Pope to bless “sacred waters” of Indigenous Canadians

Only the distant echo of excavators and the muffled laughter of a few workers disturb the tranquil shores of Lac Ste. Anne in central Alberta.

It’s two weeks before the arrival of Pope Francis and a construction crew is repaving access roads, while painters give final touches to the stations of the cross that mark the trail to the lakeside shrine to Saint Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

People are excited about the pope’s visit on July 26, the Feast of St. Anne and the day of the annual Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage. 

A group of women head back up the bank after soaking their feet in the water.

"We wanted to come and pray, quietly, here. We won't be back on the day of the pope's symbolic visit, the place will be completely packed," says Wenda, the 61-year-old wife of a pastor in Edmonton some 70 kilometers away.

Traditionally, tens of thousands of Aboriginals -- close to 40,000 in 2019, before two years in a closed world due to COVID-19 -- gather together to celebrate the liturgical feast day of St. Anne, the grandmother of Jesus.

For many, the date is marked as a special devotion, as they live in communities that give a central place in the family to this figure, the "kukum", as she is referred to here.

"This makes it the largest Aboriginal spiritual gathering in North America,” explains Father Garry LaBoucane. 

“At the same time, it is a pilgrimage, a time of prayer, but also a time for families and nations to gather together, to renew old acquaintances and make new ones," says the Oblate of Mary Immaculate from Vancouver (British Columbia).

He is a Métis and has been spiritual director of the event since 2002.

A “sacred lake”

"Long before the Catholic Church was established in Western Canada in the mid-18th century, Aboriginal peoples felt this place was sacred," says Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, who oversees this pastoral territory.

According to oral tradition corroborated by archaeological digs, prior to becoming the first Catholic mission around 1840, the place was indeed a summer gathering spot for these peoples. 

They met here to fish and hunt buffalo. They also maintained that its water sheltered spirits.

Hence the name "Wakãmne" (sacred lake) for the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, and "Manito Sahkahigan" (lake of the spirit) for the Cree.

Did the Church's claiming of the ancestral site create tensions with local communities at the time?

"I don't think so. It all happened very gradually. Originally it started with a small core group of people," Father LaBoucane continues. 

A French OMI missionary, Father Jean-Marie Lestanc, organized the first annual pilgrimage in July 1889.

"Devotion to St. Anne has grown considerably since then, and today the pilgrimage attracts Aboriginals from all over Western Canada and beyond," Archbishop Smith points out.

“Healing waters”

"Many healing experiences, with the intercession of St. Anne, have taken place in these waters," he says.

Strolling through the nearby shrine, Jenny, a 32-year-old First Nations woman from Alberta, lingers in front of the liturgical furnishings in the colors of the Aboriginal communities.

"I've never been here before, but I know that my grandfather often took part in the pilgrimage,” she says. 

“He came to recharge his batteries. He wasn't sick, but he said it guaranteed his good health, just as it relieved a neighbor's arthritis," she adds with a smile.

Father LaBoucane told the local press that he believes he was cured here. His parents plunged into the water when he was sick as a baby.

Every year around St. Anne's Day, the place fills up with motor homes. The day is marked by the rhythm of drums, colorful processions, smoky rituals and songs in native languages.

Are there fears that this could lead to religious syncretism?

Fernie Marty, a Cree who belongs to Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, does not think so. 

"I am convinced that there is only one Creator God, no matter what the name,” he says. 

“When you combine our culture with the Catholic tradition, it produces something very powerful. By this, the Church recognizes, deep down, how much we too are spiritual peoples."