Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-16
By E
J. HASKN

behind my knee. | then kissed the
statue a third time, after which the
ankle Strengthened out. all pain in
Btantly vanished. and | walked forward
unalded.'
The French have another famous
shrine located in Brittany, known az
the shrine of Ste. d'Auray. which has
| been steadily working similar miracles
ever since the year 1923. Here the
statue OF Ste. Anne presides over a
fountain the waters of which are said
to be ~marvelously beneficial for dis
eased eyes and crippled limbs. Along
the road leading TO the shrine one finds
/ the curious basin stones of Coastal
and the stones of Meriadec. which the
surrounding villagers firmly believe
have power TO cure lumbago. rheuma-
tism and other acute ailments. simply
by rubbing them over the afflicted
parts.
Saint Anne Most Popular
81. Anne seems to be the saint most
frequently selected for shrine duty
everywhere. At least half a dozen
shrines in various parts Of the world
are presided over by her statue. while
a few of them even contain sacred
remnants of her body. excavated only
! during the iGSt ceNtuTS- With Il
flicted are permitted to touch The
Church OF St. Jean Baptiste in New
York city possesses a piece of st.
Anne's wrist which is daily kissed by a
large number of sufferers. who thereby
hope to obtain miraculous relief. That
many OF them apparently have, is ind
Gated by the great mass of discarded
crutches. canes and Spectacles which
are now used to decorate the shrine.
Another wrist bone of this healing
saint is located in the shrine of Ste.
Anne De Beaupre. which is situated IN
the village of that name. on the banks
of the St. Lawrence river. 81 miles be-
low the quaint old city of Quebec. Ac-
cording to tradition. this shrine owes
it's existence to the misfortune of some
Breton sailors who in making their
way up the st. Lawrence were engulfed
in a terrible storm. Accustomed To
calling upon their ~patroness. Ste. Anne.
when in distress, they fell on their
/ knees and vowed that if the saint would
save them from shipwreck they would
/ build a chapel to her memory wherever
they happened to land. When they
touched shore safely the next morning,
they considered that their prayer had
| been answered. and Immediately set 10
work on the construction of q rude lit
tie sanctuary which was destined to
become famous through the successive
! edifices that followed it.
1T was while building the founda-
ton of a new church" We are told.
that the first miracle is said to have
occurred. Louis Guimont. who was
severely afflicted with rheumatism. to
show his devotion. endeavored to as
sist in the work. and just as he pain
fully placed a small stone in the foun-
dalton his rheumatics suddenly van
ished.' That was sufficient TO estab-
lish Ste. Anne de Beaupre's fame as
a curative shrine-a fame which has
continued TO grow until today it is the
greatest rival of Lourdes. Every sum
mer. great throngs of pilgrims file into
| the town, some of whom remain during
the entire season in their efforts to
attract the blessing of the saint and
have their health restored.
Last spring, however. Ste. Anne de
Beaupre suffered a great misfortune
/ which is apt to interfere with the pill
grimage this year. The historic ba-
silica housing the shrine was de
stroyed by a mysterious fire, which
quickly spread TO the monastery and
threatened the entire town. Due 10
the heroic works of the monks. how
ever, me statue of Ste. Anne as well
as a number Of relics to which have
been ascribed miraculous cures we're
saved which-say the citizens of Ste.
Anne de Beaupre-was also a miracle.