The Washington times., 1906-08-11
DISTRICT PILGRIMS
TOST. ANNE SHRINE
Westinghouse Journey to
Canadian Church Of
de Beaupre.
MIRACULOUS CURES CLAIMED
Thousands Yearly Gather at the Ven
cradle Sanctuary That Rivals
Lourdes.

A pilgrimage 20 the shrine OF St.
Anne de Beaupre, twenty-one miles be
low Quebec, Canada, has just completed
by Mr. and Mrs. James Roche, Of this
city. They were accompanied by Mrs.
Emma T. Roche, of Washington, with
her three children. Mary Eleanor. John
Haugh and Catherine Mildred Roche
and Miss Theresa Kennedy. The party
made the novena of ST. Anne which
commenced on July IS and continued
until July Dc. Every year thousands Of
pilgrims visit the shrine. The miracles
said TO be wrought there are wonderful
There are hundreds Of pairs Of crutches.
spectacles. braces. etc, left there by
the persons claiming to have been heal
ed. Money and jewelry are also left in
gratitude.
Of Venerable Origin.
Reliable documents so 20 prove that
the ORIGIN of Beaupre dates back almost
TO the earliest times Of French COLOMBIA
ton i'm Canada. Being for the greater
part natives OF Normandy and Brittany
where st. Anne is held in high honor
the forefathers of the French Canadians
brought with them from France, the de-
votiou 10 ST. Anne and handed it down
to their descendants as a sacred inherit
ance.
Toward the middle Of the seventeenth
century one OF the sanctuarIes dedicated
to ST. Anne was seen 70 rise ora, the
riverside at Beaupre and destined to be-
come the most celebrated Of ali. Ac-
cordiug TO a venerable tradition It was
built by a Jew Breton mariners who,
seeing themselves Ia danger of perishing
by shipwreck, vowed that they would
erect a chapel TO the Well-belOyed
patrouess OF their own Brittany, on the
very spot where they might happen 70
land.
The pilgrimage In remote times was
far from having the same Importance II
has acquired today. It's progress was
slow. and IL is only In the last twenty
hve years that 10 has reached the degree
of development, organization, and celeb
rity which makes Beaupre today the
rival OF LOurOes.
Visited by 100000 Last Year.
In 1873 the number OF pilgrims who Wis
ited the shrine were 1900. while last
year over 10000 persons paid visit to
Beaupre.
AT the extremity Of the middle aisle
OF the BasIlica and about twelve feet
from the communion rail q beautiful
statute Of St Anne stands on q pedestal
ten feet high. II is the miraculous statue
NJ the feet OF which pilgrims come to
kneeI In order TO imploue the interces-
sion of St. Anne. The pedestal. a gift OF
New York lady who desires to remain
unknown 20 the public. is an interesting
piece Of art uniting IN q harmonious
whole seven different kinds of marble.
The step on which the pilgrims kneel Is
made Of Champlain marble. called Grill
lOtte The Octa gOnal base OF the monu-
mcnL is surrounded by a balustrade or
three kinds OF marble. CaTrara marble
supplies the base and the arcade, while
the twenty small columns are Mexican
ONYX and the hand rail of yellow Lamar
tine The statue itself is the gift OF a
Belgian family whose son was formerly
a member of the community OF the Re
demptOrist Fathers Of Beaupre.
The Holy Stairs.
The Scala Santa, or Holy Stairs. one
Of the most remarkable souvenirs OF the
Passion is the staircase which Jesus
assembled and descended several times
while proceeding to Pilates pretorium.
That staircase is still in existence. It
IS publicly venerated in Rome, whittier
it was carried from Jerusalem. During
the past century il has become the Gus
tom in many parts of the world TO erect
staircase5 exactly similar 10 the Scala
santa at Rome This example was fol-
lowed at st. anne dc Beaupre and il is
the first monument OF the kind in Ameri-
ca. The chapel of the Scala Santa stands
on q height whence il dominates the
basilica and the entire village OF st
Anne. A few steps from the entrances
are the holy stairs Ike those in Rome,
or rWenJy-elght steps, The Ialth1ui can
ascend from them on Bonded knees only
and come down by one OF the two side
sta1rcases