St. Joseph’s Oratory, photos by Eliza Myers
Eyes that have seen
One evening in 1888, Father Frederic, a Franciscan, and two other men witnessed the eyes of a statue of Mary look up at them with life inside the St. Marie Madeleine Chapel. To commemorate the miracle, locals set up Our Lady of the Cape Shrine, a site that now attracts some 250,000 pilgrims annually.
“Father Frederic described her as looking far ahead with love and compassion,” said Father Yoland Ouellet, rector of the shrine. “He was so deeply touched by that miracle that he stayed here for 14 years. We say he has ‘the eyes that have seen the eyes.’ That says it all.”
The same statue still stands inside the historic 1714 chapel where the miracle originally took place. I watched Mary’s downturned eyes for a long time. They looked so close to glancing up that I felt like they might move any minute. Even without witnessing another miracle, I enjoyed the feeling of peace permeating the small chapel.
Next to the 1714 chapel is a modern basilica inaugurated in 1964. My camera could capture only small portions of the immense structure despite my efforts. I enjoyed hearing the organ music echo through the basilica while I looked up at bright stained-glass windows that took 10 years to create.
Outside, I walked the shrine’s Way of the Cross, which takes people through the 15 rosary stations that mark various moments in Christ’s life, from birth to resurrection. The route was designed to be the same distance that Jesus walked from judgment to crucifixion.
Once I left the chapel, I experienced more of Quebec’s outdoor wonders at St. Anthony’s Hermitage of Lac-Bouchette. The only Quebec national shrine enclosed by wilderness, St. Anthony’s sits on the shores of Lake Ouiatchouan.
“Our motto at the hermitage is to welcome, to serve and to love,” said Father France Salesse, a Capuchin priest and passionate guide of the hermitage. “Here you have a chance to see the nature and beauty of Quebec.”
That evening, I enjoyed a French Canadian dinner at the Hermitage’s dining hall. The delicious sauces and tender meats were served family style, so I was able to try a bite of everything. After I felt too full to move, I had to walk only a short way to my room for the night; the hermitage has several different lodging options, including campsites, 60 hotel rooms and cottages.
The next day, Father Salesse took me on a tour of the hermitage’s various attractions, including the site’s museum, bell tower and grotto replicating the grotto in Lourdes, France. I also stepped inside each of the three churches on the property to admire the lake views of Agora Notre Dame, the stained-glass windows of Our Lady of Snow Church and the vibrant frescoes inside St. Anthony’s Chapel.
