Pilgrimage to Canada

ST. ANN DE BEAUPRÉ

QUÉBEC

Robert Trabold

Majestic basilica

on shores of a majestic river

the St.  Lawrence. Water is

blue like the sky.

Statue of St. Ann

holding her child, Mary. Large statue

red, gold, green

shines in the lights

beaming at it.

St. Ann has a sweet face

looking at her child – Mary.

St. Ann looks at us

pilgrims who come

with our cares – troubles of life.

I rest in this splendor.

St. Ann looks at me

she loves me – all the

pilgrims who travel

from far away to see her.

I listen to words – advice

St. Ann has for me.

She repeats words of the poem

of St. Theresa of Avila.

“Do not let anything disturb you

nothing should upset you.

………

Whoever has God

nothing will be missing.

Only God matters.”

I feel the weight of

the world

too many wars, violence, death.

St. Ann tells me

world is in God’s hands.

The Lord is my confidence

giving me peace.

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PILGRIMAGE TO QUÉBEC - 2014

Robert Trabold

            I was fortunate to have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Montréal, Trois Rivières  and Québec, Canada and visit the many shrines that lie in the Saint Lawrence River valley. It was a contemplative pilgrimage because I went alone for two weeks and had plenty of time for meditation and silence. There are many shrines in this part of Canada which always have had a deep spiritual meaning for me. There is the beautiful one of St. Ann de Beaupré on the outskirts of Québec city. Devotion to St. Ann, the mother of the Virgin Mary, has a long tradition in Western and Eastern Christianity and the French colonists brought this to the New World when they arrived many centuries ago. In the city of Québec, I visited the chapel and tomb of Marie de l’Incarnation who was a great mystic and lived there in colonial times.  She was recently canonized and her writings testify to the depth of her contemplative life.  People call her the St. Theresa of Avila of North American. I had also the privilege to go to the shrine of Our Lady of the Cap in Trois Rivières where there were manifestations of the Virgin Mary at the end of the 19^th century. In Montréal, I went to the Oratory of St. Joseph and the tomb and chapel of Saint Bother André. He was a religious brother who lived in the 20^th century and had unusual gifts of counselling people and was a healer of physical infirmities. Crowds still come to this shrine to be beneficiaries of his help. In the same city, I also visited the shrines of Padre Pio, the famous stigmatic who lived in the 20^th century and that of Mary, the Queen of Heaven.

            In the two weeks of visiting the shrines, I reflected on their role in a pilgrimage. They are usually connected to holy places where religious people take time out to make a trip. They are looking for a renewal of their Christian faith and help in resolving the problems that beset their everyday life. In visiting these shrines, pilgrims refresh themselves in experiencing the many ways that God has been at work during the centuries in the saints to build up the Christian community. In a very existential way, God has taken the initiative to love these holy people and give them life on earth. The Lord has loved them before they loved Him. Pilgrims stand in awe and adoration at this fact. The Divine made a covenant with all people and is always faithful to it. 

            Secondly, shrines remind us that God is still active in our world and community working to bring people to salvation. In the visit, there are various religious activities, liturgical ceremonies and opportunities to meet other Christian people. In these, we feel that God is active now working to make us better people and Christians. It is part of the renewal of the Christian community.

Thirdly, the shrines have us look into the future and give us confidence that someday we will arrive at our heavenly homeland. We are pilgrims on earth and the visit to these gives us signs of hope of where we are going. Like the pilgrims in the Old Testament, they sang and were joyful to be in the presence of God in the holy temple.  In the same way, in this visit, we pilgrims await a conversion and renewal of ourselves and our community. In this change for the better, we have a glimpse of the new heaven and new earth to which we are called. We look into the future and have confidence in our voyage there. This earth is not our true home but we are destined for another place.

In reflecting on my two week pilgrimage of silence and meditation to the various shrines in the province of Québec, Canada, it was a rich experience of the Christian life. Each had its own experience, different saint, beauty of the church building and being situated on the lovely Saint Lawrence River. Two weeks were ample time to immerse myself in this religious experience.  Like all the pilgrims who have made similar trips through the centuries, hopefully this visit will renew my Christian life and allow me to be active to build a better world.

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