Wonder Voyage 2010 Summer Blog

Our final couple of days in Montreal were spent in further exploration of the city…its history and culture.  We got to see St Patrick’s Basilica, a light show at the Basilica of Notre Dame, old Montreal, and a funky thing called the Silophone.  We had a picnic in Cartier Square and the girls danced with much energy to the sounds of local bands.  We shared our final celebration meal at a local restaurant with David and Peggy Buckley, a couple from Australia who have in essence become our grandparents this week at the hostel. Our final evening discussion time focused on moments of grace, areas of challenge, and our hopes for the future.

Our final morning, the team spent in further exploration of Old Montreal for some sights and souvenirs.  As we say goodbye to this fair city and to our new friends, it is our prayer that these young ladies will continue to approach their lives as pilgrimage…that they will remain on the journey that they have begun here in Montreal.

For the past two mornings our St Stephens pilgrims have given some of their time and energy back to the city. Sun Youth is an organization which provides recreation programs, neighborhood safety programs and social services to some of the poorest sectors of the city. On Monday we walked with some apprehension into their warehouse facility, which was stacked floor to ceiling with clothing, food, toiletries, and household goods. After some instruction, the girls began to assemble bags of food which will be distributed to local families. Like a well-oiled machine, the team put together a record-breaking 1100 bags!

We returned confidently on Tuesday with the goal to assemble even more bags. With a few tweaks here and there to their assembly line system, the team broke the record again by assembling 1150 bags! The warehouse manager said these young ladies have restored his faith in teenagers through their hard work, good attitudes, and their dedication to excellence. Bravo!

As we continue in our week of discovery here in Montreal, we pray to continue to grow in community, and in wisdom, and in love for one another.

The young ladies from St Stephens in Coconut Grove have arrived in Montreal and have begun to learn to navigate the city on their urban pilgrimage. On our first afternoon and evening, we got settled into our lodging and began to explore the local neighborhood on foot. It’s a much different experience to see a city from the sidewalk than from the sealed environment of an air conditioned car.

Our Sunday began with a worship service at Christ Church Cathedral. This lovely gothic style church has an interesting history, including the fact that there is a shopping mall built underneath it. We arrived at the church to find a most interesting surprise: the service was going to be celebrated by both the Bishop of Montreal and the Archbishop of Canada. In addition, the music was done by the Montreal Boys Choir. It was a truly lovely service and a really unique experience.

Our afternoon took us to the opposite end of the cultural spectrum: the TAM TAM du Montreal. This event takes place on summer Sundays in Mont Royal Parc. Percussionists and musicians and folk artists from all over the region gather in the park for a jam session/ art festival. People from all walks of life join in the fun with dancing, juggling, singing, and games. It is definitely a sight to see. The team also had a pleasant surprise when a friend from back in the US actually found them in the crowded park. It was most definitely a pleasant surprise.

As we start a new day here in Quebec, we pray to see the face of God in new ways, and we await the moments of wonder that the day will bring.

Our last day and night! And what a day and night it was. We began in Chinatown which was just beginning to awaken. Lots of fresh produce and people wandering the morning streets.  Today was our free day and we explored every little shop there was to explore in Vieux Montreal; we also went on a short carriage tour and shared lunch together.  After a yummy dinner downtown, we arrived back at the hostel in a heavy rainstorm. We had to go to ‘plan B’ for our final gathering time of passing the candle. ‘Plan B’ turned out to be the best. We were crowded into one bedroom at the hostel and we were all able to hear and see and experience the best candle ceremony ever.

I am so proud of our group. We have all cone together and traveled so far in our spiritual journey together as a group and individually. I, as one of the leaders, must admit that this has been a growing time for me as much if not more than for these great kids.  We were able to peek inside each other’s souls tonight, and this will stay with us forever. We have all learned how to reach out to God and ourselves and each other in ways no one would have ever guessed we could. It is going to be so hard to come back down to the real world!

I am one of those people who makes ‘to-do’ lists in her head and is constanly thinking about what she has to do next. Relaxing is a challenge for me and my mind is always a constant whirlwind of thoughts and plans. Being a busy person, I tend to shut out time for God. My mind, full of all the clamor of the day, pushes God to the second-priority list.

We visited the St Joseph’s Oratory in the middle of Montreal. The church was unlike any of the other churches we had seen. It was beautiful in all of it’s simplicity. We toured all the parts of the church and walked the stations of the cross. Through all of the scenery and beauty of the architecture, the chapel spoke to me most. It had a high vaulted ceiling but was filled to the brim with over ten thousand colored glass jars filled with candles. The moment my feet crossed the doorway, I felt a stillness and warmth that I’d never felt before.  For the first time I can remember, I felt quietness in my mind: I had nothing to think about, nothing to plan, no one to impress. I was no doubt experiencing the peace of Christ. I knelt and prayed, letting go of every burden I was carrying, and I gave my consciousness and mind to the loving hands of God.

This moment, however brief it was, has imprinted a connection with God and myself. For those minutes with God I had in the candle-lit chapel, I felt completely still and experienced the true peace of God for the first time in my life. I reflected on this experience later during our discussion time and I know that I can find this moment again, and I will be at peace when I see God with anything I do. I will carry this peace and love with me wherever I go, sharing it with others along the way.