National Pilgrimage to Martyrs Shrine
On Saturday, 14th October, the Toronto Region organized a mini-pilgrimage to the Canadian Martyr’s Shrine in Midland, Ontario, a little more than an hour north of Toronto. This national shrine commemorates the martyrdom of the Jesuit Jean de Bréboeuf and his companions in 1649. Despite being closed for the winter, the Director, Father Michael Knox, sj, opened the site for us and guided us through a discussion, mass, a communal meal, and a visit to all parts of the shrine, explaining to us all the meaning and the need for a true commitment to Christ, as well as the history of the original Jesuits at Midland. Very few churches can concentrate the mind like the simple clearing in the forest at St-Ignace, where the martyrs were tortured and died for their faith and their parishioners. Many of us felt this five hour pilgrimage to be as intense and more personal than even Lourdes……and yet many Canadians do not know of it. Definitely a repeat for all concerned!
