"Do not be afraid, I am Anne, Mary’s mother" (II)

Historical records say that Yves Nicolazic fell asleep without worrying about his mission. A year later, the first Mass in honor of Saint Anne was celebrated at Bocenno. Two men, Kermedio and Kerloguen, had given their support to Yves. Kerloguen, who owned the Bocenno field, promised to give it for the new church and recommended that Yves make an official record of the miraculous events.

On the night of March 7, 1625, Saint Anne appeared to Yves again. She asked him to take his neighbors with him and follow the torch: "You will find the image (the statue) and this will give proof of your claims to others, who will know that you spoke the truth."

That same night, the peasants unearthed an old, partially corroded wooden statue that still had traces of white and blue paint. Three days later, pilgrims began to arrive in large numbers to pray to Saint Anne in front of her statue. It was the realization of Yves’ prophecy of the multitude of people walking by. The same influx of pilgrims continues to this day.

The first official Mass was celebrated, by decree of the bishop, on July 26, 1625, with 100,000 people in attendance. Yves Nicolazic oversaw the construction of the new church—he directed the work, transported donations of stone and slate to the construction site, cut down trees for wood and paid the contractors—with wisdom and honesty. He was illiterate and only spoke his native Breton. Once the church was finished, he left the village of Keranna to avoid notoriety and to leave the shrine to Saint Anne and her countless pilgrims.

The Marie de Nazareth team