Sunday, November 5, 2023

Montreal Pilgrimage - Day 2

It was quite noisy in the halls of the John XXIII Pavilion during the night but the building was warm and I had my white noise machine.  With the time change ("Fall Back"), I only ended up sleeping until 0430.  I read for about an hour before I got ready and left our lodgings for a walk.  Almost immediately, I encountered a Holy Cross Bishop (from northeast India) and talked with him for a bit.  I then took a circuit around the immediate neighborhood and then walked down Queen Mary Road to Cote des Neiges again.  Once there, I checked out stores and restaurants there before backtracking to the Oratory - I arrived at the Pavilion at about 0655, just before the breakfast buffet began.  In the communal dining area, I ate a nice meal (fruit, croissants, cereal) and was joined about 15 minutes later by Joe and Jason.  We ate together and talked for a little bit before going back to our rooms to pack up for departure.  By 0745, we met in the lobby and then loaded up the car.  Because parking on the hill was at such a premium, we walked up the hill to the Oratory (0800) instead.  The views from the southern peak of Mount Royal were tremendous! We got some photos before heading inside, where we did some Eucharistic Adoration (30 minutes) and went to Confession.  When I finished with that, the earlier Mass was just letting out so I got to prep myself for the French Mass that we planned to attend a bit later.  By 0930, we were all together again as the service began.  It was hard to follow all the prayers but there were some helpful books in the pews.  I definitely noticed some differences in the order of the Mass and enjoyed the interesting prayers.  Best part: the music was wonderful!  Afterwards, Joe tried to get some St. Joseph's Oil blessed while Jason lit some candles for members of our Parish.  Meanwhile, I got to witness a wonderful image of comfort as the Counseling Priest assisted a young lady (passing by the place where I was sitting) who was obviously dealing with a great sorrow.  He was really caring and helpful to her.  Together again with Joe and Jason, we walked through the Oratory one more time.  After that, we walked down the hill to our car.  The weather was so wonderful, I suggested a walk through the Mount Royal Park and the guys agreed with that suggestion.  To get there, we used Queen Mary Road and entered the Cote des Neiges Cemetery. Joe and Jason were very patient while I located the gravesites of my ancestors (1110).  After that, we maneuvered out of the cemetery and drove up to the parking area for Mount Royal (1130).  I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out how to pay for parking on the strange (French) machine but, once that was resolved, we walked a short distance to the Mount Royal Chalet and got the amazing view of Montreal I'd last seen in 2022.  We also toured inside the Chalet and then walked over to the big cross on the north end of the mountain.  Back at Jason's car by 1225, we then started to make our way back to A-15.  Fortunately, we managed to get there with some side streets and then crossed the Saint Lawrence without traffic.  Once on Route 10, we proceeded to A-35 (backtrack to Saint Jean sur Richelieu).  Joe had seen a place there called Poutine and Company so we found it again (1335) and ate a delicious lunch.  We each got a different kind of poutine and it was all really good.  After we'd eaten our fill, we started south on A-35 and QC-133.  This time, we headed straight for the I-89 crossing at Saint Armand.  Along the way, we saw lots of evidence of the impending opening of the A-35 extension of the highway.  We arrived at the Customs Checkpoint at 1510 and had to wait nearly an hour to cross.  When we reached the border guard, our talk with him lasted less than five minutes.  Once back in the US, we drove (via I-89) and made great time to Lebanon (NH), arriving at my condo at 1800.  What a wonderful two days of prayer and penance!  Thinking back on all the activities we did that were meaningful to us as Catholics, the highlights were definitely: attending a French Mass, experiencing many unique holy areas (most honored St. Joseph) within the Oratory, learning about the exemplary life of Saint Andre Bessette (“Frere Andre”), spending the night (on the Oratory grounds) in the John XXIII Pavilion, encountering members of the Congregation of the Holy Cross (caretakers of the Oratory and founders of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend) as they performed their duties, walking through colorful forests (at Bois Summit and Mount Royal Park), marveling at the amazing vistas available from the mountain shrine and paying respects to Owen Coogan at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.  We also found three wonderful Quebecois restaurants that served some unbelievable food.  Overall, our weekend away was the perfect blend of faith, history, language and culture.  Montreal’s St. Joseph Oratory was definitely a worthwhile site for a pilgrimage and I hope to return again soon!