In front of the church, one on each side of the entrance, are a pair of statues, the Holy Family on the left and The Madonna on the right. The Holy Family sculpture depicts Joseph, Mary and Jesus as a child, each sculpted separately but standing on a common base. Painted a bright white, its difficult to say of what material the sculpture is composed. Though the detail is quite fine, it's possible that these were cast, not sculpted. Also painted bright white, The Madonna appears to have been created in the same manner as The Holy Family.
A brass plaque affixed to the base of the plaque dedicates the "shrine" to Eliza Hughes. The shrine may include the statue of The Madonna, so we're including it here. The text reads:
THIS SHRINE ERECTED
IN LOVING MEMORY OF ELIZA HUGHES
BY THE HUGHES FAMILY
1962
Eliza Hughes and her husband Patrick were one of Fernie’s original families. Together they had 14 children. A few of their children turned out to be
Pretty good golfers. Eliza died in the Fernie Memorial Hospital on Friday, October 27, 1961. Her obituary follows.
Eliza (Shields) Hughes
Fernie Free Press, Oct 27, 1961 British Columbia
Mrs Patrick Hughes Buried here Monday
A long time resident of Fernie, Mrs Patrick J Hughes [Eliza Shields] died in the Fernie Memorial Hospital on Friday, Oct 27, following a short illness.
Born in Cleland [Lanarkshire] Scotland, she was married to Mr Hughes in Chapelhall in 1902 and came to Fernie in 1907. She went back to Scotland in 1908 after the Fernie fire but returned the following year and had resided here continuously since that time.
She was a member of the Holy Family Church. Besides her husband, she is survived by five sons, James, Henry and Terrance of Trail, Frank of Quesnel and John of Fernie; seven daughters, Mrs T Knight of Trail, Mrs I Jeffery of Haney, Mrs Howard Firth of Whitehorse, Mrs E Coughlan of Burnaby and Mrs M Harrington, Mrs A Webster and Mrs L Hamilton of Fernie; 38 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
She was predeceased by a son Thomas in 1911, and a daughter Colleen in 1941. Solemn Requiem High Mass was sung on Monday Oct 30 in the Holy Family Catholic Church in Fernie with Father J.B. Barns as celebrant. Father Morelli of Creston was deacon and Father L Trainor of Natal was subdeacon.Father D Fleming of Coleman sang with the Choir.
Four grandsons were altar boys and Peter George was mast of Ceremonies. Interment was made in St. Margaret's Cemetery. The five sons and one grandson, Terrance Jeffery, were pallbearers with honorary pallbearers being J.J. Harrington, John Bella, Bert Sawyer, John Ross, Jim DeGeorgio and Peter Corrigan. All 12 surviving members of the family of 14 attended the Funeral.
Eliza is d/o Peter Shields and Catherine Broganm 23 June 1863 Bathgate, Lanarkshire. (grand-daughter of Terence Shields & Margaret Boyle; and Peter Brogan and Mary Cane)
From Genealogy Dot Com