I have been looking forward to our time in Quebec City and Montreal for pilgrimage to the holy sites of St. Anne’s Basilica, Montreal’s Notre-Dame and Brother Andre’s Saint Joseph’s Oratory (prayer) Basilica. Our first stop outside of Quebec City is Saint Anne’s, holy mother of Mary. We drove to a little village that sprouted an immense Basilica out of the ground. It has two bell towers and is a remarkable work of architectural art. In fact, we have been treated to the most beautiful Basilica’s across North America; they simply, from an architectural and artistic point of view, must rank amongst the world’s great treasures. St. Anne’s is not only beautiful inside and out, but radiates a blessing of a holy site, worthy of pilgrimage.
It is interesting to consider Anne, mother of Mary. Said to have immaculately conceived the holy Mother, she is a personage of great spiritual worth. As Jesus’ grandmother, she must have held his little body in her arms; being spiritual sensitive there could be no doubt that she felt something wonderful holding this incarnation of God. It has been said that the Essenes prepared for this birth for generations, each successive generation making themselves spiritually pure for the potential to bring a perfect incarnation into earthly existence. Who could have known what those spiritual seeds would become, seeds that were planted in an obscure part of the world–not in the worldly capitol of Rome, nor in the intellectual capitol of Alexandria, but a village of no account to a humble family. In the caste system of Judaism of the time Mary and Joseph would have been from similar family backgrounds; Joseph a carpenter–a respectable, but hardly of a higher caste. Anne then, would have been from a respectable family, and she bore in her body a pure spiritual being who was destined to be mother of a great savior. Surely, she is venerable herself, and has been the inspiration for this great Basilica. We stayed for Mass that was half in French and half English. The priest spoke very lovingly of sacrifice. The woman who led the singing sang as with the voice of angels. As we left the sun was setting, but a glow kept growing inside of us from this sacred visit.
After spending a day in old Quebec City, where my high school French from so many years ago was not of any use at all, we caravanned on to Montreal. Having seen the pictures of the Basilica of Notre-Dame, dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, I was curious to see what could only be described as wondrous pictures of unearthly beauty inside the Basilica. We drove to the center of the city and found the Basilica there amongst narrow streets that could have come from a European set design. Upon walking in I was even more wonder struck being there in person. The color of Mary is a beautiful deep blue, this is contrasted the 23 karat gold-leaf stars on the ceiling. The neo-gothic wooden structure has intricately painted columns, gold statuary, master paintings and unusual wood carvings that appear to be a city in profile in the front; it all combines to transport one more to a heavenly astral world than this material one. The building’s architect was American-Irish, and a Protestant–for this very French Catholic Basilica! The guide was relieved to tell us though, that at the end of his life he converted to Catholicism—all God’s fun! This is a very fitting house of worship dedicated to the divine mother of Jesus and carries a beautiful vibration to it, though it is a tourist center, complete with a cover charge.
In the afternoon we traveled across town to our Brother Andre’s Basilica. Unlike many cathedral’s later turned Basilica by decree of the Pope, this church was designated a Basilica from its first foundation stone. Brother Andre, if you will remember from an earlier edition of the Cross and Lotus Journal, was orphaned at a young age and taken in by a priest named Andre, whose name he later adopted when he took vows. After travelling to the states for work after the American Civil War, he returned to Montreal and desired to become a monk. He was uneducated, could barely spell his name, and it was a question of how he could serve. It was decided he couldn’t cause too much trouble being the doorman of the Montreal Notre-Dame College; checking in students and visitors. With a life-long Dedication to St. Joseph, father of Jesus, Andre amazed local people when healing happened for those whom he prayed. More people came for his divine healing, and he moved his ministry to a nearby train station to avoid crowds at the college. He used the money he collected for giving haircuts, $300.00 in all, to build a little chapel on the hill to carry on his work for God.
A local doctor, perhaps jealous of his prerogatives, protested that an uneducated Andre should not be healing people of their maladies, he didn’t have the right background! One of Andre’s superiors asked if Andre would stop this work if asked, he was assured that Andre had taken vows of obedience and would. The director said the work could continue for the present. Crutches abound in the little chapel, that was also home for this little man (five feet tall) with a big heart. What a wonderful feeling at the altar in this small chapel, and upstairs we saw his apartment just as he had kept it. The largest Basilica in North America now towers over the little chapel, and also sports numbers of crutches from those healed, no longer needed. The interior of the Basilica is modern, not to my liking, but Saint Brother Andre had nothing to do with that. However, the feeling in the little chapel, and the chapel deep under the Basilica is very wonderful.
We feel so blessed to have come to these holy sites, each dedicated to a family member of Jesus. In truth, it was for this purpose we have come at all. In all these places, we prayed deeply to the Holy family of Jesus for those who are having physical problems, among those are Micheline with tumors, Dianne T. for dangerous bone spurs in the neck, Barbara L. for stroke symptoms and tumors, Win S. for heart problems, and others held in my heart who are all in definite need. All three of these sites are charged spiritual centers–the prayers made there were deep and sincere.
“Oh Lord, you see to it that the highest good of all be fulfilled. You are the miraculous healing power that regenerates a cut into repaired skin, brain damage into renewed wholeness, a weakened heart to become a vigorous pump once again; so many conditions and You are the sole source of healing in little things and large. You are the immense power that explodes as this universe, You are the regenerative ability for rapid, complete and most perfect healing, You make what many call miracles without a pause or difficulty. Oh my most beloved One, miracles abound all about us every day when the sun rises or in the blush of an unfolding flower–exercise Your ability to bring about healing for those who suffer, comfort for those in need, and most of all Your supreme bliss for Your awakened souls who desire You above all other things. We pray in the name of Your Infinite Self, the masters Jesus and Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswarji, Master, Mother, realized masters and saints around this world who You use to carry out Your will here on earth. Be it so—Aum Amen.
