Pilgrimage to the Relics of Saint Anne
for the Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple
On the Feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian celebrated Matins and the Divine Liturgy at the Basilica of St. Anne de Beaupré in Québec. This feast is part of a three-day annual pilgrimage (November 21–23) of Romanian Orthodox faithful from the Montreal area to this well-known pilgrimage site in Canada. On this occasion, the faithful can venerate the relics of Saint Anne, the mother of the Mother of God, which have been kept in this holy place for more than 350 years.
In his homily delivered at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the hierarch urged those present to live, “like the Mother of God, as much as possible in the presence of God, because this will change our lives and will lay the foundation of true life. This change does not occur all at once, but progressively, as our will collaborates with the grace that God has given us for the forgiveness of sins and the redemption of our lives. Let us take the example of the Mother of God and spend time together with God so that we may see change in our own lives as well.”
The responses at strana were given by Mrs. Mădălina Enache, psalt of the Diocesan Cathedral of St. George the Great Martyr and of Sts. Epictetus and Astion in Saint-Hubert/Montreal.
At the end, the hierach blessed all those present, pilgrims and devotees of Saint Anne.
(notes by Nun Ana Bulgariu)
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This place of worship is dedicated to Saint Anne, the Righteous, and is the oldest pilgrimage site in North America, having welcomed pilgrims from all corners of the world for more than 350 years. The artistic richness of the basilica offers every visitor the occasion for a true spiritual and cultural journey.
The first documented mention of this sanctuary dates back to 1658. The current church was built to replace the older church (constructed in the second half of the 19th century), which was destroyed by a fire in 1922.
The basilica was decorated in the spirit of Romanesque cathedrals, and the construction work was completed in 1946. Built in the traditional shape of a cross, the Church is impressive in its richness of detail and grand dimensions.
The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré houses three precious relics of Saint Anne, testimonies of a centuries-old tradition of faith. The first relic, a fragment of Saint Anne’s finger bone, was brought here in 1670 by Bishop François de Laval. In 1892, the cathedral received a larger fragment (approximately 10 centimeters from Saint Anne’s forearm), offered by the Basilica of San Paolo fuori le mura in Rome by Pope Leo XIII, and in 1960, Pope John XXIII, also from the same Roman basilica, offered another significant fragment, likewise from Saint Anne’s forearm.
