On the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of Saint Anne in Brittany, France, Cardinal Robert Sarah, delivered a profound prophetic sermon to the faithful gathered from across Brittany and beyond.
Newsroom (28/07/2025, Gaudium Press )On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the apparitions of Saint Anne at the revered shrine of Saint Anne d’Auray in Brittany, France, Cardinal Robert Sarah, as the extraordinary envoy of Pope Leo XIV, delivered a profound sermon that resonated deeply with the faithful gathered from across Brittany and beyond. The event, marked by solemnity and spiritual fervor, drew pilgrims, clergy, and civil authorities to this sacred site, where Saint Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, appeared to Yvon Nicolazic in 1625. Cardinal Sarah’s words, rooted in the Catholic tradition, underscored the primacy of God’s glory, the sanctity of sacred spaces, and the transformative power of adoration in the face of human suffering and societal secularism.
A Papal Mandate and a Warm Greeting
Cardinal Sarah began by conveying the greetings and blessings of Pope Leo XIV, emphasizing the Holy Father’s deep affection for the pilgrims and his recognition of the significance of their pilgrimage. “By his gestures, the Holy Father wishes to emphasize the importance he attaches to your pilgrimage,”. He extended warm greetings to Bishop René Centène of Vannes, a devoted servant of Saint Anne, as well as to other bishops, priests, religious superiors, and the faithful who answered Saint Anne’s call to worship God at this hallowed shrine. The pilgrims’ response—marked by an enthusiastic “Amen”—reflected the shared sense of purpose and devotion.
The cardinal recounted the apparition of Saint Anne to Yvon Nicolazic, a humble Breton farmer, who was instructed to rebuild a chapel that had lain in ruins for over nine centuries. Saint Anne’s words, spoken in Breton—“Me zo Anna, mamm Mari” (“I am Anne, mother of Mary”)—echoed through the ages, calling the faithful to honor God in this chosen place. Cardinal Sarah emphasized the divine intentionality behind this selection: “God chose this land to make it a holy place. God wanted a piece of your country, France, to be a sacred place, a reserved place.”
The Primacy of God’s Glory
At the heart of Cardinal Sarah’s sermon was a clarion call to prioritize God’s glory above all else. Drawing on the Catholic understanding of creation as an act of God’s gratuitous love, he reminded the faithful that humanity owes everything to God, who “loved us first.” “For us who are his creatures and his children, to honour God, to give him glory, is therefore to do justice. Giving glory to God is not an optional choice, it is a duty, it is a necessity.”
In a world increasingly dismissive of the divine, Cardinal Sarah warned against reducing religion to a mere tool for human well-being or humanitarian action.
“Too often in the West, religion is presented as an activity at the service of human well-being. Religion is equated with humanitarian action, acts of charity, welcoming migrants and the homeless, promoting universal brotherhood and world peace. Spirituality would be a form of personal development, there to bring a little relief to modern man, tending towards his usual political and economic activities. While these issues are important, this view of religion is wrong. Religion is not about food or humanitarian action. In the desert, it was the first temptation that Jesus rejected. To redeem humanity, you have to overcome the misery of hunger and poverty, and that’s what the devil proposes to the Lord. But Jesus replies that this is not the way to redemption. He makes us understand that even if everyone had enough to eat, even if prosperity extended to everyone, humanity would not be redeemed. ”
The cardinal critiqued the secular tendencies of Western societies sharply, he warned that material prosperity, far from redeeming humanity, often leads to self-destruction when God is forgotten. In affluent societies, where wealth and comfort abound, humanity risks worshipping itself rather than its Creator. “If we do not worship God, we will end up worshipping ourselves,” he cautioned, urging the faithful to reject the idols of secularism and to kneel before God in adoration. He continued “We were created to praise and adore God. It is in the worship of God that we discover our true dignity, the ultimate reason for our existence.”
What saves the world is God’s bread. Man must be fed with the bread of God. And the bread of God is Christ himself. What will save the world is the man who kneels before God to adore and serve him. God is not at our service. We are at his service.
Sacred Spaces and the Sanctity of the Soul
Cardinal Sarah’s sermon powerfully linked the sanctity of physical spaces, such as the shrine of Saint Anne d’Auray, with the sanctity of the human soul. He described Brittany as “a sacred land” chosen by God, urging the faithful not to desecrate it with “barbaric and inhuman laws” that prioritize death over life. This call to preserve the sacredness of the land extended to the individual soul, which Cardinal Sarah likened to a church—a dwelling place for God through the grace of baptism. “Your soul is like a church because I, your God, dwell there,” he said, urging the faithful to guard their souls against the “disordered passions” and “spirit of the world” that threaten to profane this inner sanctuary.
“To adore and glorify is the highest expression of our gratitude to God and the most beautiful response of our lives to his exceptional love for us. To adore God, we must set ourselves apart in silence. Don’t flood this place with noise, but come here in the silence of your heart to listen to God.
This is what we call entering into a sacred attitude. There are sacred places, places reserved for God, chosen by God. Places that cannot be desecrated by activities other than prayer, silence and liturgy. Our churches are not theatres. Our churches are not halls for concerts, cultural activities or entertainment. The church is God’s house. It is reserved exclusively for him. We enter with respect and veneration, properly dressed, because we tremble before the greatness of God.”
The Cardinal continued ” Sacred places do not belong to us. They belong to God. Nor do sacred songs or any sacred liturgy belong to us. The purpose of the liturgy is the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful. And sacred music is a privileged means of facilitating the active and fully conscious participation of the faithful in the sacred celebration of the Christian mysteries.”
The cardinal called for a renewal of the soul through confession, silent prayer, and a rejection of worldly idols such as money and entertainment. He emphasized that the soul, like the chapel Saint Anne instructed Nicolazic to rebuild, must be restored on the solid foundation of Christ. “It’s time to rebuild the church of our soul,” he exhorted, encouraging the faithful to embrace a life of holiness and to heed God’s call to vocations, whether to priesthood, religious life, or a deeper commitment to lay spirituality.
“God wants your heart. God wants your soul. Just as he wanted this land of Brittany, your soul is a sacred place. Take care of it. It is only in this sacred sanctuary of your soul that God will be able to speak to you, console you and bring you back to himself through a radical conversion of life. Only in that inner sanctuary will you be able to hear his call to be holy, to be a worshipper. Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy… Let us not desecrate our bodies. Our body is God’s temple and God’s spirit dwells in us. Let us not destroy this temple because God’s temple is sacred and we are that temple. God has entrusted it to us so that we can care for it and worship him in silence. God wants this. God wants you. “
The Role of Adoration in Suffering
One of the most poignant moments of Cardinal Sarah’s sermon came as he addressed the mystery of suffering, drawing on the example of Saint Anne, who endured the pain of childlessness before becoming the mother of Mary. He acknowledged the anguish of those who suffer—parents grieving for sick or wayward children, individuals facing infertility, or those grappling with the apparent silence of God in the face of war, betrayal, or loss. “Why the suffering of the innocent? Why, Lord, do we sometimes feel abandoned by him?” he asked, echoing the cries of the human heart.
Rather than offering simplistic answers, Cardinal Sarah pointed to adoration as the only true response to the mystery of evil. “God is greater than our misunderstandings, than our doubts. God is greater than our hearts. In the face of evil, we have no ready-made answers. We have no human answers. In the face of evil, in the face of the suffering of the innocent, we have only one response. Adoration. Our only response to the mystery of evil is silent adoration . Yes, evil is incomprehensible, but we know from faith that adoring trust in God is stronger than the absurdity of evil. “
A Call to Priests and the Faithful
Cardinal Sarah reserved a special exhortation for priests, acknowledging their often-overwhelming responsibilities and urging them to prioritize adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. “Persevering adoration tears the darkness apart,” he said, describing it as a source of hope that pierces the weight of despair. For the laity, he encouraged a return to the sacredness of churches, which are not venues for entertainment or cultural events but God’s house, to be entered with reverence and awe. He praised the Breton tradition of wearing traditional garments to honor God, not as folklore but as an outward sign of an inward commitment to present a pure soul to the Creator.
The cardinal also highlighted the role of sacred liturgy and music in facilitating the faithful’s participation in divine worship. “The liturgy is not a human spectacle,” he said, but a response to God’s glory that precedes and transcends human efforts. By entering into the liturgy with a sacred attitude, the faithful honor God and discover their true purpose.
Saint Anne’s Unique Message
Cardinal Sarah underscored the unique privilege of Saint Anne d’Auray as the only place in the world where Saint Anne is known to have appeared. This divine choice, he argued, carries a special responsibility for the people of Brittany and France to preserve the sanctity of this land and to live lives of worship and holiness. Saint Anne’s message, delivered through her apparition, is a call to perseverance in faith, even amidst suffering and doubt. Her example of trust and adoration, despite personal trials, serves as a model for all who face the mysteries of pain and loss.
The cardinal concluded by inviting the faithful to join in a cry of love and adoration, echoing the words of Pope Leo XIV: “Evil will not prevail. God, our God, is infinitely good, infinitely beautiful, infinitely great.” With Saint Anne as their guide, the pilgrims were called to bow down before the Lord, their Creator, and to worship Him with all their heart, soul, and strength.
A Timeless Call to Holiness
Cardinal Sarah’s sermon at Saint Anne d’Auray was a powerful reminder of the Catholic Church’s timeless mission: to call humanity back to God through worship, adoration, and the sanctification of the soul. In a world increasingly marked by secularism and materialism, his words served as a clarion call to prioritize God’s glory, to preserve the sanctity of sacred spaces, and to trust in God’s providence even in the face of suffering. For the pilgrims gathered at this historic shrine, and for Catholics worldwide, Cardinal Sarah’s message was a summons to live as true worshippers, honoring God in the sanctuary of their souls and in the sacred places He has chosen.
“Come, let us adore the Lord,” Cardinal Sarah concluded, quoting Psalm 95. “Let us bend our knees before the Lord our Creator, for He is our God.” In this sacred place, chosen by God and sanctified by Saint Anne’s presence, the faithful were invited to renew their commitment to a life of holiness, adoration, and unwavering faith.
- Raju Hasmukh
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