The magnificence of pilgrimage places in the world has always reflected our earnest gratitude of God’s grace. Today, we will visit the awe-inspiring Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Canada, a spectacular sanctuary dedicated to Sainte Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, and known as the “Land of Miracles.”
Together with Sainte-Anne d’Aurey in France and Sainte-Anne-de-Jerusalem, Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is one of just three existing sanctuaries devoted to Saint Anne.
Now an astonishing Basilica at the outskirts of Quebec City, the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Shrine has been a place of prayer for the past 350 years. About 1.5 million visitors from all over the world come annually to uphold their faith in Saint Anne.
Why is there such great devotion to Sainte Anne? One answer lies in the affinity between the spiritual traditions that met in Canada, between the beliefs of the French pioneers and the culture of the First Nations.
Father Guy Pilote, rector of the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, guides us through the sanctuary.