Quebec, Canada

In Ottawa we were told we had to visit Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, a tiny town on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, 20 miles above Quebec City. So that was our first stop to visit the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré which is a major Catholic shrine and place of healing that attracts more than a million pilgrims per year. We have visited a few pilgrimage sights in Europe so we had to see this one.

Holy St Anne!  The basilica is magnificent there are 18th-century sculptures and artworks. The interior is spectacular with 240 stained glass windows. Mosaics of the life of St. Anne, cover the ceiling and sides of the church and the ends of the wooden pews tell the story of creation with carved figures of animals and plants.

This is all very beautiful but the main attraction for pilgrims to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is the miraculous statue of St. Anne. Carved from a massive single piece of oak, brightly painted and wearing a gold crown. She is carrying her child, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The basilica has two levels. The upper level is the main nave, the lower level contains the Immaculate Conception Chapel with a large statue of Mary, and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel where Mass is conducted.

History of miracles of Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupré shrine
The first chapel was built on this site by early settlers in 1658 to house a miraculous statue of St. Anne. By 1688 it had become a site of local pilgrimage,
The first miracle was the cure of a crippled workman in 1658. This was soon followed by the deliverance of a group of sailors from a storm.
In 1876, Saint Anne was proclaimed the patron saint of Québec. The same year, the first Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, much larger than the previous church, was opened for worship.
When a relic of St. Anne was sent to Beaupré by the pope in 1892, it stopped in New York, where an epileptic was cured on its first appearance. Great excitement followed and American pilgrimages to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Canada increased from that point on.
Miracles and healings continued to be attributed to the miraculous statue over the centuries to the present day and abandoned crutches and other equipment are hanging on the pillars of the church as evidence. BUT, one miracle that has not been recorded in their books is Dereks, he has had trouble with his knee for a few years so prayed that he wouldn’t need a knee replacement any time soon. At this same time I bought a new brand of glucosamine which he took at the recommended dose and within three days, after years of pain, there was no more. A miracle! he said, yes he knows it was the glucosamine but he’s happy to meet St Anne half way.

Scala Santa, Holy stairs
The “Scala Santa” is the staircase that Jesus ascended to Pilate’s praetorium, a reminder of the Passion. It was popular in 1891 to replicate these stairs. The idea is to ascend the stair case on our knees and at each step recite a pray. The girls and I did this crawl of pain

We were camped at the old port, right around the corner from the Queen Mary Two. It is just a parking lot, no facilities, but we were able to run our generator for power. A great spot, walking distance to the old town.

Quebec is fabulous, French and quaint. A 400 year old walled UNESCO world heritage city, the only fortified city north of Mexico.