During the Troménie of Saine Anne, our ‘good grandmother’ came to meet the Bretons by visiting the entire diocese of Vannes over a period of four months, covering a distance of 1,820 km. Thanks to this initiative, Saint Anne stopped at St Joseph de Kermaria, our motherhouse.
What is a Troménie?
A ‘Troménie’ is a kind of ‘Pardon-Pilgrimage’, particularly common in Brittany. This pardon consists of a long procession, forming a loop, across a given territory.
The Troménie of Saint Anne
This year, as part of the Saint Anne / Yvon Nicolazic Jubilee, we are celebrating the 400th anniversary of the discovery of a statue of the saint by Yvon Nicolazic in the field of Bocéno, where the Basilica of Saint Anne d’Auray now stands.
For this occasion, Mgr Centène, Bishop of the Diocese of Vannes, proposed this ‘Troménie’. This entails the pulling of a horse and carriage with a statue of Saint Anne in it across the lands of Morbihan, to the rhythm of prayers and songs, bombardes and bagpipes. A pardon-pilgrimage such as this mobilises many people of different sensibilities and beliefs and is often accompanied by a pastoral evangelisation programme.
The Troménie in Kermaria
On the afternoon of Saturday the 10th of May 2025, Saint Anne, arrived from Plumelin, and entered the site of Kermaria.
The residents of the Sainte Famille, the Sisters of Kermaria and some fifty pilgrims from Locminé and the surrounding area welcomed the statue of Saint Anne, standing in an elegant, flower-covered carriage drawn by a Breton horse, with songs and prayers As they passed around the nursing home, the Sisters took the opportunity to offer Saint Anne rhododendrons and other flowers picked on the property.
Once arrived at the forecourt of the Sainte Famille, Sr Monique Guitton, provincial councillor at Kermaria, gave her a warm welcome. This was followed by the children of the catechesis of the sector who treated us to a short performance, retracing the life of Saint Anne and her husband Joachim!
The group then set off again to the rhythm of the horse’s hooves, to pass by the Grotto of Lourdes, and then cross the inner courtyard.
The park was decked out in its finery, offering Saint Anne, our host, an explosion of flowers and colours in all their diversity.
The procession then arrived near the cemetery, in front of the memorial cross of Perrine Samson, who became Mother Saint Angèle: an excellent opportunity to introduce our Foundress to the pilgrims and to remember our Sisters who have already departed to the House of the Father.
The last station was at the Oratory of ‘Saint Joseph the Poor’. There we presented:
– the devotion of the Daughters of Jesus to our Patron Saint,
– the mission entrusted to each one by Mother Marie de Saint Charles, made official
by Bishop Gouraud in 1921, during the coronation of the statue of Saint Joseph, to
spread the cult of the saint in Kermaria,
to all the pilgrims. This gave rise to a vibrant rendering of ‘O Patron Saint of Kermaria’ that we happily carried on singing.
It was already time to let the carriage depart, as it resumed its journey towards Locminé.
Acknowledgements
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Saint Anne for this visit, which was entirely free of charge and so rewarding for us, the Daughters of Jesus.
Our gratitude goes to the organisers of the Troménie, the pilgrims and the children. A heartfelt and fraternal ‘THANK YOU’ to all our Sisters who participated, each in her own way.
Sister Marie-Andrée Servel fj
Vannes, France
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