Sainte-Anne de Beaupré Shrine, Sanctuaire, Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, Québec, Canada

Bishop François de Laval, first bishop of Quebec, wrote the following in one of his pastoral letters with regards to the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré pilgrimages that had begun on the "Beaupré Coast" in 1658: "By virtue of our Episcopal authority, we approve and confirm this by the present letters, further admitting that nothing has helped us more effectively to support the weight of the pastoral duties of our burgeoning Church than the special devotion to Saint Anne that all of the inhabitants of this country have, a devotion that, we assert with certainty, distinguishes them from all other people".

At the very beginning, there was a remarkable communion between the First Nations and the pioneers arriving from France. For many years, grandmothers had been greatly respected in aboriginal families, but they quickly became more than a symbol; they became an invitation to turn oneself towards this other grandmother, the mother of the Virgin Mary, the grandmother of Jesus. Saint Anne was a powerful reconciling force between the first settlers of New France and the First Nations.

Since that time, devotion to Saint Anne has continued to grow and spread, not only throughout Quebec, but also in other Canadian provinces, in the United States, and in countries all over the world. Pilgrims and visitors, numbering about one and a half million each year, continue to flock to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Some come to implore a favour and to live a faith experience in the company of Saint Anne; others come to find meaning in their lives.

As for the artistic beauty of the Basilica, Neo-Romanesque in style, it offers a wonderful opportunity to discover and open one's heart to the Christian faith.