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By Kim Ae-ran
As I go on volunteer mission trips to the East Coast area of Canada, the most impressive thing is that this maple leaf country makes great efforts to be eco-friendly and save the earth.
As I drove a car from Detroit in Michigan to the Canadian border, I saw so many wind turbines constantly moving around in the field as if to greet us with open hands. Converting the energy of the wind into electricity will surely contribute to lessening the crisis of the warming globe.
One day, when I went to "Jardin Botanique" (botanical gardens) in Montreal, I couldn't find any printed guide map. When I asked for a guide map at the entrance guide, he said: "We don't have any printed guide map. Please take a picture of it." Even though it was inconvenient, I appreciated the intention to save resources. Surely, this eco-friendly movement will contribute to saving the earth.
Another notable point is the gradual decline of the marvelous church constructions. In the Archdiocese of Montreal, Catholics make up 70 percent of the population. There are 650 churches and among them, 205 are Catholic churches (170 parishes and 35 missions).
Church buildings with beautiful interiors and exteriors are found in every lane but, unfortunately, many churches are closed or used for other purposes. Even the crucifixes on top of some churches had been removed and the gorgeous beauty of the outer walls has been neglected.
One of the historic parishes, Sainte-Cunegonde Church in the street of Saint-Jacques, was handed over to the Korean migrant Catholic community established in 1979 in Montreal with the name of Mission Saint Martyrs Coreens.
Making use of the old construction is encouraging to see, even though it costs some amount of money for repair.
In spite of the gradual downfalls of considerable constructions, some parishes are still maintaining gorgeous and phenomenal features. Among them, I visited two national historic sites: L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal (Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal) and Basilique Notre Dame de Montreal (Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal), an exact replica of Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris in Gothic style.
Saint Joseph's Oratory was built in 1924 by Brother Andre in honor of Saint Joseph. The remains of Saint Andre are in the church. Saint Andre is well-known for many miracles: those who were healed left their crutches in the church. Thanks to many miracles, pilgrims keep visiting these churches.
Another significant church is Mary Queen of the World Cathedral built between 1870 to 1894 in the style of the Italian Renaissance revival, inspired by Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. The oldest church built over the ruins of an earlier chapel in 1771 is Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Old Montreal.
Solid and gorgeous stone architectures reveal the cultural influence of France and England. In the later 16 century, England and France explored Canada and they settled on the Atlantic coasts in the middle of the 17th century. After seven years of war, France handed over New France (Nouvelle-France) to England. And finally, in 1867, Canada became independent from England.
Being mingled in cultures, various migrants still come here to study or to settle. "Sun and moon, bless the Lord … All you, winds, bless the Lord…" (Daniel 3: 62,65)
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. Please feel free to visit her blog "A piece of sunshine" at mtorchid88.blogspot.com.
