five municipalities of Loire-Atlantique now grouped into a single parish

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This January 1, 2025, the parishes of Notre-Dame la Blanche de Guérande, Saillé and La Madeleine and Saint-Anne du Pays Blanc, for La Turballe, Piriac-sur-Mer, Mesquer and Saint-Molf, officially merged into a single entity. . With a unique name: Sainte-Anne on the Guérande peninsula, between sea and marshes.

An approach initiated in 2008

It is a process that began in 2008, with a single priest, common liturgical practices for weddings or baptisms, even if there were, until now, two separate economic councils.

This new parish brings together 10 permanent places of worship, churches, as well as chapels, such as Clis, Careil, Saint-Sébastien or Merquel, which sometimes host services.

Manage real estate

The parish complex is also responsible for the property management of the churches of La Turballe and Quimiac (which are not, like the other churches, property of the municipalities, since they were built after 1905, Editor's note), but also the presbyteries or dining rooms. Guérande, La Madeleine, Trescalan and Saint-Molf.

“Real estate to manage, it’s a profession, with upkeep, maintenance or sound systems. Aside from pastoral matters, 12 people take care of it voluntarily, in addition to the 12 who devote themselves to accounting, collection and links with the bank,” explains Father Paul-Antoine Drouin.

120 name suggestions

The choice of the name of Sainte-Anne in the Guérande Peninsula is the result of a call for proposals, during the summer of 2024, which collected 60 responses from parishioners and 60 proposals from the pastoral council. These 120 ideas, which necessarily associated the name of a saint and the name of a place, contained 19 saints and 15 places.

For Father Paul-Antoine Drouin, “this name refers to Sainte-Anne already used in four communes, with an attachment to the world of fishing. She is also a family figure, the grandmother of Jesus. In the Guérande Peninsula specifies the location of this Sainte-Anne parish. We added Between sea and marshes, the phrase from a parish prayer.”

Pilgrimage on January 25

On November 14, 2024, the Bishop of Nantes approved the reunion of the two initial parishes.

“To materialize this union, a parish pilgrimage will be organized all day on January 25, 2025, in Sainte-Anne d’Auray (56). 5 buses are organized from the 5 communes,” indicates Carole de Montbrilland, parish coordinator.

A statuette of Saint Anne will be given to each family. “Saint Anne is often shown holding a book and teaching Mary to read from the Torah. It is a reminder of our Jewishness and our bond with the Jewish people,” explains Paul-Antoine Drouin.

Pilgrimage to Sainte-Anne d'Auray, on the occasion of the creation of the parish of Sainte-Anne in the Guérande Peninsula, January 25, 2025, departure 9:30 a.m., return 6:30 p.m., participation €5 upon registration by bulletin in churches or on the website alléesdupaysblanc.fr

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