Pope Appoints Cardinal Sarah as Envoy for St. Anne Apparitions Anniversary in France

Vatican, 30 May 2025: Pope Leo XIV has appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah as his special envoy for the celebrations in France marking the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Anne to the Breton peasant Yvon Nicolazic.

The Vatican announced that, as the papal special envoy, the prefect emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments will preside over “the liturgical celebrations to be held 25–26 July at the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-d’Auray, Diocese of Vannes (France), on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Anne to the Breton peasant Yvon Nicolazic.”

In the early 1620s, Nicolazic had a vision of a radiant lady, later identified as St Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She reportedly instructed him to rebuild a long-lost chapel dedicated to her on his land.

According to its website, the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-d’Auray states that this occurred on 25 July 1624, the eve of the feast of St. Anne.

Source: CNA