At the same time, when it comes to vocations, we have become a mission diocese ourselves, benefiting from the service of priests who come from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America to work as pastors in our parishes.
Pilgrims too have journeyed to sacred places in the Archdiocese, seeking to be transformed by the special graces of a personal encounter with Christ. Every July, thousands of First Nations Catholics gather on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne for an annual pilgrimage. The first of two pilgrimages took place on June 6, 1889 followed shortly by the second pilgrimage which occurred on July 26, on the Feast of St. Anne, which has continued to this day. The pilgrimage, a time of reunion, renewal and healing, has become one of the largest annual gatherings of First Nations people in Canada.
In August, thousands take part in the annual pilgrimage to Skaro, where Polish settlers in 1919 built a replica of the grotto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. Construction of the grotto began on June 5, 1919 and was completed at the beginning of August. The first pilgrimage took place that year from the 14th-15th of August, and has continued to this day, attracting pilgrims from all over and of all nationalities.
|