Thousands of pilgrims will make their long journey to Lac Ste. Anne this weekend to take part in an extra-early blessing of the lake.
The annual Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage begins Saturday. The event, first held in 1889, regularly draws about 35,000 worshippers from around the world to pledge their sobriety and partake in the lake's healing waters.
The pilgrimage is normally held closer to the Feast of St. Anne on July 26, says pilgrimage chair Murleen Crossen, but had to be moved up a week due to a shortage of rentals in Edmonton. This is much earlier than usual, and she's worried that it might mess up some pilgrims' vacation plans.
"Hopefully they've heard the dates and been able to make the arrangements."
This year's theme is marriage, Crossen says, and spiritual co-ordinator Garry LaBoucane has dedicated next Wednesday to the marriage of St. Anne and St. Joachim, the grandparents of Jesus. Pilgrims will observe the Stations of the Cross by candlelight on Saturday, and pledge to keep themselves sober for a year next Tuesday.
The pilgrimage is best known for the blessing of the lake ceremony, which will happen this Sunday at 3 p.m. After a priest blesses Lac Ste. Anne, worshippers will wade into it to pray, be baptised, and healed.
St. Albert historian Pauline Vaugeois says she's seen the lake's effect on people many times during the last 60 years. "You watch people, and all of a sudden they open their eyes and they can feel the power."
Long history
The pilgrimage started in 1889, according to historians, after St. Albert priest Jean-Marie Lestanc visited the shrine of Ste. Anne d'Auray in France. Lestanc had been thinking about closing the parish at Lac Ste. Anne, but reconsidered when, upon kissing the shrine's relic, he heard a voice say, "And you, what have you done for me?" Believing he had heard St. Anne herself, he came home, built a shrine at the lake, and started the pilgrimage.
Celina Loyer of Calahoo says she's been going to the pilgrimage all her life, with her husband's ancestors attending the first one in 1889.
"It's a good chance to get away from your daily routine and focus on your relationship with the Creator," she says. She plans to spend her mornings at the lake teaching the children's religion program.
Tony Arcand of Alexander remembers riding horseback to the pilgrimage when he was a child. He's attended it as long as he can remember, and now is the event's chief usher.
"I'm a strong Catholic," he says, "and a lot of sacred things have happened at Lac Ste. Anne." He recalls one blind girl a few years ago who screamed, "Holy, I can see! It's so beautiful!" after entering the lake.
Many pilgrims will walk to the lake instead of driving, Crossen says, just as they did in the old days. Members of the Driftpile First Nation traditionally arrive en masse by covered wagon. "It's a reminder that this is something our elders started, and we're able to continue it."
Test of faith
Attendance at the pilgrimage has dropped over the years, says a disappointed Arcand, as young generations lose interest in prayer and head to other events. "Last year I counted only seven people from Alexander."
The pilgrimage has struggled financially in recent years, Crossen says, and is looking for donations. "Even if we had no money, the pilgrimage would continue."
Vaugeois says she's looking forward to meeting old friends at the lake. "I'll go, walk in the water, go to mass, and feel a little stronger for the whole year."
The pilgrimage runs from July 17 to 22. All faiths are welcome. For details, visit www.lsap.ca or call 780-924-3231.
