Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The healing waters of Lac Ste. Anne

Lac Ste. Anne (Canada) (1844)

Near Edmonton, Alberta, lies a lake that draws thousands of people every summer: the Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage, one of Canada's largest Indigenous Catholic gatherings. Although dedicated to Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, it has a deep Marian character, as Saint Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary, and the Rosary is always prayed among the pilgrims.

The documented history begins in 1844, when Father Jean-Baptiste Thibault dedicated the lake to Saint Anne and began organizing pilgrimages. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the site became a meeting point for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, with massive participation that continues to this day. Pilgrims come to the lake to drink or bathe, convinced of Saint Anne's intercession; testimonies of physical and spiritual healings abound. The Church records these as accounts of faith, without proclaiming any specific miracles as official.

There is also a delicate and beautiful truth here: historians and the Archdiocese of Edmonton itself acknowledge that the lake already held spiritual significance for the indigenous peoples before evangelization, and that devotion to Saint Anne was gradually superimposed on that earlier sacredness in a true process of inculturation. During the pilgrimage, the Rosary is prayed in processions and night vigils, sometimes in indigenous languages such as Cree or Dene.

A recent sign underscores this: on July 26, 2022, Pope Francis prayed by the lake and spoke of it as a place where so many Indigenous people have found "inner healing" and solace, especially after the wounds of colonization and residential schools. This is a recognition of the spiritual value of this sanctuary, where water, prayer, and a Mother and a Grandmother continue to console their people.