Holy Cross Pilgrimage to Montréal

"I rejoiced when I heard them say, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem." (Psalm 122:1-2)

For thousands of years, men and women have journeyed great distances to the sacred sites of their faith traditions. During biblical times, Jews went up to Jerusalem several times a year to offer sacrifices at the Temple. In Islam, travelling to Mecca is one of the religion’s five "pillars" or duties. Even in our secular culture, people make "pilgrimages" to such sites as Graceland or the Baseball Hall of Fame. As human beings, we seem to be naturally drawn to places that are historically and spiritually significant to us.

In July 2009, a group of 30 Holy Cross students, faculty, and brothers embarked on a pilgrimage to Montréal, the largest city in the province of Québec, Canada. The group’s final destination was St. Joseph’s Oratory, located on the slopes of Mount Royal, the mountain which gives Montréal its name. St. Joseph’s Oratory, the largest church in Canada, draws pilgrims from all across the world. However, we were not just tourists; we were pilgrims, drawn to the Oratory by its founder, Blessed Bro. André Bessette, CSC, a Holy Cross Brother. As Holy Cross students, faculty, and brothers from Akron, Ohio, Waterbury, Connecticut, Flushing, New York, and San Antonio, Texas, we were part of his spiritual family.

On the first day of our trip, the group climbed the 280 steps to the shrine of St. Joseph, the highest point in Montréal. Once there, the group began a guided tour of the upper and lower churches. We were fascinated by the heart of Bro. André, preserved in a reliquary so that the faithful might remember his presence among us, and also by the hundreds of pairs of worn crutches that hung on the walls—a testament to Bro. André’s healing power. Later that evening, we were treated to a private Living Stations of the Cross in the Oratory gardens. The actors, in a contemporary theater piece, brought to life for us Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.

Montréal is not without its fair share of major churches in addition to the Oratory. The second day of our journey took us to three other basilicas in the city: Mary, Queen of the World, St. Patrick’s, and lastly, Notre Dame, where there were audible gasps as we first saw its brilliant blue and gold high altar.

On our third and final day, the students were challenged to let God surprise them. They were sent out into the city to find God in unexpected places and people. Later that night, we celebrated the end of our time together—and three birthdays!—with dinner in a local French-Canadian restaurant. At our concluding prayer service, we retraced the many steps we had taken over the past week and asked God to bless our tired feet and our journey home.

Our Holy Cross Pilgrimage to Montréal began and ended with the same reading, part of which read,