50 YEARS AGO

Auriesville shrine expects big turnout

The 88th pilgrimage season at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville is set to open this weekend. The Feast of the Ascension on May 11 will see several school groups at the shrine, including a large delegation from the Confraternity of Christian Program of St. Patrick’s Church, Cambridge. According to statistics compiled by the Rev. W. Robert Burns, assistant director of the shrine, the 1971 season had been the busiest at the shrine in the past five years with an estimated 200,000 visitors, with Archbishop Terence Cooke of New York and seven bishops among the pilgrims. Worshippers exceeded 7,500 on many pilgrimage Sundays. About 300 parish groups had visited the shrine by bus, some from as far away as Maine, Quebec, Kentucky and Illinois. The guest register showed names from 45 of the 50 states and all member nations of the United Nations, including four from behind the Iron Curtain.

Looking Back is compiled by C.J. Lais Jr. and Azra Haqqie. For questions about this feature or to submit information about historic events, contact Tim Blydenburgh, 518-4545421 or tblydenburgh@timesunion.com