Putting God’s Gift to Good Use

Quebec City is busy preparing to host the 49th International Eucharistic Congress this June. Here’s an advance look at some of the city’s Catholic high points. By Melanie Radzicki McManus.

When French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in 1608, he unwittingly guaranteed the tiny settlement on the banks of the St. Lawrence River would play a major role in bringing the Catholic faith to the New World.

France was an overwhelmingly Catholic nation and, once Champlain’s countrymen followed him to this new frontier in Canada, they immediately began establishing a strong Catholic culture in the city.

This year, the best time for Catholics to visit would surely be from June 15 to June 22, when the city hosts the 49th International Eucharistic Congress (see info below). But, if the timing for that doesn’t agree with your schedule, know that Québec City is opening its arms for the whole of 2008, welcoming visitors to celebrate its 400th birthday.

Catholics who take La Vieille Capitale (The Old Capital) up on the offer will find that, despite a much-reported drop-off in Mass attendance over the past generation, certain strongholds of the faith still live up to the city’s official motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (“I shall put God’s gift to good use”).

Don de Dieu was the name of Champlain’s ship. Here are a few of the sites that still do him proud.


Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral

In the heart of Old Québec, the only walled city in North America, Notre-Dame de Québec was constructed in 1647, becoming Canada’s first Catholic parish and cathedral. Over the centuries, the cathedral was twice destroyed by fire, and both times rebuilt on the original foundation using the same building plans.

The current cathedral was constructed in 1925, with an elaborate neo-Classical façade. Inside, numerous treasures await. The immense, glittering baldachin appears to hover above the main altar, quickly catching your eye. A masterpiece by architect François Baillairgé, its weight is supported by angel sculptures attached to the sides of the apse rather than columns. It was considered a brilliant innovation when it was unveiled and, to this day, its beauty retains the power to lift hearts to God.

To the right of the altar, the Blessed Msgr. François de Laval funeral chapel pays homage to the man who founded the cathedral and played a key role in establishing the Catholic Church in Canada. Msgr. de Laval also fostered devotions to the Holy Family and Holy Angels, and was dedicated to evangelizing the Amerindians. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. Just past the chapel, the François de Laval Center offers visitors displays and a video to foster devotion to this holy man.

The cathedral’s crypt contains the mortal remains of an astonishing 900-plus individuals: all of the city’s governors and archbishops, plus those buried in the church’s original cemetery. A small chapel completes the space.

One of the more unique offerings of the cathedral is the chance for confession with Cardinal Marc Ouellet in a visible space behind the St. Joseph Chapel. The archbishop hears confessions here, enclosed in soundproof glass, at least a dozen times a year.

Location: 20, rue De Buade

Phone: (418) 694-0665

Website: patrimoine-religieux.com


Musée des Ursulines de Québec

In 1639, the cloistered order of the Ursulines de Tours founded North America’s first girls’ school in Québec. Still in operation today, the school serves about 500 girls in grades 1-6, with 56 Ursuline nuns residing in the monastery. In addition to this impressive distinction, the Ursulines preserved a wealth of liturgical ornaments. In fact, their collection is considered one of the oldest and richest of its kind in North America. Its is on display at the Musée des Ursulines (Ursuline Museum), also in the heart of Old Québec.

Housed in part of the sprawling, 15-wing Ursuline Monastery complex, the attractively arranged exhibits showcase 45 altar frontals made by the nuns, the most precious of which were crafted between 1650 and 1820 and embroidered in gold, silver and silk thread.

In addition to the altar frontals, the museum contains a wide variety of interesting items associated with their deep history in Québec: some of their school equipment and furnishings; a wealth of relics; nearly 300 letters written by Marie de l’Incarnation, the school’s first superior; and a fascinating array of liturgical vestments.

Location: 12, rue Donnacona

Phone: (418) 694-0694

Website: museocapitale.qc.ca/014.htm


Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

About 30 minutes northeast of Québec City lies the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, home to a popular shrine that draws 1.5 million pilgrims annually. The shrine started out as a small chapel, built in 1658 to house a statue of St. Anne after a crippled workman was cured and attributed the miracle to her. Over the years, reports of miracles and healings continued to pour forth, and devotion to St. Anne increased. In 1876, she was proclaimed patron saint of Québec.

But Americans didn’t start flocking to the shrine until 1892, when a relic of the saint was sent to Beaupré by Pope Leo XIII. The relic stopped in New York en route to France, where an epileptic was reportedly cured on its first appearance.

The current basilica, of medieval design, was constructed in 1926. Its interior is illuminated by 240 stained-glass windows, while the central nave’s impressive barrel vault is covered with gleaming mosaics depicting St. Anne’s life. At the base of the nave, two columns are impressively covered with the discarded crutches and walkers left by pilgrims cured by their prayers for the intercession of St. Anne.

But most pilgrims are drawn to the immense, colorfully decorated statue of St. Anne holding her daughter, the infant Blessed Virgin Mary.

Downstairs, the large, beautifully decorated Immaculate Conception Chapel is dedicated to Mary and features a sky-blue ceiling covered with glittering stars. The lower level also contains the tomb of Venerable Father Alfred Pampalon, a Redemptorist especially called upon by those with alcohol and drug addictions.

Adjacent to the shrine lays the St. Anne Museum, which traces the history of the devotion of St. Anne, and an extensive gift shop. Across the street, life-sized bronze statues progress up a hill, depicting the Way of the Cross. A memorial chapel, built in 1878, sits at the base of the hillside, while the Scala Santa, an 1891 chapel tucked into the hillside, contains a stairway commemorating the one Christ ascended when he was walking up to Pontius Pilate and condemned on that first, and holiest, Holy Week.

Location: 10018 Avenue Royale, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre

Phone: (418) 827-3781 x2654

Website: ssadb.qc.ca


Melanie Radzicki McManus

writes from

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.


Planning Your Visit

For a complete listing of Catholic holy sites and special programs for Québec’s 400th anniversary, contact the Corporation du Patrimoine et du Tourisme Religieux de Québec at (418) 694-0665 or visit patrimoine-religieux.com on the Internet. For information on special events celebrating the 350th anniversary of the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, go to ssadb.qc.ca.


Information

49th International

Eucharistic Congress

General Secretariat of the 2008 IEC

1073, boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest
Quebec City, Quebec G1S 4R5 CANADA

Phone: (866) 436-2008

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: cei2008.ca/en