Lennox Island First Nation celebrates St. Anne's Sunday

The small community of Lennox Island, P.E.I., was packed as Mi'kmaq community members and visitors joined together to celebrate St. Anne's Sunday, one of the longest running annual events in the province.

The celebrationhas been heldon the last Sunday of July for hundreds of yearsand includes a lobster feast, parade and different community events.

"It is a time where all families can come together to ensure that those relationships are kept," said Matilda Ramjattan, chiefofLennoxIsland First Nation.

"We reach out to other people, we extend our treaty, peace and friendship to all those that come. That's all part of our medicine wheel. We just want to ensure that people come to a safe place, peaceful place and a place of worship."

The daylong celebration was began with an 11a.m. mass at St. Anne's Church, a historic focal point in the community.

Catholicism was introducedby the French during the late 1500s and early 1600s.

Mi'kmaqGrand Chief Membertouwas the first baptised in 1610 at Port Royal and since then there has been a blending of religion and Indigenous spirituality.

St. Anne, in biblical text,is said to be the grandmother of Jesus and was chosen to be the patron saint of the Mi'kmaq.

"Which is appropriate for First Nation, because we look up to our elders and that would have been [Jesus's] elder," said Ramjattan.

The first log chapel that served as St. Anne mission was builtin 1800. The replacement St. Anne's church was destroyed by fire in 1842.

The current church was constructed1895.There havebeen a number of fundraising efforts over the years to bring the historic church up to date.

The Feast of St. Anne is July 26, with St. Anne's Sunday the last Sunday of July.

"It still remains a part of this culture, which is a beautiful thing in today's world because we are so divisive today," said Andrew Handrahan, pastor at St. Anne's Church.

"But what I think is wonderful here is a great integration. We have St. Anne's Day that is organized by the band and supported by the band and there is a bringing together."

Handrahansaidthe joyful celebration that includes both indigenous culture and religion is a great thing to see.

Ramjattansaid thereare many thingsin the Mi'kmaqcommunity that blend different aspects of religion and traditional knowledge.

Religion is not a central part of the community as much as in the past, she said, with some community members only celebrating their culture, but that each person is on their own journey.

"I can't explain that except to say that it is a walk of faith and Creator is Creator, and I don't know what else to say other than today we celebrateand we will continue to celebrate," she said.

The proceeds from different events throughout the St. Anne's Sunday, like the lobster feast and bingo, will go toward continued upkeep and repairs to St. Anne's Church.

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