Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage reaching out to help, needs help
By Terry Lusty
Manito Sakahigan, (“Spirit Lake” in Cree), has played host to annual sacred pilgrimages since 1889 when approximately 71 people attended the first Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, located about 70 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, AB. Today, the numbers hover close to the 40,000 mark. On July 25th, the estimate was at 46,000 and the morning service sponsored by Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples from Edmonton burst at the seams as pilgrimage attendees overflowed the large wood structure and spilled out onto the surrounding lawn area.
(Left) Archbishop Gerald Pettipas from McLennan, AB, blesses the waters of Lac St. Anne. (Right) Bringing in the cherished waters of Lac St. Anne is, from left-to-right: Mary Ann Evans, Wendy Johnston, Ethel Harper (81, St. Theresa Point, MB) and Dora Mason.
Thousands have made the journey to Lac St. Anne an annual part of their summer schedules as they return time and time again to renew their faith, rekindle their spirits and re-establish their unconditional love for the Creator, God or whatever name one attaches to a higher power than that of man. They come for spiritual, cultural and social reasons, camped all over the site that in 2004 was finally declared a National Historic Site. To commemorate the event, a plaque was unveiled on July 22nd with greetings from Métis priest, Fr. Gary Laboucane, OMI and spiritual director for the pilgrimage.
This year, the hosts for the church services included Lac Ste. Anne, Hobbema First Nations, Alexis and Paul First Nations, Wabasca, Buffalo Lake and Kikino Métis Settlements, the NWT Dogrib, Youth Pilgrims and the Cursillo Community. There was also Saddle Lake First Nation, Métis Nation of Alberta, The Pas, Edmonton’s Sacred Heart Church, Piikani First Nation and the Enoch/Alexander First Nations.
A welcome addition every year is the Cursillo Tent where the public is invited to sit in and listen to personal testimonies as well as hymns from a broad range of guest artists from various communities.
One of this year’s more impressive special guests was Yvonne St. Germaine who is based out of Saskatoon and happens to be a proud nominee for the 2007 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Awards for “Best Gospel CD.” The 33 year-old Metis also has an interesting story of turning her alcohol/crack addiction life around after hearing the call to Jesus at Lac Ste. Anne, almost a year ago to the day. The CD is entitled, On My Way to Heaven.
And, it would be an oversight were we not to include the fine vocal talents shared by Kirk Boucher from Slave Lake. He is always such a pleasure to listen to and never fails to capture his audience.
A special moment for most of the faithful is the Sunday and Tuesday “blessing of the lake,” usually by one of the Archbishops. It is a time when all of the faithful wade into the sacred waters in their quest for healing and people flock into the lake by the hundreds where they are joined and bestowed personal blessings from many of the clergy who are on hand. Needless to say, this year was no different.
The pilgrimage is one of the more important annual gatherings that bring Aboriginals and many non-Aboriginals together under the same banner. Charles Wood, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the pilgrimage, is pleased that something like Lac Ste. Anne can serve as “the catalyst to do just that.”
In fact, he sees the potential for a number of organizations and cultural groups to climb on board to help the pilgrimage recover from disparities in such areas as volunteers and funding or financial contributions. The two are most critical to the future of this occurrence and acknowledge that, without them, the pilgrimage could die.
That won’t happen if Wood has anything to do about it and he is committed as he has been over many, many years to see the pilgrimage re-establish itself. The event was passed over to the Aboriginal community two years ago and it has been quite the struggle, especially given the fact some major infrastructure work had to be accommodated. On-site buildings, water and sewage are probably the major considerations and their upkeep doesn’t come cheap.
Wood hopes to make inroads with some organizations, a recent one being the Kiwanis Club. This, however, would be but one of a dozen or so initiatives that need to be addressed. Wood also speaks of partnerships and cooperation from anyone willing to step forward and, so, the call is out for anyone and everyone to get involved.
While the condition of the tiny Ste. Anne Parish Church is fragile, as are other infrastructures, the possibilities of resolving such inadequacies are truly endless and they shall be discussed and followed up on, he says. “If we stick together, we’ll succeed,” states Wood.
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