Where Pope Francis will be today — including a stop at an Alberta lake known for miracles

A day after an emotional apology to residential school survivors, Pope Francis will spend his second full day in Canada at a public mass for thousands of members of the general public in Edmonton, followed by a trip to a lake known for stories of miracles.

At 10:15 local time Tuesday morning, Francis will oversee a huge, outdoor mass for as many as 65,000 people at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, a venue that usually hosts the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Elks.

At 5 p.m. he will arrive at Lac Ste. Anne, a lake about an hour northwest of Edmonton, that has been a place of gathering for both Indigenous and Catholic peoples for generations and where many people believe the water has healing properties.

Those beliefs began with a Nakota chief who led his people to the lake, called Wakamne, or God's Lake, according to the history of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, a community that still lives on the edge of the lake.

It then became a hub for the Metis, and the area's first Catholic priest dubbed it Lac Ste. Anne in the mid 19th century. An annual summer pilgrimage now happens every July.

Maybe unknowingly, this was a place of reconciliation, the coming together of two worlds: Indigenous and non-Indigenous, when the first pilgrimage to these shores was in 1889," Chief Tony Alexis, of the Alexis Nakota Sioux, told media last week.

It's not clear how close the Pope will be able to get to the water, though a path has been paved to the lakeside in anticipation of his visit.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24-hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of a residential school experience. Support is available at 1-866-925-4419.

Alex Boyd is a Calgary-based reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @alex_n_boyd