Travellers John Laban and Clayton Herman have been walking through Saskatchewan and Alberta since June 3, on a pilgrimage - praying for peace, and for anyone they meet along the way who could use some prayer.
On July 6, they made their way through Bonnyville.
Starting from La Loche Saskatchewan, they are headed for Lac Ste. Anne in Alberta.
Lac Ste. Anne is a historical annual meeting place for Indigenous people, and the lake became a Catholic Pilgrimage site in the late 19th century.
A plaque on site reads: “Since 1889, First Nations and Métis have travelled here in late July to celebrate the Feast of Saint Anne. This saint, widely revered as the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus, embodies the grandmother figure honoured in many Canadian Aboriginal societies. Lac Ste. Anne is an important place of spiritual, cultural, and social rejuvenation, central aspects of traditional summer gatherings for indigenous peoples.”
Laban says that their pilgrimage was started for world peace, and to pray for the people who are suffering.
“I get the names and families for the people whose pain is still there, and they’re grieving. We’re praying for the homeless and addiction, people in the hospital, behind bars – maybe they're lonesome,” says Laban.
Laban and Herman pray for everyone “There’s no difference in our journey. Cree, Dene, white people, RCMP, nurses, workers...there's no division. It’s about unity,” says Laban
Herman says their families and friends were scared at first when they heard of their idea to make the pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne. But now as they go, recording their journey along the way, Herman says they are happy for them, and quite proud.
Laban and Herman have faced severe weather, including snow, hail, and extreme temperatures.
“We do have a hard time with harsh weather – cold, damp, snowing, -10 one night. We’ve got all wet from head to toe,” says Herman.
Laban came down with pneumonia at one point and speaks of the endless blisters and sore feet. Despite losing toenails, splitting his hand with an axe, and getting caught in thunderstorms, they keep moving forward.
Laban and Herman speak of the wonderful people they have met along the way.
Laban recalls a car pulling over, and a father telling them his son, who is vision impaired, had yelled “Stop! I just saw Jesus. I want to give him a hug” and insisted on meeting the two pilgrims. The little boy kneeled before the white, rosary-laden cross fastened to their travelling stroller, and prayed.
Laban puts his hand to his heart and swells his chest when he says “That makes me feel like I can go. Like I can keep walking.”
Dogs will often greet and follow Laban and Herman, and at one point a stray joined them on their way into Cold Lake. Once they were in the city, they were able to help reunite the lost dog with their owners.
Herman says they encounter tons of wildlife, and it saddens them to see all the roadkill in the ditches. Herman speaks of a pregnant moose dead on the side of the road that they walked past.
Their journey can be watched on Herman’s social media page ‘Clayton Hermanator’. If you spot them on their journey, they welcome anyone to come and receive a prayer, a hug, and some good conversation. People have stopped and given them donations, supplies, and even some bear spray to keep them safe.
