Archbishop Antoine Blanc established the parish of St. Ann in 1852, recognizing a longstanding reverence for Mary's mother among the residents of New Orleans. In 1902, the church and the devotion were enhanced when Father John Baptist Bogaerts built a special shrine, formed St. Ann's Confraternity, and inaugurated solemn novenas. In 1926, Pope Pius XI decreed it the National Shrine of St. Ann for the United States. Changing demographics led to the demise of the parish on Ursuline Avenue in 1970, and the National Shrine was moved to a new location in the suburb of Metairie.