By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

The Catholic tradition of pilgrimage to sacred sites is beginning for another season across the province of Saskatchewan.

In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, the first of the annual pilgrimages to historic sacred spots begins Saturday, June 13 at Grosswerder, and on Sunday, June 14 with the Blumenfeld pilgrimage to the historic Sts. Peter and Paul Church and Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto. These are only the first of many such celebrations held every summer at sites across the province.

Pilgrimages 2026 – More Information

Generations of parishioners have celebrated the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua June 13 at St. Anthony Church, Grosswerder. (File photo, Catholic Saskatoon News)

In the Macklin area, pilgrims will gather for an annual procession and Mass at the historic St. Anthony Church at Grosswerder, SK, starting at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 13 — the feast day of St. Anthony of Padua. After a blessing at the cemetery and a procession to the church, Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m., followed by a pot-luck snack lunch and socializing.

Pilgrims will gather at the site of the Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto at the historic Sts. Peter and Paul Church at Blumenfeld, SK, 16 kilometres south and 6 kilometres east of Leader, SK, on Sunday, June 14.

Fr. Francis Appiah-Kubi gives the final blessing at Mass during the 2025 Blumenfeld Pilgrimage, held indoors in the historic Sts. Peter and Paul Church. This year’s pilgrimage to the Blumenfeld sacred site will be held Sunday, June 14, 2026. (File Photo by Crystal Bosch)

The schedule for the 2026 Blumenfeld Pilgrimage includes:

• 2 pm to 2:45 pm – Adoration/ healing service indoors; Confessions outdoors
• 2:45 pm – Bells ring to call all to outdoor prayer house
• 3 pm – Rosary, walking to the Grotto to celebrate Mass
• 5:30 pm – Supper and fellowship

The historic Blumenfeld pilgrimage site will also be open to visitors on Sunday afternoons in July and August, between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

Eparchial pilgrimages

In the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon, a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows near Cudworth, SK, will be held June 13-14 with Bishop Michael Smolinski, CSsR, beginning a0 a.m. Saturday, June 13 with a long walk from Bodnari Church to the site: find more information on the website. 

A short walk from the Spasa cemetery also begins at 5 p.m. June 13, with vespers and confessions held at the site at 7 p.m., followed by 8 p.m. Stations of the Cross.

On Sunday, June 14 events at the Cudworth-area eparchial shrine include: 9 a.m. Matins and confessions, 11 a.m. Divine Liturgy, 1 p.m. lunch, and 3 p.m. grave blessings at Cudworth and Spasa.

An Eparchial Pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Nun Martyrs Olympia and Laurentia will be held June 26 and 27 at the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon shrine site on Avenue M in Saskatoon (across the street from St. George Cathedral).

The pilgrimage begins at 6 p.m. Friday, June 26 with a procession with the relics of the Venerable Nun Martyrs Olympia and Laurentia, followed by a Moleben and barbecued fish burgers. On Saturday, June 27 at 10 a.m., the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by Bishop Michael Smolinski, CSsR, and other clergy from the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon. A luncheon will follow.

An eparchial pilgrimage to the 100-foot Millennium Cross north of Aberdeen will be held Sunday, Sept 13, beginning at 3 p.m. 

Other summer pilgrimages

Annual summer faith events in the diocese of Saskatoon continue with a pilgrimage Sunday, July 12 to Holy Rosary Shrine and Church near Reward, SK, and a pilgrimage Sunday, July 19 to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine, north of Carmel, SK.

The opening procession for last year’s Reward Pilgrimage Mass included a stop to pray for all those buried in the cemetery at Holy Rosary Church and shrine site, Reward, SK. This year’s annual pilgrimage, will be held July 12. (File photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

The annual Reward Pilgrimage in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon will be held on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Holy Rosary Shrine and Church is located three kilometres south of Reward, SK. The schedule for the pilgrimage on Sunday, July 12 is:

• 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm – Children’s activities and family scavenger hunt
• 2:00 pm – Adoration and confession
• 3:15 pm – Rosary with Marian hymns,
• 4:00 pm – Mass followed by supper (free-will offering)
• 5:30 pm – Casual soccer game

There will once again be a bus travelling from Saskatoon to Holy Rosary Shrine (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) for the annual pilgrimage; cost is $30 per person, including a picnic lunch. For more information or to register contact Sr Peter Mary at (306) 986-3885 or srpetermary@stpaulcocathedral.ca. Weekend Mass will also be celebrated at Holy Rosary Church at the Reward pilgrimage site at 7 p.m. on a number of Saturdays: June 27, July 25, Aug. 8, Aug. 22, Sept. 5. (There is no evening Mass at St. Peter Catholic Church in Unity on those dates).

At the top of the Mount Carmel hill, Bishop Mark Hagemoen blesses the fields with the Blessed Sacrament. This year’s pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel west of Humboldt will be held on Sunday, July 19, beginning with confessions and devotions at about 9:45 a.m., and including Sunday morning Mass with the bishop. (Catholic Saskatoon News file photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski)

The Mount Carmel Pilgrimage in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon will be held Sunday, July 19, 2026. The Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is located on a hilltop about 4.5 kilometres north of Carmel, SK (west of Humboldt). The pilgrimage schedule July 19 includes:

• 9:30 am – Sacrament of Reconciliation
• 10:00 am – Marian Hymns / Rosary / Confessions
• 10:45 am – Mass with Bishop Mark Hagemoen presiding / Blessing of the Fields / Blessing of the Sick
• 12:00 pm – Lunch (concession available)
• 1:30 pm – Stations of the Cross/ Eucharistic Adoration
• 2:30 pm – Enrolment of the Scapular
• 3:30 pm – Soccer game and family wiener roast

Historic St. Laurent Shrine

“Walking with Mary on Sacred Grounds: A Journey of Memory, Mission, and Reconciliation” is the theme of the 2026 summer pilgrimage season at the historic Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine at St. Laurent, SK, in the Diocese of Prince Albert.

Events at the site east of Duck Lake (north of Saskatoon) include a Novena of Masses from July 6 to July 14, followed by two days of pilgrimage prayer and celebration July 15 and 16, as well as other celebrations later in the summer, on the Feast of the Assumption Aug. 15 and the birthday of Our Lady on  Sept. 8.

Pilgrimages in the Archdiocese of Regina

In the Archdiocese of Regina, there are several pilgrimage sites that hold annual events, including the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes at St. Anthony’s Church in Rama, SK, east of Wadena, where a pilgrimage is held Aug. 14 and 15 each summer.

A St. Philomena Walking Pilgrimage begins each year in Yorkton, SK, with a range of options for pilgrims to walk a prayerful path together over several days Aug. 11 to 14, before ending Aug. 14 at Rama in time for the celebration of the Vigil of the Assumption events. Find more information on the website: LINK.

Candlelight prayers at the Rama Pilgrimage last year: events will again be held Aug. 14 and 15 this year.(File photo by Astrid Alas)

Find information about many other pilgrimages in the Regina archdiocese on the website: LINK.

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