A jubilee pilgrimage of hope through the Basilica of Ste. Anne

The story of the Basilica of Ste. Anne is fully interwoven with the 324-year history of the city of Detroit itself, dating back to 1701

The Archdiocese of Detroit has designated 12 local pilgrimage sites for Catholics to visit during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. Each month during 2025, Detroit Catholic will highlight one of these sites to encourage Catholics to take advantage of the extraordinary graces offered during the jubilee.

DETROIT — Every Sunday since July 1701, Roman Catholics have gathered in a building in the city of Detroit named for its patroness, Ste. Anne, and celebrated Mass together. The building's location and structure may have changed over the ensuing centuries, but the gathering of Christians under one roof to receive the Eucharist has remained.

In the present day, the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Détroit is located along the Detroit River, a stone's throw from the Ambassador Bridge. Built in 1886, it is the eighth structure of Ste. Anne’s since the parish was founded as a log structure on July 26, 1701, just two days after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac landed with 150 men in what is now downtown Detroit.

Made a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020, the church of Detroit’s patroness is also one of the 12 pilgrimage sites designated by the Archdiocese of Detroit for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

The Basilica of Ste. Anne is already a destination for countless pilgrims and visitors, who come to the French neo-Gothic-style church both because of its deep roots and representation of the history of Detroit and to seek the intercession of Ste. Anne. Every year in the days leading up to her feast day on July 26, the parish joins together for a nine-day novena, each night represented by one of the many cultural groups who have made Ste. Anne’s and Detroit their home.

Now, as an added spiritual bonus, visitors to the historic basilica can receive a plenary indulgence, said Msgr. Charles Kosanke, the basilica's rector. The basilica has added extra times before Masses for the sacrament of reconciliation in order to make it more convenient for people to fulfill the steps for the plenary indulgence, he added.

Ste. Anne is already a beacon of hope to many, and the basilica tries to convey a message of hope not only through the patroness but through the many Christian services offered by the parish, Msgr. Kosanke said.

“Ste. Anne is a patroness of so many things, especially people who have temporal or spiritual needs, and so her intercession in some of those situations can be a source of hope for individuals,” Msgr. Kosanke said. “In a world that sometimes is broken or dark, that for the church especially to be a beacon of hope is such a gift that we can give to the world.”

Msgr. Kosanke hopes a pilgrimage to the basilica during the jubilee year will inspire pilgrims and deepen their relationship with the Lord.

“Increasing your relationship with God is the real purpose of a pilgrimage; that is what makes a pilgrimage different from a sightseeing tour,” Msgr. Kosanke said. “The intention of a pilgrimage is that by visiting a place it helps to increase your relationship with God, and by receiving the sacraments we receive the graces that help us to grow in holiness.”