Travel Adventure in Quebec – Montreal’s Saint Joseph’s Oratory
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, is a Roman Catholic Basilica and the National Shrine on the west slope of Mount Royal in the City of Montreal, Quebec. It is Canada’s largest church that we went to visit on our travel adventure to the Province of Quebec, our French-speaking neighboring province. It’s like going to another country that looks similar to France but we are just crossing our own border to Quebec.
Our travel trip lasted for a few days, since we had no hotel reservations we decided to stay on small hotels by their side roads aptly called the motels. We went on a long drive from Toronto, Ontario to the Quebec border, since it’s the same country anyway we didn’t have to bring our passports with us. We drove about four and half hours by highways, no scenic route this time, since that takes forever. Distance from Toronto, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec is about 500 km.
Then we proceeded to the Saint Joseph’s Oratory at Mount Royal in the heart of the city. After our short visit, we went to the gardens at the Mount Royal grounds to say the way of the cross where they have life-like statues there. After we parked at the church parking, we went into the basilica which was almost empty in the early afternoon. Saint Joseph’s Statue at the Saint Joseph’s Oratory where we prayed and lighted some candles. Then we went around the church taking photos. We also found the burial place of Brother André at the cathedral’s basement catacombs.
“Brother André, born Alfred Bessette, entered the seminary in Oratoire St. Joseph, Montreal in 1870. A very dedicated religious man, he was first appointed to the position of porter of the city’s Notre-Dame College. Before long, he began doing much more than sweeping floors, tending to the sick and lonely and becoming well-known throughout the Roman Catholic community for his caring attitude. In 1904, he built a small chapel near the college where he could receive those in need. He implored them to pray to St. Joseph, who would hear their pleas and address their illnesses and sorrow. Before long, Brother André and the pilgrims he attracted outgrew the little chapel so a larger church – called a crypt – was built in 1917. It seated 1,000.”
(Oratoire St. Joseph by: www.aviewoncities.com/buildings/montreal/oratoirestjoseph.htm )
“The Museum – The heart of Brother André sits in a reliquary (a shrine for holy relics) at the basilica’s museum. He requested that it be kept in the basilica so as to provide protection for the building and the people that enter.The museum is also home to nearly 300 different crèches collected from more than 100 countries. The collection is stunning and is especially popular around the Christmas holidays.One entire wall in St. Joseph’s Oratory is covered with crutches and other items left by those who made the climb to the basilica and were healed. The Roman Catholic church has long recognized Brother André’s purported miracles, granting him beatification in 1982 in acknowledgement of those who were healed by his touch and prayers. His followers continue to rally for his sainthood.”
About Oly Trinity
Oly is the travel blogger, documentarian on lakbaypilipinas.ca, also a writer-poet, photographer and artist whose work constitutes a blog-documentary in many aspects of life, people, places, arts, culture and traditions, even architecture. It's about trips at home and abroad, also flashbacks of trips on years gone by, reminiscing memorable experiences then back to the future and now, all these in the new blog. You will see, hear and read about the travels, feasting on foods around the globe, meeting people in places that she visits and sharing their traditions and goodwill, who visits countries that others only dream about and who wants to share with you all of her experiences never to be forgotten in this lifetime. From her old hometown to her new home she will marvel you with stories, and show you how small the whole world really is; if you love to travel. Now, let's start that wonderful journey together.