Week 12: I'm Glad You Came

Well we walked in to Ottawa on Tuesday. Nellie, Pat and I took those last steps together all the way to St. Patrick's Basilica downtown. I am sad to say that Ottawa had the worst response of every town or city I walked through this entire summer. So many people angrily shouted at us with curses. A woman biked past us and said "Sorry. Pro-choice" as if she were being offensive. I felt very ashamed of my city as I walked that day. So many say that Ottawa is a great place to live and it is full of opportunities. But how proud can you be of the capital city when during the week there are countless children being killed in secret...

In the evening, the team had Mass at Divine Infant Parish. There we were greeted by mine and Alannah's family as well as many NET staff.

Tuesday night we drove to Montreal and on Wednesday we spent some time visiting shrines and holy sites. We went to Blessed Kateri's shrine and we got to see her tomb! Later on that day, half the team went to Trois Rivieres will the other went to see Notre Dame Basilica. Those of us who went to see Notre Dame were truly amazed at that Church. At first, we were unable to get in. We had to pay just to see the chapel. But there was this light show playing later in the afternoon and a generous group of strangers that we met paid our way in!

We spent the whole of Thursday in Quebec City. Only a few of us were wearing our PRO-LIFE shirts, but it was enough to make people turn their heads. The response was mostly negative with people laughing at us. But hey, that is the whole point of our mission. We spent a few hours at St. Anne de Beaupre - yet another beautiful Church. It was the biggest Church I had ever seen! There were so many tombs and tabernacles surrounding the sanctuary. Here are some pictures!

 

 

Some of us split up and we walked around the city for the rest of the day. We stopped at a few Churches, window-shopped, and watched street performers. It was a really nice day!

We arrived back in Ottawa Friday around noon. We spent most of the afternoon cleaning out the van and the RV. We then went to Mass at St. Pat's. Afterwards, we went to the Walker's for dinner where we were treated to probably the best meal we had all summer as well as wonderful entertainment from Alannah's brother Jonah.

Saturday we prayed as a team outside the Morgentaler Clinic. As usual, there were those who shook their heads at us as if to say that what we were doing was shameful. It doesn't make any sense. After praying for an hour or so, we went back to St. Pat's to meet up with some friends who would join us in walking around the city to Parliament Hill.

There was a small turn-out on the hill, but big enough to perk up some curiosity. In fact, someone from CBC news came and apparently (I didn't see it) we were on the 6 o'clock news! Wanda Hartlin, the head of CLC in Ottawa introduced us all and Frank Barrett, an avid pro-lifer, handed us all certificates from Pierre Lemieux MP.

Afterwards, we walked to St. Theresa's Church for a luncheon. The team then split up and we went to our designated Churches to speak at Masses. I was sent to my one and only Annunciation of the Lord Parish. It was so nice to be back at my Church or 11 years. So many people - many of whom I had never spoken with before - greeted me and hugged me saying that I had done a wonderful job.

Saturday night we had a potluck dinner at Annunciation and most of us gave our testimonies. Sunday we had a brunch at my house and we spent the rest of the day reminiscing on our amazing summer; looking at pictures, watching videos, etc. We then had an impromptu party in my basement which consisted of much laughter, music, food, and dancing. It was a great way to finish this amazing experience which I will never ever forget.

Week 11: Je Suis Pro Vie!

Well another week has come and gone. We’re nearly done our journey!

We did something a little different on Monday: the whole team walked through the city of Toronto for the whole day. It was great - we got a lot of positive responses. One construction worker shouted from a building “Pro-life! No abortion!” Later on, we passed a man who jokingly said “You guys must be trying to make a statement.” We were even joined by some Wilson children as well as some parishioners from Pat’s church.

Here are some pictures of walkers going through Toronto...

The rest of the week flew by pretty fast. We were split again into two teams; one team walked while the other rested. This week we walked through Whitby, Cobourg...and we ended on Friday in Kingston.  Friday morning, our pilgrim leader Pat left for the weekend to go to a friend’s wedding. Lucky for us, Carlos was on his way! For those of you who don’t remember or do not know, Carlos was with us for the first two weeks. He is Martha’s right hand man. He is from the states and he was the one who drove the RV from Washington to Vancouver. Anyway, we picked up Carlos late Friday night from the airport.

We went to Montreal for the weekend and boy was it a great weekend! Friday evening we went to Greg and Fiona Barrett’s house for dinner. It was a great meal and the company was very nice. Too bad we were all so tired - we weren’t very good company ourselves.

Saturday morning we went to Mass at St. Joseph’s Oratory. I have been there at least six times, but most of the members of the team had never been. After Mass, we spent some time in prayer and wondering around the beautiful structure. Later on that morning, we prayed outside the abortion clinic on St. Joseph street of all names. A few people passed us shaking their heads but that was the worst that happened. We then shared a picnic with the Barrett family in the park.

Some shots of the Oratory...

Saturday evening we hit up our churches for our usual Parish talks. Alannah and I managed to get this one church, St. Luke’s. It was the same Parish that her mother was once the choir director of. Their family had been members of St. Luke’s for several years and many of the parishioners remembered her family. Sunday we spoke at the Parishes again. One of the Masses was in French and I got to speak at that one. It was a little nerve-racking since it’s been a few years that I’ve studied French. Of course, immersion helped me to write up a satisfactory speech. Alannah’s family ended up coming to the last Mass of the morning. They were heading home from Dominus Vobiscum camp in St-Gabriel Quebec. When they discovered that Alannah would be speaking at St. Luke’s of course they were more than willing to stop by. So we visited with them for a bit at Tim Horton’s and then we went separate ways.

One point I would like to make is: although so many say that the Church is dead in Quebec, those who are faithful are really strong in their faith. I never felt more welcomed at a Parish this entire walk. Upon entering the church, Alannah and I were greeted by a lady named Julie Lafontaine. She was very sweet and very happy to see us. She showed us around the church and showed us where to sit and stand. She also introduced us to the priest. This was a great treat for us because normally we stumble into the church and have to look for the priest on our own. Another thing that made this Parish feel so alive was that at the Our Father everyone held hands. This reminded me of when I went to St. Mary's as a little girl. Finally, the music that was done was quite lively, especially one particular Mass that had four teens doing the music. It was wonderful!

Sunday evening was really great. We had a pizza dinner with several young adults - some married with babies. One of the couples, in fact, was Alannah’s cousin and her husband and their baby. It was so nice to see them, for it had been over a year since I had seen them last. It was also very encouraging at least for me to see these young couples - though older than I - who are very pro-life as well. They were encouraged by us, too. It was, however, a great change to be around people closer to my age. Sunday night we drove back to Kingston. It was a pretty late night but we managed.

Our newest member: Adrian!

Doing the dishes...

Making supper...

Only one week left until Ottawa!