ambrose, and Gregory the Great. Round oil paintings of the twelve apostles are below the windows of the nave, with Saint Paul replacing Judas.
The church’s stained glass windows were created in Munich, Germany, and were shipped to the United States in 1889. There are six windows in each of the side naves, which demonstrate the Apostles’ Creed. The Stations of the Cross were placed between the
windows of the side naves in the early twentieth century, replacing the simple crosses that preceded them. In the rear of the church are eastern-style icons of Saint Ann, and Saints Ann and Joachim together. In addition, there is a painting of the Martyrs of Uganda and an image of Saint Josephine Bakhita of Sudan, one of our newest saints. The Death of Saint Joseph is near the east exit of the church, and The Betrayal of Jesus has been placed in the Reconciliation Room. Oil paintings of Jesus with the Children and The Healing Intercession of Saint Ann rise above the eastern and western back walls, respectively. A tapestry of Saint Ann from her shrine in Cleveland, OH, hangs from the choir loft. The high pulpit is located in the main nave near the transept of the church. The four evangelists adorn it, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pointing to the alpha and the omega in the book of the Gospels, is at the top. Two angels stand at the middle of the church.
The Transept
There are twenty-three stained glass windows in the transepts and sanctuary of the church. The ten windows in the upper transepts and the five in the main sanctuary depict scenes from the legend of Saints Ann and Joachim. The eight windows of the lower transepts depict scenes from the lives of the Holy Family. Other statuary is located at the eastern end of the transept: Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Anthony of Padua Saint Francis with the Crucified Lord, Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, and Saint Martin de Porres. The Assumption of the Blessed Mother rises above the door. On the transept walls directly opposite the main sanctuary are two round oil