Whether the motivation is a boycott of the United States over its current posturing towards Canada, the ongoing affordability crisis or a host of other reasons, it is clear a greater number of Canadians plan to spend summer in their homeland.   

High-profile secular summer staples, such as the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, the Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Calgary Stampede, are poised to garner greater spectator interest in 2025.

For Canadian Catholics seeking a deeper, spiritually enriching experience during July and August, there are special Jubilee 2025 pilgrimage sites being promoted from coast to coast to coast.  

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Based on the recommendations provided by diocesan offices throughout the country, here are 10 locations Canadian Pilgrims of Hope should consider visiting in the weeks ahead.

British Columbia: St. Anthony of Padua Parish and the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Cebu in Agassiz

Immersed within the striking Fraser Valley mountains, St. Anthony of Padua Parish and the adjacent Shrine of Santo Niño de Cebu was established in 1913. This designated pilgrimage site was especially meaningful in its earliest years to missionaries, Indigenous communities and settlers.

Treasured historical objects, such as the original parish bell cast in France and the first organ donated by the town’s namesake Lewis Nunn Agassiz, are still on public display.

Archdiocese of Vancouver communications director Matthew Furtado wrote that "the parish grounds offer a peaceful atmosphere for prayer and reflection, featuring a Marian grotto, wide green spaces and a beautifully laid-out Stations of the Cross in the garden.”

Alberta: The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore.

Conceptualized since its inception by Calgary Bishop William McGrattan as a place of diocesan devotion and pilgrimage, the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies’s ornate interior and exterior construction — a synthesis between modern and classical design elements — was deemed pivotal.

There was a bit of a need for the house of worship to be fitting of its magnificent Rocky Mountains' backdrop.

Fr. Pilmaiken Lezano says this is a particularly good place to contemplate Mary.

“The shrine was dedicated to this particular devotion to foster our relationship with the Mother of God and through her we may be able to get closer to our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Lezano.

Saskatchewan: St. Laurent Shrine near Duck Lake.

Situated on 32.4 hectares of property over 11 kilometres northeast of Duck Lake, the grounds hosting the St. Laurent Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes features a house of worship made of logs, a wood-frame rectory and a grotto.

Novenas are staged each evening from July 6-14 with a theme of Pilgrims of Hope.

According to Saskhistory.ca, “Mr. Charles Nolin donated a statue for the cure of his wife, who has suffered many years from haemorrhages. Under the guidance of Brother (Jean-Pierre-Marie) Piquet, O.M.I. on the evening Dec. 16, 1884, a novena to Our Lady was started. By the end of the nine days Mrs. Nolin’s pain disappeared without leaving a trace of the disease.”

Manitoba: Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Saint Malo.

It is recognized that the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes was a sought out spiritual landmark even before the Archdiocese of St. Boniface established it as an annual site of regional pilgrimages in 1951.

It is cherished as a spot to put meaningful time aside for Christ and Mary. One of the reasons it remains a vibrant touchstone after many decades, wrote Archbishop Albert LeGatt, is the interest generated by immigrants to Canada.

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“Many newcomers are now attending — Vietnamese, Eritreans, Hispanics. In their respective cultures, there is a strong tradition of Marian devotion,” wrote LeGatt. "When they arrived in Manitoba, these groups realized that there was a pilgrimage and wanted to participate. Let's rent a bus and let's go!”

Ontario: Martyr’s Shrine in Midland.

The national holy place of worship to honour the lives of the Canadian Martyrs was established a century ago in honour of the Jesuit missionaries who left their contented lifestyle in France to work with the Wendat people who dwelled and operated the territory near Midland, Ont.  

“Their story often evokes a deep instinctive reaction,” Fr. John O’Brien, director of Martyrs' Shrine, told the Register's Luke Mandato. “The heroism, sacrifice and love for Indigenous peoples resound powerfully across the ages, and take us back to a time when Canada was young and new, when it was possible to dream of a society of different peoples living together in harmony and peace.”

Quebec: St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal.

A National Historic Site of Canada, this minor basilica and national shrine is recognized for boasting one of the largest church domes in the world, its status as the highest building in Montreal at 130 metres tall and its meticulous design fashioned by many architects and thousands of workers over 60 years. 

It was commissioned by St. Brother André Bessette to honour St. Joseph, Patron of Canada.

Isabel Correa, the Archdiocese of Montreal’s director of communications and media relations, said the oratory offers "a unique opportunity this summer to experience an urban pilgrimage filled with faith, discovery and reflection. Pilgrims can take part in on-site activities tailored to the site’s history and mission, explore the sacred spaces and take time for personal prayer.”

Nova Scotia: St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Halifax.

The well-established heart of Catholic life in Nova Scotia’s capital was first brought into being in 1820 when construction got underway. Renamed St. Mary’s in 1833, the house of worship transformed in style over time, most notably in the 1860s when renovations bestowed the cathedral with its current neo-Gothic style.

Notably, the cathedral once hosted Pope John Paul II in 1984 as he presided over a bicentennial celebration of the first Catholic church established in Halifax.

New Brunswick: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Saint John

Coinciding with the 2025 Jubilee is the 170th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

Natasha Mazerolle, the Diocese of Saint John’s communications and special projects officer, said these two celebrations occurring in the same annum suggests “this is a unique grace-filled time to visit.”

Visiting this site which holds particular significance to Irish Catholic settlers, said Mazerolle, “is an invitation to be part of the spiritual restoration of our diocesan family, a vibrant renewal already underway evidenced by growing numbers, increased outreach and Eucharistic, Sacramental and Marian devotion.”

Prince Edward Island: St. Dunstan’s Basilica in Charlottetown

This year marks the 35th year since St. Dunstan’s Basilica was commemorated as a National Historic Site of Canada. This Church evolved from a wooden cathedral into stone in the Gothic style. The current house of worship came to be in 1919 and was hailed as one of the most fire-resistant parishes in Canada, which would enable it to avoid the fate of its predecessor.

The history section of the St. Dunstan’s Basilica website touts the “four carvings at the outside doors depict Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,” and “nearly 300 angel representations are presented in stained glass.”

Newfoundland and Labrador: Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Flatrock

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In an email to The Catholic Register, Archbishop Peter Hundt shared the following:

“Pope St. John Paul II knelt and prayed at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Flatrock, Newfoundland, during his 1984 papal visit to Canada. Located on Windgap Road in this small fishing village a 15-minute drive from the City of St. John’s, it was inspired by the grotto in Lourdes, France, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette. Construction of this grotto began in 1954 and it was dedicated by the Archbishop of St. John’s in 1958.”