Former shrine for St. Philomena part of Seton Hill University's campus lore in Greensburg

Mar. 28—Tucked into a quiet corner of Seton Hill University's campus is a now empty space that once bustled with visitors hoping to get a peek at the shrine for St. Philomena.

The shrine, protected by a triangular structure made of stainless steel and limestone, was erected on land originally owned by the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. It housed a 5-foot limestone statue atop a marble altar, and depicted the patron saint of babies, infants and youth.

The statue — modeled after a Seton Hill student at the time, according to university archivist Bill Black — was adorned by a gold crown and was covered with diamonds and rubies from donated watches and jewelry. According to the Seton Hill website, a bone from the body of the saint also was placed in the shrine, near the statue.

The shrine was commissioned by the late Sister Marie Helene Mohr, of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, who raised $50,000 for the effort. Black described Mohr as "a real devotee of St. Philomena."

The shrine was officially dedicated on May 20, 1954, by Bishop Hugh L. Lamb — the first leader of the Diocese of Greensburg, according to a spokesperson with the Sisters of Charity. As word spread of the shrine, it quickly became a stopping point for pilgrimages, according to Black, who noted people often came by the busload.

Finding Philomena

The body of Philomena, who is believed to have been between 13 and 15 when she died, was discovered in 1802 in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome.

Buried alongside her were several tiles containing symbols, one of which was a palm, as well as a broken vial many thought contained blood. Both items are considered a sign of a martyr, according to the Sanctuary of St. Philomena, a church in Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy, which now houses the relics.

The church was granted the relics in 1805, when Pope Pius VII consigned what were believed to be Philomena's bones to priest Don Francis di Lucia, according to a 1961 article from Time Magazine. As people began visiting the shrine, several miracles apparently were reported, including that of a blind girl who regained her sight.

According to Time, around that same time a Neapolitan nun, Sister Mary Louisa of Jesus, claimed to have received a series of visions regarding Philomena's life and martyrdom. From those visions, di Lucia wrote what he called a biography on Philomena.

By 1837, Pope Gregory XVI authorized Philomena's public veneration and established her feast day on Aug. 11.

That designation would not last forever.

Nearly 60 years ago, on May 31, 1961, instruction came from the Vatican to "suppress public devotion to St. Philomena and to remove the Feast of St. Philomena from all liturgical calendars," Seton Hill spokeswoman Jennifer Reeger said.

According to Time, the decision was made as part of a long-term project to clean up the liturgical calendar by eliminating saints whose backgrounds were largely unknown, causing their existence possibly to be doubted.

Legend of Philomena

Following the Vatican orders, former Greensburg Bishop William G. Connare directed the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill to close the shrine for St. Philomena, according to the Sisters of Charity spokesperson.

"The sister, of course, was very upset that that had occurred, and so the statue disappeared," Black said. "And so there's a couple of legends on campus about what happened to it."

The legends, according to the Seton Hill website, suggest that someone close to Philomena's cause broke the statue in pieces and buried it on campus, with the gold crown having vanished. Officials with the Sisters of Charity believe the statue was taken for burial, one option for how religious items can be disposed of. The sisters do not know the location of the statue, officials said.

At the time of the closure, the statue of St. Philomena was replaced with a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. However, the building eventually fell into disrepair and was closed.

The building, which stayed under the direction of the Sisters of Charity and Diocese of Greensburg after Seton Hill became its own entity in 1969, was razed in 2013 "in the interest of safety due to its state of disrepair as the result of nonuse over a period of more than 50 years," Reeger said.

At the time of the deconstruction, no items related to the statue or crown were found, Black said.

The former site of the shrine is now green space.

"It's just empty up there," Black said. "It's a wonderful spot. It overlooks all the way over the ridge."

Megan Tomasic is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter .