The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-04
The Canadian Mecca.

In picturesque description of the
famous shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre
by W. G. Beers in the Century, occurs
the following account of the shrine and
the cures said to be effected there:
But there the steamers come, and
soon two thousand pilgrims land on the
wharf. A brass band leads the way,
and the people file up in long process
sion, dusty but devoted, many, 10
doubt, with mingled hopes and fears.
Over forty cripples limp along on
orutches or supported by friends, and
pisiable sight it is. The procession
enters the new church, where,
ct the high altar and at the
sides, number OF priests preside.
As you enter you see large
money box, of ancient date and curious
construction, fastened to 8 pillow by
iton stanchions. The quaint paddock
is opened by an old fashioned bed key.
Over the side doors are rude ex voto
paintings, representing wonderful res
cues from peril by water through inter.
cession to Ste. Anne. Over the altar is
a picture of the saint by lie Brun,
the eminent French artist, and the
TitO ophb"ih pa htlubS w lut
Franciscan monk Lefranc0is, who died
in 1886. Hung upon decorated ped
estal is handsome oval frame or reli-
quarry like large locket, surrounded
with garnets, and having in its center a
rich cross of pearls. Besides this, you
SEQ the collection CT bones said to be
the relics of the saint, consisting of
piece of one finger. bone, obtained in
1868, by Bishop Laval, from the chap
ter of Oarcassonne, and which was
first exposed to view on the 18th of
March, 1910. In another case there is
Il piece of bone of the saint, OBJ
tained in 1877, but the Redemptorist
Fathers, who have charge of the mission,
do not know to what part of the body
it belongs. The bones Of the saint do
not appear to differ in glory from those
Of sinner. The church also claims
to own piece of the true cross upon
which our Savior died, and a piece of
stone from the foundation of the house
in which Ste. Anne lived, brought
from France in 1879. Also there may
be seen q superb chasuble, given by
Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV,
and some silver crucifxes.
Nothing, however, will excite more
curiosity than the great pyramid of
crutches and aids to the sick and Grip.
pied, twenty-five feet high, divided
into six tiers, and crowned by very old
gilt statue of the saint. The collection
is very curious and principally home
made, comprising plain walking sticks,
odd knobbed fancies of sexagenarians,
hon
shoulder rests, made of pine, oak, birch,
ash, hickory, rock. elm-of all common
and many novel designs. A half-leg cup
port testifes to reputed removal of
anchylosis of the knee-joint by inter.
cession to the saint. I have no desire
to seer, but that there is some impo-
sition ana much Imagination about
these miracles" no impartial mind
can doubt. One may carry his charity
to the verge OF believing that implicit
faith in intercession to saint, with
mingled hope and fear and strong
determination TO force a cure, may in
some cases really throw off disease;
but the power of mind and will over
the body without any such
intercession is familiar to every
student, aud is no doubt an undeyel.
oped branch of medical science. il
coincidence is not a miracle, neither is
this power of the will over the body q
miracle, Among the long list Of re-
puted miracles, the following from a
manual of devotion will be sufficiently
suggestive: "In the year 1864 woman
broke her leg. AS the bone was frac-
tured in four places it was impossible
to set it. For eight months she was un.
able to walk, and the doctors gave up
all hope of cure. She made
a novena in honor of the saint,
and vowed that if she was
cured she would visit tho shrine every
year. She was carried to the church,
and during the communion she put
aside her crutches and was cured at
,nce." Sworn testimony is given as to
instant recovery in diseases said by
physicians to be incurable by ordinary
means, and among the peculiar favors
accorded to the parish the temporal ss
we'll as spiritual is not forgotten. The
Bishpp of Montreal says that it is Ste
Anne who obtains for it Grain in the
time OF drou. ht.'
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