Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine

The St. Laurent Shrine, known also as the Our Lady of Lourdes – St. Laurent Shrine, is of heritage value for the many religious miracles which are reported to have occurred here. Since 1884, many people have believed that they were cured of ailments and illnesses by the spring water which flows from the hillside. Additionally, in 1890, a projection of light on a former convent wall in the form of a crucified Christ is said to have lasted several days. The first formal pilgrimage to the site occurred in 1905, and it has since been the destination for annual pilgrimages. The site was first associated with Our Lady of Lourdes in 1879 when a priest stationed here identified many similarities between the site and that of Lourdes, France, a place famous for religious wonders. Henceforth, the site of the spring became a place of prayer and a shrine was established in 1881, with the addition of a grotto the following year. In 1885 a statue was donated and placed at the site in appreciation of the first healing to occur. The statue remains an important element of the site. The grotto has been rebuilt many times over the years, most recently in 1951.

The St. Laurent Shrine property is also of heritage value as an important Métis settlement and Catholic Mission. Settlement of the site was permanently established in 1873 by Father Alexis Andre and Métis settlers who had left Manitoba in 1870. The settlement also attracted other Métis in subsequent years and by the early 1880s represented a model parish. It became a religious centre for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a base for the founding of other missions in the region. As a Catholic mission, the site comprised a church, dormitory and residential school, and a convent. The rectory building was constructed about 1883 and is the last remaining structure from the missionary period of the site. A log church was re-established on the site in 1938, but was destroyed by fire in 1990. The present church on the site is a replica of the 1938 church.

The heritage value of the property also resides in its association with the 1885 Conflict. During the battle between the local community, dominated by the Métis, and the Canadian military, the site served as a place of refuge for community members. The cemetery contains the graves of several local residents killed during the battle. The community upheaval which followed the 1885 conflict eventually resulted in the mission being closed in 1894.