‘Concrete image of faith and devotion’

Religious statues are a concrete expression of faith.

Literally, in many cases.

In a new book, St. Ambrose parishioner Tracy Duchinsky explores the stories of statues of the Blessed Mother and the faith of the families who own them in the Hill neighborhood of south St. Louis. “Mary on the Hill,” published in November by Reedy Press, shares 76 stories of Mary, found mainly in homeowners’ yards but also at St. Ambrose Church and School, Sacred Heart Villa, the Piazza de Imo and Vitale’s Bakery, among others.

“I feel like statues are faith made concrete and tangible — it’s a real presence that you can go and associate with. And the Italians love their mamas, so Mary is such an easy and gentle way to connect with God,” Duchinsky said. “It’s not that they were replacing God with Mary, but she’s like a stepping stone — she’s always pointing to Jesus.”

Duchinsky was born and raised on the Hill, a third-generation resident after her paternal grandparents immigrated to the area from northern Italy. As an adult, she spent several decades living elsewhere but returned to the neighborhood in 2019.

Once she was back, Duchinsky began photographing interesting details around the Hill, posting them on her own Facebook page and neighborhood group pages. Fellow Hill resident Joe DiGregorio asked her to take photos for his book, “The Hill: A Walk Through History,” also published by Reedy Press. When the publishing house reached out to her about the possibility of creating a book about Mary statues, she knew she had to say yes.

“I love my neighborhood, I love my faith, I love the Blessed Mother,” she said.

The goal was 50 stories and 50 photos. Duchinsky began by walking the streets and alleys of the neighborhood, cataloguing the statues she could see, and asking around among friends and fellow parishioners. Then, she knocked on doors, asking people to tell their stories.

When she began, she questioned, “Can I get 50? Yes, I can get 50, but oh my gosh, it’s going to be a stretch,” she said. “No, it was not a stretch. I found 76 and submitted them because I could not figure out how to cut.”

Over the year-and-a-half project, she heard many tales of how important the statues were to immigrants as they arrived on the Hill from Italy. “They didn’t have all the modern conveniences, and everything took so much time, and you didn’t have phones to call home,” she said. “But you had a Rosary, you could pray, talk to the Blessed Mother. And I feel like those statues were a concrete image of their faith and devotion, that they could say, ‘Yes, I love you, Mary. Here’s this special place for you, and now I can come and talk to you.’”

Growing up, Duchinsky’s family did not have a Mary statue, but the Blessed Mother was “always present,” she said. A group of women on her block would gather every evening on a front porch to pray the Rosary together.

“And I always thought that was so cool — you are praying the Rosary with your friends, you’re sitting outside. It’s not like, oh, we have to be in church — we can pray wherever we are,” she said.

Now, she has two statues, one for the front yard and one for the back. One was passed on from an uncle, and another was gifted to her by friends in Champaign, Illinois.

They serve as a reminder to always “invite Mary,” she said. That mantra — invite Mary — has helped her grow closer to the Blessed Mother over the years. The idea came from an article in Catholic Digest some 20-odd years ago: to make any situation better, say a quick Hail Mary and invite Mary to come be part of it.

Duchinsky hopes that message sticks with people as they enjoy the personal stories of history and devotion throughout the book.

“When you go about your day, don’t forget to invite Mary,” she wrote in the book’s introduction. “There are plenty of reminders to do that, especially if you are on the Hill.”

Mary on the Hill

For more information on the book or to order a copy from Reedy Press, visit reedypress.com/shop/mary-on-the-hill.