Record numbers flock to pilgrimage

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What may well prove to be a record attendance saw more than 40,000 people attend the Lac St. Anne Pilgrimage from July 25 to 30,

Less than one hour's drive northwest of Edmonton, the religious gathering of the faithful attracts people from all over the country and even Europe. With a mostly Aboriginal crowd, the pilgrimage is considered to be one of the largest religious gatherings of its kind.

For many, who camped on the shores of the lake, it was a daily ritual to wade into the shallow waters, many of them hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm, scooping water to self-anoint themselves and pray. The professed healing waters of the lake were also stored in containers from milk cartons to pickling jars and pop bottles.

Dipping into the sacred waters, attending church services, taking in personal consultations with priests, meeting old friends and making new ones are what makes the annual pilgrimage a staple for thousands of peoples summer holiday plans.

#For 78-year-old J.P. Janvier from LaLoche, Sask., it is a "special" and "sacred" time and place. He recalls traveling to the event many years ago by dog team. He has been at Lac Ste Anne every year since his childhood.

Edward Strong, 93, from Alexis and Sam Beaver from Wabasca remembered the days when they used to arrive by horse. Both gentlemen wouldn't miss the pilgrimage for anything.

Not all the action takes place in or near the water. Surrounding the pilgrimage site are the vendor booths.

Hundreds of religious objects - medallions, statuettes, rosaries and key chains- are displayed by industrious entrepreneurs who view this religious Mecca as a ready-made sales arena.

The first three days of the pilgrimage involve evening candlelight processions and hymn singing that is joined into by hundreds of campers and is always a very moving experience.

There are the special services in Blackfoot, Cree, Dene, Dogrib, Ojibway, and Stoney, and special prayers are said for the elderly, the sick, those with AIDS and the substance abusers and the needy.

Many people use the pilgrimage to network with traditional healers, herbalists and other holistic practitioners who may be able to help cure some of their ills.

These thousands of people, many the same ones, will return again With the numbers increasing, many of the people going to the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage are return visitors. The pilgrimage has fast become a destination point for the spiritually faithful and the curious.