History

The Shrine of the Jesuit Canadian Martyrs in Midland celebrated the 75th anniversary of the current church on the hill in 2001.

The devotion to the martyrs had been developing for many years before their beatification in 1925. In 1907, a chapel was dedicated in the parish of Waubaushene, at the site of the martyrdom of Jesuits Father Jean de Brebeuf and Father Gabriel Lalemant, only 12 km from the current shrine. For 18 years, thousands of pilgrims visited this modest shrine, finding shelter in the 40-room lodging house.

In 1925, at the initiative of Father John M. Filion, a farm was purchased on a hill by a sandy road, opposite the ruins of Ste-Marie. Father Filion, acting as both architect and construction manager, managed to cover the roof before winter with the help of 50 local sailors and the participation of several lumber companies. In accordance with the founder's wishes, the church was maintained in a simple country style and the vault was given the shape of an inverted boat. With its stone finish, the church on the hill always presented itself impressively. The resourceful founder acquired three altars, balusters, pews and stained glass windows from the demolition of St. Peter's Church in Toronto for a symbolic amount of $3,000. That same year, the cathedral in London gave Midland, after its church was renovated, free of charge the Stations of the Cross and stained glass windows painted in Germany.

The sanctuary was dedicated on Saturday, June 25, 1926, by Cardinal O'Connell of Boston, who came to Midland directly from the Eucharistic Congress in Chicago.

The numerous initiatives of the sanctuary directors are noteworthy, such as historical plays about martyrs presented in 1936-37, the historical show entitled "Adoration to Canada" from 1949, which gathered 40,000 delighted spectators who could admire 25 musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and 500 actors during 4 evenings, or the Annual Days of Prayer of the Native Indians initiated by Father Rye.

In 1984, on the 70th anniversary of the sanctuary, Midland experiences a visit from the Holy Father John Paul II, who proclaims to the world and Canada in front of television cameras: "This shrine of the Martyrs is a place of pilgrimage and prayer, a monument of God's blessing for the past, an inspiration for us looking to the future."

The year 1992 is also significant, when the relics of St. Jean de Brebeuf - his skull - return from Quebec to the shrine.

Every year pilgrims come to the only national shrine in Canada, outside Quebec. They come individually, in organized groups, as schools, parishes, dioceses. They arrive by car, bus and even on foot. Their number already reaches 200,000 annually and the ethnic chapels scattered around the park-garden surrounding the sanctuary witness numerous processions, masses and prayers in over 20 languages. At the same time, in the rustic church of Father Filion, four masses are celebrated in English every day.

On the next anniversary of the sanctuary, let us repeat after Pope John Paul II: "Let us recall for a moment these heroic saints whom we honor in this place and who left us such a wonderful legacy."

Urszula Hofman