THE SCALA SANTA

from the Guidebook, St. Anne de Beaupre Shrine in Quebec.

"Next to the Original Shrine, to the right, is located the Scala Santa (Italian words meaning Sacred Stairway), which is a reproduction of the steps Our Lord had to ascend in the course of His sacred Passion, in order to undergo judgment in Pilate's Pretorium. The original stairway, sanctified by the footsteps of the Divine Savior and bedewed with His adorable Blood, is still extant. It is made of white marble, and consists of 28 steps. Brought from Jerusalem to Rome about the year 325, through the care of St. Helena, Empress of Rome and mother of Constantine , it was placed in a magnificent church where it is still an object of veneration for the faithful. As a means of contrition and Penance, a replica of these stairs is fittingly connected with a pilgrimage place like Ste. Anne de Beaupre."

In June 1998 I received a letter from Saint Anne's Shrine, 5384 Wilson Mills Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44141. It spoke of her as the "Grandmother of Christ." Since Mary is called the "Mother of God", why isn't Saint Anne called the "Grandmother of God"?

   Also enclosed was the Prayer to Saint Anne: "Good St. Anne, mother of her who is our Life, our Sweetness and our Hope, pray to her for us, and obtain our request.