FROM THE DIRECTOR
Vol. 76 No. 1 2011
Dear Friends of the Martyrs’ Shrine,
What’s Inside
Director’s Message Page 1
The Martyrs’ Shrine Welcome Centre Page 2, 5 and 7 Who are These Holy Martyrs? Page 3 Novena to the Canadian Martyrs Prayers Page 4
Farewell to Father Kirsten Page 6 ** Tear-off Flap ** Prayer Petitions MSA Membership Renewal Prayer Requests Staff Changes Page 8
I hope you had a blessed and holy Christmas and are looking forward to a holy and happy Easter. We are into a new year and my prayer for each of you is that the good Lord will bountifully bless you and yours. I’m sure your thoughts, like mine, are turning to the coming spring and all the promise it holds. Are you ready for all the Shrine 2011 season holds?
Speaking of seasons we are all aware that seasons come and seasons go. I have now spent seven seasons at the Martyrs’ Shrine. As you may or may not know Jesuits are moved every now and then. This is done to give new energy and life to the apostolic work by bringing in a new person with new ideas and energy. It is also done to give the outgoing Jesuit a break from what is usually a heavy and demanding workload. And so it is with some sadness but also with some joy that I announce to you that I will be moving on from the Martyrs’ Shrine this year. These past seven seasons have been some of the happiest years I’ve spent as a Jesuit. I have found my work at the Shrine rewarding and fruitful and this in no small part is because of each one of you. You have allowed me to share in your joys, sorrows and the many blessings Our Lord has showered on you our pilgrims over these many years. For that I am truly thankful.
I will remain on as Director until the end of March 2011 at which time the incoming Director Fr. Bernie Carroll, SJ will take over the position of Director. He comes to the Shrine with many years of experience of running Holy Rosary parish in Guelph, Ontario. I know you will support him with your prayers and energy just as you have supported me over the last seven years.
If you will allow me some final words of thanks; Thank you for your many kindnesses to me personally. You welcomed me all those many years ago to the Shrine and many of you have become dear friends that I will hold close in my heart for years to come. I also want to thank the Jesuit and lay staff of the Shrine. If I have achieved any thing good as an administrator here at the Martyrs’ Shrine it is because you have allowed even helped me to achieve it. It has been a delight to work with each one of you. And finally I find that I am thankful to our holy Martyrs and to God for all of the many blessings bestowed on me over these many years. May the good Lord bless and keep you and yours over the winter and for years to come.
Your friend in the Lord,
Rev. Alex Kirsten, S.J., Director
We l c o m e Ce n t r e
An interview with Father Alex....
Q:
The following is a brief interview with Fr. Alex Kirsten that will help all of us understand more fully what the Welcome Centre will be. Our thanks to him for this very enlightening information.
Father, the plans look great, can you tell me a little about how you came up with this design?
A: To begin with we have to look at the Mission Statement of the Shrine (see below). These words helped us formulate the rationale for the Welcome Centre, by assessing the needs and seeing what we did have in existence to meet those needs. It became very evident that something more is needed. Martyrsʼ Shrine is sacred ground where men, women and children come to pray and to be healed by touching the lives of the Canadian Martyrs. Martyrsʼ Shrine is sacred ground where men, women and children come to pray and to be healed by touching the lives of the Canadian Martyrs.
Martyrsʼ Shrine is sacred ground where people of many nations and cultures gather to enter into communion with those all over the world who sacrificed their lives for faith and for justice. Q:
Martyrsʼ Shrine is sacred ground where people come searching and leave challenged to go out to proclaim their faith, to inspire hope and to build a civilization of love for everyone. Can you expand on this a little Father?
A: The Shrine is almost 85 years old. The Shrine Church has by default become the place of first stop and assembly for our pilgrims. This often noisy activity conflicts with those who want a quiet place to pray before the relics of the Martyrs or celebrating the liturgy. A pilgrim Welcome Centre for the site is urgently needed to be a place of first stop and assembly for our visitors. The location of the Welcome Centre will also improve traffic circulation on the grounds, ensure the safety of pedestrians and drivers, as well as accommodate the growing number of visitors, many of whom are elderly or have limited mobility. While the Shrineʼs buildings have been carefully maintained, some are inadequate for todayʼs needs, such as the present reception area, the restaurant/café and gift shop. The buildings that are occupied by these three facilities are now too small for their purposes. On days that we have five to eight thousand pilgrims on site these facilities can not provide the needed services. With the relocation of these three facilities into much larger spaces, in a new Welcome Centre, we will be better able to serve our pilgrim visitors. Q: A:
That sounds very impressive, can you tell me a bit more about the inside? The Lobby and Information Centre
The lobby and information desk of the Welcome Centre will be able to accommodate crowds of up to three to four hundred people. This two storied open space will become a natural “first stop” for our pilgrim groups because of its central location. This function will be enhanced by the fact that the information desk will also be located here. At this desk groups will be able to organize their visit to the site. They will be able to sign up for the various tours offered of the site. The lobby will also be a key location for many displays about the Shrine. The lobby will be visitor friendly and an ideal location on rainy days. Page -2- Martyrs’ Shrine MESSAGE
Continued on Page 7
Who Are These Holy Martyrs?
Saint Jean de Brébeuf, S.J. Martyred March 16, 1649. Jean de Brébeuf, born in Normandy, was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 33. He was the first Jesuit Missionary in Huronia (1626), a master of the Native language, worked through all the district of Huronia for thirteen years, founded Mission outposts and converted thousands to the faith. He was known as the Apostle of the Hurons. He was massive in body, strong, yet gentle in character. Before leaving Normandy, he revealed his sentiments. “I felt a strong desire to suffer something for Christ.” He made a vow signed in his blood, never to refuse the offer of Martyrdom if asked to die for Christ. He was captured March 16, 1649 and tortured for hours. He was Martyred at St. Ignace, six miles from Ste. Marie, at the age of 56.
Saint Isaac Jogues, S.J. Martyred October 18, 1646. Isaac Jogues was a priest only seven months and was 29 years of age when he came to Canada in 1636. He set out at once for Huronia. For three years he served at Mission outposts, instructing and baptizing. On a return journey from Quebec, he was captured by the Iroquois, brutally tortured, and made a slave. Thirteen months later he escaped to France. By the next year he was back in Canada and was sent as an emissary to discuss a treaty with the Iroquois. He went, “his heart seized with dread,” at the prospect of again falling into the hands of his torturers. He was seized at Ossernenan (now Auriesville, N.Y.) and cruelly beaten. A blow from a tomahawk gave him the crown of Martyrdom on October 18, 1646, at the age of 39. Saint Gabriel Lalemant, S.J. Martyred March 17, 1649. Gabriel Lalemant, a Parisian, became a Jesuit at age 19. His ambition was to labour in the Missions and he asked to be sent to the Canadian Missions. He was “one of the most feeble and delicate in health.” A scholar, he was professor of Philosophy, and dean of studies in French Colleges. He arrived in Huronia in September 1648 where in words of Scriptures, he was destined to complete a long time in a short space. In Huronia seven months, just beginning to speak the Native tongue, he was sent to assist Brébeuf in February 1649. He was captured with Brébeuf and tortured for seventeen hours at the stake. Gabriel Lalemant died on March 17 in his 39th year, at St. Ignace, six miles from Ste. Marie.
Saint Antoine Daniel, S.J. Martyred July 4, 1648. Antoine Daniel was born in Normandy and became a Jesuit and was ordained a priest at 29. He answered a strong call to the Missions of Canada and was a Missioner near Bras d’Or Lakes (1632). He founded the first boys’ College in North America (Quebec 1635) and laboured in Huronia for twelve years. He mastered the language and dreamed of forming future catechists among the Hurons who would instruct other members of their tribe. The Mission was attacked by the Iroquois in July 1648. Daniel encouraged the converts to meet death as Christians should; he hastily baptized all he could and went out to face the enemy. His body was pierced with arrows and bullets.
The Iroquois set fire to the Chapel and threw his body into the flames. He was Martyred at Mount St. Louis, 12 miles from Ste. Marie at the age of 48.
Saint Charles Garnier, S.J. Martyred December 7, 1649. Charles Garnier, a Parisian, a Jesuit, and a priest, was attracted to the arduous Missions of Canada. He came to Huronia at the age of thirty-one and for thirteen years laboured among the Hurons and Petuns. He was a victim of the Iroquois massacre of the village of Etharita, thirty miles from Ste. Marie. He refused to escape but exercised his charity to the end. Saint Charles Garnier was always a person of innocence and purity with a strong devotion to Our Lady whom he acknowledged looked after him as a youth. Gentle, innocent, fearless, he succeeded in winning many souls to God both at St. Joseph’s Mission and among the Petuns.
Saint Noël Chabanel, S.J. Martyred December 8, 1649. Noël Chabanel became a Jesuit at the age of seventeen, a priest at twenty-eight, and was a successful professor and humanist in France. Experiencing a strong desire to consecrate himself to the Canadian Missions, he arrived in Quebec in 1643 and then travelled to Huronia. The enthusiasm of the young missionary quickly lost its glamour. Unable to learn the Native language, feeling useless in the ministry, sensitive to the surroundings, his life was to be one unbroken chain of disappointments, an ordeal that he himself called a “bloodless Martyrdom.” Tempted to return to France, he bound himself by a vow to remain in New France till death. For two years he stood in the shadow of death and then was slain secretly by an apostate Huron on the banks of the Nottawasaga, twenty-five miles from Ste. Marie on December 8, 1649.
Saint René Goupil, S.J. Martyred September 29, 1642. René Goupil entered the Jesuit Order but had to leave because of ill health. He studied medicine and then offered his services to the Jesuit Missions in Canada. On his way to Huron country with Isaac Jogues in 1642, they were captured by the Iroquois, tortured and taken to the Mohawk country. On the journey to Mohawk country he begged Isaac Jogues to receive his vows. A month later he was martyred for making the sign of the cross on a little Native child. He was martyred at Auriesville, N.Y. at the age of thirty-five, on September 29, 1642.
Saint Jean de LaLande, S.J. Martyred October 19, 1646. Jean de LaLande was a young layman who offered his services to the Jesuits of New France. He accompanied Isaac Jogues to the Mohawk Mission in 1646, knowing what he might have to suffer, gladly offering himself as a companion to Jogues and looking to God to protect him and to be his reward if the sacrifice of his life was demanded. With Isaac Jogues, he was tortured and threatened with death. He saw the martyrdom of Jogues on October 18. He himself was martyred on the following day at Auriesville, N.Y.
Martyrs’ Shrine MESSAGE Page -3-
Invitation & Novena Prayers
We invite you to join in the Novena to the Canadian Martyrs and St. Joseph, March 11-19, 2011. During these nine days we honour all the Martyrs and commemorate the martyrdoms of St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. Gabriel Lalemant and the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19) in whom the Martyrs placed great trust.
A Novena of Masses and the Novena Prayers to the Martyrs will be offered for the intentions of all making the Novena. Intentions that are sent to the Shrine will be left on the altar beside the relics of the Martyrs during the Novena.
May St. Joseph and the Martyrs, patrons of Canada, intercede for all of us and for our country.
PRAYER TO THE MARTYRS
Holy Martyrs and patrons, protect this land which you have blessed by the shedding of your blood. Renew in these days our Catholic faith which you have helped to establish in this new land. Bring all our fellow citizens to a knowledge and love of the truth. Make us zealous in the profession of our faith so that we may continue and perfect the work which you have begun with so much labour and suffering. Pray for our homes, our schools, our missions, for vocations, for the conversion of sinners, the return of those who have wandered from the fold, and the perseverance of all the Faithful. And foster a deeper and increasing unity among all Christians. Amen.
PRAYER TO OUR LADY
Glorious Queen of Martyrs, to whom the early missionaries of this country were so devoted and from whom they received so many favours, graciously listen to my petition. Ask your Divine Son to remember all they did for His glory. Remind Him that they preached the gospel and made His holy name known to thousands who had never heard of Him, and then for Him had their apostolic labours crowned by shedding their blood. Exercise your motherly influence as you did at Cana, and implore Him to grant me what I ask in this Novena, if it be according to His will. Amen.
PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH
(Patron of the Martyrs and of Canada) O God, who in your special Providence deigned to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your holy Mother, grant, we beseech you, that we may deserve to have him as our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate on earth as our protector. You who live and reign in the world without end. Amen.
NOVENA PRAYER
O God, who by the preaching and the blood of Your blessed Martyrs, Jean and Isaac and their companions, consecrated the first fruits of faith in the vast regions of North America, graciously grant that by their intercession the flourishing harvest of Christians may be everywhere and always increased. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PRAYER OF PETITION
O God, who inflamed the hearts of your blessed Martyrs with an admirable zeal for the salvation of souls, grant me, I beseech you, my petitions, so that the favours obtained through their intercession may make manifest before your people the power and the glory of your name. Amen.
St. Jean de Brébeuf, pray for us St. Charles Garnier, pray for us St. Isaac Jogues, pray for us St. Noël Chabanel, pray for us St. Gabriel Lalemant, pray for us St. René Goupil, pray for us St. Antoine Daniel, pray for us St. Jean de LaLande, pray for us Holy Mary, Queen of Martyrs, pray for us
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CONFESSIONA L
ATRIUM
GIFT SHOP
STORAGE
Your enrollment contributes to the continuation of this ministry of prayer, healing and pilgrimage through the intercession of the Canadian Martyrs. Your contribution will greatly support the work of the Shrine, and you and your family will share in the spiritual community of prayers and Masses offered by the Shrine Staff. Every year members and benefactors of the Shrine Association benefit from one hundred Masses offered intentionally for them. As members of the Association you also receive the SHRINE MESSAGE. Annual family membership is $20.00
Please renew or enroll a friend or family member in the Martyrs’ Shrine Association
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
CHAPEL
We lc ome Cent re F loor Plan
There are also special perpetual memberships: For a family living or deceased . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 For an individual living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 50.00 For an individual deceased . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 35.00
Martyrs’ Shrine MESSAGE Page -5-
SERVERY
K ITCHEN STORAGE
A DMINISTRATION
MECH/EL ECT
MEETING ROOMS
DISHWA SH
PA NTRY
WA SHROOM
FRIDGE
$500.00_______ $300.00_______ $100.00_______ $ 20.00_______
Father Director, I am happy to support the building of the New Welcome Centre. Here is my donation.
Welcome Centre Donations
VESTIBUL E
INFORMATION
STORAGE
WA SHROOM
OFFICE
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The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced (Psalm 126: 3)
When first appointed as Director of the Shrine seven years ago, it is certain that he did not anticipate that he would see the Shrine through an earthquake or tornado, let alone both in one day! He writes in his letter (on the cover) “these past seven seasons have been some the happiest years I have spent as a Jesuit. I have found my work rewarding and fruitful and this in no small part is because of each one of you.”
Thank You
And fruitful they were! He leaves us with a well established Board of Trustees, a renewed entrance to the Filion Centre, a rejuvenated siding on the Church, an Education Centre used by school groups, the LaLande Hostel for overnight pilgrims, an established Archives and a full renewal of the Polish Altar area. These are but a few of the tangible fruits he leaves us at the Shrine and for them we are thankful. If asked about these projects he would surely say it is all because of what you have helped me to accomplish. He also continued the great ministry of the Shrine being a House of Prayer and Home of Peace.
SUCCESS IN EXAMINATIONS
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Thank you Fr. Alex
Yet words are not easy to find in order to express our gratitude for the non-tangible ministry over the past seven years. What words of thanks can express truly, what he, together with his fellow Jesuits and lay staff, offered to countless pilgrims as they came to the Shrine, daily, seeking the intercession of the Holy Martyrs. What words of thanks can we offer when looking at the transformed lives of these pilgrims as they encountered the living God. We thank you Father for your great sharing of time and talent and your great witness. Words may not express our thanks fully, but know that we will continue with the same type of zeal and passion you have shared with us over these past seven years. We close with the words we so often have heard from you; May the good Lord bless and keep you and yours in your new ministry and the years to come.
Continued from Page 2
The Martyrsʼ Chapel
An all season Chapel will allow visits to the Relics of the Martyrs during the winter months. In the Martyrsʼ Chapel of the Welcome Centre the relics will be on display for veneration throughout the year. The winterized chapel also makes possible daily liturgies, and perhaps small Christmas and Easter celebrations in the appropriate liturgical season.
A New Shrine Café
The new Shrine Café will have seating for 200 to 300. With a full service kitchen, the Café will provide meals for our pilgrim population, for private receptions like the feast day dinner, large group meetings. The Café will also be available during the off season for rental purposes such as wedding receptions etc. A New Shrine Gift Shop
The new Shrine gift shop will now be located in an ideal location for our pilgrims and will have almost twice the space to display its many wares. The new location will eliminate all the hill climbing that was necessary in the old location on the lower level. With the gift shop located in the Welcome Centre pilgrims who have purchased items that they wish to have blessed will simply exit the shop and find a priest at the reception desk right in the lobby. Two Additional Large Meeting Rooms
Outdoor Patios
The addition of the two large meeting rooms in the Welcome Centre will provide much needed space for our Walk Where They Walked educational program. This program has been restricted to one group only in either of the morning or afternoon time slots. This restriction was necessary because we had so little meeting space available. Now with the added meeting rooms this program will be able to expand to multiple groups on any given day. In the evenings and during the off season these meeting rooms can be made available for community activities, to present exhibitions on different themes, such as sacred art, etc.
The Welcome Centre will feature a number of outdoor patio areas. The patios will allow pilgrims to have their meals while viewing the scenery of the grounds. These patios will also be available as gathering spaces for receptions, etc. Q:
Are you able to tell us a little about the programming?
Q:
What will the cost be for this Welcome Centre?
A: To name a few, we have hopes for a Speaker Series, Movie afternoons, Taize Prayer. But really I would like to save the full programming for the next newsletter where we can expand and hopefully advertise some dates. A: Our projected costs could be close to 2.95 million dollars. Although we have more than half the funds needed already we will need more. Over the yearʼs donations from our readers and other supporters has been consistent, and with your help the building of the Welcome Centre can be achieved. There are many different ways of providing a donation. O
O O O
O
One very simple way is letʼs say for example that if someone usually gives 30 dollars to the Shrine they could match that amount with an amount to the Welcome Centre.
Others may want to offer a plaque in memory of loved one. For a donation of $250.00 your plaque will be added to our Donor board.
Anniversary Plaque. For $500.00 you can add the name of your friends and loved ones when celebrating a wedding anniversary. E.g. 50th Wedding anniversary.
You may want to buy some furnishings for the chapel , such as monstrance, or thurible
Larger donations can also be considered in naming of one of the rooms or other areas
Q:
How can someone make a donation?
Q:
Is there anything else you would like to add Father?
A:
If you would like to make a donation please use the card in this newsletter and return in it in the envelope provided.
I am inviting everyone to pray for the success of this project, because with prayer we know it will be a great success. I also invite you to our website www.martyrs-shrine.com as we will be having an ongoing update of the progress of the building starting in April. Thank you for your time and we look forward to PART TWO!
Martyrs’ Shrine MESSAGE Page -7-
Updated Staff News
F a r e w el l Da r le n e S u n n e r to n
When you call the Martyrs' Shrine you may very well have been welcomed by the kind voice of Darlene Sunnerton. No question too tough, or request too difficult. All of the them are always answered in the same gentle and very inviting manner. For the past 23 years Darlene has been part of the Martyrs’ Shrine family and recently has announced that she would like to continue her pilgrimage in life together with Bob her husband, her children and new granddaughter as a retired person. She will be greatly missed. We offer her our sincere thanks for the many years of ministry, and our prayers as she now continues her pilgrimage. If you would like to drop her a line or a card, just pass it on to us here and we will make sure she gets it.
We l c o m e A n g e l a K r u g e r
A new face to the Shrine is Angela Kruger. If you have made contact with the Shrine since mid December you have heard her voice. Angela is married with two children and comes to us with great experience and tremendous enthusiasm. She hails from the town of Waubaushene and is a parishioner of St. John’s Church. We welcome her to this new position and wish her all the best. Make sure you drop in and meet her personally or drop her an email.
W e l c o m e F r. B e r n i e C a r r o l l
In early December the Provincial, Fr. Jim Webb announced that Fr. Bernie would be the new Director of Martyrs’ Shrine. He comes to us with great pastoral experience which he has gained over his years of ministry and most recently, for the past 10 years, as Pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Guelph, Ontario. His official start date is March 25th, yet we look forward to him arriving a bit earlier and getting settled. We welcome him and offer our prayers and support as he begins his new ministry position. More information about Fr. Bernie will come in our next Newsletter.
May June July
Aug.
Pilgrimages - 2011
14 28
SHRINE OPENS Knights of Columbus Retreat Mass of Thanksgiving
03 03 09 10 16 16 17 28-31
Holy Crucifix Slovak Chinese Pilgrimage (Sat.) German Pilgrimage Tamil Catholic Community (Sat.) India, Pakistan (Sat.) Croation Pilgrimage PROVINCE CONGRESS
05 11 11-12 26
06 13
Czech Vietnamese (Sat.) First Nations Italian Pilgrimage
Filipino (Sat.) Walking Pilgrimage (Sat.)
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Sept.
Oct.
14 18-21 20 25 27 27 28 28 29
03 04 10 11 18 24
12
Polish Archdiocese Youth Rally Hungarian (Sat.) Communal Anointing Service Irish (Sat.) St. Bakhita Pilgrimage Group (Sat.) Lithuanian Mission Sunday Goan Pilgrimage Group
Korean (Sat.) Slovenian Archdiocesan Western Region (Sat.) International Order of Alhambra 27th Annual Living Rosary The Feast of the Canadian Martyrs (Sat.) SHRINE CLOSES for the season