ISLE LA MOTTE, Vermont — Knights of Columbus Councils from throughout the Diocese of Ogdensburg will participate in the 77th annual pilgrimage to St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle LaMotte, Vt. on Sunday, July 13.
The Most Reverend Terry A. LaValley, Bishop of Ogdensburg, will celebrate Mass at 12:15 p.m. Following Mass, the Peru Knights of Columbus Council will serve a luncheon, which includes Michigans, on the Shrine’s grounds.
The pilgrimage is a day for worship, family and fraternity.
“The way it works is it’s sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, and we have mostly knights and their families come from all over New York to the pilgrimage,” Gordon Burdo, pilgrimage coordinator, said.
“It’s a free lunch, and then afterwards the Bishop just stays and visits with all the people that came.”
17th Century Shrine
The Shrine’s religious history dates to 1666, when the French erected a fort and chapel. Dedicated to St. Anne, the mother of Mary, the chapel was blessed in 1893, and a statue of St. Anne was erected.
Later, in 1893, nearly 2,000 people attended the Shrine’s first organized pilgrimage, with several people traveling there by steamboat.
Today, Knights and their families look forward to the Mass, the beautiful music, the picnic and the friendships made and renewed on Lake Champlain’s shores, according to a press release.
Summer Highlight
“It’s a beautiful venture,” Burdo said.
“I have had a lot of people tell me that’s it the highlight of their summer because they’re able to attend Mass outside. You got the boats going by, and the birds and everything. It’s really nice. They all look forward to just visiting with the Bishop. It’s not something they get to do every day.”
The Society of Saint Edmund, the founders of St. Michael’s College, has developed and maintained the Shrine for more than 100 years. Rev. Brian Cummings, SSE, is its Spiritual Director.
The outbuilding where people sit is the size of a small church and is always packed.
“It’s a large number,” Burdo said.
“For example, we have a bus that comes from Watertown every year. It’s a long ride. There’s about 30 or 40 of them that come from Watertown. They come from all over the state and from Vermont.”
For more information, please call Pilgrimage Coordinator Gordon Burdo at 518-563-2796.