Notre-Dame de Québec's 350th Jubilee Celebrated with Only Holy Door Outside Europe

Photo by Sue Frause

When I first visited Quebec City during Carnaval de Quebec in 2002, I made a point to visit Notre-Dame de Quebec. The Sunday mass was in French, as was the singing by the children's choir -- it was magical. A dozen years later, the cathedral is celebrating its 350th anniversary. Notre-Dame de Quebec is the first cathedral built in North America, and the first Catholic parish established in the Americas north of the Spanish colonies. 

Photo by Sue Frause

In addition to the many activities marking the 350th Jubilee, Notre-Dame de Quebec has also been honored by having the only Holy Door in the Americas and the first one outside Europe. It opened December 8, 2013 and will remain there until December 28, 2014. Even though I was raised Catholic, I'd never heard of or seen a Holy Door. Simply put, it's a symbol of oneness with the universal church. It's also a symbol of convocation, an invitation to persons of good will to enter, no matter what their religious domination. 

Photo by Sue Frause

To visit the Holy Door, begin in the Garden of the Jubilee to the left of the Cathedral-Basillica. From there, follow the walkway leading to the Holy Door, and go through it. You'll now be in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, which houses relics of "forebears, the saints and blesseds of Canada who blazed a path of faith for us to follow." When leaving the chapel, a guide will stamp your pilgrim's credential with the seal of Notre-Dame de Quebec. 

Vue panoramique du Vieux-Québec | Panoramic view of Old Québec
 Luc-Antoine Couturier

The Sneeze! Musquodoboit Harbour, NS is latest star of story

Canadian flag in Halifax, located 45 km west of Musquodoboit Harbour, NS
Photo by Sue Frause

A Canadian friend now living in my hometown forwarded the below tale to me. It's (supposedly) a true story, and (supposedly) happened at Eastern Shore District High School in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia.

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into the already crowded auditorium. With their rich, maroon gowns flowing and the traditional capes, they looked almost as grown-up as they felt. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would not pray during the commencement, not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it. The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine, until the final speech eceived a standing ovation. A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then, it happened. All 92 students, every single one of them, suddenly sneezed.

The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, "God bless you!" and walked off the stage. The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

I checked with snopes.com, and it turns out that it's "based on a true story." Over the past decade, the location of where the incident happened has changed, as have the details of the story. Read the full snopes.com explanation here.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal celebrates Christmas and light

While going through my iPhoto albums, I spent time re-visiting Montreal. What a beautiful, vibrant place to be. One of these Decembers, I'd love to spend Christmas in the largest city in Quebec.

Of course I'd go to the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. Located in Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal), it was the site for Celine Dion's wedding to Rene Angelil on Dec. 17, 1994 and where Justin Trudeau gave his eulogy during his father Pierre Trudeau's state funeral on Oct. 3, 2000.

I've always loved cathedrals. The closest to me are the ones located in Seattle: St. James, St. Mark's and Saint Spiridon. Although they're not included in the top cathedrals of the world, they're still lovely.

But Montreal is so much more chic that Seattle when it comes to its sacred spaces and places. While St. James has a bookstore, and St. Mark's a cathedral shop, the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal has not one, but two boutiques! They sell Basilica souvenirs, religious articles and sacramental items such as rosaries, medals and books.

Notre-Dame also has a wonderful year-round show, And Then There Was Light.

Christmas at Notre-Dame Basilica is celebrated with three masses on Dec. 24: 7 PM (family mass), 9:30 PM and 12 o'clock midnight. Tickets are required ($5/$2) and went on sale in September. As of Dec. 1, there were some limited tickets available.

Christmas Day masses are at 9:30 AM, 11 AM and 5 PM. No tickets are required.

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
Photo by Sue Frause

Richmond's Thrangu Monastery, Canada's first traditional Tibetan monastery

Thrangu Monastery is the first traditional Tibetan monastery to open in Canada.


Golden Buddha, surrounded by 34 smaller Buddhas and 1,000 Medicine Buddhas.


Nine lamas meditate here daily at the monastery on Richmond's Highway to Heaven.



Thrangu Monastery opened in July of 2010. The public is welcome to visit.

Photos by Sue Frause